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How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

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Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#161
post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are other countries that have not been wealthy but still would consider such basic lunches unpalatable (e.g., Korea, China, Singapore).

All these countries are warm Asian countries, where street food stalls actually work due to the climate. You can't have the same food culture in places that are covered in snow at least half the year.

Seoul has average temperature below 0 during January and February . Same with Beijing. These temperatures are in line with temperatures seen in countries like Netherlands, which also have a “basic” lunch culture.

Your climate hypothesis doesn’t quite hold unfortunately.

Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#162

Former Norway resident here, 3yrs. Their lunch traditions are definitely basic, as they were not a wealthy country for hundreds of years before striking oil in the 60s. The point to remember is that while the fare is basic, the quality is typically very good. Their cheese is extra creamy and nutritious, as is the bread. The same goes for the milk. Many Europeans won’t drink the milk here in the States because the qua…

> Many Europeans won’t drink the milk here in the States because the quality tends to be much lower, due to feed/living conditions for livestock. Garbage in = garbage out.

If you have the time and money, I found the opposite to be true.

The average quality of products like bread and meat is much lower in the US than in Europe, but in the US I have the option of going to some high end shop or bakery and get stuff that is much better than I can get here in Europe. In Europe things are extremely uniform. (Yes, I realize that Europe is a big place and I am generalizing somewhat.)

Good cheese is very hard to find in the US though. Speciality shops are rare and even there you have much less options.

When I go to the US, on the first day I am very saddened by the "bread" and milk I can find, it's just awful, but quickly I go to the good shops and get the good stuff.

When I come back to Europe I am saddened again because now I can't get the good stuff anymore, no matter how much time and effort I put into it. That's why now I bake my own bread here in Europe.

I spend a large proportion of my time in the US, and I found that this phenomenon generalizes to many products. For many products the US average is worse than the European equivalent, but in the US there's a much broader distribution of quality, and the high end tail of the quality spectrum is usually in the US. Of course this quality comes at a cost.

Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#163

Former Norway resident here, 3yrs. Their lunch traditions are definitely basic, as they were not a wealthy country for hundreds of years before striking oil in the 60s. The point to remember is that while the fare is basic, the quality is typically very good. Their cheese is extra creamy and nutritious, as is the bread. The same goes for the milk. Many Europeans won’t drink the milk here in the States because the qua…

American raw milk is some of the best, though. I love my Amish raw milk. Some of the most nutritious stuff you can get.

Unfortunately you can't get raw milk in most states.

Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#164
post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People enjoy different things - you might enjoy a long lunch, the original commenter enjoys going home early (to spend time with family, friends, dog, whatever)

It’s not that. In Italy people have short lunch breaks too. It’s just what’s actually entitled to be called “lunch” that baffles the average Italian

By now people are well read and well travelled enough not to be surprised or baffled by other cultures, particularly between countries that aren't completely alien to one other. I think surprise or disgust at another culture's lunch is just performative at this point.

Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#165
post #16

I'm a Norwegian, and where I work I have the option of eating a big warm lunch, but I very rarely do. I've noticed that eating a big lunch makes the following hour extremely unproductive, so for the last year I have made a matpakke with 3 slices of bread. Normal _pålegg_ is liver paste, cheese or peanut butter. I can easily go through my lunch in just few minutes, and even while working at the same time. My thought p…

I have lived in Norway for 16 years. I am a foreigner. One thing to keep in mind, when it comes to Norwegians: It is not only the food that is boring. It is a whole nation that is boring. Also every time they get together the topic would naturally drift off to either work or food. And boy it gets strange when they talk about food. They can sit and talk about a salad recipe or a pizza they had eaten in town in quite t…

You misspelled happy...

Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#166
post #16

I'm a Norwegian, and where I work I have the option of eating a big warm lunch, but I very rarely do. I've noticed that eating a big lunch makes the following hour extremely unproductive, so for the last year I have made a matpakke with 3 slices of bread. Normal _pålegg_ is liver paste, cheese or peanut butter. I can easily go through my lunch in just few minutes, and even while working at the same time. My thought p…

As an Italian, I am profoundly offended by this statement and most of the comments in this thread :D

I've worked in Italy a few times and i just can't get my head around it.

One sleepy little town basically shut down between 12:30 and 14:30 every day. Everyone went home for lunch but also the majority of the local shops shut too.

How do you get anything done??

Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#167
post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People enjoy different things - you might enjoy a long lunch, the original commenter enjoys going home early (to spend time with family, friends, dog, whatever)

It’s not that. In Italy people have short lunch breaks too. It’s just what’s actually entitled to be called “lunch” that baffles the average Italian

These sandwiches are really tasty. Simple things made well can be really good.

Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#168
post #16

I'm a Norwegian, and where I work I have the option of eating a big warm lunch, but I very rarely do. I've noticed that eating a big lunch makes the following hour extremely unproductive, so for the last year I have made a matpakke with 3 slices of bread. Normal _pålegg_ is liver paste, cheese or peanut butter. I can easily go through my lunch in just few minutes, and even while working at the same time. My thought p…

I have lived in Norway for 16 years. I am a foreigner. One thing to keep in mind, when it comes to Norwegians: It is not only the food that is boring. It is a whole nation that is boring. Also every time they get together the topic would naturally drift off to either work or food. And boy it gets strange when they talk about food. They can sit and talk about a salad recipe or a pizza they had eaten in town in quite t…

What a load of over-generalising bullshit.

Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#169
post #16

I'm a Norwegian, and where I work I have the option of eating a big warm lunch, but I very rarely do. I've noticed that eating a big lunch makes the following hour extremely unproductive, so for the last year I have made a matpakke with 3 slices of bread. Normal _pålegg_ is liver paste, cheese or peanut butter. I can easily go through my lunch in just few minutes, and even while working at the same time. My thought p…

No offense, but honestly your lunch sounds depressing as hell. I never understood this nordic lifestyle I saw in Scandinavia, Benelux and Northern Germany where people refuse to take a proper lunch break and just eat some random cold food in front of their computer for the sake of productivity for their employer. It's just depressing to see and unhealthy in the long term. In southern Europe(Austria) having a walk to…

It's not at all in the name of productivity for my employer, I take a 30 min lunch so that I can go home earlier. I want to get the working day over so that I start doing the things I like to do in my spare time

Re: How to pack a Norwegian sandwich, the world’s most boring lunch

#170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a single slice of cheese or meat. American deli-style sandwiches where there is more filling than bread are not a thing in Scandinavia. Also, if you were wondering what's up with "caviar" as a topping, it's this stuff made from cod roe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalles_Kaviar

I love Kalles! I've eaten it since I was a kid. I make regular trips to IKEA just to buy it, apparently they're one of the US's largest importers of Swedish food. But yes, its very different than what most Americans think of Caviar; This is very much un-fancy.

> IKEA

Also, gooseberry jam.

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