When in Norway...

Since we've been in Norway, we've had a few moments when we wondered about some things... Some things are cultural, some are traditions, some are just plain personal preferences; they just are differences from what we know.

When we went to Oslo last weekend, we noticed as soon as we got off the plane some teens wearing red overalls with graffiti like writing on them.  They looked like they were partying, but since it was a long weekend (Labor Day) we didn't think too much of it.  The more we walked, the more we were seeing red overalls.  And then blues, and some blacks.  All the teens were wearing them.  Being the curious one I am, I've asked some girls what was the deal with their red overalls.  I was told they would wear them until May 17th - Norway's National Day or Constitution Day - it was to mark their graduation.  It's basically seventeen days of partying, dares, and doing a bunch of crazy shit which is not only legal but encourage.

They even have party buses.  We saw those in Oslo and they was some serious partying going on in there.  The boom-boom coming out of there was loud and those kids were partying.  Hard.

On the plane heading back to Bodø, Hubby was siting next to a little girl who I had seen, along with other younger kids, walk up to a teen boy in red overall asked him something and the boy handed her a business card.  I had also noticed that back in Oslo.  On the plane, the little was sorting her cards, she had a bunch. It looked like a business card but from the student, with their picture, phone number, etc. and some text.

Tonight, while having dinner at a restaurant, we had a chatty waiter, so I've asked him about the red overalls and if each color meant something.  Turns out the black ones are for trades (plumbers, electricians, etc), the blues are for sales, marketing, etc., and the reds are for everything else.  As for the cards, according to our waiter, they are often nasty and "not proper" for kids, but it is part of their tradition. 

That same waiter, explained what they call Tørrfisk (or Stockfish in English), since when in Norway...  might as well try some local fish (Hubby that is, since I don't really do fish).

Tørrfisk, on a postcard

Tørrfisk, in the real...

They dry the fish, and re-hydrate it and serve it with bacon bits, green pea mashed up, and a poached egg to end up like this...

 

I actually tasted it, and it wasn't bad.  The fish as such didn't taste like much, and with the bacon... I liked it.  Not enough to order some, but happy to have tasted it!  Like many things in life, it tasted better than it looked!