Gorgeous: Myosotis

forget me not, originally uploaded by Vilseskogen.

Forget-me-not ('förgätmigej') photographed in a little private garden in The Netherlands, like little faces looking at you, expectantly. This is one of my absolute favorite flowers.

Maybe the best sandwiches in the world?

Sometimes I get really homesick for Swedish food.  I was just downstairs in the kitchen and opened the fridge and thought about the Swedish things that are great but hard to get here in the US.  So here you go, my list of the best traditional Swedish sandwich toppings (smörgåspålägg [ha, there is a Swedish word for you Americans to master!]), in no particular order (they are all amazing).  I know, some of you will not agree, feel free to comment. :)

- Arboga leverpastej med inlagd gurka (Arboga liverwurst with sliced dill pickles) (photo)

- Skivat hårdkokt ägg med Kalles kaviar (Sliced hardboiled egg with smoked creamed fish roe) (photo)

- Skivat hårdkokt ägg med ansjovis (Sliced hardboiled egg with anchovy-pickled herring sprats [these are not real anchovies]) (photo)

- Skivad kall kokt potatis med kaviar (Sliced boiled cold potatoes with smoked creamed fish roe) (photo)

- Smörstekta kantareller (Wild-collected yellow chanterelles fried in butter) (photo)

- Räksmörgås (Shrimp sandwich, with little tiny pink shrimp, mayo, sliced boiled egg, lettuce, thinsliced lemon) (photo)

- Rökt renkött med pepparrotsvisp i tunnbröd, renklämma (Smoked reindeer meat with creamed horseradish in thin bread) (photo)

- Greveost och rökt skinka med färsk röd paprika  (Greve cheese and smoked ham with fresh sliced red pepper)

- Gravad lax med senapssås och dill (Gravlax/Brined salmon with mustard sauce and dill) (photo)

- Köttbullar (kalla) med rödbetssallad och sallad (Cold meatballs with beet salad (with youghurt or sour creme) and lettuce) (photo)

- Gratinerad varm smörgås med allt möjligt, kantareller, ost, tomater, osv. (Oven-broiled sandwiches with different toppings, such as chanterelles, cheese, tomatoes...) (photo)

Swedish sandwiches are always open-faced (no bread on top), with things falling off them when you eat them.  That is just the way it is.  The bread can be any kind. You can make a double sandwich if you have to transport it somewhere and eat it for lunch but otherwise it is not common.

We Swedes have much less toppings on a sandwich than Americans (well, we used to, I think Swedes are becoming richer and add more nowadays).  I only think Dutch people have less. And they put butter, chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles on their breakfast sandwiches.

We don't cut off the crust and make little triangular double sandwiches with white mush in them like the Brits (I do like these too, but they are for people that are afraid of getting messy).

We don't overload giant subs and heros with salamis and other meats like American-Italians (which can be great to eat, but isn't Swedish). Ever heard of a muffaletta?  They are giant. Giantly tasty too.

We don't make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a combination I personally think is kind of... disgusting.  Each one by itself is quite fine.

We don't make smörrebröd, that is the Danes specialty (overloaded warm or cold sandwiches you have to eat with a knife and fork - also delicious).

Sometimes Swedes invent crazy sandwich topping combinations.  I have a vivid memory of a cousin, who will rename unnamed, who ate a sandwich with cheese, kaviar, and orange marmalade. And here is a crazy one too!

So, what is my favorite breakfast sandwiches here in the US?  Well, since there aren't some of the Swedish things...  smoked ham, cheese and Frank's Hot Sauce...  cottage cheese and fox point seasoning...   hummus....  goat cheese...  sliced cold potatoes and kaviar (everybody else in the house thinks I am crazy to eat that)...  sliced egg and real anchovy...  marmalade....  blueberry jam (homemade, more about that later)...  cheese and pickles, or cheese and sundried tomato tapenade...

A Vermeer Milkmaid in Pennsylvania

A Vermeer Milkmaid in Pennsylvania, originally uploaded by Hank Conner.

Look how Hank Conner transformed one of my photos from the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, PA. Isn't it nice? Click on the image for more information.

Where did 'Santa' come from?

I have been reading up on this subject, and learned that one of the people that poopularized our image of Santa (jultomten) was an American-Swede working as an advertisement artist for Coca-Cola in America, Haddon Sundblom.

In the 1930s, he conceived a rotund and jolly fellow wearing a red suit, wide black belt and black boots. Haddon gave him sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks and a bottle of Coca-Cola. (link)
Each year from 1931 to 1964 Haddon Sundblom created a new Santa for Coca-Cola's "thirst knows no season" campaign. (link)

Before Haddon, Thomas Nast, a cartoonist for Harper's Magazine in the US had drawn the first santa as a man with a beard and a fur suit.

Of course people had been worshiping St. Nicholas (called Sinterklaas in Dutch, and 17th century Dutch settlers brought the gift giving tradition to America) since Medieval times, and he was a Catholic saint that had cared deeply about the poor.

There must be some link between the gnomes (tomte) of Sweden and Santa's hat too, anything else would be impossible. Also, I wonder if the rein deers have anything to do with the old goat traditions?

Also, report from our Christmas tree: The cats have not yet climbed up into the tree to get to the ornaments (=toys in their minds), but they drink the water out of the tree base. When we cut the tree at the local christmas tree farm, we found a bird's nest in it. We defrosted the nest, and now it is back in the tree, here in our living room. Pictures are coming later...

Santa's wish list, as I imagine it:

1. No more global warming (save those glaciers and pack ice in the Arctic)
2. Al Gore for president
3. Drink less Coca-Cola and loose weight
4. Free all rein deers and let them eat lichens
5. No presents to sitting American presidents
6. Health care to all Americans (the last western country in the world without health coverage for all citizens, I think)
7. More snow in Sweden and in America on Christmas
8. Reusable wrapping paper, recycle, recycle
9. LED lights on the Santa wagon
10. More homemade and activity presents for children, less poisonous junk and things that break
11. Peace on Earth...

Pining insects

This morning I woke up with 30 insect bites of unknown origin... First I get one bite, then the next day there are 3, then 30 - how does this work? I can't see anything crawling around biting me. Maybe they are chigger bites, because no mosquitos are around yet.

In Leiden, The Netherlands, they have this sculpture in the middle of their town square - it is a pinned beetle on a pin that is about 10 meters (30 feet tall). Pretty cool! Art that mimic science is great, and this reminds me of course of Dad's insect collecting. I haven't been able to figure out who made it, but it is really unique.