I'm an expat.
That is, I am a Danish national, living in the United States. I spent my first 20 years of life (more or less) in Europe — not always Denmark — before coming to this country in early 1981 to attend University.
The marina at the Danish town where we'd buy fish when I was a kid. The fish smokery was in the brown buildings furthest to the left.
Until my mid-30's or so, I would return to Denmark for longish stays, at least once a year. Most of my relatives are Danish, and still live in Denmark, or at least in the EU.
From time to time, people ask me whether I miss Denmark, and if I have ever considered moving back.
The answer there is "yes, in some ways" and "no, not really."
Psychologists often talk about our "formative years" and how certain thing we absorb when we are very young will stay with us as preferences for the remainder of our lives.
Although I spent more than 20 years living in Central Texas, I periodically consider how a large part of how I ended up moving to — and settling in — Western Washington state can be attributed to nothing more practical than "it FEELS more like home."
I ended up in Texas because "that was where the educational opportunity was," but it never felt like home. Ironically, I had actually hoped to attend UW in Seattle... but a paperwork SNAFU meant that I ended up with "Plan B" instead.
"Home" has always been a somewhat ambiguous concept, for me. We traveled/moved all over during the first 18 years of my life so I go to see and experience a lot of different things; different cultures; different climates; different foods.
Going back all the way to maybe age seven — or whenever I first had some minimal self-awareness — what I have always missed most about my country of origin has been the food.
Pondering this, for a moment....
Well, maybe not "the food" as a global concept, but certain foods and certain flavors that seemed absent from the culinary landscapes of any other places I'd be.
Later today, we are having a special lunch/dinner... that originally was supposed to be for the Summer Solstice. There's a very small food import business in Florida which remains the only place (I know of) in the US where I can order smoked Atlantic mackerel... and it was thinking about this particular food — very common in Denmark — that caused me to pause and ponder just what it is I miss the most.
So often, it is certain food.
Try as I might, I attempt to replicate that food here in the US, typically only with moderate success. Like the fish... which we don't get here on the US west coast because it's Atlantic mackerel.
But it's more complicated than that. As I said before, it is really certain flavors I miss... and part of the "missing the fish" has to do with the way it is smoked, and the wood chips and herbs used for the smoking. And that brings me to the finer nuances of other foods I find myself missing... even the mustard is different because it's not only a different recipe, but the mustard seed is from a different strain of plant, that grew in different soil, with different alkalinity.
And so, what we find ourselves missing — and it's something I have talked to other expats about — can be remarkably subtle nuances.
At it makes little sense to anyone who hasn't "been there."
I mean, I make really good Danish meatballs... but in Denmark the ground pork comes from a different breed of pig, raised on different fodder, processed at a different age, etc... and then it's prepared with spices and ingredients grown in different soils, under different conditions. And so, I can never hope to exactly match the flavor profile that was burned into my palate and my memory banks while growing up.
Why do some of us "reach for our roots" the way we do... and others do not?
That I have no clear answer for. And it's not like I spend my life wandering around longing for Danish food... far from it!
On occasion, I have been asked whether there are things about US food that I miss, after being in Denmark for a while.
Pretty much the only thing that comes to mind is a decent steak. Which is likely the result of coming from Denmark — where beef is a "luxury" meat that costs a king's ransom — to (of all places) Texas where (at least in the 1980's) beef was plentiful, cheap and excellent!
On the whole, though... I think we have to go back to the "formative years" part of the equation... and those had already passed, by the time I settled in the US.
And with that thought... it's time for me to go enjoy the fish!
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful remainder of your Independence Day!
How about YOU? Are you an expat? If so, are there any specific items from "home" that you miss? Are they related to food, or something else? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 20220704 15:10 PDT
0603/1849
I find myself occasionally missing aspects of the life I remember from my youth in Minnesota, but I also remember the bitterly cold winters and the humidity, heat, mosquitoes, and wood ticks of summer. May and October were pretty nice, but the rest was really not all that great. Ever once in a while, though, some sight or scent will trigger a nostalgic memory.
Yes, I'm an expat. And I can so, so, so very much relate to what you have said. I am German, grew up there and we spent our vacation in Denmark so I KNOW the smoked mackerel you are talking about - it is so very good.
There are certain foods for me as a German, and I am not only talking - bread - OMG American bread, unless it is 'special' bread - is pretty much BAD, but other specialties. I miss those. So every time I am visiting my home country and relatives - they know what to cook for me :)
Somehow I didn't know you're Danish even though I've been following you for a while now. Though I am German, Denmark is ingrained in me because of my fam vacations.
It all comes down to terroir, which is usually used in conjunction with wine, but as you have noted, can also be applied to other foods.
I am not an expat, but I can relate in a small way to what you are saying. My mother made excellent fried chicken, which I long ago gave up on trying to replicate. Also, I have her recipe for raisin oatmeal cookies, which never taste quite like I remember them. Is it just a quirk of memory, or is some ingredient a bit different now? I wonder.