Andra Åket: By Another way

Are you all in a band? 

A Swedish series available on public television: SVT. Andra Aket:  By Another way.  I found it by mistake as I go to SVT play on its digital platform to learn about the country and to learn Swedish.  The show is about a young couple, in their 30s or early 40s may  be, who have returned from Stockholm to a village in northern Sweden.  The woman hails from there--and her husband is obviously there for his family.  They join the family business of running a 'mountain/ski hotel/lodge'.  The plot then allows them to bring in new interesting characters every week. 

IMDB defines it as: A woman moves from Stockholm back to her hometown in the north of Sweden, and finds that the lifestyle and people are now very different to what she is used to.

For me the show reminded me of my all time favourite show Northern Exposure.  Northern Exposure, commonly known as NX is set in Alaska.  I started watching it in reruns.  When A & E used to run the whole five years worth of show (110 episodes, within 6 months).  After the first run, I knew I was in love with the show, I recorded each and every episode. And watched it numerous times, so much so that I had memorised its lines and scenes.  

Andra Åket is reminiscent of that but without poetry or philosophy (a big chunk of NX).   The language in Andra Åket is neither clean nor refined which was characteristic of NX.  NX discussed the absurdity of life, in a light manner.  

Andra Åket is funny and quirky and is set in a godforsaken place, that is covered in snow for a good portion of the year.  All of which affects the culture of the town and therefore the language, attitudes and solutions to different problems.  So it is just the quirkiness and the language that bear a similarity between to NX.  For that part, the show is fascinating and leaves me smiling often.    So, here is a scene, which is not funny, not really, but ultra funny, if you understand the context.  And if you have lived in Northern  Sweden or anywhere in Sweden for that matter. 

To encourage her husband to make some friends, the protagonist asks her husband to join the 'killar'--the guys, on a hunting session.  The only outing they can have.....And when he arrives, he sees them all in white parkas. And asks....

Are you all in a band? 

What do you mean, they ask?

You are all dressed the same he says, ..

No, it is because we do not want ot be seen they say.....its camouflage !!

I knew, I knew. I was just joking says, the embarrassed nollåttare--who has just realised that small town folks, have their own wisdom, own knowledge and own terminology.

 (08--Those from Stockholm are usually called nollåttare--which stands for 08-Stockholm's telephone area code.).

The word nollåttare is also used as a slang for clueless city folks. 

I will end with another incident in the show.  The father and daughter (the couple has a 14 year old daughter) aree going for a drive on snow scooter when they spot a cafe, the small, lone building in a field of snow is lit.  They go in and order coffee.  The woman says, I have only 'cooked' coffee, meaning nothing special, just regular brew.

It will do, says the father.  After a while, they order something to eat. 

The woman says, we are not a restaurant.  Embarrassed they stand up. 

When they are leaving a man who seems like the owner walks in.  And asks the woman, 'Do you know them?"

'No, they looked cold and needed coffee, they asked, I served.'

That reminded me of what a friend /scholar from Wisconsin had said, 'we who grew up ini cold climates never closed our doors, for we knew that people who might get stranded in the cold will look for places to sleep in.  And that way a security was provided by a shared understanding.

Andra Aket, brings up many such incidences, and despite bad language and not being very sophisticated, it brings a smile on my face, because it deals with family, returning home, city vs.small towns and humanity of those who live in extreme climates. 

Cuisine and Its Commercialisation: Indian Raita

Picture taken at ICA--Swedish Walmart...

Raita: Simply a yogurt dish.  Yogurt/milk curd base-made with common spices found in any Indian kitchen and fruits and vegetables.  Mostly vegetables.  The most common one is made with grated cucumber and yogurt.  Add salt, roasted ground cumin, a little amachur (dried mango powder) and top it with fresh coriander leaves.  Simple.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY A PACKET--which in my opinion ultimately tastes bland and stale.  And produces much garbage because of its packaging.  And imagine how many other similar things that are 

Go natural, go simple.  Here are a few recipes for Raita...make it at home, experiment with different spices, create your own version.  DO NOT BUY THESE PRE-MADE PACKETS....They bring no creativity to the kitchen.  The greatest thing about Indian cooking is 'anumaan' --an idea, an estimate.  Unlike western cooking, Indian cooking never relies on 'exact' because, nothing in life is exact...experiment learn and create your own family recipes....and yes, in that follow tradition too. Something created just for the market or just to be innovative are really not good for you. E.g. Tumeric Latte, as sold by Starbucks.  We grew up drinking that --especially in winters.  It should be had in a certain season, cooked with black pepper (which gives a taste that is not for everyone)----don't just copy any old eating habit and absorb it without understanding that foods created for one region may not be the best in another region.  E.g. Mediterranean cooking, hailed for hits light-weight recipes and low calories --is  best for coastal climate...Not recommended for temperate!!  

Here is the recipe.....  I would drop the powdered coriander---just and make sure to roast the cumin before grinding it.  Do not use cumin seeds.  Also, let it stand at least a half hour before serving, so that spices have the time to soften and blend--better for flavour.  This is the simplest and the most common one.  Here is another one, but you have to buy the boondi (fried and crisp, chickpea flour batter)--or make it--and this is the second most common one. Others such as onion raita etc. that are popularised and sometimes sold at Indian restaurants are not that popular...often times onion and milk products are not mixed.  Traditionally, it is not respected. Milk is considered a complete food and even divine food (sorry vegans, more on that later)

Try it and then share your experiences!! 

Discovery

I love this word. Discovery.  Finding something that always existed, just that you did not know or did not pay attention.  But then viola--discovery!!

So last year we had a german girl staying with me for a short time and she pointed at a tree near by and said, that is a Hazelnut tree.  

No way, I said. 

'Yes, it is, my mother has it in her yard and I cannot miss it'.  

Later I found out that it was TrollHassell, meaning a tree from the same hazelnut family (I think), but ornamental.  It does not bear fruit. Technically, it bears flowers, but I have never seen them.  

And then recently, as I had to cut out a few outgrown shrubs, I found these tiny berries on a plant that was not visible before. It had been growing under the shrubs that had grown unruly.  

These are delicious blackberries....not blue, but blackberries....

There were only these many, maybe the others died out. Maybe there was no room to grow so they remain stunted.  But then...today, they get my smiles and they smile back at me.  For now they have been found. 

But Ah, the discovery.....the DISCOVERY and a gratitude for our abundant universe...