the good, the bad, and the ugly

nice save! i thought i had nothing to do today except clean our apartment, but luckily the writer has tagged me to list 7 foods that i like and another 7 that i dislike from the country i'm currently occupying. my answers will be a little different than hers, hehe. there's a lot of things i like about the food here but here's a short rundown:

1. koldskål - as soon as it became proper season for it, the dane was anxious to gather all the ingredients and have me try this summer dish. sometimes we have it for dinner. so refreshing!

2. drømmekage - who doesn't like it? i first tried this at a stand in christiania. i can see why it sells so well in a prime stoner spot. sweet and fluffy and crunchy. but when i bake drømmekage it looks a lot more 'rustic,' haha.

3. ris alamande - duh, i'm asian. of course i like the rice dish. you don't want to know how many bowls of this i ate at the dane's family christmas dinner. the kirsebær sauce makes or breaks it!

4. rødbeder - hmm, that ubiquitous red stuff that i see in jars everywhere. never tried that stuff, but one of my roommates roasted some fresh beetroot and it was delicious! funny that i've never tasted it before since i'm sure it's widely available in california.

5. makrel - actually this fish is widely used in korea. best when it's cooked in a spicy sauce with korean radishes until they become soft enough to fall apart in your mouth. the oily flesh and strong taste has always been a friend of mine. but i never had it danish-style in tomato sauce before. no, i have not eaten it straight from the can, really...

6. sild - another oily delicacy. ohh, all the flavours i've tried so far are very good. my favourite is curried herring. once in a while is good enough, as this fish can be very overpowering. and you gotta have it with a shot of akvavit. (:

7. rugbrød - what else are you gonna eat the makrel and sild on?! it was love at first bite; the slight sourness, the earthiness... the fiber! you can eat almost anything on a thin slice of rye bread (smørrebrød). unless you are the writer. :P

the list of dislikes is so long that i'm just going to make it broad. korean cuisine is nearly the polar opposite of danish; with spicy vegetables vs bland potatoes, and one country being historically meat-heavy. maybe the only common denominator is pickling/salting for the winter?

1. sauce-drenching - i've been known to go a little overboard with ketchup and mustard on fast food, but bearnaise and remoulade i can do without. whatever happened to letting natural flavours come through? maybe i'm just scared to try new sauces. however, i do enjoy the sting of peberrød.

2. -salat - no, it usually does not mean fresh greens and other light ingredients. it means whatever word is in front of "-salat" slathered in mayo or cream. do not want!

3. läkerol - ughhh! a doctor offered me one of these and i was so glad he turned away to look at some papers because my face just imploded on itself. guess you gotta be a real man to eat these. ):

4. bork bork pork - man, i have never been a big fan of pork beyond the odd piece of bacon. and of course i have to end up in the country with a huge love of the other white meat. it's just too heavy for me! @_@;

5. leverpostej -finally, something specific. i don't really have a problem with the taste, in fact in california i ate many a vietnamese sandwich with a smear of liver pate. but this kind is extremely heavy (especially when served on rugbrød!) and i feel awful after eating it.

6. ost med kommen - cheese is great, but caraway seeds are not always welcome.

7. MEAT - i couldn't think of one particular dish but the fact that there is so much meat is a dislike. i know it's nothing compared to the consumption in america but i assumed that eco-conscious, skinny danes would not have so much of it on their menus.

this is mainly based on the traditional cuisine of denmark but i know that nowadays there are more experimentations with fusion and vegetarian options. almost all the danish food i've tasted have been pleasant or at least interesting and of course i have to give everything a try at least once. last night one of my roommates had guests over who prepared homemade flødeboller (literally creamballs) and i had to try, despite the fact that i had eaten a gross variety from irma the last time. obviously the homemade flødeboller was so much better. i may even try baking them myself. (: