observations, part 2

a few weeks ago, i ran out of my mouthwash. i brought extra supplies of products i figured i wouldn't be able to get here (e.g. my flaxseed w/ blueberries, calcium, toothpaste, etc.) - not that i can't get toothpaste, etc. here, but the kind of toothpaste, etc....however, i forgot that i needed to get more mouthwash when i was at my new seasons (se 20th & division) & the one on cornell didn't have it. so, i had to buy more here. knowing that i couldn't get my brand (toms of maine) or my flavor (cinnamon), i've had to settle for a less pleasing substitute.....

this led me to wonder if they have any cinnamon flavored products here (gum, breath mint, candy, etc.) & nope, they don't. and the two finns i've mentioned this to mentioned that they do have some cinnamon bread & cookies....not the cinnamon i'm talking about....they do have a lot of licorice flavored "foods" including gum, breath mints, & ice cream. not to mention a plethora of licorice flavored candies. their licorice is "salmiaki" a salty licorice & when i say "salty", i mean salty. it's a lot saltier than i like my salty foods.

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helsinki is a very clean city - litter wise. the snowy & wet ground don't allow it to be clean clean (i make sure to stay a bit off the roads when waiting to cross, so i'm not splashed w/ dirty mush the cars spit up). other than a few exceptions i can count on my fingers, all the litter i've seen has been cigarette or alcohol related (& the alcohol litter is also an exception). a lot of finns smoke. and they all smoke outside! (my roommate's french, so he doesn't count - & the finns i've told that he smokes inside have been shocked - until i tell them he's french). even iida smoked out on the balcony when she came over despite both eno & the guy iida came w/ were both smoking inside. bare in mind, it's negative some odd degrees out. so, that led me to the conclusion that if finns can smoke outside in sub-zero temps, than oregonians & washingtonians can smoke outside in the rain..."but the finns are used to the cold" you say? well, oregonians & washingtonians should be used to the rain....

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finns are also really into their berries (which i can completely get behind). every cake & pie i've had since being here (& that's only a few, really) has had berries. the berry fillings are actually berries that stain the cake w/ their juices, not the artificially flavored jellies common in cakes back home (& oh, so much better, too!). i mentioned this to riina & she just smiled & nodded enthusiastically. she went on to ask if we pick berries in the states & i told her we pick blackberries 'cause they grow like weeds (& technically are weeds) or we go to farms. no, she meant wild berries. a common summertime activity in finland is to go & pick wild berries in the woods. since there aren't many berries growing wild, plus w/ the abundance that are farmed, we don't - plus, there's the risk of picking poisonous berries....she said "we finns know our berries; i don't know of anyone who mistook a poisonous berry as being safe" (i'm paraphrasing).

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that's all i can think of right now, more to come later....