Ta Det Lugnt

T-8 until the exam.  Don't panic, she tells herself.

Lagom

Oh, they should have mentioned this to us at orientation in August!  Read below for an idea of what lagom is:


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Lagom means ‘moderation, balance, just right…’, and many more things besides…

In Sweden, the word lagom [pron. lar-gom] is considered so Swedish that many Swedes maintain it cannot be translated into another language. Also Swedes are quite divided as to whether lagom is a good thing or a bad thing. ‘Lagom och svensk’ (lagom and Swedish) implies drab, colourless and a bit boring; whereas ‘lagom är bäst’ (lagom is best) means moderation, balance and the wisdom of defining the best possible course of action between two extremes.

Regardless of interpretation Swedish people pride themselves on this most Swedish of Swedish words – it does not exist in Danish or Norwegian, neither as a word nor as concept – nor, according to local mythology at least (see below) – anywhere else.*

According to the Swedish Academy lagom simply means ‘according to the law’ (lag = law) but there are many popular stories about the ‘true’ meaning of the word. In the old days Vikings would sit around a big table as a lag (lag = team) and share a bowl of mead (beer). The bowl had to go around the team (om = around) in order that everyone get their fair share, hence lagom – around the team. Other versions suggest that it was a dish of soap passed around the team (!), or a bowl of soup (which could be attributed to misprints – in Swedish soap is såpa, and soup is soppa). In another version it is a basket of bread. 


Regardless, lagom as passing whatever-it-is around so that everyone gets their fair share, explains many attributes of contemporary Swedish society: collectivism, social welfare, thinking of the group and not just oneself, teamwork, co-operation, consensus, avoiding extremes, avoiding confrontation, compromise, being considerate, being polite.

Being polite means avoiding unnecessary conflicts (which is different to avoiding conflicts), and there are many Swedish aphorisms that reflect this cultural virtue. For instance:

“do not wake the sleeping bear”
“better to run away than fight poorly”

“don’t throw stones in a glass house”
“is it clean flour in the sack?”
“don’t buy a pig in the bag” 

Being polite also means being diplomatic, and the polite language of Swedish diplomacy can be confounding to their Nordic neighbours. A Finnish manager who had been living and working in Sweden for a year figured she had unlocked the mystery of Swedish communication. Finnish business people are renowned for their direct no-nonsense communication style, in contrast to Swedish lagom discourse. Here are some of her observations: If you are in a business meeting and your Swedish colleague listens to your proposal, and says ‘yes, we will consider it’, he actually means ‘no’. ‘Yes, but’ also means ‘no’; and ‘please understand’, means ‘no’. ‘Yes, you are right’, means, ‘you are wrong’, and ‘hmmm’, means ‘no, definitely no’.

Another favoured Swedish word for expressing diplomacy is nja – which means yes and no at the same time (take your pick).

A Swedish television poll in 2008 revealed that 76% of Swedish people considered lagom as positive; and 24% negative. Not bad odds considering the stigma to the ‘so Swedish and lagom boring’ epithet favoured by students at Swedish business schools, and the inhabitants of Skåne (southern Sweden) and Jämtland and Norrland (northern Sweden) and the Danes across the Öresund.


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And here's more: 

Anyone who has grown up in Sweden learned early on that “lagom är bäst”, lagom is best. Lagom, which does not have an exact equivalent in English, translates approximately to “just enough” or “everything in moderation.” To a Swede it means the ideal place, where everything is as it should be. To understand the Swedes, one must understand lagom.

The concept of lagom colors Swedish attitudes and beliefs and is used in all possible contexts. For Americans, who strive for that which is biggest, most and best, and for whom “the sky is the limit”, the Swedish desire for lagom often seems very limiting.

If the basic belief is, “lagom is best”, it is not difficult to understand the Swedes’ lack of appreciation of anything that appears to be excessive. So, what happens when the Swedish lagom approach encounters the American attitude, which often thrives on pushing the limits?

One example, frequently mentioned by Swedes in the U.S., relates to how to prepare a resume. Most career counselors in the U.S. recommend making accomplishments sound as impressive as possible in order to make the job seeker stand out from other applicants. To the Swede, for whom anything that feels like an exaggeration is uncomfortable, the resume is usually a factual account of experiences and skills. As a result, the resume by the Swede, although accurate, may appear less than impressive when compared with a resume by an American with the same qualifications. Both the Swede and the American will benefit by being aware of this and by making appropriate adjustments.

The value of lagom, if you consult a Swede, is indisputable; it does after all keep things from getting too extreme. It also offers a comfortable guideline for conducting one’s life. However, from an American perspective, lagom often seems less than ideal. How can you excel if your aspirations must be held in check? Why should you settle for less if you don’t have to.

Lagom may be a little word, but its impact can be great. Whether you believe that it represents an ideal rule for living – that lagom is indeed best, or see it as an obstacle to reaching greatness, one thing seems clear – for Swedes living in the U.S., the best policy may be to be lagom! And for the American who wants to impress a Swede, cutting back on the superlatives is not a bad idea.


Sources: 


http://www.liveinsweden.se/swedes/swedes-john-alexander/%E2%80%99lagom%E2%80%99-best

http://www.culturalcoach.com/?p=5

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Well, it's not too late; time to embrace lagom and cut down on my North American chatterbox!

Julbord och Sankta Lucia

It's a wonderful time to be in Sweden.  Despite the seemingly 24-hour darkness and the ever-lasting frozen fingers as I bike around town, there is so much to look forward to during this time of the year.

The Swedes take the holidays season very seriously.  As I walk through Gälbo, nearly every window displays advent candles (no doubt bought from Ikea, seeing as how they are all identical) and star lights hanging from the ceilings.  Dark days are countered by beautifully lit candles.  There may not be so many commercial Santa Clauses, candy canes, Rudolph decorations, or even flashy and multi-coloured LED lights, but it's a different kind of a holiday here; elegant, simple, and more or less traditional.

Korridor Julbord

This weekend, my corridor mates and I sat down together for Julbord: my very first Christmas smörgåsbord!

Jul translates to "Christmas," and bord means "table." So we had a nice Christmas table with tons of different foods that my corridor mates normally eat with their families.

Köttbullar, being fried in all their glory.

First on the list of things that we absolutely had to have, were köttbullar, otherwise known as Swedish meatballs.  Elvira and I made these together.  They were really easy to make, and really didn't seem so different from regular meatballs apart from the addition of nutmeg, but hey, I'm in Sweden and I made them with a Swede...so I guess they can be considered Swedish meatballs!  I knew we made them right when one of the girls in the corridor, who rarely compliments, told me they were really great.

Prinskorv and boiled potatoes

Karro fried up a package of prinskorv, which are mini pork sausages.  They were not especially special, but apparently they're another must-have on the table.  Anton boiled some potatoes, and we ate that with senap, which is a mustard sauce.

Rödbetssallad (pink) and Sill (centre)

We also had sill, pickled herring.  You can get this in a variety of different sauces, but I think the mustard one is pretty good.  Not a fan of the herring itself though!  Rödbetssallad is another important component to the meal.  This is a beet salad made with a mayonnaise-sour cream dressing.

Vörtbrod

No Swedish meal is complete with bread, butter, and cheese.  We had a special, wonderful bread called Vörtbrod, or Julvört.  I love this bread so much, it`s slightly sweet and is flavoured with holidays spices (my guess is cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves).

Julmust - the Swedish cousin of Dr. Pepper!

Can't forget Julmust.  This is basically Coca Cola, or Dr. Pepper...but not quite the same.  Just try it and you`ll know what I mean!  But all the Swedes drink this, as it is only sold during the holidays.  Sweden is supposedly the only country where another soft drink outsells Coca Cola, so much that Coca Cola has now created its own version of Julmust in order to compete.

Ris a la Malta

For dessert we had something simple but very traditional: Ris a la Malta.  This is a rice cream dessert that`s so simple to make.  You take rice pudding (my corridor insisted on buying it pre-made) and mix it with whipped cream and pieces of orange.  The rice pudding itself is served as breakfast, warmed with spices and raisins.  Whoever received the hidden almond in his or her bowl will be married ;)

Elvira and I.  No, this is NOT what we normally wear!

And, for the first time, I was actually looking forward to a fast-approaching Monday morning.  It was a special day, because it was December 13th.  In Canada, this means nothing to us.  But here, it`s an important celebration during the holiday, called Sankta Lucia dag.  St Lucia actually comes from Italy, but is a huge part of Christmas here as well.  Traditionally, in the morning, the oldest daughter in the family will wake up in the early in the morning, to bring coffee (obviously - we`re in Sweden!) and Lussekatter to the parents, while wearing a wreath with lit candles.  Saint Lucy was a Christian martyr in the 200`s, whose husband denounced her and was ordered to be killed.  However, the guards tried to burn her, but were unsuccessful, and ended up having to take out her eyes with a fork (what...!!).

This day is so big here that every town elects a girl to be St. Lucia, kind of like a beauty pageant.  She is then crowned, and in major cities, is crowned on live television.

Sankta Lucia..am I really that short, or are they all just giants?!

Choirs sing all day long, and as I am a member of ULLA, the SLU choir, I got to partake in this very memorable choir day!  Like my outfit?  The white dress with the red sash represents St. Lucia's blood that was shed, and the candles signify the fire that refused to burn her.  We sang all over campus, and I apparently was able to fool everyone into thinking I actually knew the words to all of the Swedish songs ;)

Christmas baking, Lussekatter on the right.

The previous day I had made lussekatter, the tradtional saffron buns, so I was able to enjoy these while sitting in my boring lecture on earthworms, with Martina.  The library also served glögg (mulled wine) and pepparkakor (gingersnaps), which are consumed throughout the holidays.

I really have nothing to complain about at the moment ;)

Chokladbollar

Morsels of deliciousness.

This is a bit like the Rice Krispies Square of Sweden.  Chokladbollar ("chocolate balls) are something that every Swedish person has known how to make since he or she was a child.  It's a staple in coffee shops, student nation fikas, and is ridiculously easy to make!  It's dangerously sugary and buttery, but you can feel less guilty for consuming large quantities of it as it contains rolled oats and cocoa powder, no chocolate :)

Chokladbollar
makes 30 chocolate balls

Mix together 100 g of softened butter, 1 dl sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla sugar (or regular sugar with a splash of vanilla), 3 tbsp cocoa powder, 3 dl rolled oats, and 2 tbsp coffee powder.  Roll the dough into balls, then roll them in either pearl sugar or shredded coconut.  Refrigerate if you manage to resist eating them all in one go.

København

Lovin' Copenhagen

Christmas is definitely on its way! How can you tell? Just visit Copenhagen, where the city is brimming with lit trees, santa hats, markets, and bright holiday music, while a distinct waft of spicy glögg fills the cool winter air in the streets.

Sonja, Tina, Noemie, Marisa and I took a weekend trip to one of the most livable cities in the world.

A Christmas table on display.

We first visited the Royal Copenhagen store for its annual Christmas table display.  It turns out that Danes are really keen on having beautiful Christmas table settings, so they head to the Royal Copenhagen for its annual display, created by notable artists.

Line up for "Jeanette's Pølser."

Soon after arriving, I was HUNGRY.  So Tina and I went for the quickest, cheapest and a "must-eat-when-in-Denmark" food: the Pølser.  Denmark does have it's own version of the hot dog, and it's definitely the most popular street food, as seen by the carts that can be found on every street corner!  

Hungry and happy!

The hot dog is bright red in colour, and is considerable longer than the bun it is sitting in. It's filled with raw onions, dried onions,   pickled cucumber, and at least three different sauces.  It's tasty, fills you up, and probably the cheapest food you'll find in Copenhagen!

Nyhavn

Nyhavn

Copenhagen is really pretty, with lots of beautiful old buildings and architecture.  We took a walk along Nyhavn, the 17th century waterfront, where there was long line of Christmas market stalls.

Tivoli from the distance.

The expensive hotel that we tried to enter..

Tivoli Gardens is a major Christmas attraction here.  It's open year-round as an amusement park, but if you go during the holidays, it's all lit up and is a magical winter wonderland.  Lots of activities, sights, and of course, markets, but it's so freezing at night that it's not easy to stay for longer than 2 hours!  I don't have many pictures because my camera is really bad at taking night pictures.

My favourite Disney movie as a child :)

Annnnnd, we ended the trip with a BANG. Well, sort of - we met the Little Mermaid!  She's so famous that she's regarded as the Eiffel Tower of Copenhagen, though 1/50th of the size.  This was one of my highlights of the trip :)

Hej hej, Sonja!

One of our last stops was at the Amalienborg Palace, the Royal family's winter home.  They have a different palace for every season, isn't that crazy?  So much moving around!

Leaving from the Black Diamond.

This was a lovely little trip with the girls, and nice break from cold, cold Uppsala.  Schoolwork is starting to pile up and an exam is approaching, but once that's through, I've got my Christmas holidays to look forward to!  This weekend my corridor is going to have a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner, and then next week is Sankta Lucia Day, where I sing with the school choir, eat lots of lussebullar (saffron buns), and drink plenty of glögg.  More on that coming soon!