Nicely Norwegian

North America may have the Golden Arches, the Coca-Cola logo, Kraft Dinner box and the Wonder Bread bag. Here are a few of our favorite packages in Norway:

Ekte Honey Can - The honey is wonderful too!

We love the shape of these little tins and the way they stack.

They have sadly switched to selling these fantastic salt licorice candies in bags recently. The boxes can be found but are harder to find now. Highly addictive.

Liver pate found in every home! Stabburet and only Stabburet is acceptable. Serve on a slice of bread with thin slices of cucumber. Also available in a fantastically portable mini package box of 6 (like jam packets). Pocket size pate! 

Norwegian Society Orientation Course - A revised curriculum of sorts - Part 1

In order to apply for a Norwegian residence permit or citizenship one is required to complete 250 hours of Norwegian language training and 50 hours of Norwegian Society/Social Orientation.

The 50 hour course is divided into 7 topics:

• Immigrants in Norway
  
• Democracy, welfare and values
  
• Health
  
• School, education and qualifications
  
• Work, employment and the labour market
  
• Children and family
  
• Population structure and nature 

Prior to actually receiving the formal course outline, we at Whiteout were most intrigued at what a course on Norwegian Social Orientation might involve. We endeavored to devise our own list of necessary topics that we believed would be of help to newcomers integrating into Norwegian society. What follows will be part of an ongoing blog "series". The topics will not be in any particular order.  

Part 1 - The Grocery Store: 

The shopping methodology in a Norwegian grocery store is generally quite similar to shopping in a Canadian grocery store. There are aisles with shelves of products, coolers located on the perimeters and fresh produce in one area. There are however, a few key differences that should be pointed out. These differences occur at the point of purchase.  Upon arrival at the grocery till, the cashier will always without fail, mumble something quickly and incomprehensible to you, and wait.... This can be a potentially stressful moment for the new norwegian who is still unfamiliar with the language. All eyes seem to fall suddenly on you. Do not panic. Breath deeply. 

Key point #1 - In Norway grocery bags are not free You are asked if you would like bags and how many. 

Give them a number and they will pull give you bags. Each bag costs 1 kroner  (approx. 15 cents). The bags are freakishly strong and much more durable than the Canadian version. 

After having managed to secure bags one might be inclined to relax a little. You may at this point however, notice that your cashier is tossing your groceries to the far end of the conveyor belt....and they are simply piling up there. There is no one bagging your groceries. 

Key point # 2 - In Norway one must bag their own groceries. 

Run to the end and start filling the bags you just bought. You realize very quickly that bagging is a skill. In the midst of your bagging frenzy the cashier will then mumble something else to you. It usually sounds like grrr-something-erring....

Key point #3 - In Norway you are asked if you would like the receipt. 

Just say "ja" or "nei" followed by "takk". Resume packing your bags as quickly and efficiently as you can and go. If you are not out of your aisle fast enough the cashier starts hurling the next person in line's groceries down the belt at you.

Congratulations. You have just bought groceries!

Zaha Hadid + Lacoste

Walking is one of the key forms of transportation in Oslo. A  good set of shoes that one can actually walk in, is therefore of the utmost importance. The cobblestone streets, streetcar tracks and uneven pavement  make even a kitten heel, lie down and play dead. For the sensible but fashion conscious Canadian, finding a shoe that is both stylish AND sturdy has proven to be a great challenge. Ever resourceful, we have turned to fellow bloggers for help and inspiration. Lo and behold - Zaha for Lacoste.

Lacoste, the french company best known for its iconic little green crococile logo collaborated with Zaha to create a futuristic ultra-modern collection. The new line of shoes debuted this month at the Frieze Art Fair in London. 

picture courtesy of Lacoste

picture courtesy of Lacoste

According to Lacoste, the range was inspired by the Lacoste crocodile logo, which was digitised and then used as a basis for textural exploration."The design expression behind the collaboration with Lacoste footwear allows the evolution of dynamic fluid grids," explains Hadid. "When wrapped around the shape of a foot, these expand and contract to negotiate and adapt to the body ergonomically. In doing so, a landscape emerges, undulating and radiating as it merges seamlessly with the body."

picture courtesy of Lacoste

picture courtesy of Lacoste

Though we remain uncertain about a "landscape emerging" from our shoes as we walk, these shoes do look, dare we say it - comfortable. 

(Limited to 850 pairs, the boots will be released next July in three exclusive stores from Paris, London and Milan.)    www.lacoste.com   www.zaha-hadid.com

The "in-convenience store" - a new retail concept.

In North America, retailers make a concerted effort to ensure that they can ensnare the greatest number of shoppers at any given time. Store hours are geared towards when people are free to shop. In fact, given the ever changing nature of the work force, more and more stores seem to be open longer and longer. The majority of stores in Vancouver's downtown core for example, are open 7 days a week. Wine can be purchased at specialty stores on Sundays and holidays untill 11pm. Grocery stores like "Urban Fare", are open from 6am till midnight, every single day.

In Olso, there appears to be a very different philosophy at work. Shop hours in general, fall between 10am and 5pm during the week, with shopping centers typically open a little longer. As I recently discovered, stores geared towards children’s wear can be found open between the hours of 11am-3pm, but not Sunday, or Monday and perhaps not Tuesday.  On Saturday stores typically close at 3pm. The majority of stores that one might find useful and/or pleasing to be in, are not open on Sundays...at all....ever. 

Now beer IS conveniently sold in grocery stores. However after 5pm one may only look at the beer. One may not actually purchase any beer. It is important to note that the beer must be paid for by 5pm.  If one is in an especially long queue and arrives at the POS (retail acronym for "Point of Sale") at 5:01pm,  one will, unfortunately be SOL¹.

One can only surmise that the inconvenience perceived by non-Norwegians is in fact, the workings of a very sophisticated marketing strategy. The fact that one cannot buy the object of one’s desires only increases one's desire for that object. I, for one, am proof of the success of this methodology. Though not a beer drinker at heart, should I happen to find myself near the front of a grocery line at 4:55pm on any given day, I feel compelled to buy beer - just in case, but mostly, because I can. 

This is truly "impulse buying" at its best.

A side benefit, to the limited shopping hours, is the potential for improving one's cardiovascular health. Running and walking are already very popular activities in Oslo. At 2:50pm on Saturdays however, many Oslovians partake in what I have named the "Vinmonopolet Sprint". From every conceivable direction, in every neighborhood, at approximately 2:50pm, Oslovians can be seen sprinting, often in groups, full out in the direction of the nearest Vinmonopolet (translation "Liquor store"). The winners are rewarded with a nice bottle of wine or other alcoholic bevvie of their choosing. 

The losers are seen sprinting towards, where else - the nearest grocery store.

1 For a definition of this acronym go to http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=S.O.L.

Happy Birthday Norway

Given that the name of this blog is :: White Out ::, it seems logical that the first entry be of a white nature. Snow is naturally what comes to mind first. This is after all, a Nordic country, home to Santa, his reindeers,  polar bears, and legendary Viking lore.

It is however, May, and thoughts of snow are not welcome. In fact the majority of Oslovians - my own name for residents of Oslo, are still in the last stages of  “snow recovery”. This past winter was said to have been one of the snowiest ever. Reminders of snow at such an early stage of spring could be deemed harmful, cruel, and/or just plain mean. As with most painful memories, one must wait a good long time before the memory can fade into that blissful romantic nostalgic stage and be re-experienced in all its gory and wonderful reality.

And so, for now, one's thoughts turn to spring. I have just experienced my very first 17^th of May, a National holiday that celebrates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution and the birth of Norwegian Independence. I can think of no better topic for this very first blog than a birthday. I like beginning at the beginning after all.

The 17th of May is a very BIG holiday in every sense of the word. 

As I am slowly starting to realize, all holidays in Norway come with a set of strict codes of conduct. A guidebook for Newcomers on the do’s and don’ts of fête-ing in Norway should be distributed at all points of entry into the country so that any potential faux-pas can be avoided. As a 17^th of May Newbie, who is fortunate to have friends, I was given precise, well relatively precise, information on what was required and more importantly expected,  for the day.

The first tell-tale sign that the 17^th of May is nothing like a Canada Day picnic comes with that ever tactful, always leading, and certainly always telling, question – “um…what are you planning to wear on the 17^th of May?” This question is usually asked by a concerned party who is most likely Norwegian.

Norwegians reading this story should be advised that this question will almost always be met with a blank, perhaps slightly offended stare. The Canadian will likely respond with a retort of the following nature – “What do you mean what am I going to wear?!” At this point the Canadian is usually already dressed in weekend jeans, trainers and a hoodie.

It is then explained that everyone dresses up for the 17^th of May. Red, blue and white ribbons, the colour of the Norwegian flag, are worn by everyone. One either dons the traditional Bunad or their very best Sunday dress. When the day arrives, it becomes very clear just how important this seemingly small piece of advice is. It is shockingly easy to spot the casually dressed skulking about in a crowd of 100,000 dressed up people.

Thankfully I was well informed and managed, to a degree, to blend. Though renown for their open-mindedness, Norwegians do not take lightly to new interpretations of holiday etiquette. Traditions are traditions and must be adhered to. Modernizing traditions is tolerated within small limits. Small tweaks of infinitesimal scale seem to be permitted, however all out personalizing is not ok. A bunad for example, cannot heaven forbid, be “re-accessorized” with David Yurman jewelry and a Hermes scarf.

I wisely chose not to trim the ribbons I had selected to wear, a few centimetres, even though it would have been better with my coat. 

Parade watching is a must and great fun. Thousands of children march with marching bands up to the castle to wave to the Royal Family. 

The other tradition that I happily adhered to was the eating of ice cream and hot dogs. An ice cream in some form or another is to be carried like another appendage for at least some part of the day. Children challenge each other to eat as many ice creams as possible. It can only be assumed that for many parents, Monday is a day with sick children at home and sticky finger prints all over the house.

I have yet to research when the hotdog tradition began. I am finding it difficult to imagine early century Norwegians with an Oscar Meyer Weiner. One can only surmise that the popularity of the hotdog in Norway has to do with the fact that any meat that can be carried around and eaten while walking is, as Martha would say – “a good thing”.