Pikku Joulut (II): Food Chemistry

The second Pikku Joulut took us to play Curling with my partners from the department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology. The game was firstly played in Scotland and now it is an olimpic game very popular in Nothern Countries. It was almost the first time for us to stand on ice so the experience was quite weird and exotic. And the game is considerably easy, so it was possible to learn and play, all at once. Basically, you have to slide on the ice from one side of the ice rink and throw a stone to the other side. The stone slides on the ice and must reach a particular point (denotes on the floor with a target) on the other side of the court. If the stone was thrown very hard, it might go beyond the target and you loose. If it is thrown very weakly, it might not reach the target and you are screwed as well. In this last case, your partners can brush the ice ahead of the stone so that it goes further and reach the target. Our team won!!!!

Then, we moved to have dinner at an Indian Restaurant and everything was kindly paid by the Head of the Department (Prof. Vieno Piironen). Hyvää Pikku Joulut!

Adiós Che!

Guillermo was our next-door neighbor and recently he went back to Argentina. He was (is) extremely shy, that's probably why we were living so close and still we did not talked to each other for several months. But one day a group of latinamericans listened the Spanish music we were playing (quite loud) in our apartment and came from Guillermo's apartment and invaded ours. Guillermo became red and started to apology endlessly, and we realise soon that our neighbor was shy, polite and extremely respectful. Moreover, he has a golden heart and his soul has enough space for containing both the social conscience and sensitivity of his compatriot Ernesto "Che" Guevara and the calm and reflexion of a Buddhist monk. He is so shy and shameful that some situations with him brush the surrealism. One day, at the "Amigos" party we had with the latinamericans colony in Helsinki, he was one of the barman and I went for some drinks. After giving me all the drinks, looked at me very serious (even worried) and said: "I am so sorry, Mario, but I have no other option but asking you to pay for these drinks". "Of course!", I said, "Why Shouldn´t I pay??!!!??". I realise he was ashamed of asking me for the money!!!!. Oh my goodness!!! This guy is crazy!!! He has other pecularity: he is absolutely addicted to pollen and mate, and because he is always willing to share his precious belongings with his friends, he has left tons of both substances here in Helsinki.

Guillermo, if you decide to return to Finland, we´ll be waiting for you with open arms. Otherwise, we´ll have to travel to Argentina to enjoy your gentleness and big smile.

Hasta siempre amigo!

Winter Cottage

Puolanne's cottage opened its doors again to this young couple and we have no option but writing here the incredible experiences that we had again in such beautiful place. The aspect of the cottage and sorroundings has incredibly changed since the last time we were there (see "Summer cottage" post). The snow has covered everything: the forest, the pine trees and the cottage itself drawing a wonderful christmas picture. But the best was still to come: the surface of the whole lake was frozen and I could even walk on the ice!. Incredible but certainly true. Again, Puolanne's couple treated us with exquisite manners and we had, once again, the chance to realise that there's much more in Finland than food from Unicafe: caviar, karelian pie(karjalan piirakka), the three meat ragout (Karjalan paisti), salmon soup...And because fish is supposed to swim, we provide the salmon with Spanish white wine. We enjoyed countryside winter activities like looking for animal tracks in the snow (from bambi) and making snowball fights and the typical snow doll. Apart from Eero and Eila Puolanne's company, the best of the weekend was the experience of sauna in winter time. To prepare the hole in the frozen lake was an unbelieveable experience and see the wonderful white forest through the windows of the burning sauna just delicious.

HOLE IN THE LAKE

SAUNA TIME

Pikku Joulut (I): Sensory Food Science

"Small Christmas": this is the way Finns call the leisure activities (parties, basically) they arrange with friends and job colleagues for celebrating Christmas time. And this is just one of the many parties we have been invited. Last friday we had a good time with Sonia's colleagues from the department of Sensory Food Science (University of Helsinki). First, we went to Pia's place to have a late Finnish dinner 6 o'clock (usually dinner take place at 4:30-5 pm) with cheese, spanish omelette (who made that?) and home-made pastries and cakes. Then we moved for bowling to a fancy leisure centre in Kallio. The party ended up where all great parties should finish: in the karaoke. And I had to sing, of course. The track selected for this special occasion was "Sitting on the dock (of the bay)". When I was in the most moving part of the song, a drank guy (in Finland???, that's not possible!!!) approached me and started to dance while I sang the song out of tune. As I said: a special "finnish".

WOMAN IN CHAINS

Last 25th of November it was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and I was absolutely shocked to know that 40% of women in Finland had been victims of physical or sexual violence or threats of violence by men. How is that possible? Women are economically independent and have positions of high responsability in this country. For instance, the Head of the State is a liberal female polititian. Does anybody understand anything? In Spain, the government released a new law to fight against this disgusting situation but the results are yet to come. The songs attached below ilustrate the difficult situation of suffering woman with particular sensitivity. The first song made me become aware of this situation when I was almost a child (the song is from the 80's!). The second shows how it is possible to create beauty from a tragic situation. Stevie wonder is a genie.

You better love loving and you better behave

You better love loving and you better behave

Woman in chains, woman in chains

Calls her man the great white hope

Says she's fine, she'll always cope, ooh

Woman in chains, woman in chains

Well, I feel lying and waiting is a poor man's deal (A poor man's deal)

And I feel hopelessly weighed down by your eyes of steel (Your eyes of steel)

Well, It's a world gone crazy keeps woman in chains, woh woh woh

Woman in chains, woman in chains

Trades her soul as skin and bones (You better love loving and you better behave)

Sells the only thing she owns (You better love loving and you better behave)

ooh ooh Woman in chains (the sun and the moon), woman in chains

Men of stone, men of stone, hey baby, no no no, ooh

Well, I feel deep in your heart there are wounds time can't heal (The time can't heal)

And I feel somebody somewhere is trying to breathe

Well, you know what I mean

It's a world gone crazy keeps woman in chains

It's under my skin but out of my hands

I'll tear it apart (somebody somewhere is trying)

But I won't understand (to breathe)

I will not accept the greatness of man

It's a world gone crazy keeps woman in chains

Gone crazy keeps woman in chains

So free her, so free her, so free her

So free her, so free her (the sun and the moon)

So free (the wind and the rain) her, so free her

So free her, so free her, so free her, so free her

So free her, so free her (the sun and the moon)

So free (the wind and the rain) her, so free her

ENTRE AMIGOS

"AMIGOS" Ese es el nombre de una asociación de latinoamericanos que tienen algo en común: viven en Finlandia. Y ayer celebraron una fiesta a la que tuvieron la amabilidad de invitarnos. Hubo de todo: comida, bebida, baile, risas, cachondeito...Muchos de ellos tienen historias personales bastante duras que contar. Matrimonios rotos, violencia, discriminación, penurias económicas y de salud...Finlandia no es un país amable si no tienes trabajo, eres extranjero (no europeo) y no conoces el idioma. Y si además, tienes la piel morena pues todavía algo más dificil. Sí señor. No es que Finlandia sea un país racista, en general, pero carecen de la sensibilidad para acoger y tratar de forma humanitaria a personas que buscan honradamente una forma de mantener a su familia. Determinadas personas ven a extranjeros de tez oscura y piensan que vienen a delinquir (uy! de que me suena a mi eso?). Pues sí, salir al extranjero es muy bueno por muchas cosas. Los españoles en España nos creemos el puto centro del mundo y miramos a los extranjeros (a los pobres, claro está) con condescendencia, sino con desprecio. Lo que no sabe ese español medio, acomodado, orgulloso de su país y de pura raza castellana y que nunca sale de su país, es que fuera de él, se convierte en "negro", en el distinto, nadie entiende lo que dices y entonces te miran con caras raras, en el mejor de los casos. Aqui tienen su propio idioma, su propia forma de ser y de actuar y no van a hacer el más mínimo esfuerzo por comprenderte (¿lo hacemos nosotros en España?). Es curioso, pero siempre hay alguien que tiene la piel más blanca que tú, que vive más al norte que tú, y que se cree superior a ti. El objetivo de esta asociación es precisamente la de apoyar a los que se encuentran en una situación dificil. Aqui encuentran ayuda de todo tipo: económica, médica o simplemente compañía. Al igual que España, Finlandia necesita imperiosamente acoger a inmigrantes para ocupar puestos de trabajo que los finlandeses no ocupan, o porque no les interesa o porque no hay personas cualificadas. Como dice mi querido amigo Alfonso (veterinario español trabajando en Helsinki), los finlandeses son de "plastilina". No aguantan la presión, ni trabajar de forma intensiva, ni adaptarse a situaciones inesperadas, son cuadriculados, totalmente. No conocen lo que significa tener que esforzarse, sacrificarse y mejorar en el trabajo para ganar más dinero, mejorar en un puesto de trabajo...¿Que necesidad hay cuando salen de la universidad ganando 3000 euros limpios? Necesitan de sangre latina que espabile a estos hombre y mujeres de hielo. No me cabe la menor duda que, en general, españoles y latinoamericanos trabajan más y mejor que la media finlandesa. La cantidad de parejas interracionales y niños mulatitos que había en la fiesta demuestra que algún que otro individuo de hielo se habrá derretido ante los encantos de los latinos.