On Eating in Norway

One of the biggest and earliest shocks I had to deal with when moving to Norway was how expensive food was. My first grocery bill, which consisted of two small bags of groceries, came up to a whopping $68. I was horrified. Had I splurged? My bag was full of bread and bananas, no rare nut butters or gluten-free-sugar-free-organic-free-range snacks. My brain whirled in wonder.

In order to shop without breaking your bank requires two things: patience and determination. It might require you to compare prices at several stores (hmm muesli is 2 NOK cheaper at Coop...) and buy based on deals not on recipes. For me, it means eating a lot of eggs and tuna.

Sometimes though, it's hard doing all the math and putting in the effort to find those deals. In the end, if this cucumber is 19 NOK (about $3), does it matter that it's more expensive than in the US, or just that it's cheaper than the broccoli? In the end, all the currency conversions here cause unnecessary stress because honestly, a $6 head of lettuce is cheaper than a $1000 plane ticket back to America.

One of my Norwegian friends here recently told me that "They intentionally make food that's bad for you very expensive so that you don't want to buy it," he continued, "and they make food thats really good for you even more expensive." It's sadly true. Not only do they not only not have a lot of selection of treats (just chocolate and vanilla ice cream? Come on!) but they also make it very hard to splurge (a $14 pint of ice cream really will never hit the spot). And those gluten-free-sugar-free-organic-free-range snacks? Dream on.

Over time, I've come to feel more relaxed about buying food in Norway. Most things in Norway are more expensive than in the US, but in the end it's just a part of life right now. Some things that are surprising relatively affordable: Salmon & Muesli. Boo ya Norway!

Photo via Wit & Delight

On London

This weekend I had the special treat of visiting my cousin, Martha, in London. Martha has recently relocated to London to pursue writing (I mean London worked for Beatrice Potter & Shakespeare right?)

In short, it was an absolute delight. Four days of laughter and cocktails and delicious food and lots and lot of people. London is actually 66 times more populated than Stavanger (yes, I did crunch the numbers). And let me just say you felt it. People were everywhere; on the streets, in the Underground, booking up all the restaurants. More than once we found restaurants completely booked and had to wait past ten many nights to get served dinner. But we loved it. The city was so vibrant and alive. There was so many things going on continuously- literally every place felt bumping.

A couple favorite moments:

Visiting the Colombia Flower Market on Sunday (above): Stalls were overflowing with so many people you felt like you were in a school of fish, peering glimpses of stalls lush with flowers through the crowd.

Yoga at Frame in Shoreditch: Martha and I had the most amazing power yoga class at Frame, a fitness studio near her place. The yoga teacher was a sub, but phenomenal! Felt ready to conquer London afterwards. Instead went and ate lunch.

Virginia Woolf @ The Book Club: We went to an hour long performance of A Room of One's Own in the basement of The Book Club, a local cafe/bar/club/host-of-amazing-intellectual-events. This local venue has tons of fun events every day and a mean looking cocktail list. The vibe makes you feel immediately cool and hip.

Weird fact about Stavanger, where I currently live? When Google translates Stavanger from Norwegian to English, it translates to London. Coincidence? I think not.

Cheers from London, Norway