Moveable feast
Iceland has gotten progressively more international and diverse in its food selection over the years, and this trip, it was particularly noticeable. The first two nights I was in town, I stayed with my relative Þórdís in Keflavík, and the first night, I brought home Thai food from my favorite restaurant in Keflavík, named, not surprisingly, Thai Keflavík. The following night she brought home one of her favorite dishes, a ready-made Chinese duck with mooshoo pancakes that I think she got at Nétto. I then migrated over to my friend Sigrún's house in Reykjavík, where she was kind enough to have made a full Icelandic leg of lamb dinner for me, along with these amazing rolls she learned how to bake in England. The next night Sigrún and I went out to Serrento's for dinner, which we both thought was going to be Italian pasta but it turned out to be Mexican food, I had a quesadilla. But it was back to Asia for dinner on Tuesday, first having Sushi in Kópavogur with my relative Bryndís, followed by more sushi at Sushi Samba with my friends Gísli and Örnólfur. And my last night in Iceland, over at Bryndis brother, Leifur, in Keflavík, we had a wonderful creamy chicken soup with peppers that counts as modern Icelandic cuisine I think, at least it was something his wife regularly served at special occasions like baptisms and confirmations.
Mid-day meals were a lot more traditionally Icelandic. I had kjötsuppa for lunch twice, both my first full day in Iceland and my last day, and I had a 3pm coffee with cakes and that creamy asparagus ham and cheese dish both on Sunday and on Tuesday, once with my cousins in Sandgerði and the second time with my mom's cousin in Reykjavík. Monday lunch was "rettir dagsins" at HÍ, a wonderful fish dish, ýsa with salad. Wednesday I also ate at HÍ, but I didn't get rettir dagsins since it was tuna in pasta (yuck), but I must say I don't remember what I did get, I was too distracted by all the rigmarole around me. Tuesday lunch was at that great restaurant next to the Saga Museum down by the harbor, I very much recommend it, Mattur og Drykkur it is called. They only serve traditional Icelandic food, but with a modern twist. I had the fiskibollur, very good. And Thursday, although I had already had the lamb soup for lunch at Víkingaheimar (which is incredibly good, super food really, good for what ails ya), I went ahead and got a hotdog also. Because what is a trip to Iceland without einn með öllu.
I like the emergence of a varied Icelandic pallet, a bit of this, a bit of that. A splash of South American spices never hurt anything, but I must say, if I am going to have sushi in Iceland, I don't want it to have mayonnaise on it. The fresh raw fish is just way too good.
It is like social media in a way. I don't think I am the only person who compartmentalizes myself online: my facebook self is more "normal" than my instagram self. And my blogger self is a lot more chatty than my email self. So we all need multiple outlets to express the full of our beings. But what we don't need is to only eat one kind of food over and over and over again, day after day after day, endlessly. Iceland joined the modern world so it could eat something other than kjötsúppa daglega.
* Who I am on Skype is none of your business.
Mid-day meals were a lot more traditionally Icelandic. I had kjötsuppa for lunch twice, both my first full day in Iceland and my last day, and I had a 3pm coffee with cakes and that creamy asparagus ham and cheese dish both on Sunday and on Tuesday, once with my cousins in Sandgerði and the second time with my mom's cousin in Reykjavík. Monday lunch was "rettir dagsins" at HÍ, a wonderful fish dish, ýsa with salad. Wednesday I also ate at HÍ, but I didn't get rettir dagsins since it was tuna in pasta (yuck), but I must say I don't remember what I did get, I was too distracted by all the rigmarole around me. Tuesday lunch was at that great restaurant next to the Saga Museum down by the harbor, I very much recommend it, Mattur og Drykkur it is called. They only serve traditional Icelandic food, but with a modern twist. I had the fiskibollur, very good. And Thursday, although I had already had the lamb soup for lunch at Víkingaheimar (which is incredibly good, super food really, good for what ails ya), I went ahead and got a hotdog also. Because what is a trip to Iceland without einn með öllu.
I like the emergence of a varied Icelandic pallet, a bit of this, a bit of that. A splash of South American spices never hurt anything, but I must say, if I am going to have sushi in Iceland, I don't want it to have mayonnaise on it. The fresh raw fish is just way too good.
It is like social media in a way. I don't think I am the only person who compartmentalizes myself online: my facebook self is more "normal" than my instagram self. And my blogger self is a lot more chatty than my email self. So we all need multiple outlets to express the full of our beings. But what we don't need is to only eat one kind of food over and over and over again, day after day after day, endlessly. Iceland joined the modern world so it could eat something other than kjötsúppa daglega.
* Who I am on Skype is none of your business.
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