Lykkster

Sukiyaki night

onebottleperdayperbro

Just because we're skipping Coachella this year doesn't mean broceries isn't happening.

Then and Now

I found some photos that were taken of Lykke that matched up to some old photos of Michi. Crazy how some things don't change.

My burner life

I've been without my iphone for over a week now due to water damage, and having to rely on my flip phone that I had to bought when I did this same thing 4 years ago. (something told me then, to keep the phone because knowing me I would need it again in the future, and what do you know.)

The thing about my new burner life is that it hasn't really changed drastically from my previous life, except in really small things that actually might be bigger than I know.

1. I'm probably a much safer driver right now because I'm never texting or fiddling around.

2. Social media has totally fallen to the wayside, it took a few days for my interest in Instagram to fade, and knowing that I'm missing out on hundreds of casual acquaintances' meals, pets, kids, work life, selfies makes me feel absolutely nothing.

3. I feel a little out of touch and disconnected as a result, but all that stuff was just extra details about people's lives that don't really matter aren't they.

4. Despite not being able to communicate as frequently as I'm used to with a smartphone, I'm glad to report that I have still been talking to all the important people in my life without a hitch, either by calling them or email, or FB messenger by way of laptop.

5. I have lost all interest in trying to text on my burner phone. It's idiotic and exhausting trying to text anything lengthy or expressive because of the tedious way you have to click each number 1-4 times to get the letter you want. My texts have been super short and to the point."yes" "are u here" "ur welcome"

6. I feel like I've reverted back into a 90s way of living because my phone is just my phone, and it doesn't really matter if I drop it.. it doesn't cost 1k. I'm on my laptop way more than I'm used to. I'm a regular Carrie Bradshaw when I'm home from work.

7. The 90s way of life also affects the way I navigate throughout my day. There are times I wonder if a store is open but... I can't check because its just a burner. I can't even google any answers when something is eluding my memory and on the tip of my tongue. I just have to wait til my brain tells me later..."oh.. it's tomato juice! A Michelada is beer  + tomato juice!"

8. Because my burner is virtually worthless to me, I keep misplacing it all over the place. Leaving it behind co workers' cars, (it camoflages with everything, its like a remote), at home, even in the office of my therapist. Makes me realize that my iphone is always either in my hand or backpocket. Always.

9. I can't document or take photos of things in my daily life anymore. It cuts down big time on all the stupid shit I send to friends every hour of every day.

10. This has all made me way more present. I can't check the internet, I can't take a social media break, I can't really even text, I can't check work email! (lmao), I can't take photos or upload them to anything. I just have to deal with reality as it's happening.

I think I can go for longer without a smartphone. It's been a nice break. I do feel unprofessional for not being able to check work email or even be reachable, but whatever. There used to be a time when work hours were just work hours, when the hell did our lives turn into just always being avail as long as we're also breathing. F dat.

Stud!o Copenhagen

 ♫ Hey cutie (yeah?) ♫

On our second night in Copenhagen, we ate at Stud!o, located inside the Standard right on the water's edge. It was neat and small, impeccably styled with minimalist wooden chairs, tables and beautiful service wear. There were less than ten tables of various sizes. It felt intimate and special. We were going to have the full tasting menu that consisted of thirteen plates. I was excited to see what would happen on our table.

It was a really great experience. Eye candy central, in our surroundings to the food itself, to one of the chefs who had Katee and me blushing all night and unable to make eye contact 😆

My favorite thing about the night was discovering how playful food can be, and how elements of surprise can change the whole eating experience. It's not everyday that you get to have such fun with food. I just liked how magical everything was. I left the experience changed...don't even offer me food unless there's tiny Nordic forest flowers painstakingly arranged on it with tweezers.

At the end of the meal, we each got a black envelope with the menu inside. Thank goodness for this otherwise I would have never remembered the names of any of the dishes.

The view outside our window

The George Jensen water pitcher that resembles a cat

The first of many imbibements to come

Potato crisp with vinegar and roe

A delicate tangle of crispety crunchety fried potato, that sandwiched a dollop of what tasted like creme fraiche, and some roe. It was salty, vinegary and delicious. Brian joked that it was my gateway back into eating actual potato chips. It's true, it felt like a loophole back to my beloved Pringles, but ahem, much elevated of course.

Oyster with white currant granita

This dish was quite beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to my eyes. (Minimalism at its best! Let the form speak for itself!) Three perfect oysters presented with with a dusting of snow on top. It must have been made with the help of dry ice or something extremely cold because the granita was extremely cold and refreshing. The flavor was tart, sour, clean. There was some green stuff on the bottom. I'm used to eating multiple oysters at once but this one proved that less is more if it's perfect. A+

Dried apple from lilleø

This was a funny looking snack. It came 'floating' on a glass petri dish filled with dried leaves. Considering how thoughtful and conceptual every dish in Studio is, I bet the leaves were foraged in Lilleø too (lol). It was a chewy and juicy piece of dried out apple, imagine fruit roll ups for adults. I'm actually super fond of Fruit Roll Up, so no complaints from me here with this one.

Tartare of veal with hay

This one was showy. Tartare presented in a hollow of bone, that you scraped out with the little  spatula. I mix Gocco paints with the same type of spatula. It was good, but nothing to write home about. Tartare is tartare.

Aebleskiver with 2 cheeses

Aebleskiver is a Danish Christmas dessert. Donut holes made with pancake batter and eaten with jam and powdered sugar. I but them frozen from Trader Joe's when I'm playing Good Girlfriend who makes Sundays Funday. These were savory and 10 times more delicious. F the sweet version, Aebleskivers taste better stuffed with melted cheese. Delightful! A

Studio bread serving

This was the intermission signaling the end of starters and the beginning of entrees. Danish people freaking love rye. It's everywhere. And they're whole for the most part, they're larger than a grain of rice. The bread was soft and delicious. Apparently one of the Hans-ies grind the rye every single morning themselves. #smallbatchthat. It was paired with the creamy rich butter that came in a small pot.

Then there two neat rectangles of malt flavored flat bread, crisps really, that came packaged mysteriously in the black envelope. They were the color of squid ink. I was into it. I've never met a cracker I didn't like.

The large shallow plate contained whipped sour buttercream that was supposed to go with it. Yummy.

Ja, we enjoyed our elegant hyggelig candle

Raw shrimp, grilled cucumber & frozen dill cream 

I thought this one was really pretty. Not sure what kind of leaf these were but I thought they could be shiso leafs. They were hiding some raw skrimps inside. The taste of this one wasn't as memorable as the visual for me. The only thing I remember was that the dill cream was very cold inside and I thought there was some dry ice magic involved here as well.

Witch flounder, sweet onions & ramson capers

This one got us all oohing and aahing, and we started feeling very sentimental bros towards one another. (I love you, man! No man, I love us.) Also keep in mind that this whole time, Brian and Katee were having wine pairings matched with every single dish that came out, so they were having a  blast. Blast off.

I like to refer to this one as the Mermaid's comb. The sous chefs responsible for each dish would come out to present each dish to us, and the one who presented this one admitted that he was in charge of brushing the bones of each fish with a toothbrush to make them look like this, every morning #tedious #sufferingisart #artissuffering. I privately wondered what they did with the brushed off other side of the fish. Did they toss it into a big fish stew for themselves? Kinda like whenever I make meringues using only the egg whites, I feel like I should also be making some shortbread so that I don't waste the yolks.

Another one that I don't remember the taste of because this was more eye candy.

Poached scallop, sweet peas & smoked clam sauce

This one was really pretty, but not as memorable for me. I really don't remember what this tasted like. But the peas were incredibly fresh. That's something.

Chefs plating our next dish...

Grilled asparagus, pine & truffle

This one caused some controvery at our table. And in retrospect, funny to see the actual title of this that makes no mention of it's surprise ingredient. My "is there a bug" radar is pretty sensitive and always on high amber alert, and I sifted the acoutrements on the white asparagus with a fork and had had a silent dizzy moment with myself as I realized the thing was teeming with giant ants. It was the wholeness of the ants that really got to me, nevermind the fact that I have never seen black ants reach such a size. It looked like the ants that Richard Scarry draws. A posterchild for a classic A is for Ant flashcard.

Of course I tipped Katee off (I got your back boo.) And you know when you try to put on a tight smile and keep your chill because you are at a fancy restaurant but you're straddling that fine line from being a refined and elegant adult to strapping on a diaper and straight up setting the table on fire and embarassing yourself and everyone around you?

Anyway, long story short, Brian was not amused. He ate a LOT of ants that night.

*I found it validating to see a small wave of drama passed even the quiet conservative group of business colleagues (actual adults) next to us as they too discovered the ants. So.... yeah.

Danish lamb with green asparagus & garlic

This one was tasty, but after all the others I was wanting more more more eye candy. I appreciated the little croquette. 

White asparagus, green strawberry & woodruff

Here we go the piéce de résistance. The first of two desserts. This was like a light, fresh creamy yogurt that was frozen into ice cream form. Shaped like a ring, the chefs came to pour the green sauce into the hole. Tiny green strawberries, tiny meringues (crunch factor: A), and tiny forget me nots. Insert high pitched scream. I loved it. Katee and I still talk about this one.

Beet root, creme fraiche & rhubarb

I hate to say it but after that previous dessert, this one, although I remember it being delicious, I don't remember much about. Sorry folks. But I do love rhubarb. I wish it was a dessert / drink ingredient we found more often here.

There was a funny moment in which I decided to go to the bathroom, but after hearing from Brian that the servers were on the lookout to escort you to the special private bathroom, I decided to try and be sneaky and just speed walk to the bathroom unescorted (no attention or fanfare please!)

Just as my hand touched the knob of the bathroom door our server came rushing after me to escort me to the private bathroom and I had to play dumb. Found you!

After our meal we decided to take a walk. By now it was pretty late, ten in the evening? Notice the skies don't reflect it. We wasted a lot of time taking photos because it was so majestic across the water, Brian grabbed a roadie from the bar downstairs but Katee was pretty knee deep in all her wine pairings and ripped a hole in her pants after laying on a sculpture. lmao.

A truly memorable night.

A very Wes Andersen scene

The quirky pastel pill shaped Standard

It's ten 'o clock do you know where you're children are?

I was mesmerized by these buildings. 

I wish I could live in these Toblerone structures.

Did not eat the ants 💕

Selfies and shenanigans

Play house + Opera house view with a really cool bike path we took in the morning

Things are weird

Good night!

Copenhagen Part 1: Vester Bros in Hygge Land

Oh, Copenhagen...how do I love thee. The more I love a city, the harder it is to sit down and write about it because I don't know where to begin.

I've been in a mopey state since I've come back from Denmark. Design is a huge part of Danish DNA. It's hard to come back to reality when you've gotten a taste of what it's like being in a place that celebrates design to that degree.

Studio Arhoj

The flight from Stockholm to Copenhagen was just under an hour. We took the train from Kastrup to Central Station. It was packed like a can of sardine with everyone just like us, with giant suitcases. Luckily it was only a twenty minute ride. We walked from the train station to our hood, pulling our suitcases over cobblestones as they clip clopped like horses.

Vibeke, our Danish host was a friendly, chic lady. We stood there politely, somewhat intimidated while she breezed about her two bedroom apartment, recommending this and that before leaving us to freely admire her place, because it was so stylish. She had a lot of framed art on the wall, I could tell they were acquired over time, a mix of abstract paintings, a vintage maps of Denmark, and personal ephemera nicely framed and preserved forever. Art for your home should be meaningful.

We fell into our routine of settling in, and hitting the nearest supermarket. There was a good one across the street called Irma. It was a little posh, it seemed we had landed in some version of a Danish Whole Foods. The usual purchases were made; wine, yogurt, Wasa crackers, cheese, and cherry tomatoes for Katee. Brian bought a nice bottle of dill infused Akvavit, and we had shots with a little cornichon pickle chaser. Skål! Really hit the spot.

I did more people watching than actual reading...

Vesterbro was a really hip location to be in. Right off the Vesterbrogade. Our place overlooked a small and bustling cobblestoned courtyard with lots of bars and retaurants. I did a lot of idle people watching from the reading nook. It was lively long into the night.

Cafe Europa

Hyyge. What is it? Hyyge (pronounced hu-guh) is a Danish concept that's hard to explain in one definitive sentence. Basically it encompasses a feeling of cozy contentment and well-being through enjoying the simple things in life. Hygge can be literal–a reading nook with a cup of coffee or a cat on your lap on a rainy day. But it's also about the feels. When you are hanging out with good company, being your true self and laughing all day. It's super hygge when I'm home relaxing, eating candy and watching endless trash tv, and knowing no one knows how skimpy my home shorts are. I'd say hygge is a less smug version of our annoying #blessed.

Finding out the real pronounciation sort of threw off our Gettin' Hygge with it jokes. Anyway, I found this national obsession with all things cozy really endearing. I wondered if hygge was invented as a coping method for surviving the dark and grim Scandinavian winters.

The Straedet view outside HAY

The next day, we walked along the Stroget to Straedet and had a shopping day. HAY, a magical home goods store filled with pretty colors and innovative everyday objets. It is still relatively hard to see HAY designs sold in the US. Among my purchases, a minty green gym hook and a handsome brass mirror I'd been eyeing online.

Colors

Beautiful ephemera

Royal Copenhagen. Of course I fell in love with all the breakables. There were some gorgeous rooms upstairs with really fancy table settings fit for a princess. You know you're old when you're brain blowing over cut crystal goblets and dinner plates. I'm a porcelain breakables fuccboi. Having coffee out of one of the many cup and saucers I've carefully hand carried home from various trips, is my ultimate hygge. 😆

This faded pastel room at Royal Copenhagen

Last but not least, Illums Bollighus. The home-porn store to end all home-porn stores. All the classic Danish super stars under one roof. Beautiful pastel french presses by Stelton, Arne Jacobsen clocks, Georg Jensen candle holders, Kay Bojesen silverware, Bang and Olufson speakers, Anne Black porcelain, Muuto vases and my personal favorite: Normann Copenhagen. Something I noticed was that everything is pretty expensive in Scandinavia. These home goods weren't an exception. everything is precious and comes in it's own proprietary box with the name of the design company, a blurb on the concept of the piece, and photos of the designers responsible.

Pick me up in 4 hours

Items each in nicely designed packaging, no matter how dimunitive

The following day, we commited to a day at the Louisiana Museum. We took the train to Humlebaek after waiting in a ridiculous line at Central Station forever, to get the deal for roundtrip ticket plus + museum entrance for only 210 kroners. I used the time to buy a sim card for my phone, and try some skyr. The 15 minute walk from the station to the museum was a beautiful floral explosion.

We went on a Friday so it wasn't crowded.  The Louisiana was still beautiful and as I remembered it. This time since it was summer, everything was in full bloom and extra sensory. The exhibition at hand was an artist by the name of Tal R. There was a whole room dedicated to his bizarre sculptures. It was very ASMR. Lots of chimes and clock noises.

Smorrebrod lunch with strawberry pie

Of course we took a stair pic

Rube Goldberg of technical disasters

Back in 2012 as Cindy and I ate lunch in the sculpture garden, looking across the blue water at Sweden, I'd never felt so far away from home. From my desk at work, just daily life in general. Time seemed to move at a slower pace. You can easily spend the whole day there without realizing it.

Hej

I used to always picture the Louisiana when things felt stressful. It calms me down knowing that it exists. While I'm making digital trash at work, or attending meetings about meetings about meetings, I just think about people walking around the sculpture garden, talking quietly, enjoying a meal in the terrace, and all the white noise fades away. I see this place as an out of some sorts. Another place one could actually be. Feeling stuck is in our heads, we always have options.

You can see Sweden from here

Walking back to the train station I spotted something so unexpected and magical. Lily of the valleys growing along the edge of someone's front yard. I'd never seen lily of the valleys before in person, (I've done my fair share of research back in the day.. it's just not cold enough in SoCal for them to survive) so it was a pretty exciting moment to spot my unicorn flower. I regret not picking one to keep. At the time I told myself to rise above petty crimes and just be happy that I saw some but......ermmm. 😐

So special

I loved this house

Someone's delightful skinny flag

We got back to Vesterbro by seven in the evening, (4 hours til sunset!) and enjoyed a really hyggelig night in, with takeaway food from the restaurants down below, and lots of candles.

...To be continued.