Finland; the fourth day
Posted by: Aulikki, 08.30.2008Saturday we had plans to spend the afternoon and evening with my brother and his family.
In the morning we visited my friend Tuula and had breakfast at the coffee shop she works at. Then we did our mandatory trip to the outdoor market and also toured the indoor market. The indoor market has this magical aroma of coffee, fresh baked bread and all the other delicatessen; wherever I sense it I am right back at the market.
At the outdoor market they had an educational display of edible wild mushrooms, fascinating ? there had to be at least one hundred of them.
We had lunch at the outdoor market tent-restaurant, Paul had fried perch and I had fried Baltic herring steaks with mashed potatoes and salad. Fresh fried from the pan to plate ? melts in your mouth.
We took taxi cab to my brother's house. He was already preparing a feast for the afternoon; salmon with Saga blue cheese, dill and onion rolled up and smoked with alder. My nephew Antti stopped by with his girlfriend Kati and kids Heidi, Henna and Juho. We all enjoyed another seafood feast of the special salmon, Baltic herring in many ways and salads and of course good wine. We shared La Luciana Gavi, Alamos Chardonnay, and Norton Barrel Select Malbec.
It was so good to visit with my family, and just enjoy the afternoon togetherness. Keijo taught Paul how to make a "sauna vihta'. Vihta is a thick bunch of birch twigs, approx. 40 cm in lenght. Used to slap on oneself to promote blood circulation and cleanse the skin.
The vihta is not used as a whip, although it may so seem to the inexperienced sauna-goer. It is not supposed to hurt, but to make the skin tingle for a while. It should be a thick bunch of young, tender branches. It is important for it to have many leaves, as they make the slapping softer and more pleasant. Paul graduated with an A from the lesson.
Later in the evening he grilled more salmon and we all enjoyed a second round of more fish! There we were all "stuffed to the gill" literally. And now Keijo felt it is time for Koskenkorva.
Koskenkorva Viina (also known simply as Koskenkorva, or Kossu) is the most common clear spirit drink (38%) in Finland, produced by Altia in the Koskenkorva distillery in Ilmajoki. The grain (barley) alcohol is produced using 200-step continuous distillation designed to produce high-purity industrial ethanol. The drink is produced by diluting this alcohol with spring water and a very small amount of sugar. Although commonly called a "vodka" in English, in Finland it is not called a "vodka", but viina (from br?nnvin), "hard liquor".
After Keijo and Paul had four rounds of Koskenkorva "bottoms up", Keijo's speech clearly reflected it. And by the time we called taxi cab to go home, Keijo was in deep sleep on the sofa.
Finland: Day Four
August 30, 2008We first visited my friend Tuula at the coffeshop she works at, then toured the outdoor market and the indoor market. The afternoon we spent with my brother and his family.
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