Observations on Danish culture

This is the paper I wrote for my Danish class. We were to pick three observations on Danish culture, and then describe/analyze them. If possible, we were to compare to our home country and to include elements from our class discussions.

Observations on Danish culture

In experiencing any new culture, certain things stand out as being surprising or different. While Danish culture has many similarities to Minnesota culture and values, a few experiences have stood out in the first few weeks here.

This evening I took part in the food club of our floor in the kollegium for the first time. Hans had wrote in the kitchen book he was making dinner, and to sign your name if you were brave enough to eat it (an example of Danish modesty). As I had been invited earlier to come to the food club, I signed up. Before I even describe the meal, I think the entire idea of a food club is something that is different from home. Part of that arises from the living arrangements, as we don't have a common kitchen we share with others. If we did, I don't think a formal food club would be setup. A few friends might cook a meal together (and maybe personally inviting some other friends), but we wouldn't make a formal club or advertise the event for all to come. Forming clubs about nearly everything is common in Denmark, and this is an example of that.

When I showed up for the meal, only three people were there. It was rather awkward, because while they had greeted me with “hej” when I entered the kitchen, they returned to their danish conversation immediately. I was left out of much of the conversation before we sat down to eat a half-hour later. In the US, I think more introduction and conversation with the newcomer would have been initiated. Although foreign to me, the article by Anne Knudsen explains this as somewhat normal behavior. The other members of the food club were not trying to exclude me, but rather include me by not drawing attention to my newcomer status. Acting differently when I came in the room would have drawn attention to inequality, which would have been very un-Danish.

As the British resident on our floor showed up and we sat down to eat, everyone was very nice to turn the conversation to English and we had a great time. We passed dishes around the table like at home. Pork chops, peppers, and rice were certainly not new foods for me, and the food was similar to what I'd probably eat at home. After everyone helped clean up (as we would at home), the food club played Trivial Pursuit. It was in danish of course. The toughest part of the game was them translating the questions, but that made it even more enjoyable for all. Had I not read Anne Knudsen's article and discussed it in class, I might have really felt unwelcome when I first came to the food club. As can be seen by the way the rest of the evening played out, that was certainly not the case at all. And Hans was a very good cook!

Another experience that stands out has been my time volunteering at Øster Farimagsgade school with a seventh grade English class. On my first visit, the seventh graders were finishing a test. Two guys finished early, and gave me a tour of the school. As we walked around, I commented to them that they must be the best ones at English since they finished so fast. The rest of the class was still working a half-hour later. Their reply was “no no, we just don't look over our answers twice”. They might not have looked over their answers, but it was because they knew it all so well that they didn't need to. This comment resonated with me, as we had discussed in class how signs of competition and inequality tend to be suppressed in a classroom setting. Rather than being puzzled by the reply, I feel like I understood him much better because of our discussion in Danish class.

A third observation from my time in Denmark that has surprised me has been the way Danes talk about other Scandinavian countries and other continental European countries. I didn't expect all of the “wise-cracks” and shots at these different countries. From my perspective they are quite similar and I figured Danes would have the same perception. At almost every chance, Danes (ranging from those on my floor to professors at DIS) will make fun of Norway, Sweden, France, or Germany. These comments might be at Swedes waiting for the light to cross an empty street at midnight, or at Norwegians for only selling half a cucumber in the grocery store. I think the comments are made in much the same way that we might talk about Wisconsin or Canada at home. The Danish people have a lot of patriotism and pride in their country. Perhaps not even in the country specifically, but in the Danish people themselves. Contrasting Danes with other cultures (who might actually be quite similar) is a way that the Danish culture is maintained I think. Drawing a border between who is and who isn't Danish is a way to make “being a Dane” something to be proud of. One could probably draw parallels to the immigration issue here as well.