From Finland with Love

Know anyone who's heading to Finland anytime soon? Be nice to them. Maybe they'll bring you back some of that lovely Finnish design work. If you've been really good, who knows, maybe they'll bring you back one of those unbelievable iittala casseroles we're so fond of.

Otherwise, there's always this handsome set of Finnish recipe magnets. Heavy-duty, tasteful matte finish, nice colors, an ultra-minimalist approach to the recipe, and just look at that font! Brilliant. We've always had our good reasons for going to the fridge. Ever since our friends G & S got us this set of magnets, we've had 6 more. Of course, whenever I look at these, they also make me rue the fact that there's so little good design in this part of the world. Montreal prides itself on its good design and it's not without its gems, but, unfortunately, most of them date back about 40 years (those crazy mosaics and lightboxes that grace the walls of some of our Métro stations come to mind).

Anyway, back to the magnets. If only we knew Finnish. Or, rather, if only Babelfish knew Finnish. I did manage to decipher the red one, though:

lettutaikina = crêpe batter
2 munaa = 2 eggs
5 dl maitoa = 5 dl milk
2 dl jauhoja = 2 dl flour
1.5 tl suolaa = 1.5 tl (tsp) salt
1 rkl voita = 1 rkl (tbsp) butter (melted, presumably)

Perfect for Pancake Day (February 28 this year).

I wish I could tell you exactly where to tell your friends to go and purchase them, but I can't. Maybe G or S can fill us in on the details.

Worst comes to worst, your friends could always bring you back some salmiakki.

That is, assuming you know someone who's going to Finland.

aj