Pope Factor: Jorge is crowned the winner
The Good Society
This is a quote by Swedish politician Per Albin Hansson (1885 – 1946).
His ideas are at the heart of the Swedish society that was ‘created’ during the course of the 20th century.
What do you think? Would you like your society to be more like the Swedish one? What would you sacrifice to work towards it?
This post was written by Alexander Maxia on the 13th of March 2013, two months into his exchange studies experience in Uppsala.
Washing Dishes
Everyday you learn something new..
The other day I went to my friend’s flat and noticed that when he was doing the washing-up instead of squirting the liquid onto the plates or sponge he sprayed his dishes with a washing up liquid diluted in water.
I bought a similar one for my flat and tried it out; it really works well! It uses less product and it applies it in a more efficient way as you use a small spray on the exact spot you need to clean instead of doing what I normally did (put a load of liquid on the sponge) that partly got wasted going straight down the sink.
Try it at home!
These little things help the environment whilst saving you money…
Rubbish Money
It might not be much, but still £0,30 is not bad for chucking 3 cans of beer.
In Sweden Cans and Plastic bottles have ‘Pant’ and depending on their size the amount of money you get varies from a minimum of 1kr (£0.10) to a maximum of 2kr (£0.20). Still, if someone was to collect loads of rubbish they could make quite a bit of money by being ‘environmentally friendly’.
Following the Vikings: The Expedition Across the Baltic
Kebab Pizza – The Real Deal
Last night finally got round to trying an authentic ‘real Kebab Pizza’ in the local pizza house.
After having tried a ready-made version last week.
My Italian side immediately thought the combination was odd but must say I am really quite surprised how nice it is!! You have the classic Margherita base (tomato sauce and mozzarella) plus Kebab meat, green chillies, peppers, onions, slightly spicy red sauce and ‘tzatziki’ (the white, mild sauce).
I tried doing a Google search to see what came up with typing ‘Kebab Pizza’ and apart from a few blog entries there was nothing substantial about its origin. My guess is that it originates from when immigration was strong here in Sweden and foreign restaurants and fast food outlets were opening. This is the likely conversation between the 2 Swedes who invented it:
What take-away shall we have tonight?
I don’t know, you decide.
Well the choice is between Pizza or Kebab, no; you decide!
I did it last time, it’s you turn now.
No I refuse, you decide.
OK LET’S MAKE A COMPROMISE: We will have Pizza with Kebab on top.
No doubt this conversation has really happened a few times and the solution to the problem is solved.
Swedes love to compromise, not worth arguing, when you just need to find a middle way.
Swedish Positive Attitude
It has been an amazingly sunny day in Uppsala with blue sky all around and many people, like lizards, going out doors to admire the rare wonder of nature.
Temperatures were quite warm, I was in a t-shirt! Needless to say that I was indoors trying to finish my essay last minute after having stayed up all night… It was a nicer view then usual from my window.
On top of that, the ice cream van drove-by; a little bit of sun,blue skies and off it goes!
Ice Cream?
Why not! (Mental note: must eat quickly before it becomes rock solid).
Swedish positive attitude, so sweet.
Kebab Pizza
Apparently this is the most popular pizza in Sweden.
I can’t say I’m trying ‘the real thing’ as it was a ready-made 10kr bargain from ICA.
It’s actually quite nice, next time will need to try a freshly made one to give a better judgement.
I eventually tried the ‘authentic’ Kebab Pizza and wrote about it in this other post.
Cuppa Soup
Nothing better then a hot cup of tomato soup to keep you going, whilst desperately trying to write an essay (last minute, what a surprise!).
Here in Uppsala most of the university shuts at 8pm and even the main library is shut by 9pm. The only part that remains open are the corridors of the buildings which are equipped with study areas, computer clusters vending machines and also kitchenettes!
Not a security guard to be seen, no visible CCTV camera. This really makes me think about how lost Swedes would be, the moment they stop trusting one another..
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