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Why Estonians invite strangers into their back gardens each summer

bbc.com

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Re: Why Estonians invite strangers into their back gardens each summer

#11

Post by scorepeon »

someoneeestis wrote: post #9

I live in Estonia for a very long time now, over a decade. I love the kodukohvikud (Home Cafes) but the framing of "inviting strangers" is a little odd. It's not free. While there is a lot of theoretical opportunity for bonding, it's still just a temporary commercial enterprise. For anyone who has lived here, it's a known fact that Estonians won't exactly engage with strangers in a warm way, if at all. Smiling at str…

American living in Tartu here. You're not wrong. There has even been a trend of having professional catering which is disappointing.

That being said I'm super excited for this weekend's event in Tammelinn[0]. I'm on a mission to find who has the best rabarberikook.

0. https://tammelinnaselts.ee/kodukohvikutepaevadest

Re: Why Estonians invite strangers into their back gardens each summer

#12

Post by someoneeestis »

scorepeon wrote: post #11
someoneeestis wrote: post #9

I live in Estonia for a very long time now, over a decade. I love the kodukohvikud (Home Cafes) but the framing of "inviting strangers" is a little odd. It's not free. While there is a lot of theoretical opportunity for bonding, it's still just a temporary commercial enterprise. For anyone who has lived here, it's a known fact that Estonians won't exactly engage with strangers in a warm way, if at all. Smiling at str…

American living in Tartu here. You're not wrong. There has even been a trend of having professional catering which is disappointing. That being said I'm super excited for this weekend's event in Tammelinn[0]. I'm on a mission to find who has the best rabarberikook. 0. https://tammelinnaselts.ee/kodukohvikutepaevadest

I lived in Tartu for four years and hold great memories from our city of good thoughts.

Enjoy the Tammelinn event and bless the city for me!

Re: Why Estonians invite strangers into their back gardens each summer

#14

Post by martheen »

Nail2680 wrote: post #5
EGreg wrote: post #4

Orthodox Jews do it every Sukkot :)

I attended a Sukkot, druing which the host jokingly called the tent a "Jew Fort" and they had some lovely food and burned some herbs and overall had a great time. I really like the religious festivals that integrate more people. Like Holi, where I got to throw a lot of colored sand or something at people and eat good food. I feel like events like that really help integrate communities. Not Estonian, but a Swedish fel…

Sikh's similarly serve communal meal, langar, which invite everyone to come and eat together. As a non-Sikh, being invited to such events is such an educational experience because they're a very small minority in my country so pretty much everything I see was new to me.

Re: Why Estonians invite strangers into their back gardens each summer

#15

Post by croisillon »

Tomte wrote: post #6

Swabia has something similar for wineries: Besenwirtschaft is a temporary small restaurant with very lax regulations. The main obligations are: at most 4 months open, at most 40 chairs, only cold food (often bread with lard), the wine does not have to be produced by the owner themselves, but the grapes have to be. They are „advertised“ by hanging a broom outside (Besen is broom). You tend to go visit a few over an af…

Austria has “Heuriger” on a similar rule

Re: Why Estonians invite strangers into their back gardens each summer

#16

Post by jcattle »

croisillon wrote: post #15
Tomte wrote: post #6

Swabia has something similar for wineries: Besenwirtschaft is a temporary small restaurant with very lax regulations. The main obligations are: at most 4 months open, at most 40 chairs, only cold food (often bread with lard), the wine does not have to be produced by the owner themselves, but the grapes have to be. They are „advertised“ by hanging a broom outside (Besen is broom). You tend to go visit a few over an af…

Austria has “Heuriger” on a similar rule

Or Buschenschank in Styria (where you traditionally don't get warm food, only "Brettljause")

Re: Why Estonians invite strangers into their back gardens each summer

#18

Post by jahnu »

jcattle wrote: post #16
croisillon wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Austria has “Heuriger” on a similar rule

Or Buschenschank in Styria (where you traditionally don't get warm food, only "Brettljause")

Buschenschank In Vienna too. Nussberg is my favourite place to be.

Heuriger in Vienna are permanent buildings and can serve warm food and drinks other than wine and may open all year round.

Re: Why Estonians invite strangers into their back gardens each summer

#19

Post by rauno56 »

someoneeestis wrote: post #9

I live in Estonia for a very long time now, over a decade. I love the kodukohvikud (Home Cafes) but the framing of "inviting strangers" is a little odd. It's not free. While there is a lot of theoretical opportunity for bonding, it's still just a temporary commercial enterprise. For anyone who has lived here, it's a known fact that Estonians won't exactly engage with strangers in a warm way, if at all. Smiling at str…

It's a pity, but one should probably expect some commercialization after almost 20 years of these kinds of events being held all over Estonia. The experience varies a lot from place to place, though, and many smaller places still have that homespun feel.
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