A happy country is a country with a full tummy

Stanley - Thursday

Denmark is frequently hailed as the happiest country on the planet. 

Stress levels are low because Danes are generally willing to pay very high taxes to avoid the stresses of how to pay for education and health care.  They believe it is in the best interests of the country to have a healthy, educated work force.

In my observation, Danes are also content – content with what they have, rather than always trying to upgrade to bigger houses, fancier car, and so on.

It is a land of traditions.  And it is here that I think the true path to happiness lies, because many of the traditions are involved with food.  And drink.  A lot of the former and manageable amounts of the latter - sometimes.

For example, let me describe the feast we had at Mette’s house on the day after Christmas with her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons.

After a welcome drink, Mette called us to the table for what I thought was the first course.  She stood at the end of the table and told us what we were about to enjoy.  I learned later that to the Danish mind there is only one course, even when the table isn’t big enough to hold all the food.

Here’s what we ate:

Herring in herbs and vinegar from the Ruths company on the little island of Christiansø 

Herring in a curry sauce from the Ruths company on the little island of Christiansø

Rødspættefilet (crispy fried fish) with remoulade

Warm smoked salmon

Frikadels

Rullepølse (rolled meat) with Italian salad

Shrimps Shrimps with eggs and mayonnaise

Baked salad of pears, plums, and Jerusalem artichokes

Green salad

Roast duck

Stick chips

Home-made rye bread

Bought rye bread

Homemade white rolls

Duck with baked pear salad and stick chips

Baked salad of pears, plums, and Jerusalem artichokes

 

The family

Shrimps with eggs and mayonnaise

Rødspættefilet (crispy fried fish) with remoulade

Yummy duck

 

Rullepølse (rolled meat)

Rye breads

Warm smoked salmon and salad

Christmass tree

There was also a gorgeous cheese platter for dessert, but nobody could face more food.

And, of course, there was some liquid refreshment:

Christmas beer (Jul øl)

Walnut schnapps

Red wine

White wine

Walnut schnapps

Red wine

White wine

- except for the designated driver, whose intake was very light.

White wine, red wine, øl, and walnut schnapps

And, of course, that was not all I ate over the holidays.  On Christmas Eve, Mette’s 95-year-old aunt taught me to make little Danish confections from marzipan, white and dark chocolate, and chocolate nougat.  I had my fill during the quality assurance phase, only to be followed by a full dinner of duck and various accoutrements.  And walnut schnapps, red wine, and white wine.

Aunt Erna showing me how

I'm a quick learner

Finished product - yum

Finished product - yum yum

Duck with baked apples topped with jam

And then onto New Year’s Eve, which started at 5:30pm so we could have a glass of champagne, accompanied by blinis, before the Queen’s speech, which I watched, rather than listened to. 

Blinis

Then to dinner which comprised courses that different guests prepared.

Dinner table

Starters:  ecologically sensitive foie gras paté, caramelised figs, a fine Sauternes wine and a fine South African botrytis wine.  And walnut schnapps.

Foie gras paté and caramelised figs

Main course, prepared by me, was a one-and-a-half kilogram side of wild salmon caught off the Denmark coast, which I grilled with a hint of curry and ground coriander.  It was accompanied by asparagus, grilled tomatoes with parsley, crumbs, and olive oil, and what are called asparagus potatoes.  And a tasty pinot noir and, you guessed it, walnut schnapps.

Dessert was a small cheese platter of six or seven different cheeses, accompanied by South African Jeripego and a vintage Port.

Jerepigo

Vintage Port

The penultimate event of New Year’s Eve occurs at 11:40 – one that has been going on for decades in Denmark, Germany, and other Scandinavian countries.  It is watching the classic skit from the late 1940s, Dinner for One, which you can view here (about 15 minutes).  Everyone, including me, knows every line, so there are gales of anticipatory guffaws.

And finally, we jumped into the New Year, sans Auld Lang Syne, with another bottle of champagne, hugs, kisses, and good wishes.

Jumping into the New Year

With all of this, there is no time to be unhappy, and it’s difficult to complain with a full mouth.  I recommend it to you.

Note to self:  500 calories a day until January 20.

A weekend in Porto

Michael - Thursday

On route to a conference in Lisbon, I squeezed in three days with long-time friend and wine fundi Neil Pendock in Porto.  We’d been there before some six years ago, and remembered it for the wonderful scenery along the Douro, the wonderful food, and, of course, the excellent wine and superb port.  Indeed, this I where all true port originates and can be tasted in its natural habitat, so to speak.

We arrived early on Saturday morning after a trip from South Africa on TAAG (Air Angola), which is a story in its own right. After a taxi ride from the airport to the hotel (which told us to come back in eight hours when the rooms were ready), we took a walk around the sleepy town as the mist started to lift.

With its key setting near the mouth of the Douro River, Porto has been settled since around 300 BC. The Romans occupied it, and then the Moors took over in 711 and held it for 150 years. In 1387, John I of Portugal married Philippa of Lancaster starting the alliance with England that has lasted ever since. Their son—Prince Henry the Navigator—set off the age of exploration when his fleet sailed from Portugal to explore the coast of Africa. Not that it’s all been smooth sailing since then, what with Napoleon, revolutions, and a few world wars.

North bank Porto from the river

From the bridge

Seagulls have no respect for the heroes of the past

Wonderful porcelain tile mosaics at the main station

Did I mention the fresh fish?

I really should have mentioned the fish

The Douro is the world’s oldest declared and controlled wine appellation. This time we focused on the port, and we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Graham’s—one of the premier port houses—with the very knowledgeable and delightful Isabel Monteiro as our host.

Although England’s love affair with port started around 1700, W & J Graham’s was founded in 1820 when the two Graham brothers, who had been trading in textiles at Porto, decided that making port would be more lucrative and, presumably, a lot more fun. 

John and William Graham

Graham’s was bought by the Symington family in 1970. It remains a family owned and operated business and now includes several other respected port houses. Graham’s, however, remains their flagship.

The Symington family

Isabel took us down to the cellar to see the vats and barrels where the port matures quietly over the years.

VV Old Tawny means from the 19th century

Port comes in a variety of styles. The tawny ports are the ones that age for decades in old wood, generating their smoothness and complexity in a way similar to, for example, bourbon. Once bottled, they remain essentially unchanged, waiting to be opened and enjoyed. The ruby ports are more similar to wine, continuing to age in the bottle. Each producer declares only a few vintage years, blending the others. Graham’s is among the most particular, careful to preserve their vert high reputation for quality. Their recent vintage years are 2000, 2003, 2007, 2011.

The view from Graham's

We finished with a stunning tasting of their high-end wines, each more remarkable than the previous one, and finishing with the 1972 single harvest tawny.

Six Grapes, 2000 vintage 10, 20, 30 year old Tawny, Single Harvest

Isabel Monteiro discussing the great wines

A never to be forgotten afternoon!

Where are you from?

Nowadays there is a lot of emphasis on where things originate.  Some aspects of that are good, and others less so.  For example, take wine.  The origin is so important to the consumer that the makers even protect the regional name. 

Thus port must come from the Douro region of Portugal through the famous port houses of Oporto.  (Most of them are English owned, incidentally.)  This is such a big issue that bilateral trade agreements protect it.  South Africa had to change the name of home-grown ports – made in the traditional fashion from the same cultivars - to Cape Vintage.  Similarly local sparkling wine became Cape Classique instead of champagne.  The only market where this sort of thing isn’t an issue is the US.  No one messes with the US market!  So concoctions known as White Burgundy and Red Burgundy continue to sell in US supermarkets although they have nothing to do with the glorious chardonnays and pinot noirs of Burgundy.  Does it matter?  I doubt it.  The consumers of these wines are under no apprehension that they come from France and they couldn’t care less in any case. 

What determines the issue for them is price.  Then, again, Burgundy is the English name for the French region of Bourgogne, anyway, so…

 On the other hand, it does seem reasonable that a statement like “Made in France” should be protected.  If this appears on a wine, and the wine comes from Algeria, for example, surely the consumer is being misled by false advertising?  Well, yes and no.  A significant amount of “French” wine comes from somewhere else.  The question is definition.  Does made in France mean grown in France, vinified in France, bottled in France, or all three?  The answer is no.  Some guidelines must be met for “made in France” to appear on the label, but it doesn’t mean you are buying 100% French grapes made by a French winemaker bottled in France.

In recent years much fuss has been made about “organic” foodstuffs.  It’s an odd name because the opposite would seem to be “inorganic” which would mean that it didn’t have the normal carbon bonds of the vegetation and animal worlds.  But the term is well understood.  It actually means that the foodstuff was not grown using fertilizers, pesticides, genetic modification, and so on.  Thus it is supposed to be much healthier, more natural, and more expensive.  In fact, once again it depends on where you are from.  Because consumers are so concerned about these issues, most countries have strict verification processes for a farm or winery that proclaims to be organic.  However, the rules can vary widely from country to country.  I remember visiting an organic winery (not in South Africa) and being struck by the strong stink of sulphur in the winery.  Apparently sulphur added to the wine as an antibiotic is allowed.  You just mustn’t spray it on the grapes to stop pests.  Hmmm…

So does “organic” really mean better and healthier?  The answer – according to a survey a few years ago – was yes and no.  The food was fresher, more attractive, and tasted better.  In terms of nutrition and health, there didn’t seem to be much in it.  But that’s not the point.  The consumer has an expectation and a right to expect it to be met.  In the case of wine, my (very limited) experience is that it is better.  And more expensive.  The winery is going the extra mile and that must, on average, translate into quality as well as extra cost.

Diamonds are another good example.  Diamonds have been brilliantly marketed as a rare and beautiful commodity, synonymous with love and lasting commitment.  (“Diamonds are Forever.”)  The success of the industry has much more to do with the presentation to the consumer than the difficulty of wresting precious gems from the bowels of the earth.  So when the issue of “blood diamonds” (or as the industry prefers “conflict diamonds”) became a real concern to diamond lovers, the industry realized that they were facing a real threat.  How could these symbols of love be used to fuel wars, slavery and repression?  The result was the Kimberley Process.  The ultimate answer to 'where are you from?'  Each packet of gems sold now carries a pedigree that indicates its origin and route to sale.  Only countries that subscribe to the Kimberley Process are able to certify the gems and assure consumers that the diamonds have been mined legitimately under fair working conditions and have made their way to market without the addition of any black market stones. It is a well-planned and well-managed process, and pretty well does achieve what it claims.  But like all man-made things it has its flaws.  Zimbabwe has been a signatory since its inception.

So take those origin labels on the things you buy with a pinch of salt.  And don’t be too surprised if you find some iodine mixed in with the sodium chloride.

Michael – Thursday.