«Meglio vivere un giorno da leone che cento anni da pecora.»

"It is better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep.

«Det er bedre å leve en dag som løve enn hundre år som en sau.»

I don’t know how much Benito Mussolini knew about agriculture. But this is, as far as I know the quote he is the most famous for.

Last summer we went to Turkey. On a daytrip we visited Alanya Castle with a group of tourists. One of the men was from Italy, and I told him “I have been told that “Meglio vivere….”, and like in a flip of a coin he got all elated, I didn’t even get to complete my sentence! (I was pretty peewish I was deprived of my moment of brilliance in Italian) He finished it for me, and then went on and on about the good things Mussolini did for Italy. I have to admit that I don’t really know a lot about Mussolini, but apparently Italians do… which is fair, but I know enough to realize that truth is an individual thing. The things he mentioned are not what I have been taught Mussolini contributed to the world. But I am sure he, like everybody else, had his moments of lucidity.

To be a lion: to roar against the world, showing off superior strength and to make a statement has something enticing and seductive about it. And the aspect of total rule (even if it is based on spreading fear) is to many very attractive.

As a leader, with the qualities of a lion you protect, you are brave, you are willing to fight, you hunt, you are part of a pride and you end up being a loner in the big scheme of things. Or, so the link below tells us. (http://ezinearticles.com/?6-Characteristics-of-the-Lion-to-Consider-For-Your-Own-Leadership&id=4046756)

I can’t help but thinking there are many kinds of lions, each with their own specific role and place. They all serve a purpose to complete the pride. Just because they don’t roar the deepest and loudest, doesn’t mean they are not important. Actually: most of the time the one lion in charge is the least significant in the pride. He steps up on special occasions only. But we still think of his qualities to be characteristic of all lions in general. And we tend to give him the qualities other members of the pride hold. Just to make him complete and close to perfect.

 

When you are a sheep, well…. Basically you are a sheep.

When I look up Characteristics of Sheep on wiki answers this is what I get:

“1. timid, fearful, easily panicked

2. dumb stupid, gullible

3. very vulnerable to fear, frustration, pests, hunger

4. easily influenced by a leader, by the shepherd

5. stampede easily, vulnerable to mob psychology

6. little or no means of self-defense; can only run

7. easily killed by enemies

8. the shepherd is most effective, calming influence

9. jealous, competitive for dominance

10. constantly need fresh water, fresh pasture

11. have very little discernment in choosing food or water

12. best water source is early morning dew

13. perverse, stubborn - will insist on their own way , even eating poisonous

plants or drinking dirty water

14. easily "cast" - flipped over on their back, unable to right themselves

will die of starvation if not turned over by shepherd; helpless

15. frequently look for easy places to rest

16. don't like to be sheared, cleaned

17. too much wool can cause sheep to be easily "cast"

18. creatures of habit; get into "ruts"

19. need the most care of all livestock

20. need to be "on the move"; need a pre-determined plan, pattern of grazing

21. totally dependent of shepherd for every need

22. need "rod and staff" guidance

And yet; They are of a gregarious nature...meaning they love to be with the herd, they are herbivores. Sheep must have a leader (shepherd) and must be told what to do and where to go, otherwise they'll wander off and get lost.”

 

I grew up on a sheep farm. I am not an expert, but I know enough about sheep to know this opinionated characteristic of sheep is totally wrong. This is more like myths about sheep, created because they are animals we herd and tend to. And we misconceive their peaceful nature to be stupidity, just because we know they are unable to protect themselves against predators. Sheep are valuable and can’t be put at risk out of carelessness, ignorance or fear of own safety.

 

Here in Norway we let the sheep graze in the mountains, much by themselves, all summer. We only check on them now and again to make sure they are doing ok… and most often they do. Not many are attacked by predators, other than dogs on the loose or an occasional bear or wolf, which are very rare. Here beasts of prey are close to extinct. Sheep do quite well on their own when left alone in a safe environment. They are easy going, laid back and quite good at living a good life. They don’t make a lot of noise; most of the time they are just content, and only baa to locate their lamb or mother, or if they strongly disagree with something… like when it’s time for shearing them. And yet they are tough (on occasions sheep have survived quite harsh winter conditions in the mountains), persistent and patient… good mothers too, with everything that includes.

 

So, Mussolini wanted to be a leader, not a disciple. He wanted to be the one in charge. Very admirable to be ambitious, but… the way I see it, those led, are only willing to be led as long as it benefits their own wants, needs and way of life.

When a leader no longer take in consideration the nature of his people, regardless of if we are talking about family, school, work, organization, country or any other group of people in some kind of coexistence, leadership ceases and it turns into ruling using different means of force. People are not dumb and stupid just because they want a good life.

 

Nature doesn’t agree with force; then harmony and productiveness turn into conflicts and corruption. As a result dissolution, disorganization and gradually annihilation set in.

Baking for Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, and here, in Norway, part of the tradition is to bake cookies. It is common to count 7 different kinds, but most have more than that at home. They don’t necessarily bake them all (the store has a lot of delicious options) but most have cookies and cakes in cookie jars and tins, ready to be served if someone should drop by during the holidays.

Preparing for Christmas takes a lot of organizing on beforehand. To get everything done on time, and avoid intense stress mess (after all I want this season to be about family friendly values and spending quality time together with others), I plan December day by day. Too much planned in one day often results in nothing getting done at all; I just get caught in overwhelmed distress. Much because this is not only a month of extensive number of traditions and seasonal events at home, in sports-clubs and school, but it is also the season for end of term tests and grading. This is the height of the season, both at home and work.

 

Making tons of Christmas cookies (julekaker) is one of the Norwegian traditions. We tend to eat so many of them while baking, that by the time Christmas is actually here, we are almost fed up with them. But they are important to us.

The discussion on which kinds of cookies we should count as the real deal is an ongoing issue through out the country. There is no key or set rule to which ones to bake (or buy), but most families have their own traditional cookies they would like to include. On the net I found  the most common ones are:

«Smultringer», «goro», «fattigmann», «krumkaker», «sandkaker», «sirupssnipper» and «berlinerkranser». I bake a few of them, but far from all. I guess tastes have a say on what you bother to bake, as there is no point in baking just to throw them away when they get stale…  some time in March.

Smultring  are Norwegian doughnuts. They are smallish and usually prepared without glazing or filling, and are often flavoured with cardamom.

Smultrings are torus shaped and sold from trucks and, at Christmas time, from stalls. They are described as being "thick heavy dough fried in lard – best eaten while hot and with the grease still dripping! Smultring are popular with expatriate Norwegians including those in Minnesota who serve them with krumkake, riskrem (rice cream), and fattigmann at Christmas dinners.
^{(source wikipedia.com)}

Goro were traditionally the "rich man's" cookies in Norway – they are prepared from what used to be really expensive ingredients like butter and cream and they are baked on specially smithed irons that very often are family heirlooms. The cookies have a texture that's a cross between a cookie, a cracker, and a waffle, lightly flavored with cardamom. I just love the pattern these cookies get in the iron when baked. I don’t make them very often, though. My grandmother had an old fashioned iron, which had to be flipped, as it was heated by the fire or cooker, but my iron is a modern, electrical one and the cookies are just too thick to become as delicate and crispy as I like them.

Another cookie, which is made from almost the same ingredients as Goro is Fattigmann, or "Poor Man Cookies" which are twisted into pretty knots, quickly fried in oil or lard, and sprinkled with vanilla sugar or confectioner's sugar. They're a favorite in Norway and Sweden, and easy to prepare either with a special fattigman cutter or with a pastry cutter.

I don’t really make these either. I have tried, but... I just never got the hang of it. They just turned fatty and not that tasty at all... maybe I have the wrong recipe. My family never really had a tradition for baking these.

Delicate Norwegian krumkake cookies are baked on a circular cookie iron, then rolled into cones or cigars. They're guaranteed to crumble when eaten, in such a delicious way! There is no way you can eat these in an elegant manner, but I love them! I do not bake them in a large scale... I make them when I plan on serving them or when someone asks for them, as they are the best when just made. Or at least I think so.  I serve them alone, but most times I serve them filled with whipped cream mixed with fruit or berries (cloudberries is very popular around Christmas time) or with ice cream.

 

Serina Cookies are the ultimate Norwegian butter cookie, with a light texture that comes from using hartshorn (a.k.a. baker's ammonia or hornsalt) rather than American baking powder. Sprinkle them with pearl sugar and watch them disappear! Lovely to dip them in hot coffee and add some mocca taste to them  (I know, not very proper, but I do that to chocolate as well...)

 

"Sandkaker" (sand cakes) are formed in pretty fluted tins, quickly baked in the oven, and then served either inverted to highlight their beautiful shapes or else used as tart shells for both sweet and savory fillings. I usually fill them with vanilla custard and berries... or diced fruit. Any kind I have at hand makes these cookies a real treat.

The cookies my kids love the most is Spritz (Sprut in Norwegian), Christmas Cookies are crisp and delicious. Sprut cookies are always on my list of goodies to make.

I lay them together, filling the pair with a delicious frosting added a hint of rum essence.

 

A cookie I do bake a lot of and put in the freezer is Sarah Bernhard. An almond base with chocolate butter cream and chocolate icing.

When I am to serve them I take them out of the freezer, put the coffee on and they are thawned just right for serving by the time coffee is done. They are delicious and just melt in your mouth with an explosion of jammy taste of chocolate.  They are ok for Christmas, but I would turn big as a house if I made them all year round.

 

We also design and build a gingersnap house for each of the kids to decorate with sweets  of their own choice and confectioner's sugar. They get to crack it and eat it New Year’s Eve.

We bake big hearts and tie a bright red bow in them and hang them, i.e. the windows, for decorations... and then some figure shaped smaller ones for eating. Scrumptious!

People with No Kids Just Don't Get it

This is just too familiar to me...