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How to Live in DenmarkAuthor: Kay Xander Mellish
Bite-sized insights into Danish life, in 8 minutes or less. Life as an international in Denmark, one of the world's most homogenous countries, isn't always easy. In Denmarks longest-running English-language podcast, Kay Xander Mellish, an American who has lived in Denmark for more than a decade, offers tips for enjoying your time in the worlds happiest country plus insights on Danish culture and Danish working culture. Whether you're living in Denmark, thinking about moving to Denmark, or interested in a job in Denmark and want to understand Danish business culture, this podcast will offer insights and guidance. Each episode of How to Live in Denmark is just 8 minutes longperfect for your coffee break or commute. Join Kay Xander Mellish as she shares quick, witty, and useful insights on Danish culture and Danish working life. "How to Live in Denmark" tackles topics that will help you understand the Danish way of living, emphasizing work-life balance, the unique Danish workplace culture, and the social norms that define Danish society. With Denmark's renowned flat hierarchy, workplace flexibility, and emphasis on equality, understanding the subtleties of Danish work etiquette is essential for anyone working in Denmark or engaging with Danish businesses. Our discussions also delve into Denmark's flexicurity system, a distinctive approach to labor market regulation that blends flexibility with security, providing insights on how this model supports a dynamic and adaptive work environment. Listeners considering entrepreneurship in Denmark or business ventures in Denmark will find strategic advice on navigating the Danish labor market and leveraging business opportunities in a society known for its innovation and egalitarian corporate culture. (Is Denmark socialist? No, it's more free-market than the US or UK.) Expats in Denmark will particularly benefit from episodes focusing on cultural integration, socializing in Danish workplaces, and the crucial role of professional Language: en-us Genres: Business, Careers, Places & Travel, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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April, Gardening in Denmark, and what it means to be “Pear Danish”: The Danish Year Part 4
Thursday, 3 April, 2025
As the long Danish winter finally draws to an end, it’s time for Danes to start planting their gardens. Now, in early April, it’s rhubarb, parsnips, cabbage. After the risk of frost is gone, in late April, you can put down some beets, and chives, and parsley – all good traditional Danish food. By May, you can try with the tomatoes, which may or may not ripen depending on whether you get a warm, sunny summer, always a roll of the dice in Denmark. One year we ended up with hard, green tomatoes in September. Short growing season The growing season in Denmark is short. If you miss the planting deadlines, you’re probably out of luck. And even if you are in luck, the amount you spend at the garden center will far outstrip the amount it would take you to buy the same foods at the corner market. But Danes love to garden, they love to touch the Earth. Denmark industrialized fairly late compared to the rest of Europe – really not until the late 19th century – and even then it focused on cooperative agriculture for export. Denmark is still known around the world for its butter and bacon. The "gaard" is the family farm Many Danes still carry the name of their family farm in the name they use today. The Danish word for farm is “gaard”, so the names of jewelry designer Ole Lynggaard, or golfer Nicolai Højgaard, or politician Pia Kjærsgaard, all reference what was once the family farm, the “gaard”. This love for nature why weather is always an appropriate topic of conversation among Danes. They’re also very good at historical weather. They’ll tell you that the rains this April are just like the rains of April 2014, or that we haven’t seen this type of wind since the summer of 2006. Colony gardens If you live in Denmark with a house in the suburbs with – parcel houses, they’re often called – you have lots of room for gardening. But people who live in apartments often have what is called “colony gardens.” Colony gardens are a little patch of land set aside in the cities, or near them, for urban residents to have a garden. They usually build a little house on the plot as well, although you’re only allowed to live there during the summer. The electricity and the water usually get switched off during the winter. The houses are generally wooden, small, cramped, and a little thrown-together. There are often chipped plates and glasses, old chairs with cushions in a grandmotherly fabric, a few board games ready for rainy days. A flag pole and a big Danish flag to put up for holidays. And always, always, they are surrounded by a hedge for privacy. The colony gardens are run by an association, so you’re supposed to be friends with your neighbors, but keep them at a distance. Good fences make good neighbors and all that. Getting a colony garden requires either buying one or getting on a long, long list to get one, which means that very few of the 15% non-ethnic Danish residents of Denmark have colony gardens. As I mentioned in an earlier podcast, the list of residents tends to look like the 1957 Copenhagen phone book. The Unity Garden In my Copenhagen neighborhood, which is extremely diverse, there was initiative to change this a few years ago. A little bit of land freed up by the railroad tracks, and the idea was to create a Unity Garden. Half of the land was set off for people who were not born in Denmark, and half was set off for people who were. The idea was to meet up, work together, exchange knowledge, have summer picnics, meet across cultures. Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com
