Surviving Copenhagen: Food

Social welfare system, high standard of living and technologically advanced notwithstanding, Copenhagen can be a tough place to live. Because let's face it, unless you come from Sweden, Norway the UK or Japan, this place is expensive. But this is old news. Plus there's the whole friend making and friend keeping exercise and after hermitting behind a laptop in bed for a few years, simple greetings and social conventions may seem harder than pronouncing words in Danish sometimes.And so with that preamble, I bring you part one of the Surviving Copenhagen mini blog series. Part one: food.

So you really need to know how to cook. This will also come in handy when it comes to making friends. Desserts is okay but you only need at least one savoury dish. A tip: sandwiches are easy, pesto tastes good in almost anything and you can cook potatoes in a million different ways.

But sometimes you have to treat yourself as well. You haven't been using abrasive single ply toilet paper for the last two months for nothing right? The good thing about eating out in Copenhagen is that while they generally have a steep starting price, the top price isn't so comparatively bad, all things considered. Pickled herring smørrebrød (open sandwich on rye bread) and frikadelle (Danish meatballs) are a must and eating by the canals makes you feel like you have more money than you actually do. 

And then there's the pastries. Luckily the Danes are crazy about them so there's usually at least one in each neighbourhood offering the fresh smell of bread and tastiness to tempt you while you're on the way to your 8am class.

Of course you can always bake your own. And then slowly but surely gain a reputation for being the harbinger of dessert. Which is handy if the only Real Food dish you can ever contribute is sandwiches and pasta.

I honestly thought that at the end of the exchange experience I would go home emancipated because my money would be spent on travelling and shopping but as it turns out my priorities just aren't  skewered in that way. What's a girl to do?