Enjoying Copenhagen Street Food in NYC
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
When I first heard about Revolving Dansk in 2013, I was immediately intrigued. Revolving Dansk’s mission is clear: to bring Copenhagen street food to New York City, and they definitely deliver on that. I attended their event in Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn) at Dassara in 2013, where they shared Danish street food including Danish frikadeller (meatballs) and of course the Danish hot dog, or Danish pølse! I got hooked then, and have been following the Revolving Dansk adventure ever since, as they’ve been cooking up larger events, pairing with celebrity chefs, hosting private events, and producing their own pølser!
According to Revolving Dansk in describing the Copenhagen Street Dog, “Røde Pølser are the traditional pølser of Denmark, which are bright red in color and have a peppery, smoked flavor. Røde Pølser are best prepared lightly boiled with garlic and bacon to keep them juicy and flavorful.” And they add on the site, “Grillpølser are the brown sausages popular at the pølsevogn, with a savory taste and crispy casing. They are best prepared grilled, to lock in the flavor and add to that natural snap.” If you’d like to try some pølser for yourself, you can conveniently shop for them via Revolving Dansk!
Most recently the Revolving Dansk duo of Danish-born Martin Høedholt and Sera Høedholt hosted the Winter Hot Dog Championship. This championship let people submit their own gourmet creations (fun toppings) of the Copenhagen Street Dog. Basically this meant people could submit creations and attendees would vote on three select creations by sampling them at Jimmy’s No. 43. At the end of event, the final vote was cast for the ultimate Danish hot dog!
When we got to Jimmy’s No. 43 around 1 pm, the place was already packed with a fun crowd ready to try the three finalists: the Dominican Dane, The World Fusion Dog and the “She’s Gone Nuts” hot dog. All were very creative in their own ways and definitely bursting with flavor, but my personal favorite was the Dominican Dane!
The Dominican Dane had just the right toppings and flavor! Even better that these were on top of the Danish pølser! This particular hot dog came with Longaniza, fried plantains, Danish pickles, and spicy mayo. I personally loved this one the best as the flavors came together really nicely.
Next up, we tried the “World Fusion Dog” which was also very creative in its mixture of toppings. This one came with a ginger-pineapple relish, wasabi mayo, crispy pancetta and bonito flakes. Never thought to try a hot dog with a somewhat fishy flavor, so definitely an interesting combination!
The final selection was the “She’s Gone Nuts” pølser which was really fun, too! Again, I was surprised by the combination of ingredients, and wouldn’t think to try crushed peanuts on a hot dog…but it was really interesting experience. The “She’s Gone Nuts” pølser had honey-sriracha mayo, crushed peanuts, pickled red cabbage and cilantro.
And, to end the pølser tasting, it was time for a Danish sweet treat, which reminded me of The Netherlands. The Floedeboller is a light, creamy treat coated in chocolate with a wafer on the bottom. I love how it transported me to my childhood in The Netherlands.
If you’re interested in exploring Danish culture, or want to learn more about upcoming events, be sure to check in with Revolving Dansk! Sera and Martin are both wonderful hosts and can teach a lot about Danish culture, and it’s clear that they have a passion behind the mission of Revolving Dansk! You can also follow them and stay in touch via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Tumblr!
Ever been to Denmark? What did you enjoy about the visit? Interested in going? Leave a comment and share your impressions! And, if you like culturetrav.co, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter for interesting updates from bloggers and travelers all over the world who share their stories about culture and travel.
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