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Terje Leiran, chair of the UW Scandinavian Studies Department, congratulates SCC scholarship winners Margaret Berry and Emilia Sternberg.
It’s an act of faith to award scholarships for 2010–11 when we haven’t raised the money yet. (Our annual auction pays for the scholarships, and we moved the auction from the spring to the fall this year!) But we are confident of being able to further the education of these two splendid young Swedish scholars.
Margaret Berry has a double major in European studies and Swedish language (with departmental honors) and a minor in Russian. She first became interested in Swedish at age 16, when she spent an exchange year in Stockholm. She hopes to explore the roles that the Nordic states, Russia, and Eastern Europe play in international organizations such as the European Union, as well as their influence on each other. Her GPA is 3.96. She has been accepted into a direct exchange program this fall with Uppsala University, and will begin her year of studying abroad thanks to the SCC scholarship. Margaret told us: “I am very thankful for the opportunity to represent the UW and the Swedish Cultural Center while I study in Sweden next year.”
Emilia Sternberg just finished her second year at the UW, majoring in Swedish and international studies with a human rights focus. She was born in Sweden and moved to Minnesota when she was 9. She is studying Swedish because it’s important for her to stay connected to her roots and possibly move back to Sweden to study and work after graduating. She loves teaching Swedish to children at the Swedish School on Sundays at the Center. This summer she will study sustainability and creative writing in Ecuador with one of the UW’s Honors exploration seminars. Her GPA is 3.87.
Out-of-town members Eloise and Leroy Nelson of Northbrook, Illinois, won our recent Earth Day contest with this photo. Eloise writes: "Whenever I feel stressed, I think about watching the sunset from the deck of our cottage in northern Wisconsin, and a peaceful calm quiets my thoughts. This little lake, on the Spread Eagle chain in Florence County, is free of invasive species because of the watchfulness of dedicated volunteers and the vigilance of the lake association, committed to keeping these lakes pristine for future generations."
Search on Amazon.com for Viking books and you get 50,000 titles. Make that Viking history and you’re down to 2,500 books. The Nordic Heritage Museum carries about 15 Viking books. But visit the Swedish Cultural Center’s library, and you’ll find only three. We’re going to change that! The Viking lecture group, which meets every Friday at 5:30 p.m. for a 30-minute recorded lecture, is asking SCC members and friends to search their bookshelves and bring in any Viking books or videos they can part with—either new or used, for children or adults. We hope to have a collection worthy of anyone who wants to borrow a book or just leaf through one when you’re at the Center. Our goal is to have 100 Viking books in our library by Leif Erikson Day, Oct. 9, 2010. Please bring your books to the Center and drop them off in the office.
Food critic Jonathan Kauffman's search for international sandwiches brought him to our Friday Kafé recently to sample the smörgås. Here's what Jonathan, writing in the Seattle Weekly, had to say about the experience:
If the bocadillo is the My Bloody Valentine of the sandwich world, the Swedish smörgås (pronounced more like "smurgos") is its Sufjan Stevens: delicately flavored, intricately composed, and awfully pretty to look at. If you visit the Swedish Cultural Center on Dexter Avenue for its Friday Kafe and happy hour (which starts at noon), the sandwiches aren't the only sight. You and a half-dozen faded blondes in their 70s will be dining in the bar—Arne Jacobsen chairs, pale-blue carpet, and mid-century pendant lighting still in place—with a 180-degree, Canlis-like vista of Lake Union, all for the price of an $8 open-faced sandwich.Well, we knew our smörgås couldn't remain Seattle's best-kept secret forever. If Jonathan's description has whetted either your curiosity or your appetite, then head on down to the Swedish Cultural Center next Friday—before the food critics and faded blondes eat all the sandwiches.
Kristina and Claes Båvik's Svedala Bakery stand may have left Pike Place Market as of October 25, but the couple still sells pastries with Ikea-esque names (Tosca, Katalan) at Whole Foods. Since June, they've also been catering Fridays at the Cultural Center. On the day I went for a midday meal, the Båviks had prepared four types of smörgås for the refrigerated case, each as lovely as a bento box: a slim oval of rye with rippling curls of smoked ham and slivers of cornichon tucked into their folds; two slices of brie on thickly buttered bread with two slim apple slices arranged at angles upon them; smoked salmon garnished with a drizzle of sweet mustard, the tips of dill fronds, and shaved lemons; and a mound of penny-sized pink shrimp balanced on hard-boiled egg slices and a gratifying amount of mayonnaise. You eat a smörgås with a fork and knife as well as with your eyes, feeling not a little as though you should be having two martinis and a rubber of bridge with your meal. One smörgås, in fact, is not enough to feed a slightly overripe man in the prime of his eating years, so a cup of soup, a shared plate of Swedish meatballs for the table, or a domed wedge of Svedala's princess cake is needed to finish off a meal. Perhaps even all three.
Looming Large
SCC’s new 19th-century loom was installed in the lobby on a Wednesday afternoon, just after our Kafferep. Don Johnson from the Seattle Weaver’s Guild crafted some replacement parts and helped with final assembly. Thank you, Don!
It’s a four-foot loom with two heddles and two paddles, shipped from Sweden to the United States in the late 1800s. Last used in 1955, it still has the remains of a 32-inch-wide rug. We're brainstorming a new weaving project soon, so watch for updates. If you have expertise to share, or you’d like to learn with along with the rest of us, please call 206-283-1090 or
SCC’s new 19th-century loom was installed in the lobby on a Wednesday afternoon, just after our Kafferep. Don Johnson from the Seattle Weaver’s Guild crafted some replacement parts and helped with final assembly. Thank you, Don!
It’s a four-foot loom with two heddles and two paddles, shipped from Sweden to the United States in the late 1800s. Last used in 1955, it still has the remains of a 32-inch-wide rug. We're brainstorming a new weaving project soon, so watch for updates. If you have expertise to share, or you’d like to learn with along with the rest of us, please call 206-283-1090 or
Warren Moy's red 1961 PV544 Volvo won first place in our June 6 car show.
The Center hosted classic Volvos and Saabs in the parking lot for our first-ever car show to celebrate Swedish National Day on June 6. Many came to see the various cars, peek under the hoods, and admire the leather seats and well-kept interiors. The older cars (up to 1973) triggered many memories of living in Sweden. One woman asked to sit in the back seat of a Volvo 544 because when her family left Sweden for the United States, her last view of Stockholm was from a 544’s rear window. We enjoyed hearing personal stories about how these cars have enriched people’s lives. And the real Swedes in the group explained how to tell our Volvos (or spouses) “I love you”: “Jag alskar dig.”
All in all, there were 18 cars: 12 Volvos (444, 544, 1800, 122), four Saabs, and a new Volvo and Saab provided by local dealerships. The People’s Choice awards were as follows:
First place: Warren Moy for his 1961 Volvo 544.
Second place: Ingvar Carlson for his 1960 Saab 93.
Third place: Walt Tartar for his 1953 Volvo 444.
Fourth place: Dick Klomp, for his 1965 Volvo 1800.
Fifth place: Dick Libby for his 1964 Volvo 544.
Sixth place: Gary Ramstad for his 1967 Volvo 122.
After presenting the awards (wine, oil, silver platter, oil filter, car vacuum), we declared that classic Swedish cars should be considered the eighth wonder of the world (which would place them ahead of Ferraris)! The car show was followed by dancing, a festive dinner, and the drawing of the SwedeStakes winners. Mark Hillman won $1,000; Beverly Sperry won $500; and the winner of a year of pancake breakfasts was Barbara Wilkins.
Trondheim chanteuse Lise Olden wowed us with her performance at Nordic Exchange and other concerts in March—but it turns out she and her band were quite taken with America as well. Check out Lise's blog of her Seattle trip, including video clips and photos. She even sent along an MP3 demo of the lullaby "Vuggevisa" for her Seattle fans to enjoy.
What's Cookin'
Swedish chef Jonas Lundgren represented his native country at the Bocuse d'Or—one of the world's most prestigious cooking competitions—held in January in Lyon, France. He took second place, while first was captured by a Norwegian, Geir Skeie.
Born in Stockholm, Lundgren, 29, has worked in restaurants in Napa Valley, London, Paris, and Oslo.
The Swedish Cultural Center's 2009 auction, Voyage Aboard the Swedish American Line, was a resounding success thanks to our generous donors, volunteers, and attendees. Get more details.
The Seattle Times reports that Freddie Ljungberg, a former soccer
player of the year for Sweden, former captain of the national team and member
of two world-class teams, has joined Seattle's new soccer club, Sounders
FC, and is expected to play halfback.
Ljungberg comes to Seattle after 10
years in England's Premier League with Arsenal and West Ham United.
The New York Times also reported on Seattle's enthusiastic welcome
of its new soccer team and star player.
For more information on Swedish soccer, read this
team-by-team
guide and check up on
league standings.
Check Out the Three Crowns Lounge Re-do!
The strategic planning group of the Swedish Cultural Center is working to make the facility Scandinavian from top to bottom. Naturally, we started with the top! Come check out phase one of our Three Crowns bar refurbishing project.
July 5, 2008: Board members Erik Pihl, Bob Blair, and Brandon Benson take apart the bench that has seated countless guests to the Swedish Club. Board President Karl Larsson is installing one of the new light fixtures designed by Arne Jacobsen that will harmonize with the new furniture and the mid-century design of the building. |
 Brandon Benson, Karl Larsson and Erik Pihl carry the bench from the building. |
 Job well done! Bob Blair, Karl Larsson, Brandon Benson and Erik Pihl relax in the lounge's four new Swan chairs. Thank you to Design Within Reach for the opportunity to purchase the furniture within budget! |
SCC Hosts Epic Meatball Challenge
The Seattle P-I's Rebekah Denn was among the judges as 89 contestants vied for meatball glory in a contest hosted by the Swedish Cultural Center. Try the winning recipe for yourself.
