Reklamer (ads) can be a great way of picking up ord og udtryk (words and expressions). Very often, you also learn something about kulturen (the culture). This is particularly true in Danmark, I think. Ads here very often use humor or ironi or ordspil (word-play) – remember the movie about buspassageren (the bus passenger)?

The following three plakater (posters) were hanging at a banegård (train station). I think they illustrate danskhed (Danishness) in a really nice way. The product they’re trying at sælge (to sell) is kylling (chicken) from the firm Dansk Kylling. Many Danes don’t trust the quality of kød (meat) from other EU-lande (EU countries), so the name and the ads pander a bit to that fear. Of course, you can also look positively at it: People may want to support local landmænd (farmers). There is even the issue of salmonella, a grisly virus that keeps popping up in food stuff like eggs and chicken. If it’s dansk it must be safe, that seems to be the message! 🙂

Hvordan ved man om en kylling er dansk? (How do you know if a chicken is Danish?)

1. Tjek om den åbner døren i badesandaler. (See if it opens the door wearing slippers.) Danes are notorious for their informality; in fact a survey once found the Danes to be the most casually dressed people in the EU!

1. Hvis den går til 1. maj og er lidt i tvivl om hvorfor. (If it goes to a May 1st [rally] and is a bit in doubt as to why [it does it].) Denmark has a strong workers union tradition. The thing is, however, that nowadays most Danes live really nice lives and have only small ”first-world problems”. So, people go to the ”socialist day” of May 1st to enjoy themselves and drink øl…

1. Spørg hvor den var den 26. juni 1992. (Ask where it was on June 26th, 1992.) As every fodboldfan (football/soccer fan) knows, this was the date when Denmark beat Tyskland (Germany), becoming European Football Champion for the first time ever. The supporter, of course, is wearing a klaphat.

Okay, when you’re done with step 1., the ad asks you to

2. Tjek om emballagen i supermarkedet er mærket ”dansk kylling”. (Check if the packing in the supermarket is marked with ”Danish Chicken”).