Scandinavian Winter Quotes

Is this your first case?' This from the ugliest person Winter had ever seen. His face resembled five pounds of meat loaf molded by an arthritic potter.

In Sweden they have a very different approach. There, preschool children are encouraged to play and relax without any structured learning for the first six years of their lives. They go for nature walks every day, even in the bitter Scandinavian winter. They are not taught to read until they are seven years of age, yet by the age of ten, Swedish children consistently lead European literacy rankings.

The vast emotional distances between the individual members of a Scandinavian family are forged early and reinforced daily. Can you imagine growing up in a culture where you can never ask anyone anything about themselves? Where "How are you?" is considered a personal question that one is not obligated to answer? Where you are trained to always wait for others to first mention what is troubling them, even as you are trained to never mention what is troubling you? It must be a survival skill left over from the old Viking days, when long silences were required to prevent unnecessary homicides during the long, dark winters when quarters were close and supplies were dwindling.

Men and women were expected to be brave, hardy, honest, and uncomplaining. Chatterboxes and gossips were frowned upon. “He that speaks seldom and opportunely, being as good as his word, is the only man they love,” Wood explained. Character formation began early, with family games of tossing naked children into the snow. (They were pulled out quickly and placed next to the fire, in a practice reminiscent of Scandinavian saunas.) When Indian boys came of age, they spent an entire winter alone in the forest, equipped only with a bow, a hatchet, and a knife. These methods worked, the awed Wood reported. “Beat them, whip them, pinch them, punch them, if [the Indians] resolve not to flinch for it, they will not.

They are also noticing cultural differences about how people live. For instance, the austerity of Scandinavian apartments. Or the way homes in southern Spain tend to be dark, with windows shut to the blistering sun. In Helsinki, Ms. Campbell said, “every house had a big boot scraper on the doorstep, so you knew bad things happen there in the winter.

as my children grew older and I stood in many more deserted playgrounds, in summer as well as winter, I started to realize that playing outdoors is not the norm here—at least not anymore. Even though most parents and educators recognize the benefits of unstructured outdoor play, research shows that this generation of children plays outside significantly less than their parents did.

JANSSON’S TEMPTATION SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH This is a rich, deeply satisfying, and fortifying potato dish with anchovies, leeks, and cream to round out the flavors. It’s origins are Scandinavian and it is a much loved Christmas dish there but will soon be a winter regular in your family any day of the month. I use garlic and leeks in my version, and although the Swedish recipe calls for sprats, most Americans preparing the dish use cured anchovies in oil. Some people prefer to use heavy cream, which is a bit rich for my tastes. During the baking the dairy reduces and gets richer, so I find that the half-and-half is plenty rich. 1 large leek, sliced 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 pound (455 g) fingerling potatoes, thinly sliced 6 anchovies, roughly chopped Freshly ground black pepper 1 cup (240 ml) half-and-half, plus more as needed 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). 2. In a small bowl, combine the leek and garlic. In a medium baking dish, layer the potatoes and leek–garlic mixture, sprinkling in the anchovies and black pepper as you go. Drizzle in the half-and-half. Bake for 1 hour, checking after 30 minutes to see how cooked the potatoes are by inserting a paring knife into them. Some areas will feel resistant to the knife, others softer and more cooked. Look also at how the cream is reducing. If it has cooked away, leaving too many exposed potatoes, turn down the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and perhaps add a splash of half-and-half to slow down the cooking. The dish is done when a knife passes easily through the potatoes and there are golden brown patches on top.