Mette's Fødselsdag

My friend Mette hosted a girls' lunch to celebrate her 30th birthday. The only male allowed was her brother Brian who played waiter and dishwasher.  What a guy!  It was a delightful afternoon filled with good company and excellent food.  There were at least 15 guests, and I was the only non-Dane, which meant I listened to simultaneous conversations in Danish and concentrated extremely hard to figure out what people were saying.  Come on, all you non-Danes, let me see you try it.

What was even more challenging was when Mette's neighbors passed out a sheet of paper with Mette's photo and a song they'd composed in her honor.  I tried to sing along, but you can only imagine how I struggled with that.  Thank goodness the women had lovely voices and mine got drowned out.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief each time they lifted their glasses for a toast.  It's easy to say "Skol!"  My fledgling Danish also meant that I snuck away from the table periodically to snoop around Mette's house and take photos of the party food, her art, and other things I fell in love with.  It might sound strange, but I'm still carrying the multi-colored paper napkin around in my purse.  The color combination is inspiring.

At Mette's request I brought Nanaimo bars.  I'd shared them with her several months ago when I made a batch for the Daring Bakers challenge.  The other Danes at the party seemed equally smitten with this Canadian dessert.

You might not have heard of Hancock beer or soda, but Hancock is an historic brewery in Skive, where Mette lives.  I thought it was a fun party touch that she had two crates of soda bottles available for the taking.

In Danish, "Det var en meget hyggelig eftermiddag."  Translation:  It was a very cozy afternoon.  If you don't know much about the Danish culture, they are very into the concept of cozy and creating a warm, relaxing atmosphere.  Who can argue with that?

Tillykke, Mette!
Congratulations!