FOODIES

The Danes love quality food, which is why this small country is the 5th leading exporter of food in the world.  True foodies.  Grocery stores, who know their customers, carry an astounding assortment of meat, cheese, veggies and fruit. And wine. Exotic and local.   Food from around the world.  Around a holiday, you can hardly get down the aisles in any grocery because food is the focus of most celebrations, and everyone stocks up.  Danes also eat out a lot.  There are multiple restaurants on every street.  We have 5 just within a block of us. Always full.  When you dine out, you literally book your table for the evening.  You are not to rush. In fact, you have to find the waiter to get your bill, and you feel almost apologetic having to ask for it.  Danes love to entertain and cook for friends.  An evening dinner invitation is an EVENT.   Meals are leisurely with candles and flowers and lovely dinnerware.  One does not just show up, eat, and leave.  Nope.

Typical dinner at the Warnsdorf's, an offfice couple.  Beautiful! Can  you see the spoon sitting horizontally above the plate?  That means DESSERT.  And, it is served immediately after the main meal.  Also, the knife is resting on a knife bridge.  To keep the table cloth clean.

Brother Knudsen, a Danish chef in our stake and a true foodie, cooks multiple meals every week for groups, just because he loves it.  He is thin as a rail, and rarely sits to eat with his guests, but he whips up wonderful, Danish meals in his tiny, galley kitchen.  His wife does zero cooking, but sets a beautiful table.  Last Tuesday was our monthly Senior Missionary dinner at his house, and  I am 100 percent sure you'll never guess the meat he cooked. One hundred percent.

K A N G A R O O

Yup.  You read it right.  Apparently one can buy ostrich in Denmark as well.  And both are available in the grocery store right below our office.  Who knew?  It tasted a lot like beef, and I would never have guessed.  Elder Ottley was sure Brother Knudsen was kidding us, and Elder Brookes declined to taste it at all. But, the rest of us tucked right in. Our chef also makes wonderful desserts like the one below.  Large bowls of whipped cream are set on the table as a topping. They never sweeten their whipped cream, and it is so thick, it is almost butter. The Danes also love apple or berry trifles: layers of sweet, cooked and thickened fruit, whipped cream, and crumbled cookies.  Yum.