Because I’m Swedish!

Posted by: fracas on February 3 @ 9:46 am

Life in our family started just like any other typical Tuesday morning. Victoria came in to wake up Reinout. Her bike is broken and even though this has been a fact for a few days now, we still haven’t got around to take it to the repair shop. Perhaps because the last time the owner ended up in an argument with Reinout as he didn’t pick it up on time. Who picks things up on time nowadays? Life is unpredictable as it is. I still have dry cleaning and shirt repairs that I haven’t picked up for weeks. Well, my excuse is that I don’t venture outside the door that much anymore…..but still!.

I turned around snoozing on Reinout’s pillow. For what seemed like 2 minutes later I was woken up by Reinout and Victoria. Victoria had no sandwiches. She had made herself a fruit salad but that is no substantial lunch. My brain shifted into gear…. “We have a pack of Tortillas, why don’t you take that. Or the ginger bread cookies?” I knew it sounded absurd. No mother in Victoria’s school would let their kids come with gingerbread for lunch. Only a Swedish mum, that still thinks the school should have a canteen facility. I hold the Dutch mothers in high regards. They make perfect sandwiches for their children, cute little handmade presents that they distribute on birthdays, and theme based birthday parties. Victoria has often pointed this out to me, and I give her a casual excuse, my favourite being “I’m Swedish”. That one I use in all situations really. If people ask why I published a nude picture on my blog and I don’t feel like arguing my case I say “I’m Swedish. All self-respected Swedish blogs have at least one nude picture published.” So not true, but who can tell? If they ask why I still don’t speak Dutch I say yet again “I’m Swedish. The Swedish is not a tribe known for their language skills.” Again so not true, as I know many Swedish people that speaks Dutch fluently. If someone points out my dry sense of humour, I say it’s because I’m Swedish. The Swedes are known to have a marginally better humour than the Finns and the Germans. And that is true, in my humble opinion.

But in the case of giving my daughter gingerbread cookies for lunch, the Swedish argument didn’t seem to hold up (apart from that the cookies were Annas Pepparkakor bought at IKEA). But ransacking my kitchen didn’t feel like a great idea barely being awake. I still don’t know what she took for lunch. And on that note I better get on doing the online grocery shopping. Thank God for good old Dutch Albert Hein!