Posts under "Norway and the world"

Butter Shortage in Norway

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Dec 21 2011

While there are clearly worse things, the recent smør (butter) shortage in Norway is certainly proving to be a big deal for a country that uses as much smør as Norway.  There are seldom meals without a gob of smør in them.  Smør is a typical ingredient in sauser (sauces) and in julebaking (Chistmas baking).  Traditionally, Norwegians bake 7 different kinds of småkaker to serve with Christmas dinner.  No lefse is complete without a healthy spread of smør and sukker (sugar).

For instance, the following is a typical list of ingredients in lefse-you´ll notice quite a lot of smør and sukker are requested.

To make about 24 lefse:

  • 5 lbs (2+ kg) or about 10 large potatoes
  • 3/4 cup (6 oz) heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
    (= 8 tablespoons or 1/4 lb or 1 stick)
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4-5 cups all-purpose flour

Perhaps you have seen an article or heard about it on TV.  If not, brace yourself, young Norwegians who have secured significant access to smør, have devised a way to sell it online for $100 per kilo!  Companies are taking advantage of consumer´s major desire for smør and offering it as incentive to become a member or subscriber.  Although perhaps annoying for some, it´s a pretty good business strategy;)

Why, you might ask, does Norway not have any smør right now?  There are various reasons behind the smør shortage.  Some below the poor weather in the spring did not yield enough for healthy cows and thus there is less cream to make smør out of.  Others blame the matbutikker (grocery stores) for alleged manufacturing of the shortage.  Another reason includes the Norwegian governments import duty on smør and thus inhibiting import of this commodity.  Last but not least, the low-carb, high-fat diet is quite popular right now.  All of these reasons have presented Norway with a smør shortage.

It really is a bummer that this shortage comes right before the holidays, which is the time in Norway when the most smør is bought and used.

Please find here an entertaining part of the Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN´s newspaper):

´Neighboring Scandinavians, perhaps sick and tired of Norway always being “the richest” and “the safest” and “the most literate,” have smugly put on their earmuffs at Norway’s request for emergency supplies. Some small shipments arrived last week, but many households have given up on this year’s holiday baking.´

If you are in Norway, I hope you can secure some smør for your julebaking!

Smörgås Chef at Scandinavia House, New York City

Posted by kari 3 Comments
Nov 26 2011

chef and owner

As Thanksgiving was just a couple of days ago and holiday parties are finding their way on my calendar, mat er temaet på denne tiden av året (food is the theme at this time of year).  I was fortunate to attend 3 Thanksgiving celebrations on Thursday, 2 of which I consumed full meals at.  Some of the mat we consumed include the following:

kalkun (turkey)

flere typer poteter (several types of potatoes)

grønne bønner (green beans)

brød (bread)

stuffing (translation?)

salat (salad)

gresskar pai (pumpkin pie)

søtpotet pai (sweet potato pie)

Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite helligdag (holiday) of the year because it´s all about god mat og godt selskap (good food and good company).  It´s not a religious hellidag and gaver (gifts) are not typically involved.

As you probably know, Norwegians do not celebrate Thanksgiving.  I simply have mat on the brain right now and so I´ve been searching for Norwegian restaurants to attend in various cities around the country if and when I end up there.  I discovered the Smörgås Chef at Scandinavia House in New York City.  There are 3 locations in NYC:

1) Wall Street

2) Midtown

3) West Village

Both the mat and the atmosfære (atmosphere) look and sound amazing!

Smörgås Chef  ”is proud to serve a fresh and unique menu based on the principles of “New Nordic Cuisine,” which is deeply committed to using local, sustainable, and all-natural ingredients. Smorgas owns and operates its own 150-acre farm in the Catskills.”

The 150 acre farm in the Catskills is called Blenheim Hill Farm.  The farm has a 2 acre lake which provides plenty of water for the livestock and also a place to swim on hot summer days.  There is an abundance of lønnetrær (maple trees) from which sirup (syrup) is extracted.

 

There are kuer (cows), griser (pigs), kyllinger (chickens), and sauer (sheep) and Blenheim Hill.  They roam freely.

 

 

 

Items you will find on the menu include Nordic Chips with caviar dip, Smorgas Sliders, Goat Cheese and beet salad, Aquavit Cured Gravlaks (Aquavit cured salmon), Wild Mushroom Omelette, Herring Quartet, Ham and Jarlsberg Skillet, Duck Leg Confit with Cherries, and for dessert, your options include riskrem (rice cream), raspberry almond cake, and various vafler (waffles) and sorbets.  Special drinks include Norwegian Wood, Viking Burial, Miss Bliss, and many other creatively named and mixed beverages.  There are also a number of Scandinavian beers, various kinds of Aquavit, sodas, and coffee drinks.

I can´t wait to go to one of the 3 locations and enjoy a delicious Norwegian meal in NYC!

Norwegians´wealth and worth revealed

Posted by kari No Comments
Oct 25 2011

Below is Norway´s formueliste (wealth list) which shows the individual´s navn (name), inntekt (income), skatt (tax), and forume (wealth).

 

Navn Inntekt Skatt Formue
Sum 717 583 205 771 252 030 50 758 078 130
Johan H. Andresen 20 661 960 138 886 765 12 001 206 593
Kjell Inge Røkke 0 87 291 739 7 906 171 404
Olav Thon 75 957 617 115 774 747 7 782 653 899
Hans Petter Jebsen 229 879 279 118 449 969 4 837 732 958
Trond Mohn 359 265 129 142 224 132 3 750 229 395
Svein Støle 4 736 731 40 863 308 3 590 785 334
Johan Johannson 13 194 498 37 982 040 3 091 859 434
Leif Høegh 165 833 33 374 144 3 016 210 672
Helge Knudsen 11 936 978 29 818 345 2 407 909 481
Margaret Boel Garmann 1 785 180 26 586 841 2 373 318 960

In addition to lutefisk season, it is also that time of year when the idea of almost complete transparency is proven in Norway.  The government makes individual Norwegians tax and wealth information available to the public.  As we all know, Norway is a social democracy in which men and women enjoy excellent equality (at least compared to most cultures) and the income gap is moderate.  Whether they like it or not, residents of Norway must accept that they live in a country where their financial and tax information are not private matters.

Tax authorities issue the skatteliste (tax list) which shows nearly every taxpayers annual income and overall net worth.  Some say it´s the Norwegian way to keep up the neighbors and where they stand.  Every year it stirs up media frenzy about how much this actor made or that athlete, or better yet, the oil tycoon or real estate king.

There are of course many people who find this transparency completely inappropriate and a violation of privacy.  Besides just not wanting others to have accessibility to private financial information purely on principle, many argue that this transparency leads to bullying on the playground (´my dad is richer than your dad´).

The information was made public this past Friday, however, it is not quite as easy to find the information as it has been in the past.  One can access the information by logging in as a user on the Skatteetaten (tax agency) website and searching for a particular link.  The media, however, can no longer publish the information directly.  This should cut down on the huge media frenzy that erupts every fall after the information becomes public.

Furthermore, it is important to understand that the information listed is fairly misleading, as the annual income figures are significantly less than the actual income earned over the past year.  This is because they are adjusted for deductions.  Net worth figures are also deceiving because they include tax valuations not based on the market value of real estate.  So, snoopers beware-the numbers do not always reflect reality.

You can find more information about specific individuals if you are snoopy yourself (or just curious…) at this website.

Johan H. Andresen

Johan H. Andresen is Norway´s richest man.  He used a massive tobacco inheritance to finance and build several other business ventures.

The Norwegian King and Queen Visit the Midwest, New York

Posted by kari No Comments
Oct 11 2011

This was the royal couple a long time ago....

Kong Harold and Dronning Sonja arrive in the United States today to embark on a 12 day journey that will take them to the great midwest (read: I was born and raised and currently reside in Northfield, MN-one destination for the royal couple) and none other than the Big Apple for a ball!  Other members of the Norwegian Royal family have visited the midwest in my lifetime as well.  In fact, when I was a student at St. Olaf, Crown Prince Haakon visited in 2005, as well as his sister, Princess Märthe Louise in 2006.  Princess Astrid visited in 2008.  This is not the first time that Harald and Sonja will visit either.  The Norwegian royal family makes semi-regular visits to colleges and communities in the midwest that have strong relationships with or a history rooted in Norway.  Please find here a brief itinerary-perhaps the royals will be in your area:)

Oct. 13– The first visit on the trip is Luther College in Decorah, IA.  Luther was founded by Norwegians and is actually the oldest Norwegian Norwegian-American College in the United States.  Furthermore, this year marks Luther’s 150th anniversary.

Oct. 14–Drumroll please….St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN-my alma mater and my city.  And I will be out of town on business:(  St. Olaf was founded by Norwegians just 13 years after Luther.  St. Olaf is named after Kong Olav II Haroldsson, who ruled Norway from 1016 to 1030 and was responsible for Christianizing Norway.  Harald and Sonja will attend a Norwegian class taught my one of my old Norwegian professors.  That will be so much fun for all!

I would like to quote Jean Callister Benson (Director of Special Events at St. Olaf) on the royal visit:

“We want the King and Queen to know that this college remains dedicated to the high standards set by our Norwegian immigrant founders.  In the spirit of free inquiry and free expression, we still offer an environment that integrates teaching, scholarship and creative activity.  While we are working hard to become a diverse community, we remain true to our Norwegian heritage.”

Oct. 16–Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN.  Founded in 1869 by Norwegians, this college was originally a seminary.  Augsburg has huge significance in that it is the only place outside of Norway that holds an official Norwegian Peace Prize Forum.

Oct. 17–Their Majesties will continue north up to Duluth, MN.  I will digress and tell a joke here:  Who founded Duluth?  Dulutherans!  Haha.

Burt Enger, a Norwegian immigrant, built a 5-story tower overlooking Lake Superior in Duluth, which Kong Harald and Dronning Sonja dedicated.  Now it is time for their visit and the rededication ceremony.

Prior to their departure to New York, the royal couple will participate in the opening of an exhibited called “Cold Call” at the St. Paul/Minneapolis airport.  The exhibit commemorates Roald Amundsen’s journey to the South Pole.  Perhaps I can see this exhibit when I return from my business trip.

Oct. 21–Last, but never least, the royals will attend a ball in New York City, where representatives from all 5 Nordic countries will be in attendance.  They include Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Prince Mary of Denmark, Tarja Halonen, President of Finland, President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.  Whew!

The official name of the event is the American-Scandinavian Foundation Centennial Ball and it will be held at the Hilton New York Hotel.  This year is significant because the foundation celebrates its 100th anniversary.  The American Scandinavian Foundation promotes educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Nordic countries in the hopes to further international cultural understandings.

If you are in an area the King and Queen will visit, you should certainly try to weasel your way in to experience it.  It’s bizarre, but fun being in the presence of royals!

Tromsø now has a Porsche dealer!

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Oct 8 2011

What?  Tromsø just became home to the world´s northernmost Porsche bilforretning (car dealership)?  Now that is pretty cool.  Who would ever think that the German bilforretning (to be sure, the founder was Austrian…) would come to northern Norway, one of the geographically most isolated parts of the world?  My initial reactions as far as what I think legitimate this move were:

1)  Norwegians have a lot of penger (money) per capita

and

2)  Northern Norway is home to lots of rednecks as we call them (this is not meant to be an insult, I´m friends with quite a few of them!)

Porsche Center Tromsø (also known as Traasdahl) is Norway´s fifth authorized Porsche bilforretning.  There are Porsche forhandlere (dealers) in Oslo, Bergen, Son, and Stavanger.  The fact that there is now a Porsche forhandler in northern Norway means that literally the top half of the country (Nordland, Finnmark and Svalbard) has a closer forhandler to kjøpe (purchase) from.  It´s a long drive from Bergen or Oslo to Tromsø!  Trust me, I´ve done it!

 

Many of you have been to Norway and perhaps gotten a ride with a friend or relative.  The average citizen´s automobile in Norway is much much nicer than the average citizen´s vehicle in the United States, for example.  Of course there are crappy beaters in Norway just as anywhere else, but the majority of vehicles are in very good condition and cost a hell of a lot more money than vehicles in the U.S.  You may have noticed that even the taxis are super nice-usually a Mercedes or Volkswagen.  This is not true of just Norway.  I have seen this in the Netherlands as well as Sweden.  It still never ceases to surprise me though.  As an American, I am used to hopping in mediochre cards.  I digress…back to Porsches.

Besides Norways´s largest northern city, Tromsø, announcing the opening of it´s new Porsche forretning in August, Porsche has also recently announced major decreases in prices for models that are designed to minimize pollution.  I´m into irony at the moment and I would like to simply state that although Norway produces a large amount of the worlds oil and gas, Norwegians are very conscious about their impact on the environment.  Triple bonus!  Northern Norwegians with a lot of penger, a desire for a Porsche, and would like to lessen their carbon footprint can now purchase a Porsche in Tromsø:)

I´m not super into biler (cars), but I am into Tromsø and I think it´s pretty cool that Tromsø has recently opened a Porsche forhandler!

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