Language ponderings
I’m getting interviewed for NPR show The World tomorrow, all because of this post about IKEA that I wrote for Gadling a few weeks ago. Basically IKEA has a pretty complex system for naming things. For example, sofas and coffee tables are named after places in Sweden while wardrobes and hall furniture are after Norwegian locations. I am getting interviewed to talk about the Swedish language and different translations of things.
In regards to IKEA, Danes recently went into an uproar about the “mocking” nature of the store in only naming items like doormats after Danish places. Apparently doormats and carpets are considered “lesser” furniture after cooler and hipper things like couches. So what do the Danes do? Call IKEA’s system of naming their products a new form of cultural imperialism. Seriously.
This brings me back to the issues of foreign language and language in general. Most non-Scandinavian language speakers probably never put a thought into what their IKEA bed’s name really meant. Or the spice containers for that matter. But to the Scandinavian community, these names are cute, quirky, and, in the case of Denmark, symbolic of cultural frustration.
Language has many purposes. We use it to communicate, but we also use it to associate with certain cultures, traditions and societies. So for the Danes, IKEA using Danish places to name un-cool things like doormats hits a soft spot. It might sound ridiculous, but then again, you’ve never gotten in a room full of nationalistic Scandinavians.
Cambodian pop music: Dengue Fever
Yesterday I had an overwhelming longing for Southeast Asia. This is slightly odd, considering that when I was in Southeast Asia in the fall, the travel was a little intense; but isn’t the grass always greener on the other side? Since returning I have come to realize that deep down I loved it, enough that I miss it. A lot. So there I was on Sunday night, desperately missing Cambodia. As I read through travel guides to Phnom Penh on Travelhappy I had the urge to find some non-profit, book a ticket, and cross the Pacific as soon as possible. Instead I cam across Dengue Fever. Not the disease, but the band.
Based out of Los Angeles, the band mixes Cambodian pop music with a whole lot of other sounds, mainly rock influenced, to create a sound that is pretty great. The group is five American alternative rockers, headed up by a female Cambodian singer, Chhom Nimol. Basically the music is a lot of Khmer lyrics mixed with some alternative, psychedelic, and dance sounds, providing for a different kind of World Music.
To feed your need for Cambodia, you can check them out on their Myspace page or at Last.fm.
Swedish food in Portland… and it’s not at IKEA.
Let’s be honest, most people would call me a “europhile.” I take no offense to that; it is true that I am always on the prowl for all things European. Which is why last weekend I was happy to discover — thanks to my hip and in-the-know friend Kristina –Broder. Portland has a wide array of restaurants featuring cuisine from around the globe, but Broder has the one thing that no one else does: Swedish food. In my personal opinion, it really is hard to go wrong with Scandinavian fare — although my Swedish-born mother might disagree. Simple interior design and just enough lingonberry jam made me feel like I was in a Stockholm cafe… right in Southeast Portland. Read more about Broder on the Stumptowninfo blog.
Return. Reboot. Remember what you learned.
It’s been over two months since I returned (well, semi-permanently) to the US, and although I was itching to live in a real room instead of out of a suitcase, I can already feel that travel bug starting to crawl all over me. Why? Because travel pushes us. Not that everyday routines don’t, but there is something truly special about living or traveling in a new place and accomplishing small tasks.
So as I sit in the cafe and start to feel ansty and I see that I have somehow wound up at the Kayak website once again (I admit it, I have an obsession with airfare searching) I need to remind myself of the lessons that traveling teaches and how to incorporate them into my Portland routine. In fact, I need to just take some of my own medicine and re-read this article that I wrote on exactly the subject, published today on Brave New Traveler. But sometimes such things are easier said than done.
Getting political
Beyond my cultural musings, I decided it was time to get a little more political with my writing — or at least voice my opinion on things I find important. So I started writing for Rethos, an online “platform for change.” You can check out my writing, as well as lots of other politically, culturally, socially, and environmentally sensitive issues here.
Traveling the US for non-Americans: always getting harder
If you didn’t already know, the Bush administration is currently encouraging (or should I say coercing) the EU governments to comply with new transatlantic travel security demands. One of those is armed US guards on all flights from Europe to the US on American owned airlines. To say that the Europeans are frustrated is an understatement; many of them already feel that travel to the US is harder than it used to be.
Since 9/11 travelers from Britain to America have decreased by 11%, despite a weak dollar that makes big American cities shopping meccas for anyone with pounds or euros in their pocket.
Are we pushing international travelers away because of our new standards? Read Ed Vulliamy’s blog for The Guardian where he asks the question, America – more hassle than it’s worth?
blog.annabrones.com 