Someone needs to open a Scandinavian restaurant Downtown

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

There are many tourist traps in Denmark...but that is not the topic of this thread.

I've had some awful Chinese food in this country...so bad Chinese food isn't something found only in Denmark.

In the years that I spent there I can't think of any food that I found truly disgusting...

Guess it depends if you're into things like liver, sweetbreads, gefelte fish (for those who don't know what this is, I suggest you to go Fred Meyer and find it in the international foods section. Comes in jars. Just take one look at it and you'll understand), etc.

Personally? Not into that sort of thing, and neither is most of America, seeing as how there's not a booming liver pate market.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

Guess it depends if you're into things like liver, sweetbreads, gefelte fish (for those who don't know what this is, I suggest you to go Fred Meyer and find it in the international foods section. Comes in jars. Just take one look at it and you'll understand), etc.

Personally? Not into that sort of thing, and neither is most of America, seeing as how there's not a booming liver pate market.

They have gefilte fish in Scandinavia? They may have some disgusting foods, but gefilte fish is not Scandinavian, it's eastern European Jewish. I grew up eating the stuff. It's not delicious by a long shot, but it's not nearly as nasty as it looks. Seems like almost every ethnicity has something to contribute to the disgusting hall of fame.The Scots have haggis. Mexicans have menudo. The Brits have sweetbreads ( it's not bread, and it's not sweet).

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by Ira500

They have gefilte fish in Scandinavia? They may have some disgusting foods, but gefilte fish is not Scandinavian, it's eastern European Jewish. I grew up eating the stuff. It's not delicious by a long shot, but it's not nearly as nasty as it looks. Seems like almost every ethnicity has something to contribute to the disgusting hall of fame.The Scots have haggis. Mexicans have menudo. The Brits have sweetbreads ( it's not bread, and it's not sweet).

I did a Christmas in Norway, and that's what they eat there. I will give you that it's not "as bad" as it looks, but it couldn't possibly be, because it's the most disgusting looking thing of all time. That it only tastes moderately better than it looks speaks volumes.

I'd also saddle the Brits with blood sausage before I did sweetbreads. I'm not sure that sweetbreads didn't start with the Germans, anyways.

I'll just close out my contribution to this topic by saying that I'm a pretty hardcore foodie. I'm very open-minded when it comes to food and will down almost anything with reckless abandon, but (to use as a point of reference) when I was in Copenhagen last year, I made a point to ask "what's this? "What's that? What's in this?" any time I came across a family-style spread, because I *knew* I was treading in dangerous waters I had been in before, and did not like the result of :P.

[seattlerain]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

I did a Christmas in Norway, and that's what they eat there. I will give you that it's not "as bad" as it looks, but it couldn't possibly be, because it's the most disgusting looking thing of all time. That it only tastes moderately better than it looks speaks volumes.

The Norwegian Christmas dish is Lutefisk, not gefilte fish, two very different dishes.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

I did a Christmas in Norway, and that's what they eat there. I will give you that it's not "as bad" as it looks, but it couldn't possibly be, because it's the most disgusting looking thing of all time. That it only tastes moderately better than it looks speaks volumes.

I'd also saddle the Brits with blood sausage before I did sweetbreads. I'm not sure that sweetbreads didn't start with the Germans, anyways.

I'll just close out my contribution to this topic by saying that I'm a pretty hardcore foodie. I'm very open-minded when it comes to food and will down almost anything with reckless abandon, but (to use as a point of reference) when I was in Copenhagen last year, I made a point to ask "what's this? "What's that? What's in this?" any time I came across a family-style spread, because I *knew* I was treading in dangerous waters I had been in before, and did not like the result of :P.

Lutefisk is the traditional Norwegian Christmas "treat", Norwegians wouldn't be eating gefilte fish unless they were Eastern European Jews, and in that case they wouldn't generally be doing a Christmas spread. I had a Norwegian co-worker, the aforementioned Eldo Kanikkeberg, the guy who turned me on to lutefisk. I retaliated and brought in a jar of gefilte fish. He thought they were equally disgusting. Neither tastes good, but lutefisk has a far worse texture ( stinky, sticky fish jello.)

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Lutefisk is the traditional Norwegian Christmas "treat", Norwegians wouldn't be eating gefilte fish unless they were Eastern European Jews, and in that case they wouldn't generally be doing a Christmas spread. I had a Norwegian co-worker, the aforementioned Eldo Kanikkeberg, the guy who turned me on to lutefisk. I retaliated and brought in a jar of gefilte fish. He thought they were equally disgusting. Neither tastes good, but lutefisk has a far worse texture ( stinky, sticky fish jello.)

OK fair enough. It's still gross, slimy and jell-o-y.

There's a Scandanavian show on PBS (I'm not sure if it's broadcast up here in Seattle, but it was in Portland) where they cook out in the snow (I think in Finland, but could be mistaken), and make traditional Scandi dishes...I would tune in because A) the girl was smokin', and B) I was always drawn to that accent for some reason. I never did see her make something I'd want to replicate, though :P

[seattlerain]

For those of you asking about Scandanavian restaurants, and for those of you wondering how predominant the Scandanavian influence was here I've found a good article that explores the issue.

publicola.net: Where has All the Lutefisk Gone?

[ichinca]

i ate the most disgusting chinese food of my entire life in Copenhagen (tivoli gardens) and also the typic danish food is almost awful... is full of everything...it seems that they put all the spices and everything that is around in the plate and hope that is good together

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

For those of you asking about Scandanavian restaurants, and for those of you wondering how predominant the Scandanavian influence was here I've found a good article that explores the issue.

publicola.net: Where has All the Lutefisk Gone?

Good article!

My family is mostly Swedish, specifically of the Sami ethnic minority, and that's one of the main driving forces in my having been born in Seattle. We lived in Ballard as a kid, and I recall a girl in my class in fourth grade wearing a sweatshirt that said "SNORGE" because she was half-Swedish/half-Norwegian. You'd go into any one of the numerous Scandanavian delicatessen/fish shops along NW Market St. and have some nice little old Swedish lady babble to you in Swedish and give you a chocolate because you were a nice little tow-headed kid (well, at least, that was my experience!).

We got pastries from Olsen's and a couple other little places. My dad got all his tools from a variety of the woodworking shops in the area. When I got my allowance, we'd go to American Eagle Hobbies, which was owned by an older Swedish fellow who imported all the cool model kits and minitanks from Europe. All these places are totally gone now; I went there with my roommate so she could go to Cupcake Royale and it was just a strip of "cute indie shops" like any other major street in Seattle. I understand that things change, but it was a serious bummer.