My Dad was in the U S Air Force so we traveled a lot! I'd never herd of Fika, but it sounds yummy! I've been an Ice Tea drinker for as long as I can remember(roots in North Carolina)...We were stationed in Bermuda when I was around 12/13yrs.old. We had an English Neighbor there who would always laugh when she saw my humongus glass of Iced Tea!.This went on through out most of our first summer there. One day, during one of our afternoon visits I asked her politely what wasso funny about Tea to her. ...She shook her head and said, " It's not the tea deary, it's you yanks! You don't even know how to drink good tea. You boil the water to make it hot, put Ice in it to make it cold, you put sugar into it to make it sweet and lemon to make it then sour". ...I thought that was pretty funny too, so now I share Mrs.M's story with you, in the hope that you will enjoy it too...
Aha! It is all becoming so clear to me - strong Swedish heritage in my family (still have cousins over there) and an upbringing of "coffee" in the afternoon. I still have a coffee break time mid afternoon even when I am by myself.
Never had a drink that needed clothes. Besides it warms the whiskey, I like mine a bit chilled. I hear Euros like warm beer so maybe that's the reason for the wraps.
I was all about fika even before I knew that it had a name!
March 3, 2009 at 9:02 PM
i learned something today. and typical of me, i'm going to fully, wholeheartedly embrace it and make it my own (mostly because i pretty much already do, but didn't know it had a name). it's the swedish concept of fika which means taking a break with a good coffee (tea and cocoa ok too, tho' apparently the word has its roots (as back-slang) in the swedish word for coffee) and a little something sweet on the side. there's a whole pool of pictures of fika on flickr. and wiki even has an entry about it (that makes it real, right?).
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oddly, i asked husband about it (his native language is swedish) and he thought it had something to do with smoking. hmm. apparently those scanians (skånsker) don't know real swedish. as near as i can tell, it's like danish hygge with caffeine instead of alcohol. in any case, i'm gonna be all about fika from now on.
9 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formDo you pronounce that fee-ka? I hope so, cuz that's great fun to say. However it's spoken, count me in. I always need a li break.
March 2, 2009 at 11:27 PM
I'd love to stop for a fika with you one day! Maybe in NYC?
March 3, 2009 at 12:18 AM
My Dad was in the U S Air Force so we traveled a lot! I'd never herd of Fika, but it sounds yummy! I've been an Ice Tea drinker for as long as I can remember(roots in North Carolina)...We were stationed in Bermuda when I was around 12/13yrs.old. We had an English Neighbor there who would always laugh when she saw my humongus glass of Iced Tea!.This went on through out most of our first summer there. One day, during one of our afternoon visits I asked her politely what wasso funny about Tea to her. ...She shook her head and said, " It's not the tea deary, it's you yanks! You don't even know how to drink good tea. You boil the water to make it hot, put Ice in it to make it cold, you put sugar into it to make it sweet and lemon to make it then sour". ...I thought that was pretty funny too, so now I share Mrs.M's story with you, in the hope that you will enjoy it too...
March 3, 2009 at 12:38 AM
Aha! It is all becoming so clear to me - strong Swedish heritage in my family (still have cousins over there) and an upbringing of "coffee" in the afternoon. I still have a coffee break time mid afternoon even when I am by myself.
March 3, 2009 at 2:22 AM
i love those coffee cup warmers! adorable.
March 3, 2009 at 3:30 AM
I always have time for a nice coffee break
March 3, 2009 at 5:58 AM
Then it must be my swedish heritage that makes me need a diet coke break in the afternoon.
March 3, 2009 at 5:59 AM
Never had a drink that needed clothes.
Besides it warms the whiskey, I like mine a bit chilled. I hear Euros like warm beer so maybe that's the reason for the wraps.
March 3, 2009 at 6:34 AM
I was all about fika even before I knew that it had a name!
March 3, 2009 at 9:02 PM