Mountain/Ski Food

[randoskier]

Pickled everything is great, except herring (I might be barred from Norway for saying that)

"Where there are pickles there must be vodka." - from a Russian cookbook I reference sometimes for various Russian and ex-Soviet dishes.

Hiking this past October (always an iffy month) from Trollheim to the Dovre Mountains in Norway we were descending to a Setra a very old farmstead converted to a trekking cabin by the DNT (Norwegian trekking assoc.). When we were halfway down the mountain we saw 2 SUVs parked by the cabin, there is a jeep road to it but nobody is supposed to use it, because it is in a wilderness area. We got closer and saw the vehicles were from the DNT so we figured they were doing maintenance or something. A woman came out of one of the cabins and asked me in very halting English if we wanted a coffee. I said yes, my wife said no. We still had our packs on just standing outside, had just arrived. She came out with a tiny cup of coffee and shot glass, another woman came out with a plate with a slice of bread, 4 cherry tomatoes and a pickle on it. They motioned to drink. I did, then she instructed me to chase it with the bread-tomato-pickle set up (quite nice really). Then they came with another one. A guy from the DNT came out and said "I see you found the vodka" He explained he had brought up five families that were Ukrainian refugees in the nearby city to hike for the weekend. He said they will not stop with the vodka, when they are not looking you throw it away someplace. Real nice people, we had dinner all together. All of their husbands are fighting the Russians and one of their sons. They were all from different regions with two families from Kiev. These were the two youngest of the group, kids just trying to be kids-

[DG99]

Polenta always reminds me of pellagra (the disease). Tortillas have lime-processed corn, freeing up the niacin. If you eat mostly polenta you don’t get your niacin and end up with pellagra…..

Pellagra was a problem in two provinces in Italy (mine Veneto, and neighboring Lombardy) but has not been a problem since 1920 something. It was mostly a 19th century problem due to lack of diversity in agricultural peasant diets and the resulting lack of essential vitamins

Polenta is widely eaten and loved here, especially in the mountains.

Oh yeah…. So sad to have nothing but polenta to eat. And amazing, the ancient wisdom of tortillas.

[mca80]

kids just trying to be kids-

Not what I remember being a kid was like, sitting around on phones or other video electronics. I was out skateboarding, on bmx, building bmx trails and jumps, doing insane shit off the high dive, skating laps around people at the ice rink, etc. Might be part of the problems we see today.

[connyro]

kids just trying to be kids-

Not what I remember being a kid was like, sitting around on phones or other video electronics. I was out skateboarding, on bmx, building bmx trails and jumps, doing insane shit off the high dive, skating laps around people at the ice rink, etc. Might be part of the problems we see today.

LOL.

[mca80]

kids just trying to be kids-

Not what I remember being a kid was like, sitting around on phones or other video electronics. I was out skateboarding, on bmx, building bmx trails and jumps, doing insane shit off the high dive, skating laps around people at the ice rink, etc. Might be part of the problems we see today.

LOL.
get-off-my-lawn-clint-eastwood.gif

Yep I am a crotchety old man. And I challenge any of the young neckbeard hipster doofuses at telefest to out-ski me downhill on nnnbc even though it was only my 3rd and 4th time going downhill.

In fact, I challenge you to an uphill downhill race at the porkies midweek when lifts arent running. Are you up to the challenge?

[connyro]

Not what I remember being a kid was like, sitting around on phones or other video electronics. I was out skateboarding, on bmx, building bmx trails and jumps, doing insane shit off the high dive, skating laps around people at the ice rink, etc. Might be part of the problems we see today.

LOL.
get-off-my-lawn-clint-eastwood.gif

Yep I am a crotchety old man. And I challenge any of the young neckbeard hipster doofuses at telefest to out-ski me downhill on nnnbc even though it was only my 3rd and 4th time going downhill.

In fact, I challenge you to an uphill downhill race at the porkies midweek when lifts arent running. Are you up to the challenge?

Well then how come you didn't enter the race this weekend and prove your skills? Thanks, but I'll pass. I'll hand it to you though - challenging a stranger from the internet to a dick-waving ski race is hilarious. I'm really starting to warm up to you.

[Crayefish]

Pickled everything is great, except herring (I might be barred from Norway for saying that)

"Where there are pickles there must be vodka." - from a Russian cookbook I reference sometimes for various Russian and ex-Soviet dishes.

That is an excellent mantra. I shall borrow it!

[randoskier]

kids just trying to be kids-

Not what I remember being a kid was like, sitting around on phones or other video electronics. I was out skateboarding, on bmx, building bmx trails and jumps, doing insane shit off the high dive, skating laps around people at the ice rink, etc. Might be part of the problems we see today.

LOL.
get-off-my-lawn-clint-eastwood.gif

@mca80 If you were out on your board you would have missed the reindeer-stew dinner.

These two kids were standing on top of a high mountain the next morning, they are athletic. They are very worried about their dad who is in mortal combat against the Russian Army, so the DNT is trying to change the air and distract them from the war, which is a reality for them, at least for a few hours. The reality is a lot of them will never see their father again. Every night all of the Ukrainians received daily social media posts from family and friends still in Ukraine, not so much from their husbands because of security concerns about position. This was the night of the large missile attack on Kiev last October, when they get their friend's clips on youtube they recognize the neighborhoods that are crumbling and burning. This boy taught himself a bit of English somehow, also one of the women could speak it fairly well. Most spoke more Norwegian than English as they are taking daily classes there. They do not want to stay in Norway, they don't want to live as Russian slaves, they want to go home to Ukraine, a free and secure Ukraine. Really nice, genuine people.

Wonderful old setra cabin too, it had half-height doors and low ceilings to conserve the heat from the hearths- I still have bumps on me head. . For breakfast we made 'merken style pancakes with the the scores wild blueberries we had picked during the previous day's hike (adding about 3 hrs to that journey). Will have to ski here sometime.

[randoskier]

kids just trying to be kids-

Not what I remember being a kid was like, sitting around on phones or other video electronics. I was out skateboarding, on bmx, building bmx trails and jumps, doing insane shit off the high dive, skating laps around people at the ice rink, etc. Might be part of the problems we see today.

What problem do "we see today"?

[randoskier]

Polenta always reminds me of pellagra (the disease). Tortillas have lime-processed corn, freeing up the niacin. If you eat mostly polenta you don’t get your niacin and end up with pellagra…..

Pellagra was a problem in two provinces in Italy (mine Veneto, and neighboring Lombardy) but has not been a problem since 1920 something. It was mostly a 19th century problem due to lack of diversity in agricultural peasant diets and the resulting lack of essential vitamins

Polenta is widely eaten and loved here, especially in the mountains.

Oh yeah…. So sad to have nothing but polenta to eat. And amazing, the ancient wisdom of tortillas.

It could also explain why Yogi Berra looked like he did- he descends from a peasant family in Lombardy. I guess the polenta did not effect his hitting or vocabulary.

Not as sad as the potato famine. I am Irish.