It was slightly amusing to watch the news yesterday. They were introducing fashion blogs as a new source of income. And that in Sweden they have done that already for two years. Yes, don't I know it!
They said that fashion bloggers can make deals with some fashion houses and even get free gifts which they are advertising in their blogs. That begins to sound like a tax crime, or bribery. Would you criticize the free gifts if you wanted to get more of them in the future?
It's an unbelievable phenomenon. I will never realize what makes those blogs worth watching. Yes, watching rather than reading. It must be the pictures then, LOL! To me it seems more like egoistic behavior to send pictures of oneself there. Well, maybe that's a new way of modeling. In that sense it's welcome, even by my (low) standards.
And, thanks to Aikku and Virpi for taking another gold medal for Finland!
Royal Scam
Man, I'm pleased with this title! Just couldn't remain silent about it. I've kept on using these quotes and other obscurities since day one, and I'm still going strong. No one cares, but to me that's one type of surviving the day.
Back to business. Crown princess Victoria's and personal trainer Daniel Westling's engagement was announced yesterday. Congratulations to both! In addition to the news, the wedding season was also announced. It will be held early Summer next year. My guess is 6.6., the national day of Sweden. But I've been wrong before.
I have an axe to grind here, because I'm expecting Swedish currency to strengthen after the news. That way I could bring my crowns home safely and switch to euros at reasonable rate. At the moment it doesn't look too bright. One euro equals to 11,3 SEK!
They said that Victoria got a beautiful and expensive engagement ring. That explains why the engagement was delayed by so many years: with a personal trainer's salary he just couldn't afford it earlier, LOL! It's like an American dream come true once again. A common man can become a prince. Such a fairy tale!
But the 'scam' part of the post. I read from a Finnish newspaper that Expressen, a Swedish tabloid, made a scam yesterday. They sent a fake version of their latest paper to Aftonbladet, their rival on the tabloid front. Without probably the biggest society news of the decade. Aftonbladet fell for it and didn't have any news on Victoria's engagement yesterday.
Aftonbladet must have kicked itself after discovering the scam Expressen had pulled. Heads will fall after this, I'm sure. Millions of crowns lost. I guess they will release a piece of engagement news today, trying to get a piece of the action. What's left of it.
What makes me wonder is why Aftonbladet relies on material Expressen is giving them? Don't they have editors for themselves? Doing copypaste only? In that case they really deserved to get deceived. Swedes can stab in your back, while the others smile and turn their back on you. I knew that already, but now a whole lot of other people do too. Including people in Finland. It's not just another well-organised scam, it's much, much more...
Back to business. Crown princess Victoria's and personal trainer Daniel Westling's engagement was announced yesterday. Congratulations to both! In addition to the news, the wedding season was also announced. It will be held early Summer next year. My guess is 6.6., the national day of Sweden. But I've been wrong before.
I have an axe to grind here, because I'm expecting Swedish currency to strengthen after the news. That way I could bring my crowns home safely and switch to euros at reasonable rate. At the moment it doesn't look too bright. One euro equals to 11,3 SEK!
They said that Victoria got a beautiful and expensive engagement ring. That explains why the engagement was delayed by so many years: with a personal trainer's salary he just couldn't afford it earlier, LOL! It's like an American dream come true once again. A common man can become a prince. Such a fairy tale!
But the 'scam' part of the post. I read from a Finnish newspaper that Expressen, a Swedish tabloid, made a scam yesterday. They sent a fake version of their latest paper to Aftonbladet, their rival on the tabloid front. Without probably the biggest society news of the decade. Aftonbladet fell for it and didn't have any news on Victoria's engagement yesterday.
Aftonbladet must have kicked itself after discovering the scam Expressen had pulled. Heads will fall after this, I'm sure. Millions of crowns lost. I guess they will release a piece of engagement news today, trying to get a piece of the action. What's left of it.
What makes me wonder is why Aftonbladet relies on material Expressen is giving them? Don't they have editors for themselves? Doing copypaste only? In that case they really deserved to get deceived. Swedes can stab in your back, while the others smile and turn their back on you. I knew that already, but now a whole lot of other people do too. Including people in Finland. It's not just another well-organised scam, it's much, much more...
A small facelift
In Finland we have a TV show called "Pientä pintaremonttia", which is basically an interior decorating program. It has probably corresponding series abroad, so many of you will get the picture.
The storyline goes something like this: there is an apartment (usually close to Helsinki for obvious reasons) which is about to be sold but needs a little renovating. A real estate agent drops by and estimates the value of the place. Then the owners tell three architect designers how much money they can spend for making the place ready for sale. It's usually 2000 - 5000 euros.
Then those three designers make their own suggestions how they'd renovate it. The owners choose one and the apartment will be repaired accordingly. Later on, the same real estate agent comes to reevaluate the place. It's usually more than the money spent in renovating. Very often they use lent furniture in decorating.
Why am I telling you all this, you may wonder. I don't blame you. Well, I have been watching this sporadically with my wife, who watches almost every TV show of this nature. What bugs me real bad, are the stupid female owners who are selling their apartment. I really hate to hear them say: "No, I don't like green as a colour. I'm not choosing this plan." Or: "I don't like that bed, it's too flamboyant (for my taste)." WTF?! They are not renovating it for themselves, if they are going to sell the apartment! What does it matter, what they like? Several male owners have a better attitude: "This renovated bathroom will definetely raise the price up."
This formula repeats itself year after year. Women prefer their own taste to designers'. It's almost camp to me. Those designers are professional and give good ideas from time to time, but basically this show is waste of time. In the end of the show the owners are usually disappointed in the re-estimate of the house. They think that using 1000 euros in decorating should increase the value of the house by 10000 € or something. It's easy to read the disappointment in their faces, especially by men, because they often think they know better. But they rarely do.
The storyline goes something like this: there is an apartment (usually close to Helsinki for obvious reasons) which is about to be sold but needs a little renovating. A real estate agent drops by and estimates the value of the place. Then the owners tell three architect designers how much money they can spend for making the place ready for sale. It's usually 2000 - 5000 euros.
Then those three designers make their own suggestions how they'd renovate it. The owners choose one and the apartment will be repaired accordingly. Later on, the same real estate agent comes to reevaluate the place. It's usually more than the money spent in renovating. Very often they use lent furniture in decorating.
Why am I telling you all this, you may wonder. I don't blame you. Well, I have been watching this sporadically with my wife, who watches almost every TV show of this nature. What bugs me real bad, are the stupid female owners who are selling their apartment. I really hate to hear them say: "No, I don't like green as a colour. I'm not choosing this plan." Or: "I don't like that bed, it's too flamboyant (for my taste)." WTF?! They are not renovating it for themselves, if they are going to sell the apartment! What does it matter, what they like? Several male owners have a better attitude: "This renovated bathroom will definetely raise the price up."
This formula repeats itself year after year. Women prefer their own taste to designers'. It's almost camp to me. Those designers are professional and give good ideas from time to time, but basically this show is waste of time. In the end of the show the owners are usually disappointed in the re-estimate of the house. They think that using 1000 euros in decorating should increase the value of the house by 10000 € or something. It's easy to read the disappointment in their faces, especially by men, because they often think they know better. But they rarely do.
Kids are different today
This is my drawing of an actual task that was in our daughter's math book (see the part a). Granted, it was an extra task, but it was heavily emphasised to do those too. All this during the first season of the first grade at school. Can you believe it?
Even knowing what the hell this task is all about took some thinking from my part. The goal is to find three numbers of which sums of two equal the number outside the triangle. Sorry, can't make it this better in English! Maybe that's why there was no explanation in Finnish either, LOL!
I'm not totally convinced what is the point of this kind of tasks. Basically it's just guessing. You can't expect any 7-year-old child to create an algorithm which would solve all these triangle tasks like I did (see the part b). And there was a lot of these triangles in her math book.
I tried my best to visualize her the idea of the task by constructing a triangle and moving chrome balls inside it. It wasn't easy, but somehow she understood my point. Yes, I'm no teacher but anyway. It was satisfying to see her done a good job in a math test. There was one triangle task in it as well, which was a bit surprising. Extra tasks shouldn't be there at all.
My own memories from 1973 are somewhat indeterminate. All I remember is that there were some balls and squares inside circles. We were drawing unions and intersections there. I can hardly think of myself solving the same triangle tasks our daughter had last Fall. Then again I had no-one to help me but still. I wasn't interested in learning those days anyway. The kids today are much wiser than we used to be. That is somehow comforting.
Even knowing what the hell this task is all about took some thinking from my part. The goal is to find three numbers of which sums of two equal the number outside the triangle. Sorry, can't make it this better in English! Maybe that's why there was no explanation in Finnish either, LOL!
I'm not totally convinced what is the point of this kind of tasks. Basically it's just guessing. You can't expect any 7-year-old child to create an algorithm which would solve all these triangle tasks like I did (see the part b). And there was a lot of these triangles in her math book.
I tried my best to visualize her the idea of the task by constructing a triangle and moving chrome balls inside it. It wasn't easy, but somehow she understood my point. Yes, I'm no teacher but anyway. It was satisfying to see her done a good job in a math test. There was one triangle task in it as well, which was a bit surprising. Extra tasks shouldn't be there at all.
My own memories from 1973 are somewhat indeterminate. All I remember is that there were some balls and squares inside circles. We were drawing unions and intersections there. I can hardly think of myself solving the same triangle tasks our daughter had last Fall. Then again I had no-one to help me but still. I wasn't interested in learning those days anyway. The kids today are much wiser than we used to be. That is somehow comforting.
Finnish Cuisine Delicacy III: Mämmi
This is a traditional Finnish Easter delicacy called mämmi (rye pudding, memma på svenska). It's just another of those Finnish dishes that look like shit, but taste alright. It's not Easter yet, but these days you can get mämmi in the shops throughout the year. Goodie!
Usually mämmi is a dessert that is eaten with milk or cream. Also some sugar can be spread on it. I tried it with nonfat milk (see the picture) but that didn't taste much of anything. On the other hand, I think cream is way too much... creamy? Something between might be a good choice.
Not so many people in Finland likes mämmi either. It may be an old folk's dish. Many of young people probably haven't even tasted it yet, but still decided they don't like it. Please, give mämmi a chance, it's worth it. Trust me, LOL!
Usually mämmi is a dessert that is eaten with milk or cream. Also some sugar can be spread on it. I tried it with nonfat milk (see the picture) but that didn't taste much of anything. On the other hand, I think cream is way too much... creamy? Something between might be a good choice.
Not so many people in Finland likes mämmi either. It may be an old folk's dish. Many of young people probably haven't even tasted it yet, but still decided they don't like it. Please, give mämmi a chance, it's worth it. Trust me, LOL!
Known by many names
Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake day, Carnival, Fasnacht Day, Fat Tuesday, Fettisdagen, laskiainen... whatever you call it, it's due tomorrow. Originally it was the last day before Lent which lasted till Easter. That's why people used to eat heavily that day. Also last Sunday is part of the festival.
Lent or no Lent, people still eat unhealthily on Mardi Gras. What is left of it in Finland, is the tradition of eating semlas ('semla' also in Swedish; funnily 'semla' means 'roll' (sämpylä) in Finland-Swedish. In swedish a 'roll' is 'fralla', and in Finland-Swedish 'semla' is 'fastlagsbulle' (also in some parts of Sweden). Confused? Good!).
There is no doubt about it where this bun has arrived in Finland from. That's why I can't place it under 'Finnish cuisine Delicacy' title. Here's however another picture taken by me, target been eaten by me. It was good while it lasted.
Another Carnival tradition in Finland is sliding downhill on a sleigh or a pulk. that's more like children's fun although sometimes parents may join them. I have tried to slide myself lately. My over-weight body almost crushed the whole pulk after a ramp! Also my back hurt a bit.
It was a pleasant weekend with a lot of snow. Didn't slide but did some cross-country skiing. Beautiful weather accompanied.
Lent or no Lent, people still eat unhealthily on Mardi Gras. What is left of it in Finland, is the tradition of eating semlas ('semla' also in Swedish; funnily 'semla' means 'roll' (sämpylä) in Finland-Swedish. In swedish a 'roll' is 'fralla', and in Finland-Swedish 'semla' is 'fastlagsbulle' (also in some parts of Sweden). Confused? Good!).
There is no doubt about it where this bun has arrived in Finland from. That's why I can't place it under 'Finnish cuisine Delicacy' title. Here's however another picture taken by me, target been eaten by me. It was good while it lasted.Another Carnival tradition in Finland is sliding downhill on a sleigh or a pulk. that's more like children's fun although sometimes parents may join them. I have tried to slide myself lately. My over-weight body almost crushed the whole pulk after a ramp! Also my back hurt a bit.
It was a pleasant weekend with a lot of snow. Didn't slide but did some cross-country skiing. Beautiful weather accompanied.
Doing the funky shit
It must be at least 15 years since I visited YO-talo in Tampere centrum last time. The place was originally meant for students at Tampere university, but has been opened for grown-up public later. Lucky for me, for I would have missed a lot of great experiences. I used to go there to see some rock bands in late 80's and early 90's. Man, I was so much younger then.
I have blogged about it before, but I really hate it when the bands start playing after midnight. It's not a human thing to do. And the music plays too loud before, during and after the show. My ears ain't what they used to be.
One of my working mates lured me there. He was going to be a dj at YO-talo and he was also playing in the group which performed there. The theme of the evening was funk. Funk music is always a good choice for a live experience.
I met some of my co-workers there. For some reason I didn't feel like being part of the group. Maybe it was because they knew each other much better, maybe because I was so much older than any of them. Luckily the sister of the star of the night joined us. I spent refreshing moments talking with her. Otherwise I would have been bored to death long before the show started.
The group played pretty well, as expected. I enjoyed their playing, but I started feeling tired. 7,5 dl of ED (Energy Drink) was keeping me awake. I had a car with me, so real drinking was out of the question. The communal transportation between Tampere and Nokia really sucks.
I decided to stay for a little longer still. Then a guy who was totally pissed was wobbling in front of me. He passed me and sat down at a table behind me. It was ok, until strong smell of shit started to spread. I didn't want to be associated with this guy's stink. I stood up and thought to myself that I might as well leave now. Which I did.
I have blogged about it before, but I really hate it when the bands start playing after midnight. It's not a human thing to do. And the music plays too loud before, during and after the show. My ears ain't what they used to be.
One of my working mates lured me there. He was going to be a dj at YO-talo and he was also playing in the group which performed there. The theme of the evening was funk. Funk music is always a good choice for a live experience.
I met some of my co-workers there. For some reason I didn't feel like being part of the group. Maybe it was because they knew each other much better, maybe because I was so much older than any of them. Luckily the sister of the star of the night joined us. I spent refreshing moments talking with her. Otherwise I would have been bored to death long before the show started.
The group played pretty well, as expected. I enjoyed their playing, but I started feeling tired. 7,5 dl of ED (Energy Drink) was keeping me awake. I had a car with me, so real drinking was out of the question. The communal transportation between Tampere and Nokia really sucks.
I decided to stay for a little longer still. Then a guy who was totally pissed was wobbling in front of me. He passed me and sat down at a table behind me. It was ok, until strong smell of shit started to spread. I didn't want to be associated with this guy's stink. I stood up and thought to myself that I might as well leave now. Which I did.
American Gladiators vs. Kinniku Banzuke
It's nice to have Gladiators back. In the 80's, we had a Finnish Gladiators TV show which I liked very much. Nowadays we can watch the return of the original series also in Finland. Yes!
What makes the Gladiators even funnier, is to see old Hulk Hogan hosting the show (with Muhammad Ali's daughter). I remember watching WWF wrestling in the 80's and early 90's. Hulkster was one of the biggest stars there, being a multiple champion. It's somewhat amazing that he can still function, after all those hits and misses. But he's an icon, can't deny that.
I like to see those athletes fight and bluster. Roar and shout. It's quite entertaining actually. Almost makes me want to work out myself. Almost. What bugs me is the über-American talk about being able to accomplish anything if putting your mind to it, i.e. American dream. It's not true to anyone. Another thing that annoys me is when contenders preach about God or thank their family members for their success. These family values must be a bigger thing in the States than elsewhere, I don't know, but constant bringing them up is unnecessary to me. The show should concentrate more on the sports than talks.
The referee is a clown. Well, why not do it as long as the pay is good..? "Is the contender ready? Gladiator ready?" Just put your lips together and blow, goddammit, LOL! Someall gladiators have been eating more than just protein and vitamins that Hulk used to advertise. The man himself has also been pumping more than iron during his career, but nevermind that.
One episode in particular troubled me. There was a one-legged guy with a leg prosthesis and he was a champion of some sports already. He did fine and I respect him alright, but... in the last sports he didn't manage to climb the moving conveyer which is understandable. But they stopped it moving and there was only a second-lasting clip about his climbing shown to the public. Well, I was fast enough to see it not moving and that was a fraud in my eyes. Because after he finished his race, he was regarded as if he had made the track without easements. Anything seemed possible if you tried hard enough, once again. Like I said, all due respects to the man, but the competition wasn't equal to both competitors. Well, he lost to his partner so there's no room left for speculation.
Another interesting sports competition is a Japanese TV show, Banzuke. It's refreshing to see something else that differs from American entertainment. Actually, it's more about skills and muscle control than Gladiators which leans on power and endurance. The host looks funny, talks funny, but after a while you begin to like his witty introductions and appearance.
In Banzuke there are several skill-demanding sports. I'm quite new to follow it, but it seems that walking with hands is one of the most difficult sports there. It's not just walking; you have to walk uphill, downhill, on different types of material. I'd like to see any American try those too. Maybe Gladiators should visit Banzuke and vice versa?
Luckily I can watch them both! And enjoy the differences separate cultures have to offer. Bring it on, baby, bring it!
What makes the Gladiators even funnier, is to see old Hulk Hogan hosting the show (with Muhammad Ali's daughter). I remember watching WWF wrestling in the 80's and early 90's. Hulkster was one of the biggest stars there, being a multiple champion. It's somewhat amazing that he can still function, after all those hits and misses. But he's an icon, can't deny that.
I like to see those athletes fight and bluster. Roar and shout. It's quite entertaining actually. Almost makes me want to work out myself. Almost. What bugs me is the über-American talk about being able to accomplish anything if putting your mind to it, i.e. American dream. It's not true to anyone. Another thing that annoys me is when contenders preach about God or thank their family members for their success. These family values must be a bigger thing in the States than elsewhere, I don't know, but constant bringing them up is unnecessary to me. The show should concentrate more on the sports than talks.
The referee is a clown. Well, why not do it as long as the pay is good..? "Is the contender ready? Gladiator ready?" Just put your lips together and blow, goddammit, LOL! Some
One episode in particular troubled me. There was a one-legged guy with a leg prosthesis and he was a champion of some sports already. He did fine and I respect him alright, but... in the last sports he didn't manage to climb the moving conveyer which is understandable. But they stopped it moving and there was only a second-lasting clip about his climbing shown to the public. Well, I was fast enough to see it not moving and that was a fraud in my eyes. Because after he finished his race, he was regarded as if he had made the track without easements. Anything seemed possible if you tried hard enough, once again. Like I said, all due respects to the man, but the competition wasn't equal to both competitors. Well, he lost to his partner so there's no room left for speculation.
Another interesting sports competition is a Japanese TV show, Banzuke. It's refreshing to see something else that differs from American entertainment. Actually, it's more about skills and muscle control than Gladiators which leans on power and endurance. The host looks funny, talks funny, but after a while you begin to like his witty introductions and appearance.
In Banzuke there are several skill-demanding sports. I'm quite new to follow it, but it seems that walking with hands is one of the most difficult sports there. It's not just walking; you have to walk uphill, downhill, on different types of material. I'd like to see any American try those too. Maybe Gladiators should visit Banzuke and vice versa?
Luckily I can watch them both! And enjoy the differences separate cultures have to offer. Bring it on, baby, bring it!
More to come?
Aino-Kaisa Saarinen has won WM gold for Finland in skiing today in Liberec. Congratulations, Aino-Kaisa! Great to have success stories like this. Thumbs up for the cleanness of you!
Shitty memories
This is a sad news. Sad but true. And in Finnish here. A father had separated his two sons by lifting them up by their hair. He had to pay his kids 308 euros for assaulting, plus 50 € for pain he had caused. Wouldn't it be good to live in that family when the smoke has vanished?
Of course it's unacceptable to beat a child. This brought up some memories, because I was also lifted up from my hair sometimes when I had done something I wasn't supposed to do. And got beaten on more occasions than I care to remember. I'm just wondering... Hell, I could be a millionaire had I got that kind of money for getting beaten. At least I would have been the richest man in our family, LOL! Richest but dead maybe. I even could have done bad things on purpose to get some more money. You know now, where I'm leading this story?
Exactly! Small kids can forget about their weekly allowances: a new way of making bigger money has just been introduced. Instead of doing good favours to their parents, they should start doing evil things. And roll in the money.
One time, when I realized that the macaroni casserole tasted like shit, I said during eating:"This tastes exactly like shit." Needless to say that my dinner was over and I got beaten one second after "shit" word. I probably wouldn't remember that occasion if I didn't feel the spanking was unjustified. I didn't mean "this tastes like shit, I don't want to eat it". I only meant that "this food has a taste that resembles the taste of shit (or what I thought shit might taste like)". It was meant to be a harmless comment from my side. I was still going to eat my plate empty; shit-tasting or not. Well, I didn't. Being a smart-ass kid has its drawbacks too.
When our kid says something like that these days, we try to talk it over. If that won't help, we take away the food. And candies are off-limits for that day. I can't help but remember my macaroni incident 35 years ago every time this happens. I'm not saying which method is better. Violence is not a solution to anything. Then again, younger generations lose their respect towards their parents. Maybe the parents deserve it?
Of course it's unacceptable to beat a child. This brought up some memories, because I was also lifted up from my hair sometimes when I had done something I wasn't supposed to do. And got beaten on more occasions than I care to remember. I'm just wondering... Hell, I could be a millionaire had I got that kind of money for getting beaten. At least I would have been the richest man in our family, LOL! Richest but dead maybe. I even could have done bad things on purpose to get some more money. You know now, where I'm leading this story?
Exactly! Small kids can forget about their weekly allowances: a new way of making bigger money has just been introduced. Instead of doing good favours to their parents, they should start doing evil things. And roll in the money.
One time, when I realized that the macaroni casserole tasted like shit, I said during eating:"This tastes exactly like shit." Needless to say that my dinner was over and I got beaten one second after "shit" word. I probably wouldn't remember that occasion if I didn't feel the spanking was unjustified. I didn't mean "this tastes like shit, I don't want to eat it". I only meant that "this food has a taste that resembles the taste of shit (or what I thought shit might taste like)". It was meant to be a harmless comment from my side. I was still going to eat my plate empty; shit-tasting or not. Well, I didn't. Being a smart-ass kid has its drawbacks too.
When our kid says something like that these days, we try to talk it over. If that won't help, we take away the food. And candies are off-limits for that day. I can't help but remember my macaroni incident 35 years ago every time this happens. I'm not saying which method is better. Violence is not a solution to anything. Then again, younger generations lose their respect towards their parents. Maybe the parents deserve it?
Lift me up
Yes, it's the liftless day today. Or elevatorless, if you're American. Funny, I still saw a lift and used it. Worked fine. Actually better. Not crowded or anything. Saw a note of the liftless day by the elevator. Upstairs, not downstairs. Cool. More of these! (TIC, for Smek beginners)
RAM on!
It was about time to do it. I had postponed it on several occasions. I couldn't any longer. I bought more RAM memory cards to my pc. It's there already. Easy as pie.
By now many of you know that I'm no computer wizard, especially when it comes to hardware. However, I compare changing memory HW to changing tyres of a car. I don't know much about cars either, but I can do something. Very little actually.
I hadn't even opened the hood of the pc and it's something like 5 years old. There was original 256 MB of RAM, which had started to piss me off. The pc's hard disk was basically making noise all the time. And it was painfully slow.
Thanks to my Swedish (LOL!) friend Jaime, I got information of what kind of memory, and how much of it, was allowed to put in there. I bought two GB cards from a netshop. It costed about 60 euros - postage included. It's the maximum amount of RAM that could be inserted in that particular pc.
I was so relieved to get it done in five minutes. It could have been disastrous, you know. Now it works better than ever. Sure this is not worth blogging to many of you out there, but to me it was a fine evening. For a moment, I was the man, LOL!
By now many of you know that I'm no computer wizard, especially when it comes to hardware. However, I compare changing memory HW to changing tyres of a car. I don't know much about cars either, but I can do something. Very little actually.
I hadn't even opened the hood of the pc and it's something like 5 years old. There was original 256 MB of RAM, which had started to piss me off. The pc's hard disk was basically making noise all the time. And it was painfully slow.
Thanks to my Swedish (LOL!) friend Jaime, I got information of what kind of memory, and how much of it, was allowed to put in there. I bought two GB cards from a netshop. It costed about 60 euros - postage included. It's the maximum amount of RAM that could be inserted in that particular pc.
I was so relieved to get it done in five minutes. It could have been disastrous, you know. Now it works better than ever. Sure this is not worth blogging to many of you out there, but to me it was a fine evening. For a moment, I was the man, LOL!
There's a Kela on the run
I got information from Kela, an institute that takes care of people's health insurances etc. (the same as Försäkringskassan in Sweden as far as I'm concerned), that I'm entitled to Finnish benefits. Yippee, no more than 1,5 months after my moving back here! They also told me that I could use my old Kela card if I still had it. I wasn't relying on them and thus kept my old card. They didn't ask for it, so I didn't give it to them. Now I can use it already and don't have to wait for a new one.
I have some prescriptions waiting. Old meds ran out some time ago and I didn't want to go through just another farce in Stockholm to get new ones. All I can say is that things are looking much better today than they did a couple of days ago. Things can change, but until then it's good to be a "genuine" Finn again!
I have some prescriptions waiting. Old meds ran out some time ago and I didn't want to go through just another farce in Stockholm to get new ones. All I can say is that things are looking much better today than they did a couple of days ago. Things can change, but until then it's good to be a "genuine" Finn again!
Finnish Cuisine Delicacy II: Karelian pasty
Yup, continueing my crusade pro Finnish oddities with Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka/karelian pirog) this time. It is one of the few Finnish traditional foods that is popular all over Finland, even outside our borders. Hell, you can eat them in the infamous Finland boats (knullbåtar, you know). It comes from Karelia, (South-)Eastern part of Finland (parts of Karelia also belong to Russia). More about the pasty itself from here.
Basically it's a rhye paste filled with rice porridge and baked in an oven. You can have it also with smashed potato or carrot filling which taste good as well. You don't need to add anything on the top of the pasty when you eat it, but it's common to put some butter or eggbutter on it (like the one in the picture). That makes it even tastier but unhealthier. Needless to mention that I ate it anyway...
Karelian pasty serves as a good snack, but normally you don't eat them to fill your belly. Although it's quite filling stuff. They are pretty laborious (jobbigt, as a Swede would put it) to make, so it's normal that a few people gather around to make a large amount of them. Kind of setting up a small factory. It's not the same thing to eat industrially manufactured pasties (it rarely is), but they are usually quite alright too.
When hate turns to love
It has been a lovely Winter in Finland so far. Temperature has been mostly between -2 and -10 degrees Celsius. To me, that's the perfect weather for skiing. The only weather, I might add.
It sounds crazy that when I was young, we talk about late 70's and early 80's here, the temperature for not skiing at school was -25º (also for skating)! These days it's not, but that's hell of a cold weather to ski, especially for children. And those days -25º was a pretty common temperature in the midst of Winter. The most difficult thing for me was when it was something like -27 degrees in the morning and the sports class was due in the afternoon. It was usually at the end of the schoolday. Sometimes the Sun warmed up the weather during the day so that it was "only" -23º when the sports class started. I remember on several occasions, when our angry sports teacher asked me: "Where are your skis? It's not -25 degrees out there!" Those days a child was expected to handle things like that.
I have had a lot of bad memories about skiing. I started to ski in my third grade (aged 9,5 years) when we moved to live in another part of Tampere. We used to live in the center before and there was no skiing; just skating in Winter (I was lousy in that too). Soon the skiing contest was about to happen and I had skis that someone had left in our new home. They were wooden and been broken and mended with small nails. I had no idea about lubrication of the skis. We didn't have any stuff to put in the back of the skis anyway.
It was no surprise that I finished last in my first ski competition. But I got better all the time. Later in another school I finished in the middle of the lot. And always without lubrication. Later I have thought about how much help some other classmates got compared to me, because their dads were helping to spread right kind of paste into their skis. And that affected directly to your sports grade. Skiing was and maybe still is very highly appreciated sports in Finland, so if you were good at it your sports grades were good as well.
In the army skiing was awful. Bad skis, but "luckily" the circumstances were equal to all. We skied a lot, with or without snow. We were skiing in the middle of the woods. The first one created the ski track and the others followed. Sometimes there were a lot of trees to dodge, tight curves etc. I had eyeglasses by then and they got steamed. I could see basically nothing. From the second ski trip on, I didn't wear glasses at all. Being almost blind was a better choice. It's amazing that I hardly ever fell on my ass during those trips. I could have injured myself pretty bad. We had a heavy load on our backs, and guns too, so the normal type of skiing was mostly out of the question.
It was only when I met my wife, when I skied next time. She had had success in her school days in skiing, so I didn't have to beat her in that sports. I couldn't stand a chance. Her father had done the ski service for her in her youth. We learnt how to wax our skis. When the lubrication was done well, it was fantastic to ski. It was like a whole different sport. The first time in my life I didn't hate skiing; I loved it instead.
When we had our daughter, she joined us in our ski trips. She does a good job already now. We haven't waxed our skis lately because the speed was gone down to our kid's level. And, without a help of lubrication, we'll get a better benefit from it. Especially now that I'm trying to lose some weight. Sweat is welcomed today. Of course, when our kid is fit enough to ski longer trips, we will start waxing again. She'll have her first ski contest at school next week. We must take care of her ski service then. It would be foolish not to do it, because the other kids' parents will do it anyway. And our daughter won't have to suffer from the same kind of disadvantage I had in my time of schooling. Hopefully she'll love it, like I wish I had too.
It sounds crazy that when I was young, we talk about late 70's and early 80's here, the temperature for not skiing at school was -25º (also for skating)! These days it's not, but that's hell of a cold weather to ski, especially for children. And those days -25º was a pretty common temperature in the midst of Winter. The most difficult thing for me was when it was something like -27 degrees in the morning and the sports class was due in the afternoon. It was usually at the end of the schoolday. Sometimes the Sun warmed up the weather during the day so that it was "only" -23º when the sports class started. I remember on several occasions, when our angry sports teacher asked me: "Where are your skis? It's not -25 degrees out there!" Those days a child was expected to handle things like that.
I have had a lot of bad memories about skiing. I started to ski in my third grade (aged 9,5 years) when we moved to live in another part of Tampere. We used to live in the center before and there was no skiing; just skating in Winter (I was lousy in that too). Soon the skiing contest was about to happen and I had skis that someone had left in our new home. They were wooden and been broken and mended with small nails. I had no idea about lubrication of the skis. We didn't have any stuff to put in the back of the skis anyway.
It was no surprise that I finished last in my first ski competition. But I got better all the time. Later in another school I finished in the middle of the lot. And always without lubrication. Later I have thought about how much help some other classmates got compared to me, because their dads were helping to spread right kind of paste into their skis. And that affected directly to your sports grade. Skiing was and maybe still is very highly appreciated sports in Finland, so if you were good at it your sports grades were good as well.
In the army skiing was awful. Bad skis, but "luckily" the circumstances were equal to all. We skied a lot, with or without snow. We were skiing in the middle of the woods. The first one created the ski track and the others followed. Sometimes there were a lot of trees to dodge, tight curves etc. I had eyeglasses by then and they got steamed. I could see basically nothing. From the second ski trip on, I didn't wear glasses at all. Being almost blind was a better choice. It's amazing that I hardly ever fell on my ass during those trips. I could have injured myself pretty bad. We had a heavy load on our backs, and guns too, so the normal type of skiing was mostly out of the question.
It was only when I met my wife, when I skied next time. She had had success in her school days in skiing, so I didn't have to beat her in that sports. I couldn't stand a chance. Her father had done the ski service for her in her youth. We learnt how to wax our skis. When the lubrication was done well, it was fantastic to ski. It was like a whole different sport. The first time in my life I didn't hate skiing; I loved it instead.
When we had our daughter, she joined us in our ski trips. She does a good job already now. We haven't waxed our skis lately because the speed was gone down to our kid's level. And, without a help of lubrication, we'll get a better benefit from it. Especially now that I'm trying to lose some weight. Sweat is welcomed today. Of course, when our kid is fit enough to ski longer trips, we will start waxing again. She'll have her first ski contest at school next week. We must take care of her ski service then. It would be foolish not to do it, because the other kids' parents will do it anyway. And our daughter won't have to suffer from the same kind of disadvantage I had in my time of schooling. Hopefully she'll love it, like I wish I had too.
Mad Donna - how big a star?
Such an enormous hassle about Madonna's concert in Finland. True, it's the first time she's performing here, and true, she's still big. But that big? Hell, no.
I used to like Madonna in 1985/86 and in 1989, but that's quite a long time ago. Since then her music's been more or less indifferent to me. I still admire her though. It takes a lot to stay on top year after year. A lot of vitamins, if you asked Hulk Hogan, LOL!
They are going to arrange a custom-made festival area for Madonna's show in Helsinki. 80000 people fit in there but not all of them are going to catch a glimpse of her. Unless they see her on a big screen, but is that the same thing as seeing someone live?
As almost expected, the web servers went down during ticket-buying rush hours. Suddenly people wanted to see Madonna live. Even those who didn't really care for her music. For some people it's a way of showing your status to be there. Just to be able to say you were there. I guess that happened already in Woodstock too...
Indeed, I remember when I was watching Eric Clapton's show in Helsinki, there was a pair of guys sitting right in front of me, talking about this and that, not paying attention to what was going on on stage. And it happened when Clapton was playing one of the most brilliant guitar solos I have ever heard. Felt like kicking their teeth in. I heard them later talking, saying 'it wasn't that impressive to see Clapton, but it was alright'. I bet they didn't pay for their tickets themselves.
I wonder why people feel obliged to see Madonna just because she's coming here. I don't understand. Of course she will give a total money's worth performance, but still. Well, maybe the extraordinary place for the show plays some part too. For me, it would take much more important artist for me to play in Helsinki that forced me to go there these days. Can't think of many of them.
I used to like Madonna in 1985/86 and in 1989, but that's quite a long time ago. Since then her music's been more or less indifferent to me. I still admire her though. It takes a lot to stay on top year after year. A lot of vitamins, if you asked Hulk Hogan, LOL!
They are going to arrange a custom-made festival area for Madonna's show in Helsinki. 80000 people fit in there but not all of them are going to catch a glimpse of her. Unless they see her on a big screen, but is that the same thing as seeing someone live?
As almost expected, the web servers went down during ticket-buying rush hours. Suddenly people wanted to see Madonna live. Even those who didn't really care for her music. For some people it's a way of showing your status to be there. Just to be able to say you were there. I guess that happened already in Woodstock too...
Indeed, I remember when I was watching Eric Clapton's show in Helsinki, there was a pair of guys sitting right in front of me, talking about this and that, not paying attention to what was going on on stage. And it happened when Clapton was playing one of the most brilliant guitar solos I have ever heard. Felt like kicking their teeth in. I heard them later talking, saying 'it wasn't that impressive to see Clapton, but it was alright'. I bet they didn't pay for their tickets themselves.
I wonder why people feel obliged to see Madonna just because she's coming here. I don't understand. Of course she will give a total money's worth performance, but still. Well, maybe the extraordinary place for the show plays some part too. For me, it would take much more important artist for me to play in Helsinki that forced me to go there these days. Can't think of many of them.
Tight-ass diplomacy accepts no tits
This advertisement was banned by some female-led organization. Yes, it's the new Millennium and the old values stick hard. In cases like these.
They claim that because the ad showed only the breasts of a woman, it was indecent. Hell, it doesn't show breasts to me! Even some evening dresses reveal more than that. And it's a German national dress for goodness' sake! They serve beer dressed like that in Octoberfest (at least according to the defenders of the ad) and also in the pub whose advertisement this is. So, it doesn't give a wrong picture about how the beers are served.
I'm still no-beer-drinker, but I must admit that the most of beer-related ads and commercials are usually funny and well done. Which is something that Finnish authorities have also noticed. They have demanded that alcohol commercials mustn't be funny and spread good mood any longer. Have humour, if you will. I think the beer ad in question is also humorous. Sadly alcohol is still a taboo in Finland, and definetely nothing to joke about.
They claim that because the ad showed only the breasts of a woman, it was indecent. Hell, it doesn't show breasts to me! Even some evening dresses reveal more than that. And it's a German national dress for goodness' sake! They serve beer dressed like that in Octoberfest (at least according to the defenders of the ad) and also in the pub whose advertisement this is. So, it doesn't give a wrong picture about how the beers are served.
I'm still no-beer-drinker, but I must admit that the most of beer-related ads and commercials are usually funny and well done. Which is something that Finnish authorities have also noticed. They have demanded that alcohol commercials mustn't be funny and spread good mood any longer. Have humour, if you will. I think the beer ad in question is also humorous. Sadly alcohol is still a taboo in Finland, and definetely nothing to joke about.
I knot & Ray not
It's time to slip into something more comfortable, like... slippers. I read in the newspapers that the legendary Finnish slippers, called 'Ainot ja Reinot', are now 75 years old. 'Aino', a Finnish woman's name, is a red slipper for women, and 'Reino' respectively for men. They are classics over here, although I heard about them only a few years ago. I'm a latecomer in that sense.
They have been manufactured in the city of Nokia, but it originates in Tampere. And now they are moving back to Tampere. The people in Nokia have adopted those slippers for themselves totally, and they seem proud of the product. I wonder for how long, as the production continues in Tampere... There is even a pub called 'Aino ja Reino' in Nokia. Yes, I've been there too, but not in recent years.
I have had those 'Reinot' for some time now, but it took a while until my wife allowed me to have them (even if she had 'Ainot' already). She knows about footware and told me that they are very unhealthy for my feet. For anyone's feet actually (but not for hers, I suppose). I still like them. They are warm and the floor in our house is cold and drafty - especially in Winter. And my circulation isn't to be bragged about...
To give some colorful joy to the world, I attached a picture of our slippers. Yes, for those who wonder, it's taken on a toilet seat. Lighting is good there, and there are no silverfishes around!
They have been manufactured in the city of Nokia, but it originates in Tampere. And now they are moving back to Tampere. The people in Nokia have adopted those slippers for themselves totally, and they seem proud of the product. I wonder for how long, as the production continues in Tampere... There is even a pub called 'Aino ja Reino' in Nokia. Yes, I've been there too, but not in recent years.
I have had those 'Reinot' for some time now, but it took a while until my wife allowed me to have them (even if she had 'Ainot' already). She knows about footware and told me that they are very unhealthy for my feet. For anyone's feet actually (but not for hers, I suppose). I still like them. They are warm and the floor in our house is cold and drafty - especially in Winter. And my circulation isn't to be bragged about...
To give some colorful joy to the world, I attached a picture of our slippers. Yes, for those who wonder, it's taken on a toilet seat. Lighting is good there, and there are no silverfishes around!
Copypasteright control?
I'm now talking about a Finnish law but I guess it may be valid in other countries as well. At least inside EU.
According to law, it's not allowed to publish any pictures of other people's art without their permission. Unless it's part of scenery. For example, I could take a picture of the room in Louvre having Mona Lisa on the wall and some crowd (there's always crowd in that room), and publish it. However, if I took a picture of Mona Lisa, the world-famous painting by Leonardo DaVinci, alone, I couldn't publish the photo without permission by Louvre art museum. Or whomever it concerns.
This leads to my subject nicely. What about the painters themselves? They have painted churches, bridges and houses for centuries, and I'm pretty convinced that they haven't paid a nickel for architects and designers, hell, artists per se.
Alright, the Finnish law may be quite recent, but does it mean that from now on no-one can paint any building, or other work of art for that matter, and release it in the exhibition without getting thumbs up from the creators of the target? Or, as it's compared as equal way of publishing these days, uploading a picture of your painting that has that building under copyright control?
To me this is pure nonsense. It's almost impossible for anyone to watch all sites, inspect and report every suspicion. To judge and fine. To keep track of everything. It's like the Swedes should watch that snuff is not exported to Finland (or other EU countries). They really don't watch, and everyone knows that.
According to law, it's not allowed to publish any pictures of other people's art without their permission. Unless it's part of scenery. For example, I could take a picture of the room in Louvre having Mona Lisa on the wall and some crowd (there's always crowd in that room), and publish it. However, if I took a picture of Mona Lisa, the world-famous painting by Leonardo DaVinci, alone, I couldn't publish the photo without permission by Louvre art museum. Or whomever it concerns.
This leads to my subject nicely. What about the painters themselves? They have painted churches, bridges and houses for centuries, and I'm pretty convinced that they haven't paid a nickel for architects and designers, hell, artists per se.
Alright, the Finnish law may be quite recent, but does it mean that from now on no-one can paint any building, or other work of art for that matter, and release it in the exhibition without getting thumbs up from the creators of the target? Or, as it's compared as equal way of publishing these days, uploading a picture of your painting that has that building under copyright control?
To me this is pure nonsense. It's almost impossible for anyone to watch all sites, inspect and report every suspicion. To judge and fine. To keep track of everything. It's like the Swedes should watch that snuff is not exported to Finland (or other EU countries). They really don't watch, and everyone knows that.
Currency trouble
Normally I don't use anyone's pictures without permission, but now I'm making an exception. Sorry. To make this up to Kauppalehti, I include a link to it here.
As you can see, the Swedish crown (krona/SEK) collapsed drastically around September 2008 and hasn't been the same since. The graph shows the value compared to euro. It (euro) was something like 9,3 crowns when I moved to Stockholm, and about 10,5 when I came back to Finland. The highest point so far has been over 11 crowns! Now it seems to have gone down a bit.
The reason why I'm still interested in the Swedish currency is that I have some of my salary money there still. Quite a lot actually, well, at least enough for me to watch this Kauppalehti's currency table on almost daily basis. I'd be losing hundreds if not thousands of euros if I exchanged my money to euros now. I can only hope that SEK gets stronger in near future. I don't need to make profit by exhange; it would be fair enough to get the money I have earned there. And not losing some of it because of the situation. Well, this concerns many people, and I guess I wouldn't have even noticed it if I hadn't been involved in it.
Stockholm reminiscing
It feels funny to say it, but I miss Stockholm already now. Not the job that much (workmates a little) but the scenery and the easiness of travelling. Yes I know, in spite of all the trouble I have gone through.
I told myself a long time ago that I could live in Stockholm the rest of my life. Nevermind the language, I'd manage in everyday situations. Luckily my wife also loved it there, so maybe we'll retire in Sweden. At least that's one good option for us.
Most of all I miss those second-hand record stores. In my dreams I have found such vinyls that don't even exist! And bought them cheap of course. I have talked about visiting Stockholm soon with my wife, and I'm quite positive that I will check out some of my favorite record stores along the way. Even if just to know that they are still there.
Ideal for me would be working in Tampere and living in Stockholm, but that's not a functional combination. Maybe in the future that could be arranged but in the meantime I have to do without. Now I'm working in Tampere as mentioned and I'm listening to Finland-Swedish radio channel Radio Vega occasionally, just to keep up my Swedish. It's not the real McCoy but close enough (no cigar).
I told myself a long time ago that I could live in Stockholm the rest of my life. Nevermind the language, I'd manage in everyday situations. Luckily my wife also loved it there, so maybe we'll retire in Sweden. At least that's one good option for us.
Most of all I miss those second-hand record stores. In my dreams I have found such vinyls that don't even exist! And bought them cheap of course. I have talked about visiting Stockholm soon with my wife, and I'm quite positive that I will check out some of my favorite record stores along the way. Even if just to know that they are still there.
Ideal for me would be working in Tampere and living in Stockholm, but that's not a functional combination. Maybe in the future that could be arranged but in the meantime I have to do without. Now I'm working in Tampere as mentioned and I'm listening to Finland-Swedish radio channel Radio Vega occasionally, just to keep up my Swedish. It's not the real McCoy but close enough (no cigar).
One for you, nineteen for me...
Lowering taxes is not an answer. Not in Finland at least. When the barber shops were about to get reduced tax, they promised that it will affect the prices. Meaning lowering them. When it finally happened, most of the barbers were complaining how much pressure they had had to lift prices up and now they could hardly maintain the price level. So the customers didn't get anything.
Now it's planned that some groceries will get lower tax (ALV/MOMS) in the Fall. Authorities have started to watch shops and markets already, because they are afraid of foul play. Meaning, some may lift prices now and then in the Fall lower them back. Thus it would look like they lowered the prices due to the tax reduction. And in fact they gather the whole subtraction for themselves. That's how it went when we changed our currency from mark to euro. Perhaps we have learnt something from it..?
That's how it could also happen with tax lowering in the gasoline prices. I don't want the greedy gas companies to do the same thing. It's alright if the state takes 75% of the gas price. Somehow some of that will eventually benefit us all. Says bona fide Smek.
Now it's planned that some groceries will get lower tax (ALV/MOMS) in the Fall. Authorities have started to watch shops and markets already, because they are afraid of foul play. Meaning, some may lift prices now and then in the Fall lower them back. Thus it would look like they lowered the prices due to the tax reduction. And in fact they gather the whole subtraction for themselves. That's how it went when we changed our currency from mark to euro. Perhaps we have learnt something from it..?
That's how it could also happen with tax lowering in the gasoline prices. I don't want the greedy gas companies to do the same thing. It's alright if the state takes 75% of the gas price. Somehow some of that will eventually benefit us all. Says bona fide Smek.
Bridge between 1984 and 2009?
In Finland they have created a new law proposal, called Lex Nokia, which would allow companies to read email details of their employees. Companies are not to open emails, but they could read time stamps, to and cc addresses and so on. It's now under consideration by congressmen and the result will be declared soon.
It was Nokia's suggestion originally, hence the nickname. This is only to prove how important and powerful that company is in Finland. The law has got wide resistance all over the country. It would insult individual rights, they say. I agree.
They had even cruder suggestion in Sweden. I haven't been following how that one has turned out. Nicely, I hope. The authorities wanted to read every email that is going through Sweden. In the name of security as well. Most of Finnish emails travel via Sweden, so that would concern us too.
This all implies to the world of watching and guarding in the future. The controlled society is taking over gradually. Orwell was right in his book '1984'. And Big brother is no longer just a stupid reality show on TV. We are the actors and the world is a stage. Scary.
It was Nokia's suggestion originally, hence the nickname. This is only to prove how important and powerful that company is in Finland. The law has got wide resistance all over the country. It would insult individual rights, they say. I agree.
They had even cruder suggestion in Sweden. I haven't been following how that one has turned out. Nicely, I hope. The authorities wanted to read every email that is going through Sweden. In the name of security as well. Most of Finnish emails travel via Sweden, so that would concern us too.
This all implies to the world of watching and guarding in the future. The controlled society is taking over gradually. Orwell was right in his book '1984'. And Big brother is no longer just a stupid reality show on TV. We are the actors and the world is a stage. Scary.
Tribute to * * *
Today it's exactly 50 years since Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper (JP Richardson) were killed in a plane accident. Holly's influence on rock music is undeniable. I strongly recommend everyone to get to know his production. It has stood the test of time amazingly well. Richie's and JP's recordings are of lesser value but well worth listening still.
This accident is constantly one of the most discussed and speculated events in rock and roll history. What if...? Well, if you ask me, I'll say that Buddy would have stopped recording anyway and started a record company of his own - in the style of Berry Gordy with Motown Records. JP would have moved to country music and continued writing songs to others. Richie would probably have been long forgotten, stayed in the history books as a one hit single wonder, Donna/La Bamba.
This accident is constantly one of the most discussed and speculated events in rock and roll history. What if...? Well, if you ask me, I'll say that Buddy would have stopped recording anyway and started a record company of his own - in the style of Berry Gordy with Motown Records. JP would have moved to country music and continued writing songs to others. Richie would probably have been long forgotten, stayed in the history books as a one hit single wonder, Donna/La Bamba.
Finals in Tampere - yet another s.o.s. event
Finnish Eurovision song contest finals were a disappointment, once again. There were no good songs available, only bad and less bad songs. The winner, performed by Waldo's People, was luckily one of the best. I'm not expecting it to do well, but I'm open for pleasant surprises.
The Finnish system is lousy, only powers-that-be can decide who are suitable candidates for the song contest. With several SMS votings the organizers are cashing in on people who vote. I don't want to vote as long as it costs. If it costed exactly the same amount as the normal SMS sending does, it would be fair enough for me. Now it isn't.
I haven't been following Swedish Melodifestivalen this year. I'm sure they do a better job this time as well, but it doesn't guarantee any better position in the actual song contest in Moscow. Russia still has just as many neighbors out there as before. And so do the Serbs. And the contest has ceased to be a song contest a long time ago.
The Finnish system is lousy, only powers-that-be can decide who are suitable candidates for the song contest. With several SMS votings the organizers are cashing in on people who vote. I don't want to vote as long as it costs. If it costed exactly the same amount as the normal SMS sending does, it would be fair enough for me. Now it isn't.
I haven't been following Swedish Melodifestivalen this year. I'm sure they do a better job this time as well, but it doesn't guarantee any better position in the actual song contest in Moscow. Russia still has just as many neighbors out there as before. And so do the Serbs. And the contest has ceased to be a song contest a long time ago.
Finnish Cuisine Delicacy I: Black sausage
It's time to broaden our minds. This is no news to Finns, but I thought introducing some of Finnish culture wouldn't hurt foreigners. My new angle, as mentioned in my first post.
I was dying to have a piece of this black sausage (mustamakkara/ svartkorv), which is a Tampere-based delicacy. It's a kind of blood sausage with plenty of healthy ingredients. Blood, pork, rhye, onion, ... I have eaten it since my childhood and never stopped liking it. The only negative thing about it is that it makes you fart a lot. I blame the onion in it.
The most correct place to have it is in Tammelantori, a market square in Tampere. The second best place being Laukontori, which locates in immediacy of Tampere centrum. There you can eat it hot and fresh. Originally you need only cold milk with it, but in recent years many are accustomed to have it with mustard or lingonberry jam. Tapola makes the most delicious black sausages, so be prepared to wait in line for your turn patiently.
I must tell this story. It was maybe early 1993 and I had a friend of mine visiting me. Let's call him George. We were argueing which type of food was a cheaper stomach-filler. He claimed it was pizza and I said it was black sausage. I had set him up, and he doesn't know it even today! Black sausage costed about 26 marks per kilo those days normally, but I knew that on Mondays there was a discount, when it costed only about 16 marks per kilo. Because the pizzas costed around 40 marks then, we made a bet that if he could eat all that black sausage (by 40 marks) in one session, I would pay for it. Because of the discount, he got a hell of a lot more to eat! George was infamous for being a heavy class eater and I wanted to make sure I'd win the bet. There was basically nothing for me to win, except for good laughs. I was watching him eat with interest. My portion of black sausage was considerably smaller. He couldn't do it. He ate so much that he might have succeeded in eating it all, hadn't I outwitted him. He had a dog at home who could eat the leftovers, so there was no harm done and everyone was happy. I managed to prove him wrong. And, let's face it, even with the normal prices of today, it's much more filling stuff than pizzas.
Not so many Finns outside (or even inside) Tampere like black sausage. It looks like a black dick or a pile of shit, but who cares? It tastes like nothing else. If you're interested in it, please have a go at it! They make also vacuum-packed versions of black sausage which can be purchased also from Stockholm for example, but that's not the real thing. It's like those pancakes in vacuum, it's not really the same. But you may get the idea anyway.
I was dying to have a piece of this black sausage (mustamakkara/ svartkorv), which is a Tampere-based delicacy. It's a kind of blood sausage with plenty of healthy ingredients. Blood, pork, rhye, onion, ... I have eaten it since my childhood and never stopped liking it. The only negative thing about it is that it makes you fart a lot. I blame the onion in it.
The most correct place to have it is in Tammelantori, a market square in Tampere. The second best place being Laukontori, which locates in immediacy of Tampere centrum. There you can eat it hot and fresh. Originally you need only cold milk with it, but in recent years many are accustomed to have it with mustard or lingonberry jam. Tapola makes the most delicious black sausages, so be prepared to wait in line for your turn patiently.
It's reasonably cheap stuff. You usually buy it by euros, not by weight (which is ok too, but that way you reveal that you're not a 'genuine' black sausage eater) - for example: "Black sausage by 1,5 euros, please!" You can also order like: "Black sausage and milk by 2 euros, please!" Then you'll get enough to eat and drink and don't have to play around with small change.
I must tell this story. It was maybe early 1993 and I had a friend of mine visiting me. Let's call him George. We were argueing which type of food was a cheaper stomach-filler. He claimed it was pizza and I said it was black sausage. I had set him up, and he doesn't know it even today! Black sausage costed about 26 marks per kilo those days normally, but I knew that on Mondays there was a discount, when it costed only about 16 marks per kilo. Because the pizzas costed around 40 marks then, we made a bet that if he could eat all that black sausage (by 40 marks) in one session, I would pay for it. Because of the discount, he got a hell of a lot more to eat! George was infamous for being a heavy class eater and I wanted to make sure I'd win the bet. There was basically nothing for me to win, except for good laughs. I was watching him eat with interest. My portion of black sausage was considerably smaller. He couldn't do it. He ate so much that he might have succeeded in eating it all, hadn't I outwitted him. He had a dog at home who could eat the leftovers, so there was no harm done and everyone was happy. I managed to prove him wrong. And, let's face it, even with the normal prices of today, it's much more filling stuff than pizzas.
Not so many Finns outside (or even inside) Tampere like black sausage. It looks like a black dick or a pile of shit, but who cares? It tastes like nothing else. If you're interested in it, please have a go at it! They make also vacuum-packed versions of black sausage which can be purchased also from Stockholm for example, but that's not the real thing. It's like those pancakes in vacuum, it's not really the same. But you may get the idea anyway.
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