I have come to love living in Japan. I have come to love the Japanese cuisine, the Japanese culture and traditions, the Japanese nature, the Japanese people. But even so, there are aspects of Sweden that I miss so every time we come to visit my parents in Sweden, I take the chance to enjoy everything that I cannot find in Japan.
Of course I miss my parents. My Swedish family. My Swedish friends. And having the opportunity to come and visit them with my wife and son is something I am so grateful for. My son has really bonded with his grandparents who are now part his inner family, and I am happy that he is now considering my friends his good friends as well. I am also happy that he has got to become really good friends with his cousins and that he has made the Swedish language a part of who he is (at least that is my impression).
Thinking of more non-human aspects of Sweden that I long for – I am sorry if I repeat myself, I have the feeling I have written about this before – foggy days and dark rye bread pop up as contenders to what I miss most in Sweden. But what is standing out even more is stekt blodpudding med rårörda lingon – fried blood pudding with sweetened lingonberries. If there is a dish I was to single out among the Swedish food I miss in Japan it would probably be blood pudding. When I was living in Sweden I often had this for lunch, blood pudding with lingonberries, tomatoes and cold milk. In a way this dish is for me the symbol of Swedish food as well as of my childhood when my grandparents always served this when I was visiting them.
My wife and son can understand the soft spot I have for blood pudding as much as I can understand how they can enjoy eating natto, fermented soy beans – that is not at all. Come to think of it, that is also true with licorice – I love it and my wife does not stand it. I have really been enjoying both blood pudding and licorice during our weeks in Sweden. It will take a long time before I get to eat these delicacies again so it I better indulge myself while I can.
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