{"id":267,"date":"2011-12-22T12:00:30","date_gmt":"2011-12-22T12:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/?p=267"},"modified":"2011-12-21T23:22:17","modified_gmt":"2011-12-21T23:22:17","slug":"the-temptations-of-the-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/2011\/12\/22\/the-temptations-of-the-table\/","title":{"rendered":"The Temptations of the Table"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>So what do Danes do in December if there\u2019s no snow<\/a> and the chill nevertheless is creeping into your bones as soon as you leave the doorstep? For many people, the julefrokoster<\/strong> are the height of the Pre-Christmas season. Instead of watching tv or arguing with your family, you get together with your colleages or former classmates. And get drunk.
\nA julefrokost<\/strong> (literally \u2019Christmas lunch\u2019) is a formalized way of saying goodbye and gl\u00e6delig jul<\/strong> (\u2019Merry Christmas\u2019) to non-family people who mattered to you during the year. The workplaces and institutions not organizing a julefrokost<\/strong> can be counted on few hands\u2026
\nMost julefrokoster<\/strong> follow the same formula: People meet, eat, and drink. In the meantime the atmosphere is getting merrier and merrier\u2026 At the end of the evening everyone is on the same footing, the boss exchanging jokes with the cleaner and old enemies finding themselves the best of friends.
\nJulefrokoster<\/strong> have achieved something of a bad reputation, according to popular myth they are nothing but an excuse for gluttony and infidelity. And true enough, from a foreigner\u2019s point of view the amount of food and alcoholic beverage consumed during a Pre-Christmas feast may seem excessive. And if the boss and his secretary were ever playing with the thought of an affair, it is here it is most probable to happen.
\nThat being said, there\u2019s no reason to pass an invitation<\/strong> to a julefrokost<\/strong>! In a family-oriented society where people go out less than in, say, Africa or Southern Europe, julefrokoster<\/strong> are important social events. People are wearing their best clothes and are eager to co-review the year that went by. (Of course, the alkohol<\/strong> helps opening up.) And who knows? It might be just here that you find your next job<\/strong> or new k\u00e6reste<\/strong> (girlfriend, boyfriend).
\nMany julefrokoster<\/strong> are sammenskudsgilde|r<\/strong> (\u201dDutch treat|s\u201d, says my dictionary \u2013 hey, what\u2019s so Dutch about that?!) The guests bring a dish each, and a buffet is stitched together. Typical dishes include kartofler<\/strong> (potatoes), sild<\/strong> (herrings), r\u00f8dk\u00e5l<\/strong> (red cabbage), frikadeller<\/strong> (meat balls), leverpostej<\/strong> (liver p\u00e2t\u00e9), fl\u00e6skesteg<\/strong> (roast pork) and kager og slik<\/strong> (cakes and sweets) for dessert. In addition to \u00f8l<\/strong> (beer) and vin<\/strong> (wine), a glass of snaps<\/strong> is often emptied with a sk\u00e5l!<\/strong> (cheers!)
\nThe more active and sociable you\u2019ve been during the year, the more invitationer<\/strong> to parties you\u2019ll receive in December. For some Danes, then, the days before Christmas is one marathonic slalom between everyday responsibilities and the temptations of the table\u2026
\nExperiences and cheers, however, are not the only currency at the julefrokoster<\/strong> \u2013 the giving and receiving of gave|r<\/strong> (gift|s) is an important part of the evening as well. It is often expected that each guest bring a small gift or two. When the time is due (that is, when people are neither too sober nor too drunk\u2026), all the gifts are placed in the people\u2019s midst, and the pakkeleg<\/strong> (gift game, literally \u2019parcel game\u2019) may begin. There are many different rules, but most often a terning<\/strong> (dice) is passed around in the circle. As I know the game, those who get a six may pick a gift from the table, while those who get a one may also pick a gift, but have to give it to someone else\u2026 The fun part begins when there are no more gifts on the table, and everyone starts taking each other\u2019s gifts\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

So what do Danes do in December if there\u2019s no snow and the chill nevertheless is creeping into your bones as soon as you leave the doorstep? For many people, the julefrokoster are the height of the Pre-Christmas season. Instead of watching tv or arguing with your family, you get together with your colleages or…<\/p>\n

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