Lox, bagel and cream cheese

[jmakinen]

And being Finn, born and raised, I damn sure have whole lot better idea on Finnish preferences than some asshat from abroad who comes to Finland with idea of being so much wiser and better than natives in everything.

OK what cave east of Salla are you hiding in?

Most Finns have come down out of the trees and out of the caves for some years now.

No one was talking about now being able to get cut up chicken as adding to variety available in Finland. The reference was rather to the myriad of spices, herbs, ingredients that have exploded onto the shelves in the last generation - they will even be in Salla if you can get out and hike down the road.

Check out restaurant types and menus from Hanko to Utsjoki now open.

You really must be totally isolated and dead to communications - you no doubt were brought up on turnips and leipäjuusto - very good products when prepared well - but thank heavens they no longer represent the broader Finnish preferences. If a Chinese restaurant opens up in Pohjanmaa and has to offer sweet and sour HK Sininen for the first few years - c'est la vie. But Finland has moved ahead in a plethora of ways. We've even got rid of Kekkonen - and have cellphones!

Welcome to the World of Man. (Finland was not an original member of the UN - but it did join later - and Finnair began flights to NY in 1970 - and to China in 1988.)

You obviously are doing a Finnish version of Rip Van Winkle - but he was only asleep for 20 years - you seem to have been for 40 years and counting! You can't put toothpaste back in the tube - don't waste your time trying.

[Tiwaz]

OK what cave east of Salla are you hiding in?

Most Finns have come down out of the trees and out of the caves for some years now.

No one was talking about now being able to get cut up chicken as adding to variety available in Finland. The reference was rather to the myriad of spices, herbs, ingredients that have exploded onto the shelves in the last generation - they will even be in Salla if you can get out and hike down the road.

Check out restaurant types and menus from Hanko to Utsjoki now open.

You really must be totally isolated and dead to communications - you no doubt were brought up on turnips and leipäjuusto - very good products when prepared well - but thank heavens they no longer represent the broader Finnish preferences. If a Chinese restaurant opens up in Pohjanmaa and has to offer sweet and sour HK Sininen for the first few years - c'est la vie. But Finland has moved ahead in a plethora of ways. We've even got rid of Kekkonen - and have cellphones!

Welcome to the World of Man. (Finland was not an original member of the UN - but it did join later - and Finnair began flights to NY in 1970 - and to China in 1988.)

You obviously are doing a Finnish version of Rip Van Winkle - but he was only asleep for 20 years - you seem to have been for 40 years and counting! You can't put toothpaste back in the tube - don't waste your time trying.

And here we have mr. "I know what natives like better than natives" railing on and on.

Maybe you should finally stop pretending to be The Great White Master who has arrived to barbarians to "educate" them.

First of all, those spices you speak of. Apparently it has eluded your delusional mind that EVERY kitchen which is imported to Finland has been forced to alter itself a great deal.

"Real" and "genuine" does not sell. It has to be altered to fit Finnish preference.
Finns like exotic food, as long as it is not too exotic.

But idiots like you just do not get it. You think that whatever you consider great HAS to be considered great by others. Like your whole stupidity about "real" bagels. Bagel is a bagel is a bagel. Boil it, charcoal it or eat it raw.

[jmakinen]

And here we have mr. "I know what natives like better than natives" railing on and on.

Maybe you should finally stop pretending to be The Great White Master who has arrived to barbarians to "educate" them.

First of all, those spices you speak of. Apparently it has eluded your delusional mind that EVERY kitchen which is imported to Finland has been forced to alter itself a great deal.

"Real" and "genuine" does not sell. It has to be altered to fit Finnish preference.
Finns like exotic food, as long as it is not too exotic.

But idiots like you just do not get it. You think that whatever you consider great HAS to be considered great by others. Like your whole stupidity about "real" bagels. Bagel is a bagel is a bagel. Boil it, charcoal it or eat it raw.

An unbelievable response - you are so far out of it there is no way you are going to get your head straightened out without major rehabilitation.

You are either so wet behind the ears and you have no idea of what has been happening over the years - or you are so old that Alzheimers has done its dirty work.

Talk to ANYONE - and they will surely tell you Finland 2010 is NOTHING like Finland 1970 in the field of food (a lot of other things too but no chance to get into all that).

And it has not been just white masters but green, red. yellow, black brown etc. No 'kitchens' have been adjusted to any Finnish taste - because the Finnish taste has changed RADICALLY over the years! Anyone in the food industry - retail or restaurant or catering can wake you up! What was once 'spicy hot' - eg HP-kastike - is now replaced by stuff MANY Scoville units up the scale, etc. One could write a book - and indeed someone here recommended one such.

Unfortunately the sugar craze has been imported from Sweden - so there are not only positive results so far as variety is concerned.

Come out of your cave and enjoy the party - turnips are not really all that much fun!

(You are right to the extent that this has taken about 40 years - and it has been a gradual change - with the 1990's exhibiting the biggest changes - much due to the elimination of the abominable License Office)

[Upphew]

Talk to ANYONE - and they will surely tell you Finland 2010 is NOTHING like Finland 1970 in the field of food (a lot of other things too but no chance to get into all that).

And it has not been just white masters but green, red. yellow, black brown etc. No 'kitchens' have been adjusted to any Finnish taste - because the Finnish taste has changed RADICALLY over the years! Anyone in the food industry - retail or restaurant or catering can wake you up! What was once 'spicy hot' - eg HP-kastike - is now replaced by stuff MANY Scoville units up the scale, etc.

Oh that is why Chinese taste the same in Mikkeli and in China... NOT. Shall we talk about kebab? I'd say the kitchens are adjusted to Finnish taste, even if the tastes have changed radically.

Caveat, I grow my own chili peppers, do like shopping in poppamies.fi

[jmakinen]

Oh that is why Chinese taste the same in Mikkeli and in China... NOT. Shall we talk about kebab? I'd say the kitchens are adjusted to Finnish taste, even if the tastes have changed radically.

Agree completely - Chinese food in Helsinki is still not terribly good - but you can be fortunate you weren't here in 1970 when there was one BAD Chinese on Annankatu . same with pizza - Rodolfo was only pizza then - not very good (and hasn't improved!) - now we have some choice - and some are decent

Food being not as good as it should be is not a question usually of adjusting to local tastes - it's for lack of knowledge and care and competition. Finns don't like soggy carrots and onions in a Chinese dish any more than people in Hong Kong - but they have had a limited chance to choose - fortunately matters improving the whole time. Etc etc

Caveat, I grow my own chili peppers, do like shopping in poppamies.fi

Have you had any success with Anchos?

[Upphew]

Have you had any success with Anchos?

Moderate, they would give better harvest if I was allowed to use hps or even fluorescent, but with all natural light the season is just too short. It would also help if I got the energy to switch them gradually to larger pots, so they wouldn't use all the energy to grow roots too soon, didn't over/under wet and do more careful job with pruning.

[AldenG]

they would give better harvest if I was allowed to use hps or even fluorescent

I don't think I understand this comment.

Who or what doesn't allow you to use fluorescent, and what is hps?

At least I figured out what an Ancho is. This one looks like a human tooth that was exposed to too-hot peppers.



It also looks like it could be baked into a bagel.

[Upphew]

they would give better harvest if I was allowed to use hps or even fluorescent

I don't think I understand this comment.

Who or what doesn't allow you to use fluorescent, and what is hps?

Better half aka teh head of household.
High pressure sodium, best bang for buck when lighting weed or chili. Or at least it was when I last time suggested a little farm on window sill... haven't dared to do so again :/

[jmakinen]

Anchos have a rich flavor other than the heat - and they are not very hot. A good 'all around' chili - it's hard to space-out a dish like you can with Habaneros.

[Pursuivant]

Just on "traditional" christmas foods - I suggest trying the Estonian fare in a buffet. It is a real change - a bit on the heavy side mind you - some familiar friends there in an odd setting.

[jmakinen]

Some good stuff here

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/rad ... -1909a.mp3

[Rob A.]

Tiwaz, Teiwaz and so forth is proto-germanic name for rune which equals god Tyr in old norse mythology.

Tells how much you know of things. Tiwaz has nothing to do with either aryans or Middle East.

Yes...interesting... Here's what wikipedia has to say....

...related to the English name for "Tuesday".... the Norse god of war and law..... and equivalent to the Latin god..."Mars"...hence "mardi"/"martedi"/"martes".... The German, "Dienstag", and the Dutch, "Dinstag"...are nasalized variants of "Tiw"...and somehow "Zeus" is cognate to all of this....

The symbol, not surprisingly, is: ♂; the colour for "Tuesday" is, rather evidently, "red"...the colour of "blood"??? And sometimes, rather inexplicably, "pink".. Hmm....that must be the PC colour for the modern age....

Oh...and glad to see this thread is still alive....despite my short visit away in "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave".... Always nice to have a short visit to the good, ol' USA....to remind me just what a wonderful country it really is when you are there "on the ground"...

{Edit: Oh...and yes, of course, I saw a "bagel emporium"...any variety of bagel you could imagine....but I declined any of the offerings settling instead for a nice meal of "Fish (Halibut) and Chips" at the rather modestly named restaurant..."Ivar's Acres of Clams"....]

[AldenG]

at the rather modestly named restaurant..."Ivar's Acres of Clams"....]

Gee, I wonder where you could have been.

[Rob A.]

at the rather modestly named restaurant..."Ivar's Acres of Clams"....]

Gee, I wonder where you could have been.

Three guesses!! The first two don't count... And hard to believe Ivar has been gone for 25 years now...he was quite the Northwest "institution" in his day....

I see he was even elected Seattle Port Commissioner ...for a year just before he died... Apparently he wasn't serious about taking on the job, but his "prank" resulted in him being elected.... I'm sure the employees didn't mind, probably quite a "fun" year for them...

The draw south was the Picasso exhibit...

[tuulen]

...Come out of your cave and enjoy the party - turnips are not really all that much fun!...

Baked, boiled or fried, turnips are delicious!

Is there any such thing as a bad turnip?