Sometimes -- once a year, actually -- something so important occurs that you just have to get out there and partake. I would add some humorous suggestions right here, but screw it, this goes beyond comparison. What I am talking about, of course, is May 17th, also known as Norway's Constitution Day!
Last year we took care of the celebration for you... Parades, traditional food, games, we had it all, and you enjoyed-ish it.
This year we feel like you're grown up enough to make your own party. But as we are all about being your kind guides, we'll give you some pointers you'll probably want to take note of:
- Eat: Amateurs will go with the lefse, but pros know you should make a cream cake. Cooks.com has a good recipe, just make sure to substitute the pineapple with strawberries. Now, if you want to go really hardcore, you can try making a kransekake, but that's... Not so simple.
- Drink: May 17th is, frankly, more of a drinking holiday. You can find akevitt in most liquor stores, as you should -- this fennel based spirit makes for a great celebration. Pair the shots -- traditionally you do three at the time -- with a dark lager if you'd like, though some say that'll ruin the flavor of the akevitt. (And more will claim that as a good thing.)
- Play: Our game of choice is the potato race. Multiple contestants put one potato each in their individual spoons, then they race. It's that simple. Of course, they'll have to pick the potato up if they loose it, which is what makes this challenging.
- Parade: This one is simple: Play the Norwegian national anthem, march down the street, and wave the Norwegian flag. The more people, the better!
We'll be sorely disappointed if you don't post pictures of yourself doing any of this to our Twitter account, @spocool.