Black cat mocha and sweet cream pair perfect on a waffle cone - tastes even better considering it was a shot-in-the-dark combo! Enjoyed walking the flower-filled back alleys of downtown Columbus, and some Jeni's ice never hurts.
0 Comments
The Donut Shop, which sits just around the corner from the main DIS office, offers an array of brightly colored options, ranging from a classic or chocolate glaze to more avant-garde picks like the vibrant blue one pictured above (called something along the lines of “Marshmallow Blue Monster”). While donuts are commonly believed to be of Dutch origins, the Donut Shop itself and its span of service is what makes these donuts seem just a little more Danish. The shop sits in the semi-sunken basement shop that requires you to step down several steep stairs into a tiny space filled with the lit display, a counter, quaint but plush chairs, and an antique desk covered in Danish magazines and newspapers. Since its summer, not a soul actually stays inside the store after the purchase. The warm whether brings customers to sit on the wall-hanging benches out front, where feet hang out almost into the street and groups of two can lean in together to eat and talk in the hushed way that the Danes do. It is simple and clean-cut, yet offers a quirky service in such a way that I’ve never seen until arriving in this country. And the donuts themselves are actually SO good, that they are apparently now being offered in the more local 7-11 stores, which are locations that are bizarrely adored in Denmark – a stark comparison to their role as sub-par convenience store in the United States.
Sitting on the pier just outside the Copenhagen Street Food Market, also know as Paper Island, a friend and I shared a moment of silence as we each bit into our own pulled duck sandwiches. It was the most popular option as we walked through the crowded alleyways of the indoor market, and while I assumed that perhaps the waterfowl was a traditionally Danish dish, I later found out that it was simply just popular because it was good. Actually, I remember that the least popular place in entire market was the smørrebrød stand, which confused me initially. But after talking about the appeal of Paper Island and the customers it tends to attract, it makes sense. The crowds are mostly younger Danes and tourists, looking for a more “exotic” type of meal in a hip, causal setting along the water. With walk-up bars being the first four stands you walk past as you enter any of the doors (with one even situated just outside of the building), the layout of the market makes it obvious it is just as much about the casual and cool setting as it is about the food. It seemed to me that the crowds that gather here are not interested in eating the traditional open-faces sandwiches. Had we just come at the wrong time in the afternoon? Or was it just that the novelty of new and fun foods accompanied by cocktails won over the traditional in this case? I believe the latter.
After class this past week, my friend and I took some time to walk around in the city center. Post window-shopping and popping in and out of cheap clothing stores for some time, we ended up in front of a small hotdog stand sandwiched between the Round Tower and the Studenterhuset. With a long Danish title, the cart boasted its nickname as “døp”, and we joked about if the dogs would be as “dope” as they sounded. Having already tried a Danish hotdog, and having already been told by a local that I have to get one with “everything on it”, I was excited to dig into another while sharing the experience with my friend. Apparently the stand uses all organic produce, and the hotdogs themselves were offered in a selection of hotdogs, sausages, and vegetarian/vegan options, which is a stark comparison to any hotdog stand I’ve ever encountered. And after asking for everything on mine, as recommended before, I was handed a whole-wheat bun stacked with a hotdog (which was definitely not an Oscar Meyer Weiner), mustard, ketchup, fried onions, sliced onions, and a line of unevenly cut bread-and-butter pickles. It was amazing, but why that combination? Everyone here simply knows what it means to ask for a hotdog with everything on it, and are so proud of this quirky combination that they are willing tap foreigners on the shoulder and let them know that that’s the thing to ask for.
|