Euro Vision: Gypsies!

 

Finnish Gypsies

 

So after the worldwide premier of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, that awe-inspiring train-wreck that some how or another did not win any Emmys this past year, everyone is fairly familiar with the gypsy stereotype. The show makes them seem to run rampant in the U.K. Adamantly refusing to adapt to local cultures and ideals, and being somewhat of a nuisance to those who are forced to live around their clans.

So ridiculous, and so awesome. Reality TV at its finest! (source)

I really expected to see gypsies in Germany. In a country where multi-culturism has officially 'failed', that according to Merkel, I never ran into a clan of gypsies. We saw them in Rome, I encountered large families in Greece, at a distance. But they seemed to be even more of a stereotype. Think Esmeralda of The Hunch Back of Notre Dame.

But it wasn't until this year in Finland that we came across gypsies. I guess the gypsies really stand out here and we have seen quite a few traveler families out and about.

How can tell they are gypsies??

You really can't miss their 'traditional' dress. The women wear hoop-skirts in black velvet, accompanied by an apron and ruffle shirts. The men dress in dark black suits. Along with their olive skin and dark features, something you can imagine stands out in Finland, it all lends to  their somewhat derogative name of Mustalasia, coming from the Finnish word for black: Musta.

Traditional woman's dress (source)

These are the Romani Gypsies, a distinct group that started in what is now northern India. The wandered the European continent for hundreds of years and were nearly wiped out by Nazi prosecution during WWII. The are known to have occupied Finland since the 17th century. Men traditionally held jobs as horse traders, but more modernly are involved in horse breeding, car dealing and scrap metal trading. Women continue their traditional work as fortune tellers or handicraft artists.

Seen here at a fast food restaurant, Hesburger. (source)

Check out this great gallery of Finnish gypsy photographs!

While gypsies are not fully welcomed anywhere in Europe, Finland doesn't seem to be one of the more racist countries. Yes, for those of you unaware, Europe can be very, very racists. I guess so can any closed-minded and ignorant person, no matter where they hail from. But still, gypsies were and still are to some extent discriminated against here as well. People seem to tolerate them around, although I can imagine they still get treated as inferior to this day. The thought from long ago is that they are lazy, not hard working and bring in criminal activity. While some might say this is still true, I think it is an unfair assumption to be born into.

More shots of their dress, and the men in black (source)

And there seem to be quite a large number here. Recent figures put the Romani population at anywhere from 6,500 to 10,000. That is a big chunk for a lesser populated country. To put it into perspective, Finland's nomadic indigenous people, the Lapps, only have numbers in the 2,500's. So it's not uncommon to run into a gypsy at Ikea, the mall or grocery story. I see at least a few a week.

But for me, it is no big deal. I just try not to stare, but I'm nonetheless intrigued at how people living like this are still around. Fascinated might be a better word. If anything, I guess it is just one more thing that reminds me that I am still in Europe!

Doubled that baby up. Euro Vision and a More You Know Monday!

*Information gathered from: Source 1, Source 2

Euro Vision: Mmmm, shelved, warm milk

I didn't think that my new weekly feature really had a catchy title. Although "Things that remind me I'm still in Finland" is exactly what I intend to write about, it doesn't have that zing to it that I was looking for.

So I borrowed a little gem from Europe's own continent-wide singing competition, much like American Idol, only with more mullets, and came up with this...

Slip on those Euro Vision glasses and see what I see everyday.

This week's entry:
Milk. Oh so warm, non-refrigerated, perfectly good milk.

And now, apparently, with super-human abilities! (source)

While shopping for milk at grocery stores back in North America usually involves strolling down the nipply aisle (that is the official name for the fridge section) and reaching your hand as far back as you can into the cooler to get that 'fresher' milk in the back. Check the expiration date, and if you have a week's time, that milk is yours!

Here is what we do in Finland. We walk down the dairy aisle, past the coolers and stare at the shelves full of room temperature, no-need-to-refrigerate-until-opened milk. Yep, just sitting on the shelf along with canned goods, pasta and other non-perishables. Oh, and with the eggs, 'cause eggs aren't refrigerated here either.

The hubs and I usually pick up a full carton of milk, that would be 12 single liter Tetra Paks, and head home. A few boxes go in the fridge to cool but the rest sit in our pantry until it is time to drink them. No, we don't drink them warm, just store them that way.

Fancy schmancy, right?! (source)

I've found that North Americans are really creeped out by this whole process! It started years ago when I worked a summer on a sailboat in Greece. I did everything from helping to sail to cooking breakfasts and lunches. One of the passengers informed me that we were out of milk. So I started digging into the storage areas around the galley and pulled out a few more liters of milk. The look of horror on their faces! Even though they had been drinking the stuff the entire time, they all refused to have any more milk that trip. Babies ;)

I'm not really the milk drinker in the family, but I will have to say it doesn't taste that much different that regular ol' cold milk. A little creamier, but that is it.

According to Wiki, because you know I didn't just pull this out of my butt, it is known as Ultra-High-Temerature (or UTH) processed milk. It involves the sterilization of food by heating it for an extremely short period, about 1-2 seconds, which kills the harmful spores in milk. The milk is then air-tight sealed in packs and has a shelf life of six to nine months. Other than that, it contains the same amount of calories, calcium, although minimal amounts of vitamins can be lost in the UHT process.

Why do it this way rather than just having good ol' pasteurized milk (and unless you are living on a farm, drinking from a cow's teet, you ain't drinking fresh milk)??

Well, for starters, it saves tons of money by not having to use the high costs of refrigeration and cooled transportation needs.

Want to know something evil??? You have probably been drinking UHT milk for sometime and not even realized it. Many milk products in North America use UHT milk, such as McDonald's McFlurries, creamers and milk served on airplanes. Muuaahahahaha! We tricked you!

'Hahaha, I got you idiots. Booya!'  Man, Tetra Pak is gangsta (source)

I can see it now, 'Sales of McFlurries Plummet!'

As you can imagine, even the thought of UHT milk isn't popular in the United States. While the process and shelving is perfectly safe, many Americans just don't like the idea of warm milk being delivered to their grocery store.

But it doesn't even seem weird to us any more. Maybe I need to take my Euro Vision glasses off once in a while :)

Have a great Friday!

And for a feel good moment, check out this heart warming story I came across yesterday. Tears are in my eyes just thinking about it!