Iceland is one of the weirdest places I’ve ever been to. As in weird-good. I spent 10 days here and got seriously disorientated. When I travel I absorb factoids – cultural ticks, fashion quirks, mannerisms etc. When I visited Iceland a week or so ago, the factoids rained down on me. From all angles. Mostly via Icelanders themselves who love to share their quirkiness with others, I found.
We loved this chick…feisty and wanting to learn to surf in Australia
Add to this the long daylight hours, the lunar-like landscape and the FRIGGEN cold (11 degrees and it was SUMMER)…and it all added up to a whole lottta weird.
The glaciers down south…stay tuned for my next post for hiking highlights
The weirdness of the place has spawned a people who fully embrace intuitive, kooky, whimsical, creative living. Take a look below images, shot by Marija, my travel buddy. I’ll jazz things up with some of the factoids I was drowned in while we wandered. Consider this A Romp Through Kooky Iceland… For Your Visual Pleasure.
An update: A lot of Icelanders have come across this post and contributed extra detail to the factoids I share here. As some (Icelanders) have pointed out, it’s a very Icelandic thing to be pedantic. I also think it’s a very (delightfully) Icelandic thing to be so engaged and to be such good sports about it. I have gone through and made a few corrections. Consider me updated, Iceland!
I was recently in Copenhagen. Surreally, I was invited to stay on some Royal Palace grounds, just outside of Copenhagen. The story behind such happenstance is quite long and involves my dear friend Dan Buettner and his dear friend R who spends half the year in the West Indies where he met some Royals (on a beach) and they said (about 20 years ago), come live on our grounds. And so he did. And, anyway, I wound up staying in one of R’s gorgeous cottages and he – wonderfully – decided to put on a party in my honour. Which is a very Danish thing to do and so very hygge.
And this is where it gets fun. He told the guests – about 20 or so princes, princesses, counts and countesses, one of which is next in line to the French throne (if there was still such a thing) – that I would be cooking some dishes from my I Quit Sugar cookbook. He talked me up a treat. I was Nigella in their minds by the time they arrived.
I talked myself down, and made some simple “hash” salads, throwing together ingredients I was able to get at the Torvehallerne markets. This is my style. Best to stick to one’s style. Happily, it was the guests’ style, too. They are supremely modest and casual.
And, so. One such dish was this very simple salad above. How about I share it with you now:
Simple pumpkin salad
half a butternut pumpkin, cut into 2cm cubes
2 tbls coconut or olive oil
1 tbls ras el honout (if you don’t have any, substitute with a blend of any of the following: nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, allspice and pepper)
extra dash of cinnamon
rock salt
pepitas (pumpkin seeds), preferably activated
1/2 bunch of green shallots (spring onions), chopped
three big handfuls of baby spinach (a bag or so)
1/4 cup tahini
1 tbls rice malt syrup
1/4 cup yoghurt or sour cream
extra dash of ras el hanout or cinnamon
Preheat oven to about 220 C. Place the pumpkin on baking trays and pour over the oil, salt and spices. Toss roughly and
I rather love Copenhagen. Marija – the lovely lady who photographed my I Quit Sugar eCookbook; that’s her below – and I spent a week here, mostly shooting the cover and some fun shots for my new book.
We rode around on bikes…here I’m pushing Marija on a rickshaw as we scoot around the city shooting.
There is so much to include in a guide, but I’ll keep to a list of ten reasons to visit. The best overarching theme I could think of was the happiness factor – indeed the Danes are reputedly the happiest people on the planet. They are satisfied with their lives, the various studies, say, they feel heard and there is equality (free eduction! free health!). I loved being here wrapping my head around why this might be so, observing, asking questions of locals. And a few royals. Yes, I was invited to stay at a palace in Copenhagen and a dinner was organised in our honour. The next-in-line-for-the-French-throne-if-there-were-still-a-monarchy was there, six or seven princes and princesses and a few counts…all of whom shared some great insights! A very bizarre and wonderful evening. I cooked two I Quit Sugar meals, too. Strange things happen when you travel…
PS if you’re after exact location details, follow my instagram feed!
10 Reasons why Copenhagen is a happy place to visit
1. The hygge.
I’ve written about hygge before. It’s a very specifically Danish word that is pronounced “hoo-gah” and it defines the core of Danishness as “chic” defines the French. One definition I’ve found says it’s the art of creating intimacy. So it’s an act as well as a feel – a verb and an adjective. Hygge is also something you consciously strive for…it’s about connecting in a cosy, elegant, unfussy way. It’s about weaving friendship and intimacy with ease. When the Danes suggest a place or experience, they always describe it as “cosy”. If it’s cosy, it’s good. Indeed everything they do has a cosy, feel-good, homely vibe. It makes the city just feel like a place you want to stay a while in and get snugly with.
2. The ease.
It’s so easy being a tourist here. Marija and I couldn’t quite believe how smooth it was to get stuff done. We had to create an entire shoot – organise hair, makeup, food, props, lighting equipment etc – in a foreign country. It could’ve been hell, but it was a synch in the end. The Danes are very reserved. But if you reach out first they respond with so much help and advice. And trust. We borrowed plates and bowls and photographic gear from strangers all over town and everyone was so cool with it.
I want to make special mention of this place because the staff (special shout out to Jens, the handsome kid below) were so helpful and open and happy. Here’s why it made us happy staying here:
This is a technique I use when I’m anxious. I soften my eyes. That’s it. Calm descends. If I’m particularly anxious, I shut my eyes and then I smile slightly, but with my eyes. My eyeballs go soft and the softness oozes all over. I also do it when I meditate, on those days when … Read more
I’ve kind of mentioned it in passing a few times, and did a mini-announcement on Instagram, but how about I make it official. I Quit Sugar is growing up into a “real” book. With pages. It all happened quite fast and as with so many things in my life, it’s been shrouded in chaos. It … Read more
Greens. I get quite obsessed. I always feel that if I get at least 3 cups of the stuff into my gob each day, then I have a leave pass with the rest of my diet. Within reason.
In Europe, however, it’s been tough going in the cruciferous, leafy and folic department. Mostly it’s been pork. And potatoes. Actually, hold the potatoes, I’ll have – OK, you only have lettuce? – some lettuce. And an olive. I outlined in a previous post how I get my greens when travelling – it’s a challenge, but there are ways. Anyway, as an ode to this challenge, and because I’m craving the damn stuff, and because it’s spring back home and a fine ‘ole time to eat spinach, silverbeet (also called Swiss chard) and kale, here are some great green recipes that don’t involve a ton of ingredients, and can be made as a quick Inject My Life With Goodness meal.
This first one is an ode to Marija, my photographer mate who travelled with me in Copenhagen and Iceland. We ate fish soup in the latter and we almost cried from culinary happiness. This recipe is for her to make back home!! Ya hear me Maj? It’s a modified version of a chowder recipe I read a while back.
Fish soup with kale
2 tbls olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
4 anchovy fillets, soaked in water for 4 minutes, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 can chopped tomatoes, with liquid
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups water
1 cup fennel, chopped
A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a strip of orange zest, a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley, and a dried red chili if desired, tied together with a string
Last week we ran a little thing where I said I’d donate 20 books to five great charities doing great stuff. I got such a beautiful response, and because I have terrible indecision issues, I had Jo narrow things down to 10 so I could choose five from there. I couldn’t. So, instead I’ll give 20 books to all 10. Issue sorted. Win win.
The recipients are below. If you’re feeling like giving a little yourself you might want to click on the link and donate a little.
Paying it forward!
Ryla. Nominated by Jessica. Jess says: RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards – we as the committee are all young people who want to give back. We have so many uses for your fabulous cookbook from fundraising, thank you’s and prizes for awardees during the seminar.
Longford Men’s Shed. Nominated by Ted. Ted says: I am a member of The Longford Men’s Shed in Longford Tasmania and we have a community garden behind the shed with approx 30 raised garden beds all of which have fresh herbs and vegetables growing in them. We also work with the local youth and unemployed with cooking programmes to help them understand how to take care of themselves better. We are holding a home grown home made market in 3 weeks time to raise money for an orphanage in India that one of our members is involved with.
West Care Community Services. Nominated by Alex. Alex says: Our charity looks after families and individuals in need of food, emotional support and debt counselling. We feed over 5,0000 people a year. Our passion is to provide good, healthy food and offer our clients alternative ways of eating and cooking their food. Your book would be a great resource for us.
Victorian College for the Deaf. Nominated by Nicole. Nicole says: I work at Victorian College for the Deaf. We have a beautiful cafe – ‘Tradeblock Cafe’, which is Not-For-Profit and open two days a week. Tradeblock Cafe is
