Säkerhets Tändstickor

I thought everyone was going to say: ABBA, Bjorn Borg and IKEA, but I was wrong, very wrong. Only one of my e-friends had similar thoughts when I ran a poll on Facebook and Twitter, asking: “What/who are the three things/people that come to mind when you see the word ‘Sweden’?”

Here are some of the replies I got.

Petra: “ABBA, IKEA, Swedish flag”
Graham: “Hammarby, Systembolaget, yoghurt”
Willem: “poetry, porn, cars”
Lesley: “tall beautiful blondes, Wallander, Volvos”
Sipho: “Stockholm Syndrome, Saab, Socialism”
Isabella: “Thailand Tsunami Tragedy, blondes, Volvo”
Etienne: “The Chef, meatballs, Moot Moot Moot”
Malcolme: “blonde, leggy, porn”
Karen: “Strindberg, ABBA, Larsson (Nobel, Assange, Muumin)”
Barnabas: “excellent healthcare, excellent public transport, sh*t beer”
Petina: “Going to Eden by way of Sweden”
Eric: “Jaap, van, Zweden”

It’s good to see that Sweden has gained renown for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from cars and music to political policy and, erm, popular content. I was, however, a little disappointed not to see “Säkerhets Tändstickor” on the list. Those were the first Swedish words I learned. They are printed on every box of Svalan matches, and whenever I light a cigarette I whisper them to myself in my best Swedish accent. Give it a try: “Säkerhets Tändstickor.”

Stockholm

Because I’ve been whispering those words for well over twenty years now, I decided it was high time to extend my range of Swedish phrases. So I asked the only Swedish person I know, Bodil, to list her favourite sight, sound, scent and taste in Stockholm. I hope you’ll join me in whispering her words in your best Swedish accent as I attempt to decipher them.

Sight: “Kungsträdgården är ett levande område som binder ihop det gamla Stockholm med det nya” – I think Bodil may be referring to a park in Stockholm, possibly with statues on display. My guess is: “Kungsträdgården is living history that keeps all of Stockholm spellbound.”

Sound: “Oändligt högt pratande i mobiltelefon, överallt” – I think I know what Bodil means: “People talking much too loudly on their mobile phones everywhere.” Some people hate this, but I quite enjoy gaining insight into the lives of strangers on the bus.

Scent: “Doften av nygräddade våfflor på serveringen vid kungliga slottet Drottningholm” – I’m not sure what this is, but I’m pretty sure you can catch the scent of it as it is served at Drottningholm Castle. When I submitted “Doften av nygräddade våfflor” to Google Images, hundreds of pictures of waffles made my mouth water. I should have known “våfflor” were waffles. A good word to remember!

Taste: “Tunnbrödsrulle med räksallad och Pucko” – This sounds like some sort of tuna salad that is best eaten with Pucko, which is either a little bottle of chocolate milk or an angry-looking man with long hair and a beard, if Google Images is to be believed.

That said, I invite readers to extend our knowledge of things Swedish and to correct any mistakes I may have made above. Meanwhile, I’ll be here whispering: “Nygräddade våfflor med räksallad och Pucko.”

(Memo to the Swedish Ministry of Economic Affairs: I had to visit no fewer than eight shops in Amsterdam to obtain the props for the above photo. Time for a matchstick marketing campaign, methinks.)

Richard de Nooy

Posted by:   Richard de Nooy  | 
Join the conversation Show comments

John van Beers

Tunnbröd = een soort dun zacht plat brood, een soort dikke bloemtortilla
räksallad = garnalensalade

Richard

Of course! Tunn = dun = thin ≠tuna. I’m sure the other translations are perfect…

John van Beers

Tunnbröd = een soort dun zacht plat brood, een soort dikke bloemtortilla
räksallad = garnalensalade

Richard

Of course! Tunn = dun = thin ≠tuna. I’m sure the other translations are perfect…

Ton van Overbeek

Kungsträdgården (literally the Kings Garden) is a living neighborhood which links together the old and the new Stockholm. It lies just north of Gamla Stan.

Richard

Aha, thanks pointing us in the right direction, Ton. Any other Stockholm tips?

Ton van Overbeek

Kungsträdgården (literally the Kings Garden) is a living neighborhood which links together the old and the new Stockholm. It lies just north of Gamla Stan.

Richard

Aha, thanks pointing us in the right direction, Ton. Any other Stockholm tips?

Theresaslaski

We went to Amsterdam last year and we loved these tandstickors but have not been able to find any in the US….any ideas

Theresaslaski

We went to Amsterdam last year and we loved these tandstickors but have not been able to find any in the US….any ideas

Bodil

Dear Sir,
Just to clarify the issue with the Tunnbrödsrulle med räksallad; It contains two hot dogs (as in sausages) with mashed potatoes, topped with mayo shrimp salad in abundance, all wrapped in tunnbröd – the Swedish version of a tortilla-like wrap. Should the räksallad ever stray from the path unto the section of våfflor, that would be a horrible mistake that even all the benefits with the place (like ABBA, Stieg Larsson, blue movies, IKEA and fermented herring etc) could not rectify.
Yours most respectfully,
Bodil

Bodil

Dear Sir,
Just to clarify the issue with the Tunnbrödsrulle med räksallad; It contains two hot dogs (as in sausages) with mashed potatoes, topped with mayo shrimp salad in abundance, all wrapped in tunnbröd – the Swedish version of a tortilla-like wrap. Should the räksallad ever stray from the path unto the section of våfflor, that would be a horrible mistake that even all the benefits with the place (like ABBA, Stieg Larsson, blue movies, IKEA and fermented herring etc) could not rectify.
Yours most respectfully,
Bodil

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