When I was in high school I was part of exchange program with a school in Denmark. Since then I have gone back and my friend have come to visit me and the one thing we are always talking about is FOOD.
I love food so eating in other countries is such a treat and in Denmark it is different in many ways. The first thing that is always noticed is the portion size. In Denmark as it is with most of Europe most of their portions are smaller (and healthier), always served with salad or some kind of veggie. This is something rather rare in the United States unless you are at a really fancy restaurant. I love it when I go there it is just a nicer thing to not have so much food on a plate, and I love salad so the more the better.
When the danish come here tho they are horrified! (I'm sure making them watch Man V. Food didn't help) they cant believe some of the portion sizes and that people actually eat them. I remember that once we went to a restaurant and one guy ordered a salad and was astonished at its size!
Another difference in food is the way that meal time as seen. In Denmark much like other place eating out with friends is an event that's not only about the eating part. They will sit for long periods of time to just talk and eat slow. This is different I notice that a lot of people in America eat rather fast hardly giving time to taste the food. its to bad.
However I have noticed that tomatoes are no good in any country. :-P
Portion sizes in America are out of control. At times it must seem like we are the country of EXCESS to other parts of the world!
ReplyDelete--prof K
Food is DEFINITELY a large part of many cultures; I am not familiar with Denmark and found that I learned a lot from your post. Portion size is definitely something that is smaller in other countries across the board. I could see how the Danish would be quite surprised to see how large the portions are here in comparison!
ReplyDeleteI am also aware of how the actual eating experience is different in other places. It would nice to catch up with close friends and family during mealtime, but it has certainly become more about the eating than anything else in many cases. I think there is room for improvement in regards to eating habits here!