Experiencing The Food and Birds of Sweden

After landing and renting a car in our vacation to Sweden, the first thing we did was eat at a Swedish Fast Food place named Max. Seems fitting given the stereotypes that we as Americans have earned over the years. It doesn’t matter if we are in a recession, or hammered with inflation, we like to eat!

Max was pretty good. It was similar to a McDonald’s or Burger King but with way more options.

We ate quite a few things in Sweden and I was very impressed with not only their restaurant food but the quality of food.

As mentioned last week, we were in town for one of the biggest Swedish holidays of the year called Midsommar. As the holiday approached I could hear in my brother-in-law Sam and sister-in-law Mirjam’s voices that there was a little pressure to not only get strawberries, but the best ones in town. I had no idea how serious it was until the hunt began.

While riding with Sam, I quickly noticed that all around town, there were strawberry stands set up, and at almost every stand was a line of people.

We had finally settled on a place to pick up strawberries, and I noticed that we had several pints of strawberries, and I couldn’t believe that he thought we may need more!

After tasting the first Sweden-grown strawberry that I have ever eaten, I knew that these strawberries were different than any I had ever had in the states. These berries seemed fresher, sweeter, and more delicious.

We ate a lot of the fruit by itself, had it in cereal (some of which was Special K with Red Berries), and had smoothies. That amount of fiber could move a mountain!

It was cool to see a big holiday in another country as we got to celebrate with Mirjam’s family including her mother who I talked with for most of the family’s dinner time. We talked mostly about birds and how I loved the crows in Sweden.

That crow was called a Kaja (or Western Jackdaw), and if you look it up, it looks similar to our crow in America, but had a lot of gray in it’s feathers. The Kaja was an opportunist. As we were enjoying my second favorite meal in Sweden near King Gustav I’s castle in Vadstena, I noticed how bold the Kaja bird could be. I could’ve grabbed one with my hands, they were so close to us, jumping from table to table.

While staying at Sam and Mirjam’s cabin, we also witnessed how loud and how timid the Kaja could be; they woke me up every morning while at the cabin.

While at the cabin, I was able to do two of my favorite things; fish and sit in a sauna. I do not know why some of us like to sit in hot rooms and sweat, but it felt pretty cool to sit in a sauna in Sweden.

Back to the food! On the last full day in Sweden, we went to an international food event in Jonkoping. My family went for the American food tent and were disappointed because the food they received was supposed to be pulled pork, but they thought it could be another animal, like moose!

I knew better. I went for the “ethnic food,” because the people serving French food were french and the people selling kabobs at the Balkan tent were from the Balkans! When representing a different country’s food, you have to have those recipes in your soul!

Lastly, I have to say that one of the best burgers I have ever had was at the airport in Gothenburg. It made me uneasy, it was so delicious.