Norwegian Interior Design

Norway's artistic endeavors are very fascinating. However, what interested me most was their interior design. There seem to be a couple of different styles they tend to use mostly, shabby-sheik country, or new/space age. Both have their certain appeal. However, with both of these contrasting styles they have the minimalist theme weaved throughout their few belongings.

Part of the reason for the minimalist custom is because when Norway was being settled - and in some circles even today - they couldn't afford to fill their homes with many imported goods. They needed to live with what they had with one or two imported French pieces. What resulted was a fascinating blend of stark country and gaudy France. The floors of the country houses would be unfinished wood planks, the walls would either be simple dull pastels or the Norwegians would use paint to decorate what little they could. Toward the center of the room, or in a prominent place, would be one or two pieces of expensive imported furniture: a bench, table or chair. This would be the room, simple, bare even. However, it would be home.

This tradition of keeping things to a minimum has stuck with the Norwegian people, even when they could afford more expensive furniture and more of it!

The new age style is all about minimalism, the bare necessities with a few keep sakes sprinkled here and there. The furniture is sleek, and although may not be made out of plastic, it at least looks like it is made out of a similar material.

Solid colors run rampant in the minimalist style. Unlike the country style, where patterns are one of the few things that give the room an appearance like it is full. Space age style isn't trying to combat the bare look, but embrace it.

If you are feeling like your home is filled with clutter and in need of a make-over. Get a book from the Library about Norwegian design. You may find that the bare necessities are actually more stylish than the clutter that adorns a normal American home.

Norway's Culinary Culture

Norway's culinary delights are varied.  Some of their meals I would eat in a heart beat, others - although I do not consider myself a picky eater - I dare not try. And then there are a few where I tilt my head and wonder, then I try my hand at creating the foods.

The stews, filled with beef, pork, lamb or elk; potatoes; carrots; and onions I would gladly fill my stomach with. Also, depending on the season, Norwegians eat a lot of roasted vegetables, including: beets, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery. Even though I'm not a huge vegetable fan, this sounds hearty and pleasant on a cold night.

There are two categories which I don't want to try, fish and heads. I do enjoy some kinds of fish. However, after reading recipe after recipe for salmon, trout, carp, and other kinds of fish, one gets tired of the sea creatures before even making the dish (at least I did).

The other category I avoid completely contains: broiled pig's head (snout and ears included), as well as broiled mutton head (horns included). Those did not strike me as appetizing.

However, there are some meals, as I said before, that strike me as odd, but strangely tasty. One of these was Kjøtt I Kål (meat in cabbage). Basically, one carves out a head of cabbage so it makes a bowl (this kind of head I can handle). Then they fill it with a meat loaf mixture, place the top of the cabbage head back onto it and simmer it in water for two hours. The result is cooked cabbage filled with meat loaf! Shocked? I was shocked that it actually tasted different than cabbage and meat loaf when they are cooked separately.

The meat gave a flavorful, but not strong taste to the cabbage. And the cabbage seemed to make the meat loaf taste a bit softer.

I had left over meat filling, so I tried my hand at Norwegian meatballs while I was at it. I didn't add the gravy that would normally be traditional to a Norwegian meal, but I did add spices that I was rather nervous about, ginger and nutmeg. Both of these are the spices that are used most often when making one of Norway's most traditional meals, meatballs. The recipe I was reading from didn't define how much ginger to use, it simply stated to "use your Norwegian instincts." Since I am not Norwegian (as far as I know) this was a bit difficult. So I did what any good cook would do, I guessed.

The result was much better than I had expected! I prefer the spices in the meatballs opposed to the simple version I am used to. Without the spices the meatballs taste like...hamburger. With the spices the meatballs taste like nothing I can compare it to. It doesn't make it superb - they are still meatballs - but it gives it such an unusual flavor that I cannot really tell you what they taste like.

I suppose you will have to make some for yourself! A simple web search for "Norwegian meatball recipe" will give you several recipes full of tips and Norwegian folk history. Try finding some where individuals write in or titles like "Grandma's meatballs" this helps you find real life Norwegians sharing their traditions with the new generation!

Oslo Norway

Norway's capital, Oslo, is a destination that both includes nature and outdoor recreation, as well as clubs and bars. It's very paradoxical in many ways. While every few blocks you will find a small park, you will also find a club on every corner. Oslo promotes both of these lifestyle.

Oslo, Norway, also promotes a different kind of lifestyle. They admittedly are encouraging homosexuals to continue, and be proud of, their decision to lead that kind of life. On the Oslo visitor's website their promotional video was clearly encouraging homosexual couples to come to a country, and city, that not only will accept them - but cater to them.

The visitor's website not only had lists of local fjords, ski resorts, beaches, restaurants (both traditional Scandinavian and Norwegian), the royal palace, shops and parks. They also had a Gay Calendar, a list of local gay bars and clubs with their appropriate slogan (such as "a club for girls who likes girls"), and also a list of their annual promotional homosexual holidays and festivals.

I admit, I was taken aback and disturbed by how much they were promoting - or pushing - the homosexual lifestyle. There is a difference between tolerating and encouraging. Tolerating means not to hate the person, hate the ideas. That way you can disagree whole heartily, but it doesn't become a hateful bombardment upon an individual. However, they weren't just making sure that the world knew they would tolerate, or even accept, that lifestyle...they would encourage  it.

Curious to see where we, as America, is on the tolerance versus encouragement spectrum, I visited San Francisco's official visitor's website. I wanted to see if we had made it to the point where we were pushing this lifestyle, like Norway, on sites that should be relatively free from tendentious material. I was shocked to find that we were even worse. On the home page the slogan "The city that practically invented gay." read proudly and boldly. After doing a quick search for the word "gay" on the website, I received 81 results that included: specialty shops, restaurants, clubs, bars, landmarks that would appeal to gays, local events, hotels,  holidays and festivals, etc.

Have we become a country that isn't happy with just tolerating differences? Must we, like Norway, begin to put pressure on others to agree  with the differences?

I thought Norway was headed for trouble...then I looked at us.

Some general information about Norway just because it's fun:

Site Seeing: fjords, mountains, beaches, skiing, capitol, wilderness and safari tours, arctic

Climate: ranges from 30* Celsius and -40* Celsius

Bodies of Water:  Gulf of Bothnia, Baltic Sea, North Sea, Skagerrak, Norweigen Sea, Vestfjodre, Barents Sea. Rivers: Angermanaleven, Skellefetealven, Lulleafven, Tornealven. Lakes: Inar, Oulujarvi, Pielinen, Vanern

Fauna: elk, moose, foxes, deer, badgers, owls, hawks, mice, wolverines, lynxes, etc

Flora: twenty-seven percent of Norway is forests

Changes in Population: Norway started out only having just over 400,000 people. By 2012 the population rose to five million.

Soil: They are worried about contamination, due to lack of proper disposal from factories, as well as, landfills and mining.