How to survive in Denmark!
Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 1:22 pm
Hi, everyone! 
On my trip to Copenhagen, i got this map, which contains a guide in how to act like a local. It's mostly about Copenhagen, but some of these things would also work in other cities in Denmark. I found the guide funny, and i want to share it with all of you.
Here it comes:
1. As an inbetween snack, go for a Danish hotdog in a pølsevogn. Ask for one "med det hele", which means "with everything". Everything means: a red sausage in white bread with ketchup, mustard, sweet mustard, spicy mustard, remoulade (mayonaise with pickles), roasted onions, raw onions, gherkins. It tastes great, and you smell like shit for the rest of the evening.
2. When you see the little mermaid, try to hide your surprise that she's so small. A tourist once asked if you can take an elevator up to the top of the mermaid, like in th Statue of Liberty. Eh, no, you can't.
3. In the evening, the guys with the pølsevogns just walk away on the street with their wagons. They block all traffic, but nobody minds. Respect the pølsevogn guys! In the 1950s there were about 400 of them in Copenhagen, but now there are only less than 40 left.
4. When driving or walking, Danes respect the rules. And there are many rules. One of the first things we learn in bicycle school (yes, this exists) is that you have to raise your hand when you stop.
5. You may think that Denmark is a cold chilly country where it always rains. That's true. So at the first sunlight, hurry outdoors and come join us on any wall, any staircase, green spot, stone... to sit on. We even go to Assistens Kirkegård to sunbathe, and this is a cemetery.
6. Have a daily ice-cream, and don't stop with just the ice: locals love toppings. Combine a few of these: whipped cream, marmelade, chocolate, coloured sprinkles, chopped nuts and 'guf' cream.
7. In summer, dive in the harbour pools at Islands Brygge. This is actually an old habit that we picked up in 2003, after the water had been too polluted by heavy industry for decades. To prove that the water was healthy again, the Mayor of Culture was the first who had to jump in.
8. Girls, don't be ashamed. A law has recently been passed that you can swim topless anywhere anytime, also in regular swimming pools.
9. Use the dust bins.
10. Danes are the most reserved people on Earth. Well, that's what we say ourselves. But when we see strangers looking on a map, we help out with big smiles. You tell us.
11. Eat smørrebrød and lots of it. This is dark rye bread (a little sour) that you can top with liver paté, salt meat and gravy for special occasions. For daily occasions, meat or boiled egg with mayonaise and some vegetables will do (phew!).
12. Buy an instant barbecue (engangsgrill) at the local supermarket, go to a park and prepare dinner. In many other countries, this wouldn't work, because the park would be a total mess after one night. It works in Denmark of course, because WE USE THE DUST BINS.
13. If you have to remember one word, it's "hygge". It means "cosy" and it's the most important thing in life. In winter, this means locking yourself up with a few friends, putting candles everywhere and drinking an overdose of hot chocolate.
14. Love Christmas. We even have an all-year long Christmas shop.
15. In our Christmas tree, we put normal stars and balls (XD), but also Danish flags. On a birthday cake, we put a Danish flag. On a holyday, we raise Danish flags on our houses. But when you ask us, we will say that this has nothing to do with nationalism.
16. Love the queen. She's called Magrethe II, and she's widely respected. Random boring stuff about her past. However, you can crack a few jokes about her French husband Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, because he never properly learned Danish.
17. Never say "rød grød med fløde". We only let tourists say this, and it's impossible to pronounce.
18. Don't buy silly souvenirs; buy salty licorice (lakrids) in any supermarket. Don't try to eat it, just give it away.
19. Local behaviour for experts: enter a bar and ask loudly if anybody feels like a game of Snyd. It's a dice game where the best liar wins. Since you don't know the rules, it might be easier to win because you don't even know yourself if you're lying.
The end. Hope you enjoyed it.
On my trip to Copenhagen, i got this map, which contains a guide in how to act like a local. It's mostly about Copenhagen, but some of these things would also work in other cities in Denmark. I found the guide funny, and i want to share it with all of you.
Here it comes:
1. As an inbetween snack, go for a Danish hotdog in a pølsevogn. Ask for one "med det hele", which means "with everything". Everything means: a red sausage in white bread with ketchup, mustard, sweet mustard, spicy mustard, remoulade (mayonaise with pickles), roasted onions, raw onions, gherkins. It tastes great, and you smell like shit for the rest of the evening.
2. When you see the little mermaid, try to hide your surprise that she's so small. A tourist once asked if you can take an elevator up to the top of the mermaid, like in th Statue of Liberty. Eh, no, you can't.
3. In the evening, the guys with the pølsevogns just walk away on the street with their wagons. They block all traffic, but nobody minds. Respect the pølsevogn guys! In the 1950s there were about 400 of them in Copenhagen, but now there are only less than 40 left.
4. When driving or walking, Danes respect the rules. And there are many rules. One of the first things we learn in bicycle school (yes, this exists) is that you have to raise your hand when you stop.
5. You may think that Denmark is a cold chilly country where it always rains. That's true. So at the first sunlight, hurry outdoors and come join us on any wall, any staircase, green spot, stone... to sit on. We even go to Assistens Kirkegård to sunbathe, and this is a cemetery.
6. Have a daily ice-cream, and don't stop with just the ice: locals love toppings. Combine a few of these: whipped cream, marmelade, chocolate, coloured sprinkles, chopped nuts and 'guf' cream.
7. In summer, dive in the harbour pools at Islands Brygge. This is actually an old habit that we picked up in 2003, after the water had been too polluted by heavy industry for decades. To prove that the water was healthy again, the Mayor of Culture was the first who had to jump in.
8. Girls, don't be ashamed. A law has recently been passed that you can swim topless anywhere anytime, also in regular swimming pools.
9. Use the dust bins.
10. Danes are the most reserved people on Earth. Well, that's what we say ourselves. But when we see strangers looking on a map, we help out with big smiles. You tell us.
11. Eat smørrebrød and lots of it. This is dark rye bread (a little sour) that you can top with liver paté, salt meat and gravy for special occasions. For daily occasions, meat or boiled egg with mayonaise and some vegetables will do (phew!).
12. Buy an instant barbecue (engangsgrill) at the local supermarket, go to a park and prepare dinner. In many other countries, this wouldn't work, because the park would be a total mess after one night. It works in Denmark of course, because WE USE THE DUST BINS.
13. If you have to remember one word, it's "hygge". It means "cosy" and it's the most important thing in life. In winter, this means locking yourself up with a few friends, putting candles everywhere and drinking an overdose of hot chocolate.
14. Love Christmas. We even have an all-year long Christmas shop.
15. In our Christmas tree, we put normal stars and balls (XD), but also Danish flags. On a birthday cake, we put a Danish flag. On a holyday, we raise Danish flags on our houses. But when you ask us, we will say that this has nothing to do with nationalism.
16. Love the queen. She's called Magrethe II, and she's widely respected. Random boring stuff about her past. However, you can crack a few jokes about her French husband Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, because he never properly learned Danish.
17. Never say "rød grød med fløde". We only let tourists say this, and it's impossible to pronounce.
18. Don't buy silly souvenirs; buy salty licorice (lakrids) in any supermarket. Don't try to eat it, just give it away.
19. Local behaviour for experts: enter a bar and ask loudly if anybody feels like a game of Snyd. It's a dice game where the best liar wins. Since you don't know the rules, it might be easier to win because you don't even know yourself if you're lying.
The end. Hope you enjoyed it.
