It is not because I am picky.
It is not because I don't like a lot of Danish foods.
However there is a bit of truth in both statements. :-)
It is because if someone were to ask "who" I am ...culturally, personally, family-wise.... my answers would all connect to food. We all have things that are "US".... for some it is connected to sports and athletics; for others it could have a musical connection; and the list goes on. We all define ourselves, our cultures, and our lives in certain ways and for me, it is food.
No, I do not need to join Overeaters Anonymous.
But because "food" is one of those defining parts of KELLI NØRGAARD, it does buy me an exemption from that part of "becoming the good Danish wife". Or at least it does in my and Mads' book!
Think about it.
If someone were to ask you who you were (culturally), what would you say?
As a Cajun born in Southeast Texas, I think I am blessed with the best of both cultures, so at our house you can bet that any given night we are either having Cajun food or Tex-Mex food. And on many nights you can bet that I am making something to eat for someone other than me and Mads because not only does the "food" run through my veins, but so does the ideology of Southern hospitality. That was a hard thing to adapt to when I moved to DK because "hospitality" is defined in a different way here; however no one balks at how I do things, so I will just keep doing it my way. :-)
I LOVE TO COOK.
and even MORE than that, I LOVE TO COOK FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
I think that when you prepare a meal and serve it to others, you are giving a piece of yourself; some part of your heart and soul that you have extended to others.
Hence, my exemption.
So who is Kelli Nørgaard?
(see if you can follow....)
She's this slightly odd & nerdy Coon-ass from Texas whose favorite room in the house is the kitchen; whose favorite piece of furniture is the dining room table; and whose favorite activity (other than reading) is making things to eat for other people and then watching them as they try those first few bites.
Do you know "who" you are?
You can think about that later as I am sure most of you are going to google "coon-ass" first!
To quote the great Travis Tritt...
I'm feelin pretty good and that's the truth
It's neither drink nor drug induced
No I'm just doin alright
And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neigborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?
4 comments:
Is it a Texan thing? I am the EXACT same way. I do have a bit of a hard time because Hans is such a picky eater, but we've adapted. He loves his Danish-style burritos and fajitas. His staples are usually meat, bell peppers, peanuts, peas, potatoes/pasta/bread/rice.
What a wonderful thought-provoking post. I am NOT defined by my cooking though! (And most people would say that is a good thing!)
I am a food mutt, and will eat almost anything as long as it is good quality and tasty, so nope not particularly defined by my cooking. Will happily "eat through" the cuisine of three different countries in the span of one day. ;)
My Dane loves to cook while listening to the radio. The other night there was a Red Hot Chili Peppers theme and he was absolutely over the moon. I thought he'd bump his head on the ceiling from all that jumping about ('cause white boy can't dance).
We eat very internationally in this house. We can't help it, I just seem to be unable to do "pure Danish" even when I try. He's still laughing about my "Danish" Christmas dinner. The only really Danish thing about it, in the end, after all my "improvements," was that there was a duck. He's not complaining - his favorite meals don't come from any of our Danish cookbooks. And we get plenty of "pure" Danish food (often involving corn and potatoes - hello, New World foodstuffs) when we're with his family.
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