February 2-When Alex found out that only adults were going to be at the þorrablót at Varmaland last weekend, she asked us, "how do the kids learn to eat these foods if they aren't allowed to come to the þorrablót feasts?" Well, she and Joslyn came home from school today with the answer to that question. Apparently, dinner for today has been scheduled to be a þorrablót feast for some time, but the girls did not know this because they have not paid much attention to the school calendar, which is in Icelandic. Alex found out about the þorrablót just before dinner, when one of her friends mentioned it. Both girls said that their classmates were very excited about þorrablót and that everyone used the entire dinner time to eat, rather than spend the latter half at recess, like the normally do. If you don't know what a þorrablót is, check out the description of it in the post from day 24.
Both girls said that the þorrablót was really fun. It gave their classmates and teachers the opportunity to teach them about Iceland, because they got to have "a real Icelandic meal." Alex felt that her friends and teachers took a lot pride in the food as they described the dishes to her. Partially because these foods are not eaten regularly, the names for them are not used as frequently, so the English translation for them was more difficult. At one point, Águsta was trying to translate hákarl to Joslyn and described it as "a big fish that goes chomp, chomp," while she used her arms to make large biting motions. It worked; Joslyn figured out that she meant "shark." Alex said that many of the foods were described to her as simply "from the sea."
There was a large variety of foods. Alex thought that much of it looked unappetizing, so she only tried some it. Joslyn also did not try everything, but she did find stuff she liked and went back for seconds. Interestingly, both girls said, after the fact, that they wish they had sampled more of the food. I suppose it is easier to feel that way when it is not in front of you! The Icelanders really dug in and ate tons of food; it sound reminiscent to a traditional American Thanksgiving gorging. Joslyn said some kids in her class went back for fourths!
To their credit, the girls did try some new food. Alex had already eaten hákarl while at Reykir, so she stayed away from it. Joslyn had heard Alex and us talk about hákarl, but she still tried it. She quickly determined that it was disgusting. In case you have forgotten, hákarl is a shark that has been buried for three or more months and allowed to rot, before it is dug up, cut up, and served. As adults, we got to pair our morsel of hákarl with a strong Icelandic schnapps to burn the taste out of our mouth and throat; kids have to find another way to deal with it. At Reykir, Alex ran to the bathroom and stuck her mouth under a faucet to wash the taste out! Both girls liked the small potatoes in a sweet, creamy sauce, the smoked pork, Icelandic "tortillas" with butter, and rye bread with butter. Alex also tried, but was not enamored with whale, smoked lamb, and harðfiskur, which is dried fish; she mostly disliked its texture.
Overall, the girls really got a kick out the experience and were excited to tell us about it when they got home from school. Both of them claim that they would like to go to another þorrablót, if they are ever back over in Iceland at this time of year. This leaves Spencer as the only member of the family who has not been able to attend a þorrablót. However, he will not be left out, because his kindergarten will be serving a þorrablót feast next Friday.
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