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| Really big kids |
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| Really small kids |
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Astrid Lindgren
Room for rent
So I did something today that in the long run isn't too terrible...I suppose, in the short term on the other hand? At least for the next week or so...it might be uncomfortable. We will get back to that in a bit.
I'm not sure if this is something common to all of Sweden or if its just the islands way of being. The homes here are generally smaller and have fewer rooms. It is not uncommon for several siblings to share a common room with no real personal space. Also, most homes have multiple entrances each leading to a different floor, often times the different floors can be rented out as apartments. The house we are staying in has three floors. A basement, middle floor and upper floor.
In past year we lived on the lower floor while my wife's mother lived in the middle floor, occasionally her brother or other visitors stay on the upper floor. Although the house is not large it allowed for more space.
This year my wife's mother has rented out the top floor to a local man who works for the island utility company...On an odd side thing, all of the utility workers seem to wear Capri Work pants.
For our first four weeks we had the run of the middle floor and the basement. Although we didn't use the middle floor much (See blog posting "in the house where we live"). For the last week or so the basement has been rented out to a family...So we have been confined to the middle floor. In fact, all five of us are living in one room, its not terrible small, but it really doesn't matter...There are five of us after all. For the most part it isn't too big of a deal. At home we have a family bedroom, and more common than not we co-sleep (the family all sleeping in one bed).
Although parents don't admit to it, co-sleeping happens about 70% of the time with infants and estimates for co-sleeping into the older ages go into the 30% range. There are a number of benefits to co-sleeping and it is suggested that it is the normal state for human sleeping. If you think about most social animals sleep in a giant pile.
With the exception of sleeping, i hate being in the room...All of our stuff is also packed into the room, it also serves as my office, the kids playroom, our sitting room and our time-out room for the kids.
This transition/corralling has been hard on all of us. First, we had to remember/learn which door to go through. I would like to say this was a bigger problem for the kids...but I can't. Next, we had to learn what is ok to do on the deck and what isn't. (The deck we have is directly above the grill patio for the basement floor.) The boys needed to learn its not ok to pee on the deck...I guess something young boys will do when on a deck...it only took one talk.
This morning it poured for a couple of hours, we have several containers and buckets on the deck. Vincent wanted to see how much water one of these buckets holds...of course dumping it all over the people below...that was somewhat problematic. The slats in the deck nice and widely spaced, so much of the water drained rapidly.
I discovered the spacing of the slats when I went down to see just how much water was spilled. As I brushed water off of the tables and chairs, I looked up and could clearly see my son looking down at me...Which brings me back around to two days ago when I changed out of my bathing and roamed around on the porch in only a towel for a couple of hours...Don't want to think about the what the perspective of the house guests was...They leave in a week...until then I can avoid eye contact.
I'm not sure if this is something common to all of Sweden or if its just the islands way of being. The homes here are generally smaller and have fewer rooms. It is not uncommon for several siblings to share a common room with no real personal space. Also, most homes have multiple entrances each leading to a different floor, often times the different floors can be rented out as apartments. The house we are staying in has three floors. A basement, middle floor and upper floor.
In past year we lived on the lower floor while my wife's mother lived in the middle floor, occasionally her brother or other visitors stay on the upper floor. Although the house is not large it allowed for more space.
This year my wife's mother has rented out the top floor to a local man who works for the island utility company...On an odd side thing, all of the utility workers seem to wear Capri Work pants.
For our first four weeks we had the run of the middle floor and the basement. Although we didn't use the middle floor much (See blog posting "in the house where we live"). For the last week or so the basement has been rented out to a family...So we have been confined to the middle floor. In fact, all five of us are living in one room, its not terrible small, but it really doesn't matter...There are five of us after all. For the most part it isn't too big of a deal. At home we have a family bedroom, and more common than not we co-sleep (the family all sleeping in one bed).
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| When Elsa was a baby...And I didn't realize how creepy I am. |
Although parents don't admit to it, co-sleeping happens about 70% of the time with infants and estimates for co-sleeping into the older ages go into the 30% range. There are a number of benefits to co-sleeping and it is suggested that it is the normal state for human sleeping. If you think about most social animals sleep in a giant pile.
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| http://thebabybond.com/Cosleeping&SIDSFactSheet.html |
With the exception of sleeping, i hate being in the room...All of our stuff is also packed into the room, it also serves as my office, the kids playroom, our sitting room and our time-out room for the kids.
This transition/corralling has been hard on all of us. First, we had to remember/learn which door to go through. I would like to say this was a bigger problem for the kids...but I can't. Next, we had to learn what is ok to do on the deck and what isn't. (The deck we have is directly above the grill patio for the basement floor.) The boys needed to learn its not ok to pee on the deck...I guess something young boys will do when on a deck...it only took one talk.
This morning it poured for a couple of hours, we have several containers and buckets on the deck. Vincent wanted to see how much water one of these buckets holds...of course dumping it all over the people below...that was somewhat problematic. The slats in the deck nice and widely spaced, so much of the water drained rapidly.
I discovered the spacing of the slats when I went down to see just how much water was spilled. As I brushed water off of the tables and chairs, I looked up and could clearly see my son looking down at me...Which brings me back around to two days ago when I changed out of my bathing and roamed around on the porch in only a towel for a couple of hours...Don't want to think about the what the perspective of the house guests was...They leave in a week...until then I can avoid eye contact.
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| Playing on the deck...A much nicer image of deck life. |
Friday, July 19, 2013
Gothia Cup
Today we left the island to go to the city for the international football (Soccer) tournament, the Gothia Cup (which isn't actually a cup.) It is said to be the largest youth tournament in the world. Kids from 30 or 40 countries with thousands of players. More the two hundred games over the week long event.
I did get into the games and by seeming random chance started to root for a one team over the other. No rhyme or reason, it just happened and because I was cheering for one of the teams my wife, kids father in-law and nephew also cheers for them. We had a fair sized cheering block. I wonder if the players on the teams wondered who we were and why we were cheering for them... I hope so.
Today and tomorrow are the finals. It's kind of a weird thing going to watch games and cheer for teams and people you have no connection to. Cheers like "Go guy on the yellow team" and "Hey Ref. Common! The guy on the purple team totally fouled the guy on the Red team!" Full investment is important.
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| Yellow team vs Purple team |
I ran into a team from California from a city very close to where I grew up. I wore my Seattle Sounders jersey which they recognized. It turns out I cheered against them in one of the matches, the one they got eliminated in. I doubt I had much to do with their loss.
I don't consider myself superstitious except when it comes to sport. I know that if my team loses its because I didn't cheer loud enough, wear the right clothes, stand at the right time or God forbid my wife tries to talk to me at the wrong time.
In all honesty I really don't know what it is I'm cheering for. My teams or teams I've chosen to root for are never entirely the same from year to year. They are made up of people I have never met nor will I ever meet. They represent cities that most of the player did not live n prior to signing with the team and if they are traded. If the player leave the team and join another team they will become an enemy and I will hope against hope they will fail.
My teams The Dodgers, Lakers, Kings and Ducks from Los Angeles,the Seahawks and Sounders from Seattle and the Stealth, Silvertips and Aqua Sox from Everett. Of all these teams I've only been to see half them live, the other half have experienced through the magic of T.V.
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It's really odd thing. It's almost like cheering for a group of player I've never hear of playing for a team I have no connection to.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Amusement and Theme Parks Sweden Style
To date I have been to three different amusement parks in Sweden, The largest in Gothenberg is known as Leiseberg....All the trappings of amusement parks, thrilling rides, expensive food both junk and junk food labeled as sort of not junk food, over priced junk labeled as toys, loud carny games with shifty eyed people and over sized bipedal animals with strangely anthropomorphic faces...
I would say on the scale of parks it is a nice medium between non-Disney park and county fair. If you know Southern California parks, it's like Knott's Berry Farms younger part-time employed step brother (?).
I would say on the scale of parks it is a nice medium between non-Disney park and county fair. If you know Southern California parks, it's like Knott's Berry Farms younger part-time employed step brother (?).
I've been to Leiseberg several times over the years and we will be going there sometime next week, so you may get more on that later.
On this trip we've been to two amusement parks I've never been to before. Skala Sommerland which I will cover in this post and Astrid Lindgren's Värld which I will cover later.
Skala Sommerland is a small hybrid park (half water park and half amusement park). These do exist in the U.S. but are generally there is some distinction between the two halves of the park. This becomes most evident when you sit down on a roller coaster and the foam seat makes that unmistakable sound of water being squeezed through foam and vinyl. The feel of wet squishy foam seats isn’t a
feeling you ever get over.
This time, we took our nieces and
nephews all of the older than my kids, meant that I might have some time for
rides of my own. There is usually one
ride that stands out for me during the lead up to the park day. This time it was the “BIG DROP.” It’s funny that the name isn’t in Swedish, I
would have thought it would be. A 21
meter high drop with a top speed of 60 km/H.
See you stand in this tube with a clear floor that with a three count
the floor falls away and you drop.
Really looking forward to it, as we approached the gate it was all I
could think of, it was all I could do to not run screaming to the line.
The first
“ride” was a go-kart ride for Vincent.
First, not the most controlled environment. The track was literally two feet from fence
keeping the people out, which was a really short fence or completely closed
off. Liam actually squeezed through,
almost onto the track before we grabbed him.
These go-carts were not the electric, run along a track, guaranteed accident free safety carts…These were propane running, not on a track free run cars. Anyone between 100 and 140 cm can drive.
There are some safety related each child gets a head net, a horse collar and very large helmet. I was quit concerned about Vincent driving a car. He is only 6 years old and sometimes has trouble walking straight. On this ride he was able to drive side by side with a another child on the open track. The worry-wart in me imagined crashes and fires. Of course when the "race" started we were all cheering on Vincent, yelling and screaming. He won...That was super exciting.
On the water side of the park there was even less park employee supervision. Water slides of all types, ziplines over the water and innertube river rides with no one telling people when to go.
Probably the most amazing surprise thing I came across was an all-you-can eat "mexican" style food buffet...(mexican only in name...There was "meat", tortillas, tomatoes, and corn...). Can you imagine the money drain that would be at any number of parks in the U.S.
To my surprise no one abused the buffet...(Had I not been on a diet, I might have...No, I totally would have wrecked it.)
In the end the BIG DROP open and I got to go in it. Of course there were workers still working on it, as I entered the tube...this add to the terror...and increased the likelihood that I would die...
Anyway, for me the thrilling rides
are of an amusement park are one of the highlights of life. The fear of dying with the knowledge that
death is highly unlikely, or in some cases just unlikely, produces an amazing
feeling. Being that I have kids now,
thrill ride are low on the list for me…replaced with flying pig-cars, giant bear boats and trains.
This time, we took our nieces and
nephews all of the older than my kids, meant that I might have some time for
rides of my own. There is usually one
ride that stands out for me during the lead up to the park day. This time it was the “BIG DROP.” It’s funny that the name isn’t in Swedish, I
would have thought it would be. A 21
meter high drop with a top speed of 60 km/H.
See you stand in this tube with a clear floor that with a three count
the floor falls away and you drop.
Really looking forward to it, as we approached the gate it was all I
could think of, it was all I could do to not run screaming to the line.
IT WAS CLOSED FOR THE DAY!!! WHAT THE WHAT? Just my luck, the only thing I wanted was
snatched from me. Not the best start for
a day of fun.
As to not consider the day a total
waste, my Anthropologist side kicked in.
What differences can be seen between this park and other parks I’ve been
to in the U.S.
The first thing I noticed was the
sounds…or lack thereof. People on the
rides were not screaming, not hooting or Woo-wooing. It was quiet, really quiet. I can’t understand how or why this
happens…its like no one was having fun…It made me feel weird for wanting
to…when I did let a squeal out, others on the ride looked at me, shocked and in
some ways offended that I would dare to make any noise. This silence persisted for the rest of the
day…my inhibitions did not.
I would say the greatest difference
between this park and other parks is the lack of regulation…or guess the lack
of the need for regulation.
There are some safety related each child gets a head net, a horse collar and very large helmet. I was quit concerned about Vincent driving a car. He is only 6 years old and sometimes has trouble walking straight. On this ride he was able to drive side by side with a another child on the open track. The worry-wart in me imagined crashes and fires. Of course when the "race" started we were all cheering on Vincent, yelling and screaming. He won...That was super exciting. 
On the water side of the park there was even less park employee supervision. Water slides of all types, ziplines over the water and innertube river rides with no one telling people when to go.
Probably the most amazing surprise thing I came across was an all-you-can eat "mexican" style food buffet...(mexican only in name...There was "meat", tortillas, tomatoes, and corn...). Can you imagine the money drain that would be at any number of parks in the U.S.
In the end the BIG DROP open and I got to go in it. Of course there were workers still working on it, as I entered the tube...this add to the terror...and increased the likelihood that I would die...
Coming Home...
This island is not my home...Is a place I have been to seven times. Cumulative over the past twelve years my vista total about thirteen years. I know this place but it will never truly be home for me. In fact no where seems home to me...no place feels like I belong.
Seattle is where I have chosen to live and work and raise my family. But I don't have a long history there. The town I grew up in (Arcadia, Ca) is where my memories are, but my family doesn't live there anymore so my visits there are short and mostly in a car. The city where my family lives (LaVerne, Ca) I have no real memories or past there but my folks live there and that is where we stay when we go to Southern California.
I wonder how common this actually is. Do most people have a place like this they can return to? It seems that most of the people my wife went to school with still live very close to the island and return for extended visits when ever we come back and probably most other times too. I assume my wife's return isn't the only thing that draws them back.
Seattle is where I have chosen to live and work and raise my family. But I don't have a long history there. The town I grew up in (Arcadia, Ca) is where my memories are, but my family doesn't live there anymore so my visits there are short and mostly in a car. The city where my family lives (LaVerne, Ca) I have no real memories or past there but my folks live there and that is where we stay when we go to Southern California.
Most of the time none of this is a huge issue. My life is where my wife and kids are. When we come here, the feelings of not belonging are more evident for me...especially when I look at my wife's experience. She has a great deal of history here, she knows every rock and bend in the road. She has a story for just about every house..."so and so lives there and we used to...", "That is where my mom...". It is really neat to hear but also contributes to my feeling of isolation.
My wife has a lot of friends and associations here. In contrast to me, I pretty much don't have any friends any where. She see her grammar school crush and those who had crushes on her...both of those are lacking when I return home as well.
My wife has a lot of friends and associations here. In contrast to me, I pretty much don't have any friends any where. She see her grammar school crush and those who had crushes on her...both of those are lacking when I return home as well.
I wonder how common this actually is. Do most people have a place like this they can return to? It seems that most of the people my wife went to school with still live very close to the island and return for extended visits when ever we come back and probably most other times too. I assume my wife's return isn't the only thing that draws them back.
It is tough sometimes coming here. Because of the large number of people she knows here, there is always someone to talk to or go visit. Which leaves me either alone or watching the kids or both. In away coming here moves me further down the ladder...The kids always are at the top, then come her family, then the friends, then me... I understand it fully, but in a place where I don't speak the language or fully understand the culture, it leaves me isolated in a different way.
On occasion over the years we have had visitors, which changes the dynamics and in most cases I become the tour guide (not sure how or why). Come to think of it that's what happens at home as well. Most of the visitors are friends or her's that predate me. I have thought of inviting friends and family of my own to come over. Being that I don't have (m)any friends this is also problematic. I have also considered bringing members of my family here...I'm not sure how that would go either.
Being that I am some what familiar with the people and culture here, I feel a great connection to and respect for the culture as I understand it and how people do things. Part of it comes from my familiarity, another part comes from me being an anthropologist. I believe and try to practice the "When in Rome" concept. It serves to decrease unintended alienation and insult.
I also know my parents and their limited view of cross cultural interactions. If they were to come here, I fear they would not adapt or alter their normal routeing. I foresee being in an uncomfortable middle ground...looking out for my parents needs while doing what I can to avoid culturally offending people.
Is this were being anthropologist becomes a problem...When I can't set aside my cultural relativism, or am I just being a person of different generation and not recognizing what its like to be a generation older?
Better yet is my understanding of cultural relativism too limited. I see the uniqueness and importance of staying in the bounds and respecting the Swedish culture but have, up until this point the fact that my parents are part of their own culture that is also unique and should also be understood and respected.
On occasion over the years we have had visitors, which changes the dynamics and in most cases I become the tour guide (not sure how or why). Come to think of it that's what happens at home as well. Most of the visitors are friends or her's that predate me. I have thought of inviting friends and family of my own to come over. Being that I don't have (m)any friends this is also problematic. I have also considered bringing members of my family here...I'm not sure how that would go either.
Being that I am some what familiar with the people and culture here, I feel a great connection to and respect for the culture as I understand it and how people do things. Part of it comes from my familiarity, another part comes from me being an anthropologist. I believe and try to practice the "When in Rome" concept. It serves to decrease unintended alienation and insult.
I also know my parents and their limited view of cross cultural interactions. If they were to come here, I fear they would not adapt or alter their normal routeing. I foresee being in an uncomfortable middle ground...looking out for my parents needs while doing what I can to avoid culturally offending people.
Is this were being anthropologist becomes a problem...When I can't set aside my cultural relativism, or am I just being a person of different generation and not recognizing what its like to be a generation older?
Better yet is my understanding of cultural relativism too limited. I see the uniqueness and importance of staying in the bounds and respecting the Swedish culture but have, up until this point the fact that my parents are part of their own culture that is also unique and should also be understood and respected.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
11 years to the day
Today is our 11th anniversary. We generally don't make a big deal about them. Sometimes we go out to dinner without the kids which is a big deal. I'll buy flowers and some thing small. Being on the island my options are somewhat limited. There isn't a flower shop or a store to by the kinds if things a wife would like. My wife is not really super into the Hallmark holidays. Which I am glad for, if she were i would be in trouble and probably wouldn't even know it. As far as I can tell anniversaries are not as commercialized here. Actually most personal holidays don't seem to be. I could be wrong but I don't get the feeling that there isn't a commercial push. This morning when I got up, I was not peppered with questions from the in-laws as to what my plans are...NONE.
I just want to spend the day with the family. Today like every other day is one of many with my wife no more important than any other. A day I want to appreciate and live every moment. The good peppered and bound by the bad. Enjoying then three reasons we are here.
Honestly, just because 4018 days ago I married her (3 leap years), should I love her more or have to prove to her that I love her more today? Anniversaries like birthdays are somewhat arbitrary. Because is take the earth 365 number of days to go around the sun and every day is dependent on rotation of the planet, taken 24, 60 minute hours which is based on the Babylonian base 60 counting system. On a practice level there is no meaning in it.
What if we lived on Jupiter?...assuming we could stand the crushing pressure and the supersonic winds. One Jupiter year last just over 11 earth years and a day on Jupiter last just under 10 hours also based on the Babylonian base 60 system. Today we would be celebrating our first Anniversary. So weird because I would also only four years old. Is there a point to it all?
Actually never mind. My wife just walked in.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Liam goes fishing
My nephews Andrea and Oliver took Liam and I fishing. This was Liam's first fishing trip...We got to go out on an old wooden boat, that has been in the family for many decades. It is really neat to get off the island, even though we don't really go anywhere...change of scenery is really nice.
We hadn't anticipated Liam going on the trip, but because of his inability to adjust to jet lag... Still... he was up at 5:30 when we left.
It is understandable that the boy still hasn't adapted...its daylight out
until 12:30 and the sun comes up at like 3:00... I have seen both of these
events many times on this trip...LIAM!!!
That much day light has its advantages as well. The ability to sleep in until 11:00 and still have plenty of time to do everything you wanted to do that day. For me that includes a nap and some resting bouts, some movie watching, maybe some reading before napping again and then lunch...hey I'm on vacation.
Liam was so intrigued by the whole situation, it was so wonderful to experience,
We trolled for fish, using two long lines with different weights and about four lures on each. Fishing, not being the most exciting activity for 99% of the time, became even less involved. This time continually moved, dragging our lines behind us. It was basically a three hour tour, is sit, wait and enjoy the day.
Fishing is one of the major draws of this island for me. I find it relaxing to be on the water. With the added benefit of possible getting a meal out of the deal, makes it that much better. I am not an expert fisherman, or even all that good at fishing. For me it is just put something on the hook, fish might like to eat (I would probably also eat most of what is on the hook too...that will be explained later), drop the line in the water and wait...what ever happen by and takes the bait is dinner.
Here in Sweden people love mackerel. When ever a mackerel is landed, there is a great cheer that erupts....MACKEREL! And with out a break, there is a recall of how many, this one makes. At home, (or at least in Los Angeles where most of my ocean fishing has occurred) mackerel is a bait fish. When landed, mackerel are usually cut up and used to catch other fish. It was a bit of a paradigm shift for me when I first started coming here, but now it is just a part of life.
Culture shock appears in many ways and can be sparked by many different things. Food for me was and is part of the cultural adjustment I need to make every time I come. I love eating, I love food and I love cooking for anyone who will eat my food. Problem is that food here is different. If there was a culturally sensitive way to say the food is bland, that is what I would say. I like my food with a bite, some spice, chilies, curry, some this that make you feel the food in places other than your mouth,,, that sounded weird. Cook here is tough, not only do I not have my usual cooking tools, I don't have all the flavors that I normally like to paint my food with. The best I normally can do, with out going to far out of the way is salt, pepper, maybe onion and garlic. I'm not saying that I don't like the local tastes, they actually are very "comforting." But after the first couple of days something different is always nice.
As far as culture shock goes, things could be worse...and the fact that I know what to expect helps even more. Guess after coming here over the past 12 years I've become very familiar with life on the island. Now if I can only get off this island and go somewhere else.
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| Liam and Andrea |
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| Oliver |
We hadn't anticipated Liam going on the trip, but because of his inability to adjust to jet lag... Still... he was up at 5:30 when we left.
That much day light has its advantages as well. The ability to sleep in until 11:00 and still have plenty of time to do everything you wanted to do that day. For me that includes a nap and some resting bouts, some movie watching, maybe some reading before napping again and then lunch...hey I'm on vacation.
Liam was so intrigued by the whole situation, it was so wonderful to experience,
We trolled for fish, using two long lines with different weights and about four lures on each. Fishing, not being the most exciting activity for 99% of the time, became even less involved. This time continually moved, dragging our lines behind us. It was basically a three hour tour, is sit, wait and enjoy the day.
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| Liam at the sight of a fish |
Fishing is one of the major draws of this island for me. I find it relaxing to be on the water. With the added benefit of possible getting a meal out of the deal, makes it that much better. I am not an expert fisherman, or even all that good at fishing. For me it is just put something on the hook, fish might like to eat (I would probably also eat most of what is on the hook too...that will be explained later), drop the line in the water and wait...what ever happen by and takes the bait is dinner.
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| Liam with Fish in the tank |
Here in Sweden people love mackerel. When ever a mackerel is landed, there is a great cheer that erupts....MACKEREL! And with out a break, there is a recall of how many, this one makes. At home, (or at least in Los Angeles where most of my ocean fishing has occurred) mackerel is a bait fish. When landed, mackerel are usually cut up and used to catch other fish. It was a bit of a paradigm shift for me when I first started coming here, but now it is just a part of life.
Culture shock appears in many ways and can be sparked by many different things. Food for me was and is part of the cultural adjustment I need to make every time I come. I love eating, I love food and I love cooking for anyone who will eat my food. Problem is that food here is different. If there was a culturally sensitive way to say the food is bland, that is what I would say. I like my food with a bite, some spice, chilies, curry, some this that make you feel the food in places other than your mouth,,, that sounded weird. Cook here is tough, not only do I not have my usual cooking tools, I don't have all the flavors that I normally like to paint my food with. The best I normally can do, with out going to far out of the way is salt, pepper, maybe onion and garlic. I'm not saying that I don't like the local tastes, they actually are very "comforting." But after the first couple of days something different is always nice.
As far as culture shock goes, things could be worse...and the fact that I know what to expect helps even more. Guess after coming here over the past 12 years I've become very familiar with life on the island. Now if I can only get off this island and go somewhere else.
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| Liam contemplating life in other places in Sweden |
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Dieting in Sweden
I refuse to die with an inch deep belly button. My wife says she doesn't care how deep my belly button is, she just doesn't want me to die prematurely. For these two reasons I have gone on a diet. It's call the Dukan diet and as far as I can tell it is working pretty well. It's not too terrible, basically cutting out fat and carbs (pasta, rice, breads, potatoes, fruits, anything with sugar...etc.) and filling my diet with lean protein and vegetables. At home, low fat proteins are not hard to come by and are relatively cheap. Vegetables are also part of it, I can pretty choose any I want. Low fat foods are also readily available (milk, cheese, cottage cheese).
Here are some diet cantaloupes...
I guess it is highlighting the fact that propane BBQs are CO2 unfriendly...I guess.
But talk about unfriendly...what about this?
There is a much needed discussion in the U.S. surrounding the naming of sports teams using stereotypical imagery of First Nations groups. The Atlanta Braves, The Washington Red Skins, The Kansas City Chiefs. There are name that some people think are relics from a past era, other see things in other ways. You see both perspectives on from people of both First Nations descent and non-indigenous populations. There are people who being hurt by this and other who see the injustice in it. There is a long history of discrimination and insensitivity in U.S. history.
From an American perspective the ice-cream box is at best odd and worst extremely offensive. But what is the Swedish perspective? And is there reason to take offense at this image? If the glove were on the other hand, do we have images as part of our pop-culture that from the Swedish perspective could be considered offensive?
Have you every heard of Swedish Massage? What about the Swedish Sleep Design? Well no one here has.
At home dieting is as common as left shoes, (the paleo-diet, Adkins, Mediterranean Diet, Grapefruit...the Baby Food diet?..etc http://www.webmd.com/diet/evaluate-latest-diets)
In Sweden, not so much...in talking to other people about dieting, the most common answer, "Don't eat so much and try to walk more than you sit." Although it is pretty sound advice, that doesn't work for me. Which leads me to my latest dilemma...how do I maintain my diet here. Having never tried dieting here, and I was not aware of the availability of things I need, fat free, low fat, diet, not fully fat, not made of bacon, not filled with carbs...I'm so lost. I've been to every store I can think of, scoured every shelf and asked every clerk (sometimes the some person more than once). The closes thing I found was "diet" pop sickles...
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| For Scale |
Probably not diet but still they follow the rule, above.
Diet foods, namely fat free foods are not an option. 7% fat free is about the lowest I've found.
Labeling in general is so confusing here, some labels say 95% meat, which means what? 5% fat? 5% not meat?...Not sure, just gotta go with it. I have found that this diet is also very expensive...food costs about 3 times as much here...especially the protein. If this were a carb diet, I could eat for much much less money.
Here is a picture of a "soda" drink called "Socker Dricka" which literally translates to Sugar Drink, they don't even try to hide it with catchy names - SPRITE, DR. PEPPER, FANTA, COKE (not terribly catchy)...
We were barbecuing the other day and I noticed this label on the charcoal bag...
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| In all honesty is there really any difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke |
But talk about unfriendly...what about this?
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| The connection is also lost on me. |
There is a much needed discussion in the U.S. surrounding the naming of sports teams using stereotypical imagery of First Nations groups. The Atlanta Braves, The Washington Red Skins, The Kansas City Chiefs. There are name that some people think are relics from a past era, other see things in other ways. You see both perspectives on from people of both First Nations descent and non-indigenous populations. There are people who being hurt by this and other who see the injustice in it. There is a long history of discrimination and insensitivity in U.S. history.
From an American perspective the ice-cream box is at best odd and worst extremely offensive. But what is the Swedish perspective? And is there reason to take offense at this image? If the glove were on the other hand, do we have images as part of our pop-culture that from the Swedish perspective could be considered offensive?
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| Not all Vikings |
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| Not all blond |
Have you every heard of Swedish Massage? What about the Swedish Sleep Design? Well no one here has.
Cultural relativism...
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