Slow Food and Danish Politics

My cultural adjustment of the week occurred on Thursday. Our team at work went out for lunch after presenting to someone important. The traditional Danish lunch included three kinds of herring, salmon, eel and plaice followed by the main course. I'm used to that by now but still not a fish lover, by any means (I opted for the curry herring and the plaice). The large beer made it all go down better. It wasn't the herring, or the eel, or the beer at lunch on a workday that required the adjustment. It was after lunch when we filed out and a friend in front of me thanked the chef for lunch. The chef said, "You're welcome," then apologized for lunch being so fast. Had it not been for the fact that my boss's boss's boss had a meeting that started 1½ hours after lunch began, we might still be there. As it was, the chef felt that 1½ hours was too little to enjoy a proper meal. There's something to be said for that.

Still on the subject of food, Anya has discovered a new one. Raw parsnips. We'll see if it lasts, but it's fun to see her gnaw away on parsnip sticks.

Not having posted since Christmas, it's hard to believe winter is nearly over (hopefully). Traditionally, this is a time to hole up with the family and friends. We've done our part, visiting with good friends and also Alexa's relatives from Sweden, Irene and Clæs, who were kind enough to make the trip to visit us. We're always happy to have visitors, but even three social engagements in two months feels like a busy social calendar for us! We've also been swimming with Anya several times. Swimming includes a ride on the train which is always a hit with her.

Anya celebrated her second birthday in February. She had a party with Mommy and Daddy over breakfast. Another party followed at her day care a week later. Following Christmas and a series of packages with Christmas presents delayed by the customs inspections, the birthday seemed like a continuation of this new activity of opening presents on a nearly weekly basis.

The state of U.S. politics made me reflect on the Danish system which I've wanted for a while to try to capture from an outside perspective. There are currently eight parties with members in parliament. The parties are from left to right (as best I can figure it):

1. Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten)
2. Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkparti)
3. Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne)
4. The Danish Social-Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre)
5. Liberal Alliance
6. The Liberal Party (Venstre)
7. Conservative People's Party (Konservative Folkeparti)
8. Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti) - link only in Danish, naturally

First of all, the names seem to reflect how things have changed over the years. The Danish name for the Social-Liberal party is the Radical Left. These "Radicals" sit in the center of the political spectrum. The Venstre (Left) party is on the conservative side of the spectrum. What passed for progressive left politics in 1870 when the party was founded is now mainstream. Second, the large field of parties makes it more likely that someone can find something that suits their views rather than supporting the lesser of two evils. Third, the large number of parties makes it virtually impossible for one party to gain a majority, making it a necessity to work together to solve the countries problems (we can hope). The last point is that parties can have platforms that are difficult to pigeonhole into the Progressive-Conservative standard that has evolved in the U.S. An example is the Danish People's Party, an ultra-nationalist party opposed to immigration and E.U. participation; but supportive of expanded welfare programs (especially for the elderly - their base), stronger punishments for criminals, and (according to their website) animal welfare.

Enough politics... If you've read this far, I congratulate you for your persistence. You should be rewarded for your interest with this bit of news. Alexa and I are expecting a baby to be born in the beginning of August. Wish us luck! Anya hasn't caught on to it yet, but we think she'll be a great big sister!

Other activities this winter have included walking on the frozen lake near our apartment, riding the bicycle to/from work in the many snowstorms, watching the snow pile up on our car (melted yesterday). Winter is forecast to make a comeback later this week, but hopefully we've seen the worst of it. Now I'll stop complaining since others have had it far worse.