No ketchup for you!

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most sophisticated person in the world, but I was reminded of that on Saturday last weekend when we tried out our (formerly) favorite cafe which had recently re-opened under new management. I ordered the burger and when it came I asked (in Danish) whether they had ketchup. The waiter said "nej" and patiently pointed out the olive oil and pesto mixture which I was supposed to enjoy with my fries, sorry, my pommes frites. Otherwise, the menu and portions have gotten smaller and the prices have gotten higher, so I'll be taking my unsophisticated palate elsewhere in the future.

Speaking of my unsophisticated tastes, we went to Ikea last weekend and purchased baby room furniture. At home I had the view that Ikea was an economic and stylish, if time-consuming, way to furnish a home. By friends here it has been described as "a necessary evil," and one asked "hvorfor det?" ("Why!?") when we said we had been there. Anyway, we don't have the time or energy to develop the fine sense of furniture design that seems to be innate in our hosts. Pictures forthcoming.

Entertainment has lately included "2900 Happiness", a Danish soap opera. It's basically a take-off on Bevrly Hills 90210 and it takes place in Hellerup and other area of Nordsjælland (North Zealand) which is where the rich and famous in Denmark live. Since our Danish is limited we still have little idea of what's going on, but since nothing much happens in each show we're not really missing anything. I like it because it helps me learn common phrases and situations where they're most appropriate.

Also last weekend we watched a very good Danish drama on DVD, "Efter Bryllupet" (After the Wedding) with Mads Mikkelsen. We both enjoyed it. It was well-received here and got many good reviews internationally.

The recent piece of Danish news is the announcement of an upcoming election on November 13 . . . 2007 . . . in a few weeks, that is. Right now all the light poles throughout the city have multiple pictures of parliamentary candidates. Since there are nine parties with seats in parliament there are lots of posters to be spread around. It's hard to believe it will all be over and done in a little more than two weeks.