I don't know how you pack so much delight into each newsletter, but YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN! I had to google whether Wild Willy's Fuel Fragrance was a real thing 😂😂 And I loved reading about the secret self-serve Scandinavian cafes. There are so many delightful little finds in NYC, and I can't wait to read about which one you discover next! Thanks for taking us along on the ride!
I didn't want to diss the cafe too much in the article as it was such a lovely spot, but the cinnamon bun was just sort of meh. Not very flavorful, a little doughy. And I loves me a good cinnamon bun. Very disappointed!!!
Exactly how I feel about this and all other issues. Anne is a treasure and she makes treasures of the smallest things. It's a gift. Anne, please never stop.
In unrelated news, just returned from Italy where the coffee styles and t led vary but the aroma and taste is consistently perfect. I've spent past week with my moka pot trying to recreate the perfect espresso and pretend I'm still there. Have you ever explored the question of moka pot versus machine? Or whether it is ever a good idea to recreate an experience?
LOL for some reason that is deeply satisfying to know, LennArrrt! And thanks for the story idea! I was wondering if you'd see the story and am glad you did!
These secretive cafes make me want to return to NY for a visit. I would name it the Cafe Anne Tour. This calls for list making. What would be an non intrusive way to include a live glimpse of Anne? How many readers would sign up for a day tour of spots that Anne has reported on? How many would agree to wear all black (for obvious reasons)?
While I wait to get feedback on this concept (which is no doubt born out of a mini manic desire for room temperature waffles) -
scented garbage bags are always AWFUL. And I handle P.S. season syndrome by never speaking of it.
Liz, I have thought about this tour idea a little as others have suggested. I think it'd be most fun, though, if we were checking out new places that I hadn't been either. So it'd be a day of discovery together rather than me serving as "tour guide."
And your PS season strategy. So smart! I tried my first pumpkin spice latte last fall at Starbucks btw (this is between you and me) and wow. Just...
I’m from Minneapolis, where you can’t beat the cardamom buns at Fika, an exceptional restaurant at the American Swedish Institute. Their coffee’s top-notch, as is everything on the menu. Really. The Danes serve abelskiver (imagine an apple-filled donut hole) and, of course, Danish pastries for Sunday breakfasts at their cultural center. The Norwegian Lutheran church offers lutefisk (I call it fish jello) dinners at Christmas, as do many other Scandinavian Lutheran churches in the area. The rest of the year, they air out the place. Norwegians and Swedes do mingle. The big food divide is between Norwegians (who drown lutefisk in melted butter) and Swedes, who do the same with cream sauce. Church basement coffee is not the best, but the point is to fellowship (a verb) after service, not Mass. I don’t know how well Midwest Scandinavian food culture translates to New York, but it sounds like a rescue party is in order. Hope this is helpful!
Ah! First, thank you for pointing out that it is a service not a mass, for Lutherans, I will fix.
And given the population, it makes sense that Minneapolis would have even better Scandinavian treat representation than NYC.
My grandfather was 100% Swedish btw, and he had a bumper sticker on his station wagon that said, "WHEN LUTEFISK IS OUTLAWED, ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE LUTEFISK".
Oh, I love that quote! Lutefisk is, uh, divisive. Both of my parents grew up in poverty. My dad was Norwegian, my mom, Swedish. Lutefisk was a once-a-year treat for them, on Christmas Eve. We were a melted-butter household. My Swedish grandfather was a delight, with his old-country ways. Thanks for letting me reminisce.
I was expecting cafés with an explicit viking theme (it's New York can you blame me) :( Anne I am shocked, flabbergasted, and appalled you would use this level of clickbait! I will continue to be subscribed and nothing about my reading habits here will change.
Not a dog owner but looking at the worst dog park sounds fun. I don't know how to process learning about 'fuel fragrance.'
Makes me want to wander into our Greek Orthodox Church and see what they're serving. I could go for a gyro plate or some tzatziki flavored communion wafers.
I'm sure anyone could beat the Buddhists, Justin. At my meditation center the potluck is always lentils, lentils, lentils. Although sometimes you get some pretty good baked goods!
Tempting. Tempting. I grew up on Baptist and Pentecostal potlucks, which are some of the best food I've ever had. They can also throw a funeral luncheon like nobody's business. Funeral potatoes are something I'd eat every day.
Asparagus rolls are staple funeral food here. In fact I know a couple of people who call them funeral rolls. Please enlighten me to funeral potatoes, potatoes being a favourite food of mine.
I read this with interest and excitement as we're going to Denmark for Christmas this year. I've been several times as I have Danish family there who I love to the moon and back. The Scandinavians loooove their thermal coffee carafes. When I was a child my grandmother brought a fancy one back from a trip to Denmark which I promptly somehow broke the inner lining of with some kind of shenanigans. It didn't go over very well.
Definitely a Scandinavian thing! And also---the fellow who made up the thing about Fins eating herring on toast---I bought that right away. Didn't doubt it for a second. I've developed a taste for pickled herring thanks to my trips to Denmark, and I don't normally like pickled things AT ALL.
And as for your Coach bag, I had a bit of an obsession for them a couple of decades ago, seeking them out on Ebay and whatnot. I can spot them a mile away. I still have a couple of the smaller ones, but my chiropractor actually warned me off the larger ones because they're so damn heavy! (I have back issues). I now obsess over a Canadian brand called M0851, and have bought several of those new over the years 😺
OMG! I had to go back and check the photo of Anne for the Coach bag. LOVE Coach bags, but alas too heavy for me now. Will check out the Canadian company. I have been a purse/bag aficianado from my early teens way back in the Long Ago Time.
I asked Ray, David and the surprising answer is not much! There's plenty of Scandanavian themed culture centers, restos etc. but when it comes to Iceland specific the closest I can find is the "Icelandic wool yarn section" at Knitty City on West 79th. Clearly, there is a huge opportunity here as just about everyone I know won't shut up about their amazing trip to Iceland.
I’m not surprised- the Swedes, Norwegians, Finns and Danes emigrated to America by the carload in the early 20th century, but those who emigrated from Iceland instead ended up in “New Iceland”, in what is now Manitoba, Canada, or they gravitated to the province’s capital, Winnipeg. I am descended from such people.
Love the secret Nordic coffee church cafes. That would be funny if there was one in an Italian church and if it’s after 11am and you order espresso you’ll get the stink eye.
That first cafe was so appealing! What a beautiful ambiance.
Hersheys? Whatever that is, it’s not chocolate. Someone bought a pack of little Hersheys … tubs? … from an American import store. We all tried them with great anticipation and stared at each other with that first mouthful in our mouths. It was so tempting to spit it out. Shudder. Cadburys is Australia’s chocolate brand if you’d like to do a comparison.
Loved the pumpkin spice adverts too with their very honest reviews.
Thanks for the kind words, Beth. And I'm with you on Hershey's. It's like eating a bar of wax. I think most Americans feel this way, which does not explain the fact that we also eat 373 milk chocolate Hershey bars every year, according to the company.
I’ve seen many spellings of my name, but never seen Eirik before and I really like it! I almost want to adopt it just to be contrarian (very Aharon move)
I know Eric! Eirik is actually pronounced a bit differently than your name. And this is funny, but Eirik first told me his name is Eric—he said he got tired of having to explain it to folks outside Norway.
Norwegian men who are named Svein get so tired of explaining that its not "pig" in German - har har har - that they switch to Sven for English speakers. By the way, the Norwegian government keeps a list of allowable names for Norwegian babies.
I’m pretty sure I know how it’s pronounced because I watched a Swedish Royal show on Netflix and one of the characters was named what I thought was their version of Eric. But I never paid attention to the spelling until now.
The Swedish church you visited also has a Christmas fair where you can buy holiday housewares and gifts. We went last year. The cardamom buns were delicious and they had a variety of other things on the menu. Plus our favorite candy! A beautiful space.
On my mostly annual trip to the State Fair, there is a location for a Swedish Church which serves their coffee Swedish Church Basement style. Didn't know it was a thing. Anyhow they include an egg and the shell into the grounds. Supposedly it floats and absorbs some of the impurities and makes the coffee milder. Go figure.
My favorite part of the story was you and Aharon frustrated that the coffee wasn't hot enough and was self serve. You even bothered to go toward 'gas station coffee'. The height of irony for a woman who probably hasn't logged 1000 miles behind the wheel in the last 15 years :) So what I thought was so wonderful about your collective faux outrage was when the woman informed you they keep it casual since the staff are volunteers. Ha
This made me smile :) When I go to fundraising events like pancake breakfasts or whatever, my standard for good coffee and irregular pancakes is lowered.
I LOVE your episodes when Aharon joins you. You both would have been troubled by my Mom who had the habit of adding an ice cube to a fresh poured cup of coffee :)
I don't know how you pack so much delight into each newsletter, but YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN! I had to google whether Wild Willy's Fuel Fragrance was a real thing 😂😂 And I loved reading about the secret self-serve Scandinavian cafes. There are so many delightful little finds in NYC, and I can't wait to read about which one you discover next! Thanks for taking us along on the ride!
oh, but importantly-- HOW WAS THE CINNAMON BUN?!
I didn't want to diss the cafe too much in the article as it was such a lovely spot, but the cinnamon bun was just sort of meh. Not very flavorful, a little doughy. And I loves me a good cinnamon bun. Very disappointed!!!
Exactly how I feel about this and all other issues. Anne is a treasure and she makes treasures of the smallest things. It's a gift. Anne, please never stop.
In unrelated news, just returned from Italy where the coffee styles and t led vary but the aroma and taste is consistently perfect. I've spent past week with my moka pot trying to recreate the perfect espresso and pretend I'm still there. Have you ever explored the question of moka pot versus machine? Or whether it is ever a good idea to recreate an experience?
I agree! This was a keeper.
Yay so happy you enjoyed, thank you Emily!
What about the Finnish Reformed Church on the LES that serves herring on toast with coffee?
This would make me so happy Bob but I cannot find what you're talking about. Link please!
Yes, it would make me happy too. However, your post inspired me to fantasize in the moment …
WOW! Those Scandinavian Churches are competitive!
Sort of, JRB. But I also got the impression that the Norwegians were too cool to compete.
In keeping with the whole Norway v. Sweden thing. 🤷♀️
Well yeah they're cool"!! They got all those fjords and crap!
The Swedish church here in Sweden 🇸🇪 also serve coffee from thermos, so U've had a really Swedish church moment ☕
LOL for some reason that is deeply satisfying to know, LennArrrt! And thanks for the story idea! I was wondering if you'd see the story and am glad you did!
That is a truism!! Serving coffee in a thermos
These secretive cafes make me want to return to NY for a visit. I would name it the Cafe Anne Tour. This calls for list making. What would be an non intrusive way to include a live glimpse of Anne? How many readers would sign up for a day tour of spots that Anne has reported on? How many would agree to wear all black (for obvious reasons)?
While I wait to get feedback on this concept (which is no doubt born out of a mini manic desire for room temperature waffles) -
scented garbage bags are always AWFUL. And I handle P.S. season syndrome by never speaking of it.
Liz, I have thought about this tour idea a little as others have suggested. I think it'd be most fun, though, if we were checking out new places that I hadn't been either. So it'd be a day of discovery together rather than me serving as "tour guide."
And your PS season strategy. So smart! I tried my first pumpkin spice latte last fall at Starbucks btw (this is between you and me) and wow. Just...
Understandably, it is more fun to look forward. I look forward to your tour offerings.
Love this tour idea, sign me up!
Me too! I'd come from California!
Maybe I could create a tour package that includes dog cart or some other fun mode of transportation from CA to NYC.
I’m from Minneapolis, where you can’t beat the cardamom buns at Fika, an exceptional restaurant at the American Swedish Institute. Their coffee’s top-notch, as is everything on the menu. Really. The Danes serve abelskiver (imagine an apple-filled donut hole) and, of course, Danish pastries for Sunday breakfasts at their cultural center. The Norwegian Lutheran church offers lutefisk (I call it fish jello) dinners at Christmas, as do many other Scandinavian Lutheran churches in the area. The rest of the year, they air out the place. Norwegians and Swedes do mingle. The big food divide is between Norwegians (who drown lutefisk in melted butter) and Swedes, who do the same with cream sauce. Church basement coffee is not the best, but the point is to fellowship (a verb) after service, not Mass. I don’t know how well Midwest Scandinavian food culture translates to New York, but it sounds like a rescue party is in order. Hope this is helpful!
Ah! First, thank you for pointing out that it is a service not a mass, for Lutherans, I will fix.
And given the population, it makes sense that Minneapolis would have even better Scandinavian treat representation than NYC.
My grandfather was 100% Swedish btw, and he had a bumper sticker on his station wagon that said, "WHEN LUTEFISK IS OUTLAWED, ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE LUTEFISK".
Oh, I love that quote! Lutefisk is, uh, divisive. Both of my parents grew up in poverty. My dad was Norwegian, my mom, Swedish. Lutefisk was a once-a-year treat for them, on Christmas Eve. We were a melted-butter household. My Swedish grandfather was a delight, with his old-country ways. Thanks for letting me reminisce.
I was expecting cafés with an explicit viking theme (it's New York can you blame me) :( Anne I am shocked, flabbergasted, and appalled you would use this level of clickbait! I will continue to be subscribed and nothing about my reading habits here will change.
Not a dog owner but looking at the worst dog park sounds fun. I don't know how to process learning about 'fuel fragrance.'
Haha I was just telling a friend how I intend to be more click-baity, William. Glad it's not going unnoticed!
Wild! I would never think to walk into a church in search of a cafe. Especially a nationality-specific church that I don't belong to.
Who knew such riches abound?! We all do now!
Yes! I love that I've been here 29 years now, Justin, and every week I'm still learning about parts of the city I had no idea existed.
Makes me want to wander into our Greek Orthodox Church and see what they're serving. I could go for a gyro plate or some tzatziki flavored communion wafers.
I'm sure anyone could beat the Buddhists, Justin. At my meditation center the potluck is always lentils, lentils, lentils. Although sometimes you get some pretty good baked goods!
Tempting. Tempting. I grew up on Baptist and Pentecostal potlucks, which are some of the best food I've ever had. They can also throw a funeral luncheon like nobody's business. Funeral potatoes are something I'd eat every day.
Asparagus rolls are staple funeral food here. In fact I know a couple of people who call them funeral rolls. Please enlighten me to funeral potatoes, potatoes being a favourite food of mine.
I can see it now, the Big Coffee Table Book of Funeral Rolls!
How very fascinating, you guys, being a foodie myself. However a funeral food aficionado would indeed be new territory to explore.
I read this with interest and excitement as we're going to Denmark for Christmas this year. I've been several times as I have Danish family there who I love to the moon and back. The Scandinavians loooove their thermal coffee carafes. When I was a child my grandmother brought a fancy one back from a trip to Denmark which I promptly somehow broke the inner lining of with some kind of shenanigans. It didn't go over very well.
Also, nice Coach bag.
Haha I love that you spotted my Coach bag, BA. It might be the same age as me!
And funny to learn that the thermal carafe is a Scandinavian thing, not just a gas station thing.
Definitely a Scandinavian thing! And also---the fellow who made up the thing about Fins eating herring on toast---I bought that right away. Didn't doubt it for a second. I've developed a taste for pickled herring thanks to my trips to Denmark, and I don't normally like pickled things AT ALL.
And as for your Coach bag, I had a bit of an obsession for them a couple of decades ago, seeking them out on Ebay and whatnot. I can spot them a mile away. I still have a couple of the smaller ones, but my chiropractor actually warned me off the larger ones because they're so damn heavy! (I have back issues). I now obsess over a Canadian brand called M0851, and have bought several of those new over the years 😺
Yep I remember the carafes of coffee in Denmark in the 80/90s. The coffee was always yum.
They must employ have superior carafe technology, Lucy!
OMG! I had to go back and check the photo of Anne for the Coach bag. LOVE Coach bags, but alas too heavy for me now. Will check out the Canadian company. I have been a purse/bag aficianado from my early teens way back in the Long Ago Time.
Is there anything of an Icelandic nature in NYC?
I asked Ray, David and the surprising answer is not much! There's plenty of Scandanavian themed culture centers, restos etc. but when it comes to Iceland specific the closest I can find is the "Icelandic wool yarn section" at Knitty City on West 79th. Clearly, there is a huge opportunity here as just about everyone I know won't shut up about their amazing trip to Iceland.
I’m not surprised- the Swedes, Norwegians, Finns and Danes emigrated to America by the carload in the early 20th century, but those who emigrated from Iceland instead ended up in “New Iceland”, in what is now Manitoba, Canada, or they gravitated to the province’s capital, Winnipeg. I am descended from such people.
Love the secret Nordic coffee church cafes. That would be funny if there was one in an Italian church and if it’s after 11am and you order espresso you’ll get the stink eye.
Hahaha
That first cafe was so appealing! What a beautiful ambiance.
Hersheys? Whatever that is, it’s not chocolate. Someone bought a pack of little Hersheys … tubs? … from an American import store. We all tried them with great anticipation and stared at each other with that first mouthful in our mouths. It was so tempting to spit it out. Shudder. Cadburys is Australia’s chocolate brand if you’d like to do a comparison.
Loved the pumpkin spice adverts too with their very honest reviews.
Another terrific read. Thanks so much.
Thanks for the kind words, Beth. And I'm with you on Hershey's. It's like eating a bar of wax. I think most Americans feel this way, which does not explain the fact that we also eat 373 milk chocolate Hershey bars every year, according to the company.
And yes, LOVE CADBURY! So good!!!
I've never liked Hershey's even as a kid and I'm from here. Now, See's Candy is deeeelish!
See's chocolate covered toffee with almonds also a fave food for sure!
NOW ur talk in❗🍬🍫
I’ll see if the American import place has See’s Candy. Thanks for the recommendation. 😃
I’ve seen many spellings of my name, but never seen Eirik before and I really like it! I almost want to adopt it just to be contrarian (very Aharon move)
I know Eric! Eirik is actually pronounced a bit differently than your name. And this is funny, but Eirik first told me his name is Eric—he said he got tired of having to explain it to folks outside Norway.
Norwegian men who are named Svein get so tired of explaining that its not "pig" in German - har har har - that they switch to Sven for English speakers. By the way, the Norwegian government keeps a list of allowable names for Norwegian babies.
I’m pretty sure I know how it’s pronounced because I watched a Swedish Royal show on Netflix and one of the characters was named what I thought was their version of Eric. But I never paid attention to the spelling until now.
lololol
"...one person called another person a c—, and then the other people told him to go home and kill himself."
😆 Only in New York
Were they British/English? They're big on "c--!" like we're big on "d--!"
It's funny,DB. If I were writing for a British readership I'd actually have spelled it out, but here in the US I think it's still going a bit too far.
We're d--'s and prudes at the same time. How oximoronic of us 🙈🙉🙊
What a delight! One of your best Anne
Awww thanks Eliza! That means a lot!
The Swedish church you visited also has a Christmas fair where you can buy holiday housewares and gifts. We went last year. The cardamom buns were delicious and they had a variety of other things on the menu. Plus our favorite candy! A beautiful space.
Oh that sounds like fun, Maureen. Maybe I will see you there this year!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCwgb9fpyTf/?igsh=bTBhNXBubTl2M28z
Yes it is a lovely event!
On my mostly annual trip to the State Fair, there is a location for a Swedish Church which serves their coffee Swedish Church Basement style. Didn't know it was a thing. Anyhow they include an egg and the shell into the grounds. Supposedly it floats and absorbs some of the impurities and makes the coffee milder. Go figure.
My favorite part of the story was you and Aharon frustrated that the coffee wasn't hot enough and was self serve. You even bothered to go toward 'gas station coffee'. The height of irony for a woman who probably hasn't logged 1000 miles behind the wheel in the last 15 years :) So what I thought was so wonderful about your collective faux outrage was when the woman informed you they keep it casual since the staff are volunteers. Ha
You're right, Mr. Dolan. Rebecka's explanation actually helped the coffee taste better!
This made me smile :) When I go to fundraising events like pancake breakfasts or whatever, my standard for good coffee and irregular pancakes is lowered.
I LOVE your episodes when Aharon joins you. You both would have been troubled by my Mom who had the habit of adding an ice cube to a fresh poured cup of coffee :)