What is the name of a special dish that is unique, emblematic or culturally important to the

Country you grew up in?

Answer: The name of the special dish that came automatically to the participant is Frikadeller,
also known as Danish meatballs. The participant explains how this is one of the favorites of the
Danish and is eaten at either lunch or dinner time. Being a very simple dish, their family and
others around would eat it as an entree served with brown gravy and mashed potatoes, or put the
meatballs into bread to make a “delicious” sandwich.
Reflection: When I first heard of Frikadeller, it reminded me of Italian meatballs with marinara
sauce in pasta. I am not Italian, but this was a common dish that my mother made for my family
growing up. Similar to the Danish dish, we ate this for lunch or dinner. Growing up in the middle
class, this was a comfort food that we enjoyed that replenished us while bringing us all around
the dinner table to sit and enjoy each other's company.
What type of situation is this dish eaten (family gathering, everyday, wedding, funeral,
special holiday, etc.), and who eats the dish (such as gender, ethnic group, social class,
geographic region, religion)?
Answer: The participant explains how Frikadeller being a common dish, would be eaten by all
different social classes. It was common for wealthy and lower class families to enjoy the same
type of dish. Although this dish has no correlation with a religion, it is a North Denmark stamped
dish.
Reflection: Similar to pasta with meatballs and red sauce, this is a dish that can be eaten by all
different social classes. A difference between the participant’s dish and the one my mother cooks
at home, is the way the meatballs are prepared. Frikadeller is cooked on a stove, while my
mother’s meatballs for the pasta dish is baked in the oven.
What is a holiday dish eaten only once per year in your country? What traditions, tools,
utensils, or rites are used in the preparation of the dish? What is the connection of food
and social bonding for this holiday?
Answer: According to the participant, Danish people love their traditions so on Christmas night
(US Christmas Eve), families come together to eat Flaeskesteg. Flaeskesteg is a Danish pork dish
that is served with fried brown potatoes and rice pudding, a traditional dessert that everyone eats.
Immediate and extended families sit together for a long time to eat dinner, resulting in kids
wanting the meal to be over to open presents. Every year, the participant would get a gold
covered collectible spoon and use the fancy crystal glasses only used for special occasions.
Reflection: Every fourth week of November is a day where my father prepares his “famous”
Thanksgiving turkey. Similar to the Danish tradition on Christmas, it’s a time where families
come together and enjoy each other's company. Unsimilar to the participant’s tradition, my
family does not do presents on Thanksgiving and all the children usually don’t want the meal to
end when dessert comes out. Socially, US culture prides themselves on strong social bonds and
connections.
How has your social identity been shaped by a connection you have to food?
Answer: Growing up in a time post World War II, the participants' identity has been shaped by
the perspective that food was survival and not something important, except for on occasions like
Chrsitmas. Food was scarce in Denmark as there was no such thing as “being a picky” eater,
meals were kept simple and did the job.
Reflection: I am super thankful to have never experienced repercussions from a war. The
participants’ identity has been shaped by their lack of available resources, while mine has been
shaped by the access my family has. I am privileged to be able to have access to food that is
nutrition filled that is filled with flavors. This ends up being a benefit to my body and mental
health.
What foods were either fished, hunted, gathered, harvested, or grown by you or a member
of your family?
Answer: The participant recalls how there were plenty of farmers but fishing was only a hobby
and not a source of food. Living in a suburban area in North Denmark, hunting was not a big
thing. It was more common that families had pigs roaming around. A statistic the participant
shared is that in Denmark, there are more pigs than there are people. Their family used to enjoy
picking blackberries and raspberries in the late summer.
Reflection: Parts of the participants' explanation I could relate to and other parts of Denmark’s
culture surprised me. Where I am from, hunting is not a common source of food and fishing is
done as a hobby as well. I can’t imagine having pigs roaming around as normal. It’s interesting
to imagine myself in the neighborhood of my participants because it seemed so foreign.
Please, describe what it was like to acquire food at markets or grocery stores growing up?
Who in your family did most of these activities including preparing food for cooking, and
what was your role?
Answer: The participant explains that it was not an issue to acquire food at the markets growing
up, it was an everyday routine. Their house was fairly traditional, where their mother was the one
who would go to the market everyday to pick up just enough food for that night to cook dinner
for the family. It was a common thing that families shopped daily and the men were handsoff
when it came to cooking.
Reflection: I was surprised to hear that the participant's mother would go to the market
everyday. In the society I live in, it is common to bulk up on food items. My family are big
Costco shoppers so that we can buy a large quantity of items that we routinely eat so that there is
less stress in going to the grocery store. The difference between mine and the participant’s
different ways goes to show that there is no true “normal.”
What food items does your culture consider strange, bad, wrong or taboo to eat? Why is it
taboo, strange or bad?
Answer: Coming from scarcity, the participant explains how Sushi was very odd because of the
idea of eating raw fish. Danish people never ate anything raw because their meals were kept very
simple. Drinking Whiskey was considered fancy and associated with a wealthier social class, this
stemming from the Denmark citizens' preference towards drinking beer. Danish people believe
that eating dogs and cats is not acceptable and consider shark fin soup not ethical.
Reflection: Coming from a suburban California society, there are similarities with the strong
belief that eating dogs and cats is not acceptable. As for eating fish, it is super common here in
the states so it was interesting to hear that it is seen as very odd. The participant explained how
Danish food is primarily different types of cooked meat so I can understand how eating raw fish
would look odd.
Can you describe a funny, touching or interesting childhood memory you have about food?
Answer: The participants explain a funny childhood food memory tied to the Danish Christmas
tradition, rice pudding, also known as risalamande.Within this desert is a peeled almond hidden
and the person who finds it, wins a prize. One year, two people had supposedly claimed to be the
winner causing an uproar in the household. Turns out, the participant’s brother had cheated by
sneaking in his own almond, caught right away by the obvious brown skin still on it.
Reflection: Listening to the participant tell this story, gave me insight that dessert is an
important aspect of Danish culture. Like Americans, Danish people love dessert and it seems to
me that they have close bonds where food dishes can unlock funny memories. This specific story
reminds me of moments with my family where dinner/dessert is not taken super seriously, but
instead looked at as a fun time to crack jokes.
In what ways have the food and foodways traditions changed in your home culture since
you were young? Why do you think this has occurred?
Answer: The participant agrees that traditions in Denmark have changed alot since they were
young. Coming from simple meals that were mostly meat and potatoes, now foods like pizza and
sushi are extremely popular. The participant feels strongly that Danish hotdogs are the best in the
world, and that there is no denying that the food scene has become more diverse. They think this
stemmed from cable TV and American media introducing new food ideas, along with people
starting to travel more and bringing back new cultural food knowledge.
Reflection: It is awesome to hear that traditions in Denmark have changed significantly over
time by being introduced to different cultures. It’s interesting for me to imagine what it was like
to not even know what pizza and sushi are. I have always had the privilege to grow up with a
variety of different options, so it makes me feel grateful when I realize not a lot of people have
gotten to have that.
What foods does your culture believe have healing powers, and what ailments can they
cure or help with?
Answer: The participant explains how food isn’t usually seen as having strong healing powers,
but there are a few traditions tied to comfort and feeling better. When they were sick, their mom
would make them matzo ball soup, which would always make them somehow feel much better.
Candy was a huge treat in Denmark that would cheer people up and make them look forward to
Friday. The participant recalls that at the end of the week, they would run down to the candy
store and have the store keeper make them candy. This was something that made all the children
extremely happy.
Reflection: I related closely when the participant shared that their mother would make them
soup when they were feeling sick. I do not know if it was a placebo effect, but I would always
feel so much better after I ate the soup. Although most Americans have a sweet tooth, I’ve never
experienced going to a candy store to have the store keeper make me candy. It sounds as if the
Danish crave candy in the way that Americans crave ice cream.
The purpose of this paper is to understand that there is no correct way of culture. It is important
to be aware that each family, no matter if you live next door, somehow has their own culture. It
is a beautiful thing that food can unlock history and knowledge to each family. I was able to do a
thorough interviewee with my participant over zoom. We chatted for almost an hour and I
walked away feeling like I had more than enough information to pick from. What helped me the
most was to let my participant have more than enough time to get their thoughts out. I had urges
to interrupt because I wanted to add something to the conversation, but I reminded myself that I
can’t ruin their train of thought. Another technique that was effective was asking follow-up
questions as it pertained to their answer. A couple of times when I let them finish and I asked a
build off question, it unlocked a new memory for the participant that gave me even more insight
on each question. Something that I found ineffective within the interview process was typing
notes. I am naturally a slow typer so I felt stressed when my participant was speaking and I
needed to get down what they said. I definitely missed a few key details and would have to ask
them to repeat. I think a way to avoid that issue is to record the zoom because I believe it
provides a transcript of what users say. The participant I interviewed is male and is currently 59
years old. They grew up in a middle class in North Denmark and have been living in the United
States for almost 20 years. This participant has six family members and over eight cousins. They
come from a non-religious background, but still celebrate Christmas. They quickly explained
how in Denmark when you are born, you are automatically considered a Lutheran unless chosen
not. Instead of an American style Christmas tree where they put light on the tree, the Danish put
candles and presents on their trees and then dance around it. As for education, this participant
earned their Master of Science in electrical engineering but skipped their Bachelor degree. This
took 6 years to achieve and Denmark granted them a stipend. As a current career, they are a
Chief Software Engineer that manages other software engineers. From this interview, I learned
that in Danish society during the time of post WWII, food was more practical and less about
enjoyment. Many cultures put high importance on their dishes, but it seems that North Denmark
food culture was shaped by the simplicity and lack of resources and knowledge at the time. Food
was primarily viewed as just survival rather than a symbol. Despite being religious, this
participant puts a strong value on tradition like Christmas, despite their views. Food has been
used as a way to bring people together and grow connections. It was discovered through the
interview that a simple meal like Frikadeller that is extremely common, represents cultural unity
since the dish is familiar to families. The participant also touches on the social roles at that time.
They revealed that while both parents worked, their mother was responsible for shopping and
cooking.
Ingredients

o ½ pound ground veal

o ½ pound ground pork
o ¼ cup milk, or as needed
o ¼ cup finely grated onion
o 1 large egg
o ¼ cup bread crumbs, or as needed
o ¼ cup all-purpose flour
o ¼ cup seltzer water
o salt and pepper to taste
o ¼ cup margarine

Directions
Step 1: Mix veal and pork together in a bowl until well combined. Stir in milk, onion, and egg.
Mix in bread crumbs, then flour; knead well to mix. Mix in seltzer water, salt, and pepper until
well combined. The mixture should be very moist, but not dripping. Cover and refrigerate for 15
to 30 minutes.

Step 2: Form about 2 1/2 tablespoons meat mixture into a slightly flattened, oval meatball about
the size of a small egg. Repeat to make remaining meatballs.

Step 3: Melt margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry meatballs in the hot skillet until
no longer pink in the center and well browned on the outside, about 15 minutes per side. An
instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees
C).