Danish Trivia

Here are some tidbits about Denmark.  First of all, most people have a hard time finding this tiny nation on the map, since it's about half the size of Maine.  Sarah and Hanne's home town is so close to the border that you can see Germany from their hillside church in Bov.

Think your taxes are high?  They pay 48% in taxes and the state takes out 8% for the state church, which is Lutheran.  The church pastors are paid by the government, not the people who attend the church.   The government pays Sarah to complete her higher education, not the other way around.  All their medical bills are covered since they are socialistic, but dental care is their responsibility.


Both Sarah and Hanne were amazed at the selection of items in the grocery stores, especially coffee.  If you want Danish coffee, there is only one choice: plain black.  No Hazelnut,  French Vanilla, Pumpkin Spice, Peppermint, etc.  nor any flavored creamers.  We sent them home with boxes of my favorite Gevalia coffees, including Chocolate Raspberry and they made a trip to Frys to get some Peppermint Mocha before going home.

Like to put a meal in your Crockpot so the meal is ready when you get home?  Can't do that in Denmark. They don't have Crockpots.  There is no frozen, pre-made pie dough either.  Everything is made from scratch.  Maybe one reason for no frozen pie dough is because the really don't have pie over there.   While they were with us, I made  a lemon pie and a pecan pie, plus we did have pumpkin pie for our early Thanksgiving dinner.   One of the great things is that they have very few fast food places, even in Copenhagen.  The small towns have none.  I think they eat healthier because they don't load up on french fries or calorie laden cheeseburgers.

When Sarah ordered a latte at McDonald's in Tucson, she was peppered with all sorts of questions:  a) hot or cold?  b) plain, Hazelnut, Vanilla, Sugar free Vanilla or Caramel?  c) nonfat or regular?   She turned to me and stated that all she wanted was a latte!  In Denmark, she wouldn't have had to go through 3 rounds of questions before they finally put her order in!  Too many choices!

Driving there is also quite different.  Sarah had to take driving lessons and pay $2000 for a license before she could go out on the roads.  Cars cost about 2-3 times there than they do in the U.S.  Even with all the differences, Business Week Magazine said that the 2008 World Survey showed that Denmark is home to the most contented citizens in the world.  There is no stress at all when you order a latte or coffee in Copenhagen.  The waiting lines would sure be diminished, that's for sure, since each person wouldn't have to answer three sets of questions!