37 Comments

It's a lovely story...and now more to add to the things we share - meeting my Swiss wife when I didn't speak German and she barely spoke English was...interesting and challenging. Learning German, then discovering no one in Switzerland actually speaks German - they have their unwritten dialect that varies in every Canton and isn't close at all to German...and of course, I could write an entire piece on the challenges of working in a professional kitchen with a severe language handicap...and on it goes, which I'm sure you are more than familiar with!

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a) Your proposal was almost unbearably sweet. I'm very glad your wife took pity upon you and said "yes", b) the shady looking man indicates that 1930s era male hustlers are not encouraged to turn tricks in food preparation areas, and c) I likely won't get the thought of beef being used as a female contraceptive out of my head for the rest of the day. Thank you.

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Like my grandmother used to say, don't hate the hustler, hate the hustle.

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Was your grandmother, like Churchill's, from Brooklyn by any chance?

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A small Welsh village actually. I'm unable to spell or pronounce the name of it.

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Almost exactly the same thing.

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Lovely story. Your storytelling is marvelous. Thank you.

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And thank you. It's a very generous thing to make the time to leave such a nice comment. I really appreciate it.

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Love it!

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Thanks, Jolene. Hope all is well with you!

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Wil, this was just the most charming post! I hope to visit Turku one day, though I'm beginning to fear that my 596-day Finnish learning streak on Duolingo may not get me very far. 🤣 I must try those Karelian pies, too.

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Meagan, thank you so much. Mutta, jos sinä olet tehnyt 596 päivää duolingossa, ehkä meidän pitaisi kirjoitaa suomeksi?? 😉 And thank you so much for reading and becoming a paid subscriber! It means so much to me.

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Ole hyva! Rakastan kirjoitustasi.

ja...

Jopa 596 Duolingo-päivän kanssa suomen suomenki on kauheaa!

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Thanks for another peek into your life in Finland. Curious: have you seen a movie called Fallen Leaves? I don’t know the original Finnish title. My husband and I watched it last night and enjoyed it, though that’s probably not the right word, for there wasn’t much joy. Indeed, it was rather dour. I guess I hadn’t pictured the people or country as such but your description of un-winter seems to fit. Please tell me it’s not always so cheerless.

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Haha. That film is called Kuollut Lehdet. Which actually translates as Dead Leaves. I've not seen that one but I'm a big fan of the director, Aki Kaurismäki. My favourite is called The Man Without a Past. A very funny film. But how to answer your final point... I think the things I see as important to the Finnish worldview and even relationship with "happiness" is the healthiest I've ever experienced. There is definitely a reason this cold corner of the world with their long winters and reserved people is considered the happiest country in the world. 😉

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Oh I love this!! You took us to Finland!

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Well, that's nice to hear. Thanks Cecilia!

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Sooooo funnyyy! have many upticks!

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Thanks, Anna!!

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Had a good giggle at this morning! Thank you.

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Making people laugh at my inadequacies is an odd aspiration but I'm glad to be achieving it. Thanks Ritz!

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PSA: On the matter of what my then girlfriend first said in Finnish when I asked her to marry me, she tells me today it was "todellakin tulen". The best way of translating this is "absolutely I will"

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Delightful! Did you ever find out what your wife first said right after you proposed? 😂

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Good question. I'm rather afraid to ask in case it was actually a "no" that turned into "yes" only after she took pity on me.

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Oh I'm sure she was very touched by the sheer sincerity – it took guts and true love to bare your soul in a language you hardly knew 😂

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Very sweet of you to say. Thanks!

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That really made me laugh…

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Ah, you've made my day, Will, thanks. I take it you're also a fan of the cow diaphragm??

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Well, that was chuckle out loud, Wil, thank you. Generous to be so self-deprecating. I can only imagine the butchery being wrought with my rather clumsy French!

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Can't be worse than my Finnish. As for the self-deprecating... it's the only way I know how to be. Thanks for reading.

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I shall be looking up cow’s diaphragm and trying it out at the local boucherie!

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Demander l'onglet.

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Merci bien!

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I’ve not ever had Aura cheese but I should like to try it as blue cheeses are some of my favorites. Where does it fall on the “blue cheese spectrum”?

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It's a real "session" blue. Very moreish, if you know what I mean. Very creamy but plenty of "blue" flavour. Not very long aged, probably closer to roquefort on the scale of things. Really well balanced between salt, cream, and strength. I prefer it to Stilton but please don't tell any British people I said that.

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The one Finnish cheese i do eat is Leipäjuusto — it’s called Bread Cheese here in the US. I use it to make saag paneer; I cut it into cubes and give it even more toasting on the cut edges. So much more flavorful than untoasted paneer! With un-winter progressing, wild greens should be in the offing!

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We love that stuff. Actually, it's not always easy to find paneer here in Finland and Ive occasionally used Leipäjuusto in saag paneer as well (it's my wife's favourite Indian dish.

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