korketrekkeren: the best tobogganing you’ll ever do
Winter is generally a crappy time to visit Oslo: it’s cold, it’s dark, and it ain’t pretty. But upon my family’s visit this February, I decided to take my brother out to try Korketrekkeren (“the corkscrew”), a toboggan run I’d often heard about. So one afternoon we took the subway all the way to the end (about a 45-minute ride), … Read More
meet the somalis
Over the past year, my colleague Cindy Horst has been researching how inclusion and exclusion processes have affected the Somali community in Oslo. As part of a larger “Somalis in European Cities” project, it has just released a wonderful set of illustrated stories depicting life in seven different cities around Europe (click image above to access). Somalis are one of … Read More
conflict diamonds video
I don’t usually write about work, but there has been a small project that’s been fun lately: I’ve been putting together videos for three projects as a test pilot in profiling different kinds of research. Here’s the first one, which is the simplest: a slideshow based on some great photos by my colleague Jason for his work on conflict diamonds: … Read More
the ultimate in food laziness
saw this in the freezer section of our local (Kiwi) grocery store yesterday: since when did toast become so difficult and time-consuming that we would need a ready-made frozen version of it? only in Norway. (or at least I hope so.)
focacceria (villa paradiso)
One of our favourite places to eat in Oslo is Focacceria, a small takeout joint run by Villa Paradiso (which is the best pizzeria in town, hands down). The focaccia is amazing; this is my favourite, with eggplant, buffalo mozzarella, basil and tomato: Focacceria is just up the side street from Villa Paradiso, and ever since discovering it we’ve basically … Read More
crêperie de mari
I was never tempted to go in when you were just a little crêperie on torggata. But now that you’re a full-fledged restaurant attached to a yuppie swedish store in Grünerløkka, you’re irresistible. nice crêpes, too. (I think this was the “italiano,” with pesto, olives and pine nuts.) Crêperie de Mari (facebook page) Thorvald Meyersgate 63-67 0552 Oslo
norwegian advertising
Sometimes I don’t think I’ll ever understand Norwegian mass culture. This ad for vanilla sauce, for example: NYHET! Endelig med skrukork! (“NEW! Finally with a screw cap!”) It doesn’t market any other feature. No great taste, no new recipe, just… a screw cap.
lunch at fiskeriet
Decided to have lunch today at Operapassasjen (“the opera passage”), a walk-through building that used to house Oslo’s opera (not to be confused with the beautiful new building by the sea). At the entrance facing Youngstorget, there’s a small fish market called Fiskeriet — surprisingly one of the few fish markets in Oslo. Attached to the small market is a small … Read More
language wars
For you English language buffs: a brief history of the fight between prescriptivists and descriptivists (by Joan Acocella in the New Yorker). In short, prescriptivists believe language follows certain rules, so there is a correct way to speak and write; descriptivists believe that language doesn’t necessarily follow strict rules so the best we can do is describe how people currently use … Read More