Finland - Food & Work

Food.

The Finnish diet seems to be largely bread and potatoes. They have really, really good bread in a variety that you can't come close to in Canada, unless you go to specialty stores and even then you rarely get the quality.

I think it's is largely due to the fact Canada and the USA do not have the same quality standards in their products. The food here in Finland seems to be more nutritious, have more flavor and be more effective. I made some buns with the traditional Canadian recipe. I ended up with nearly double the amount the recipe indicated.

However food here is more expensive. On a good point you could say that is good. But veggies and fruits will burn a hole through your pocket rather fast. But they are good.

Well I'm told they are not even close to what you get in Asia (at least according to my brother who was recently there), such as Hong Kong, let alone Kuala Lampur (pardon the spelling). I think THAT is due to the fruits and vegs having to travel greater distances and therefore are not permitted to ripen as well.

That and the EU is getting more and more genetically modified foods. But at least it is more restricted and controlled here.

But the food is good here. I don't get why people come to Finland and say it tastes like crap.

I am more of the opinion that most Finns don't sit down and enjoy the meal. It is all rush and no savoring of quality ingredients and well made recipes.

Finns need to relax, sit down and take more than 10minutes to eat a 3 course meal. I mean seriously not even more Canadians are that bad!

The food isn't spice, but it is generally fresh and good quality. Generally you can taste the ingredients involved.

And my Canadian friends when eating Finnish fare at my home in Canada have all enjoyed it and frequently asked for recipes themselves.

So no it isn't a matter of taste, but a matter of apprecation and taking the time to enjoy a meal.

As I have heard now more and more. Finns seem to act like life is work. They don't stop to appreciate what they have. Though some do, but I have to say that Finns have a REALLY good work ethic.

They just need to relax. And not work and rush.

*Note coming to Finland in the summer is the best, a large majority of Finns are using holiday leave, around 6 weeks I believe. Though I think most take just 3weeks off in the summer so they have some for the rest of the year. By the way 6 weeks + government holidays ie Christmas, easter, etc etc. Finns get a lot of time of and know how to use it generally.

A lot of Finns travel or migrate to their relaxing summer cottages!

Ramblings 17: Starving with a full Plate

Why is it that people want better quality but are unwilling to pay for it?

I just read an article about organic food. One of the writers commented how it is hypocritical to demand more organic and healthier food and not be willing to pay for the difference.

He also included that for some people it is a big deal and they can't afford it.

But let's look at the big picture. If everyone started buying organic, natural foods the prices would be forced down due to competition.

Currently organics is not leading in the market I believe it is about 17% or less here in Finland. And everyone moans about the price and then buys the non-organic cheaper one.

But if we all bought it this would change. Yes it is more expensive to grow and make, and not as sure. But if the people demand the companies, governments, the world has the answer.

And those forward thinking people would set up companies to dive into the "new" organic food market. 

Competition, competition.

But if you aren't willing to pay, the prices will never go down and even more long term the quality of food will decrease to such a level in which you can practically starve even with full plates of food just because the nutrients have been removed, sucked out or made so synthetically your body treats them as trash.

Most of us suck at seeing the big picture, in realizing that we do have the power to cause change.

Imagine, starving when your fridge and plate are full of food.

What I'm Eatting

For the past two and a half months I have had little choice in what food I consumed.

My Choice:

Now since moving out I get to decide and make whatever I want, which isn't always the best, especially when you are tired from work.

Generally the Finnish diet is chicken, fish and ground beef. With heavy doses or potatoes or pasta.

Salads in Finland are often laughable in proportions. Which is understandable since produce is rather expensive.

But I decided to splorge, my fridge is filled with leafy greens, mangos, tomatoes, paprika, pears, peaches, yams and more. 

It is fantastic, no fried food, no greasy meat.

Oh, I do have cold cuts, but I use them for flavoring and not the central focus of my meal.

I have discovered a fantastic sandwich.

Rye bread with avocado in the place of butter, a smidge of onion, couple slices and paprika (pepper) and a pile of lettuce. And then 1-2 slices of a chicken or beef cold cut.

It is ridiculously good.

My brother has discovered for himself the Raw Fat diet.

Which I haven't quite moved onto, but I'm working on it.

And by diet I don't mean short term. This actual change in the long term in what you eat

You avoid all processed fats, which is rather difficult since most foods contain it. And if you want meat you generally cook it. But to counter this you have smaller portions of meat and fresh veggies and fruit.

Avoid cooking when you can.

This diet leaves you with so much energy it is almost ridiculous. However you have to eat more!

The leafy stuff doesn't have all that much energy. So instead of 3 meals a day you go for about 6. But they are slightly smaller in proportions.

There is a bit more to it, but I'm still working on this details.

Comment: Feeding Your Pet

Hi Lee Ryan,

I am no animal expert or health expert, let alone professional. 

I do not know what you normally feed your dog, or the type of dog you have.

But here is my response to your comment:

From my own experiences, through osmosis, from television, websites, books, magazines and research, I believe you didn't hurt your dog.

You just gave him a tasty treat, which probably was a lot healthier than most dog treats. 

You got the meat from a local farmer, and assuming he doesn't inject or feed his animals with excessive growth hormones or other drugs.

Generally, the more raw the food you eat the better it is for you, however with today's world you risk a variety of diseases since most of our immune systems have been damaged by pollution and other toxins and lack of contact with a variety of bacteria due to excessive sterility (cleanliness).

Here is what I go by when buying for myself, and any animal for that matter: The less ingredients the better. If you can't understand the label then that food probably isn't good for you. It is most likely synthetic and made from a lot of oil-based chemicals.

As long as you didn't pour on a ton of salt and sauces your good to go. One steak isn't going to harm your dog. And most likely it might be even healthier for your dog to eat that than his regular food.

Grilling the meat is a type of processing so your dog won't have gotten as much out of the steak as he could have, next time try a rare one if you didn't this time. You want to avoid fried fats, (any fat that has been heated up is processed and our bodies (not sure of dogs) aren't designed to process that)

A lot of owners cook for their pets, this can often be expensive, but might be healthier if you do your research and find out what your dog really needs in his diet.

I don't know this for a fact, but I don't think a dogs natural diet includes the amount of corn and wheat most pet foods contain.

I conclude with do your research, don't just read what the pet food manufacturer says, remember he makes a profit from you and will twist his words to make you believe in his product.

Remember when researching to check who funded the study, often you will find it is the pet food manufacturers in the background. Though research is supposed to be unbiased, pure and everthing good it is often higly influenced by who does the funding and can be heavily skewed or censored.

If there are any errors in this post feel free to contact me and I will correct them.

And once again I speak only from my experiences and studies and make NO CLAIM to be an expert, phD or doctor.