Danish Hygge

I remember this time of year in Denmark, evening walks by homes in St.(pronounced "store") Magleby near Dragor, both on the island of Amager, on the Baltic coast. (Dragor is an amazingly wonderful little fishing village, a story in itself for another time!) Sweden was in sight. The sun didn't begin to set until 10 p.m. Inside homes, or in the small summer glass enclosed patios, one could see people having pleasant conversation, eating and drinking beer, Carlsberg most likely. I was invited into one such home while walking. No television blaring. Plenty of good cheese out. Bustling Copenhagen is just a bike ride away, Amager being an Island only because of a small river/canal that separates it from mainland Copenhagen, but actually, it's a suburb of this old world city. The Danes have a term for these relaxed evenings with good food and good conversation: Hygge (pronounced Who ga lee) The best English translation is, "So Much More Than Mere Cozy". My wife and kids have come to tease me as I've replicated this here in our home. Evening candles, soft music, conversation. But American's are too uptight, too on the go. I've gotten away from Danish Hygge because our lifestyle is too hectic. Until recently......

My doctor put me on the South Beach Diet. Not because I need to drop pounds, although that has happened, but rather, to gain control of my increased Triclycerides and blood sugar. I'm a runner, and so this low carb, (very low carb) diet is messing up my training. But it's forcing me to look at the food I eat, how I prepare it, and consequently, how I now enjoy it. My summer strings instruments quartet group gets together once a month at someone's home for a meal and to practice. Joy Plesner, retired first chair viola Houston Symphony, hosted: boiled red cabbage (yum, a Danish thing), green salad with strawberries and raw almonds, baked ham (with a small bit of sweet raisin sauce), and because I don't eat desserts anymore, a real treat was a small slice of chocolate roll. Prior to the Low Carb news I would have snarfed it down, taking this for granted. Not now. This was a great evening of "hygge"

I find I cook more than in the past. And while I tried and tired of cauliflower (smashed to substitute mashed potatoes, yuck), I'm getting use to a diet of mostly protein now. I cut meat & veggies into smaller pieces, eating slower and enjoying the taste. Smaller portions forces me to slow down and actually taste my food. Anew. My son and I were in the city getting him an apartment for the upcoming college year, we had lunch for my birthday at "The Cheesecake Factory", where to my surprise, they offered a nice low-carb meal or two on the menu, (including a fabulous low-carb cheesecake, complete with singing waiters, thanks bud, it was fun!)

Rice vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon pepper......replace salt. Lots of eggs and cheeses. (The Dane in me loves this.) Cooking and doing dishes replace fast food. Grilling replaces frying. Not that I've eaten a lot of fast food hamburgers and Sees Candy in the past few years, I've actually been pretty good about giving up sugars. But not good enough apparently. And well, I could go thru a pint of Rocky Road or Black Walnut Ice Cream in nothing flat. 4 or 5 cookies with a glass of 2% milk at night, no big deal, I'll run it off tomorrow. I thought.

I noticed while in Denmark that they use a variety of color to add "Hygge" to their meals: fine napkins, candles, kind of a "finer things club" going on. And so I've begun doing this again. Because of family schedule is so busy and hectic, I often eat alone, especially lunch. Rather than gulp down an iced Slim Fast, I now prepare and enjoy a balance meal of protein and veggies. I eat out on the patio. I taste what I've taken time to cook and prepare. It's a hygge thing. And I like it. I highly recommend it, minus the Carlsberg.

p.s. Have ya followed the Danish Soccer Team at the 2010 World Cup? Go Danes!
Be well, do good...