the swede life in toronto

I bet you are wondering what witches have to do with Easter? Well, in Sweden, Easter is more like the North American Halloween. Yes, it sounds counter-intuitive, but Sweden celebrates Easter with little children dressed as witches and warlocks trick-or-treating in the neighborhoods hunting for candy and sweets. The tradition comes from a myth where […]

I was amused by these interviews of average Swedish guys and gals on the streets of Stockholm by NewLondonerTV. Asking everything from “Do you believe in God?” to “Which country has the most beautiful guys/girls?” to “What is missing in your life?”, they seem to be quite content with their lives and their looks, which […]

Spring is in the air and many Swedes are starting to thaw from the bitter cold. It’s almost time to play outside and listen to some sweet sounds of music from Swedish artists coming to Toronto! One Swedish artist who I have come to admire is Vide Geiger, an accomplished guitarist and singer/songwriter who resides […]

One thing I fell in love with in Sweden is the sweet smells of fruity black tea to go with my toast and jam or limpa and cheese sandwiches in the morning. Though most likely borrowed from the Brits, fruit-flavored tea is consumed with milk/cream and sugar. Black tea is not just limited to Earl […]

You probably won’t see most of these foods at a Swedish restaurant or in a cookbook, but it’s food like this that make many a Swede excited to travel home just to get a taste of it. Although not as bizarre as eating toasted crickets in China, live octopus in Korea or boiled eggs with […]

Here’s another excuse to eat sweets before Lent… Swedish semlor! This traditional Swedish sweet roll spiced with cardamom and filled with almond paste and whipped cream is the ultimate Easter “fika” (mandatory Swedish coffee break). It sometimes is eaten in a bowl with warm milk and consumed before the multiple Easter holidays. I am not […]

Sorry I have been out of commission the last week or so since I was traveling to Texas to meet my family. I feel like a fish out of water here, as I traveled from an arctic -15C to a balmy +28C with nearly 70% humidity within a day! My skin feels great, but I […]

As a Swedish child, you have plenty of ways to play or “leka med” other Swedes in Toronto. Nowadays, you can easily get Swedish toys and books as well as join in a Swedish playgroup. First, a shout out to the Swedish Church and Pastor Anna Runesson, who started a wonderful program for Swedish kids […]

Before coming to Karelia Kitchen, we didn’t know what to expect. After reading stellar reviews of the place and the background of the owners, we were a little skeptical. Can a couple with no Scandinavian roots cook really good “Scandinavian” food? The answer is an astounding YES! After a lengthy discussion with Leif Kravis and […]

UPDATED: MARCH 24, 2014 One thing that people miss from their home countries which makes living abroad easier is definitely local TV in their native language. Luckily, the Internet has eliminated most of that problem. However, it is still a bit limited because of local copyright and region access laws. So while you may get […]