You would never see an American doing ...

My last blog outlined a few of the glaring cultural mis-steps that I've made in the last week, but there are some things that I still look at in wonder.  Serenity made the comment that, "There are very few things I can never imagine an American doing. There are so many different kinds of us..." Which made me start thinking, what are some of the quintessentially Danish things that Americans (at least the vast majority of us) would never do?

1) Think that salted black licorice is candy. This fact alone makes me question if Danes actually have taste buds.

2) Think that bread and cheese a breakfast make.  Just bread and cheese.  If you are truly adventurous ... put some jam on that cheese or have two breakfast rolls with different kinds of cheeses.  [Sigh] Our weekly brunches make me long for pancakes, biscuits and gravy, omelets, and hashbrowns.

3) Bike through the snow and ice in high heels.  I'm not really for sure what to say about this phenomenon, but I think it is commendable.

4) Keeping the time-code of Jente.  This one is a bit tricky but, Jente is a deeply held Danish belief that everyone is equal.  So equal that you would never show up late or early.  You show up on time.  This means if you arrive at someone's house too early you stand out on the doorstep until the exact time of your arrival.  Heaven forbid if you are late!  One of my professor's continually tells me that "It is your shame to be late."  I seem to be unable to hit the on your nose type of time and fail quite utterly here.

5) Refusing to go anywhere without looking fabulous.  In my first year of college, I went to my 7 am class in my pajamas for an entire semester. When I told this fact to the Danes they were astonished.  What was I thinking?  You must look good when you step outside your house.  Gone are the days that I could leave in sweatpants, pajama pants, hair in a bun, athletic shoes on, or without makeup.  Now I look good all of the time.  (Even to go next door to the Pakistani grocer for milk.) Its a sad development. 

6) Keep their wardrobe colors tightly constrained to black and nuetrals.  This entire country wears black and only black.  There are occassional bits of color, but I think they are from poor unsuspecting tourists that have yet to discover that black reigns supreme.  On rare occassions, I feel free to flaunt my love of color and people just stare at me, which is a bit weird, but I choose to think they love it so much that they can't stop looking. 

All in all, I love it here.  Its interesting that there is nothing like Wal-mart, you rarely eat out, and everything closes by 6pm.  You can change, you can adapt, you can learn the steps of the Danish dance.  It helps that despite the differences that people are people the world over and they can be just as crazy as any American I have ever met.  These pictures make my point better than I could express it in words.