Afternoon Tea in Helsinki - by Nigel A JAMES
Oven Baken Northern Traditions!
Harold
Moser used to work in Helsinki. And, there he fell in love with
Finnish chocolate cake. It was
the best, he adored it, and ate
it whenever he could. And, the following true story happened one
summer.
Harold
had become very good friends with a young Finish couple, and one day
they invited him round for
afternoon tea. And, Harold was delighted.
And,
the party was just as a tea party should be. There were plenty of
sandwiches, lots of hot tea, and there was a cake. The cake that
Harold loved most. A chocolate cake. And, there it was, freshly
baked, and waiting to be eaten. But, the cake just sat there and
waited!
And,
it waited and waited, and soon it was time for Harold to leave. And,
just a little confused, he said
thank you and left. And, the young couple, too, were confused. What
was wrong with the cake?
And,
Harold found out the very next day. In Finland, the tradition has it
that the guest, not the host, cuts and serves the first piece of
cake. And, being Austrian, Harold had no idea of this rather
strange
Finish custom. But, this isn't
the end of the story. The young couple invited
Harold again. But, this time Harold knew better. He knew what to do
and was looking forward to a
nice slice of freshly baked chocolate cake. But, when Harold arrived
he got a surprise. There was no
chocolate cake. The young couple had made a strawberry cake. Harold
obviously didn't like chocolate.
But, Harold smiled and cut and served the cake as he should. And, the
strawberry cake was delicious,
but not so good as a chocolate one.
And
soon, all became clear. It had all been a collision
of traditions, a cultural misunderstanding.
And, everyone laughed. And, the next time that Harold came round
there was a chocolate cake waiting for him. And, with time, Harold
became very good at cutting and serving. So, next time you're in
Finland, remember the rule. It's you who cuts first and serves.
And, that's a very good finish for a very Finnish
story from Finland!
Vocabulary
adored
(adore/adored/adored) –
schwärmen -
csodalni
collision – Zusammenstoß
- öszecsapas
confused -
verwirrt
- megzavarodva
custom – Brauch
- szokas
delicious – Schmackhaft
- finom
delighted - erfreut
– boldog
Finnish – finnische
- finn
invited -
(invite/invited/invite) – einladen
- meghivni
looking forward – auf
etwas freuen – örülni valaminek
misunderstanding –
Missverständnis
- tevedes
obviously –
offensichtlich
- nyilvanvaloan
rather – ziemlich
- meglehetösen
strange – ungewöhnlich
- szokatlan/különös
surprise – Überraschung
- meglepetes
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