Meet the Scandinavegan!

I just can't help myself. The Scandinavegan! As B says, you can't buy names like that.

So, why the Scandinavegan? Well, besides that I like to say it (over and over), maybe you'll think it's kind of interesting to know what it's like to try to cook fantastically delicious and healthful food in a foreign country.

Well, it's certainly different. Here are a few observations (and commentary, because the Scandinavegan has a lot to say)!

1. Danes don't do tofu. You can buy it in a specialty market, but I don't. Two reasons--it's expensive, about 14 USD/lb; and it comes in a jar sold on the shelf, not the refrigerator. I just can't see eating tofu that's been sitting in old water at room temperature for who knows how long. Clearly I've been spoiled by the daily influx of fresh tofu in Berkeley. Actually, I've been spoiled by all the Asian markets and products in the Bay Area. When we were in Paris, I begged B to let me bring home rice noodles and soba from a little Asian market we found. You just can't get those things here.

2. Danes also aren't really into canned beans. This is OK, though, since it's much cheaper to cook dried beans anyway.

3. They do really like faux dairy products, though. So far here I've seen soy milk, soy yogurt, soy pudding and vegan margarine; plus rice milk, oat milk, hazelnut milk, almond milk, quinoa milk, and spelt milk. Scandinavians are classically heavy dairy eaters, so I guess this shouldn't be a surprise.

4. Potatoes are also a hit. Danes are very proud of their potatoes. And with good reason; we've eaten some fantastic potatoes here. As a matter of fact, we've decided--as part of continuing Dane-ification--to eat more potatoes while we're here. It's like a world tour in potatoes. So far we've made a Peruvian chickpea and potato stew, patatas bravas, latkes, potato and mushroom blintzes, and pinto bean and potato breakfast burritos.

But enough about all of that. It's time to get to the reason for this post. Why does the Scandinavegan debut today?

To answer that, I need to explain one of our little "traditions." Every Monday, I bake a cake. Sometimes you need a boost when you know you have to go to language class after dinner and will be coming home in the pitch black, potential cold and damp. In this situation, there is nothing like knowing there is a fresh cake waiting for you.

So last night, B said to me,
"Hey, can you think of all the cakes you've made since you got here?"

Well, I could. Which seems like an accomplishment--both the listing and the baking.

Here's the list.
23/8 Banana cake with cinnamon icing
30/8 Gingerbread with orange glaze
7/9 German apple and walnut cake
14/9 German chocolate
21/9 Orange carrot cake with toasted coconut icing
28/9 Hershey's classic chocolate cake
4/10 Anise cake with poached pears (this was terrible. It came out of Gourmet magazine and it was still terrible. We couldn't finish it).
11/10 No cake. Flew to Paris. (Also, needed time to recover from the dismal pear cake of the week before).
18/10 B's mom's fantastic pear and walnut cake
25/10 Orange chocolate chip cake with chocolate icing
1/11 Coconut lime cake with lime icing

Ten cakes! No repeats! Time to publish the list and free up brain space for more cakes!

This brings us to a point of contention in our household. I think it would be awesome to make a different cake every week of the year, but B thinks it would be a terrible shame to wait a whole year to get back to the highlights. So, dear readers, will you weigh in on this dilemma? I'm proposing these three options.

Option 1: Have a different cake every Monday, all year.
Option 2: Allow repeats whenever B wants them.
Option 3: Have a different cake every Monday, but sometimes have bonus cakes, which can be repeats. For instance, this Sunday our friend Danish C and his five children are visiting, so we're making a bonus cake. It could be a repeat.

In other words, readers, this would be an excellent time to leave a comment. Let your cake voice be heard!

Finally, the Scandinavegan wants to say,
"Tak for at laese! Det var hyggelig at moede dig!"