Danskcolin: Sunday 21 January 2018

09:00 Lois wants to attend her church's two services today for the first time in 4 weeks (her absence being for various health reasons).

She hurries into the kitchen and makes up 5 lunches: two for us and 2 for the church's visiting preacher and his wife. On the way to the church, she also has to pick up Ursula, an elderly lady who also needs a packed lunch - poor Lois !!!!

Lois has to make 5 packed lunches today -

poor Lois !!!

10:15 Lois leaves. I have several hours of alone time (for the first time in 4 weeks).

I suddenly realize that there is a massive stack of my ironing in the utility room, which I have to take care of: I only get the opportunity (for unknown reasons) to iron when Lois has gone to church and there's now a big stack waiting for me - damn! Six undervests, 2 pairs of underpants, 7 shirts, 5 t-shirts, 1 sweater: the numbers are a little strange, but I'm going to let that one slide. But what madness !!!

a massive stack of ironing is

waiting for me - what madness !!!!

12:00 The ironing has taken me 90 minutes and I'm exhausted. Poor me !!!!! I have lunch and go to bed for a giant afternoon nap.

15:00 I hop up on my bike and cycle 6 miles (10km). I watch old pop videos from the 1980s on my brand new DVD player for kids while I'm cycling. I'm cycling down memory lane, ha ha ha.

15:30 I get up and take a little look online. I get a bit of a shock, I have to admit. I browse through the local news from Gentofte, the small suburb of Copenhagen where our eldest daughter Alison lives.

The web article states that the Danes are the second bigget sweet-eaters in the world. According to sales figures, they eat the second largest quantities in the world, only surpassed by the Finns, whom the Danes are expected to overhaul next year. This is a report by lifestyle expert Anne Glad, who in her book 'Danish food' has encapsulated Danish shopping and eating habits.

The Danes are the second biggest

candy eaters in the world - shock! horror!

Eight kilos (18 lbs) is the average amount of candy per Dane per year, and the number is rising. Plus eight kilos of chocolate. Add to that chips, cake, snacks and soft drinks.

"In my childhood, some products were reserved for special occasions. Cake for birthdays, soda on Saturdays and ice creams during the summer vacation. These restrictions have become 'flexible' now. We eat like children having a birthday every day," says Anne Glad.

Martin Kreuzer, a nutritionist and personal trainer at Bodycomp, agrees. "Candy is everywhere, and it is cheap and tempting. We no longer have rules for when we can eat candy, we do it just for our enjoyment, and it's getting to be a bad habit. It is a consequence of the excess society," says Martin Kreuzer.

The consequences for the Danes of going crazy with the candy bowl on the coffee table are not just holes in the teeth and more kilos on the behind.

"The ultimate consequence of bad sweet-habits is a physical downturn with all the lifestyle diseases you can name. That can be anything from eczema to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The dramatic picture is, that anything you can imagine or fear dying of, can be helped on by something as harmless as eating too much Matador Mix, "says Martin Kreuzer.

The Danes like to spoil themselves. The fact that too much sugar is bad for the health, hardly comes as a surprise to anyone. So why are they eating more and more ?

"In Denmark we have a climate that makes us shut ourselves away all winter. The hygge culture makes us eat a lot. We think it's an easy way to have fun by filling up your mouth. This also applies to our social gatherings," is Anne Glad's message.

16:00 Lois comes home and we relax with a cup of tea and a piece of carrot cake - yummy!

I chat a little with Lois about the web article and the Danes' "sweet tooth". This news surprises us because when Lois and I are in Denmark, we have the impression that most Danes are very sporty: in the morning the streets are full of joggers. And you see far fewer overweight people in the neighbourhood than you see in Britain.

We suspect that Gentofte may not be a typical suburb: it's a little more upmarket than the average, and maybe people are more aware of health issues, but I'm not entirely sure.

It is true that you do see a lot of candy machines in Danish shopping malls, and they are always well-stocked.

We also have them in the English village where Lois and I live, and the dispenser is always well-stocked thanks to the attendant, 56-year-old Bob Ingersoll, who is a bit of a celebrity round here. He hit the local headlines recently when he was interviewed by the local news-site, Onion Local (report, February 12, 2012).

On his weekly trip to recycle the candy machine at Stamford Office Park cafeteria, 56-year-old attendant Bob Ingersoll reminisced about how much the B3 slot selection had changed in the 20 years since he began servicing the popular snack dispenser.

Local man Bob Ingersoll (56), the local dispenser's

regular attendant

"There is a lot of history in this row," Ingersoll said, turning a key to open the large display door and refill the B3's coil mechanism with Kit Kats. "Back when I started, you wouldn't even think about putting Kit Kats in B3. At that time it was always more of a nougat slot, but then times have changed."

"Yes sir," he added, "B3 has seen it all."

Ingersoll, whose resumé includes machine-restocking at the Darien bowling alley, the Shell station on Post Road and the local elementary school, added the Stamford dispenser to his regular round for the first time in 1991 when the previous attendant retired. After taking an introductory inventory, he quickly discovered that he had inherited a B3 in disarray.

With a backlog of unsold Cheetos and two solitary packages of Razzles trapped behind them, Ingersoll chose to start the spindle from the bottom instead of dropping the price, a step that led him to fill the row with Milky Ways.

"It was a safe choice, but that was what I had to do to rebuild B3," he said. "Sure, Razzles is fine for a flexible slot like F8 or G2 but not B3. B3 is on an anchor row. It's at eye level and it needs a solid product in there to draw attention to the C's, where you put the big guns like Twix or even M & Ms. I didn't even consider Snickers. You can put Snickers anywhere and people will find it. "

When things started to turn around, Ingersoll spent the next year rotating new objects through B3, experimenting with Doritos, Twizzlers, and even the unconventional 100 Grand Bar. For a short while he loaded the B3 with Rolos - a candy he said had sold well in D2 and deserved a shot at the big time.

However, the gambit achieved only a short-term success. "Some things work, and some things don't," says Ingersoll. "But never be afraid to try something new. In 1994, I put Sour Patch Kids in there, which is something you just do not do. It's a bit of an unwritten rule that they stay near Combos and Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies. But I had the feeling that Sour Patch Kids would be a solid B3."

According to Ingersoll, the decision paid off. He could not restock B3 quick enough, and the overnight success spilled over onto the exceptionally good sales of the B2 and B4 neighbors, even giving the Premium Nut Mix a boost.

For a while he said, B3 was the new C6. However, Ingersoll acknowledged that nothing could stay the "star selection" forever and at the beginning of 1996 after six months of poor sales he made the difficult decision to move his remaining supply of Sour Patch Kids to G5.

"It tore me up to bury them like that," said Ingersoll, who calls anything at knee level his 'graveyard'." But eventually, I think I did the right thing for B3. You could not deny how popular Twizzlers were at that time and they needed a chance to shine."

Since then, the row has coasted at a respectable level, with succeses in turn for SweeTarts, 3 Musketeers, Bugles, Rubber Worms, Fun Dip and Hot Tamales. And for the last seven months, Kit Kats had settled into a comfortable, solid groove.

On the question of the future of the slot, Ingersoll became thoughtful and said he was considering moving Ring Dings to B3 from A4, which he called a solid row that "no one really talks about." In addition, Ingersoll said that he could imagine a future where Clark Bars or even Nerds occupy the slot. He also admitted that the idea of "going for the classic look" and putting pure Hershey bars in there had crossed his mind.

"After two decades, I've built enough confidence in B3 to try almost anything," he added. "Apart from breath mints. They are always a J. Everyone knows that."

17:30 Lois and I recall the many occasions we've seen Ingersoll restocking his machine. He is always keen to discuss his ideas about varying the machine's rows and slots, and it is always a pleasure to talk to him about this and that. It's true that sometimes it's a little hard to escape once he's in full flow about one of his many hobby-horses, but we're going to let that one slide. If possible, we usually avoid the man, I have to say.

18:00 We have dinner and watch television. "Call the Midwife" is on, a sentimental drama series set in the early1960s in London, and, frankly, it's not my cup of tea, but Lois finds it heartwarming.

This episode plays out in the winter of 1962-1963, when much more snow fell in England than usual and the snow lay on the ground for weeks: Lois and I remember it well - we were both 16 years old.

I find the series a bit too sentimental and sugary, especially the voice-over monologue, that we hear at the end of each episode after all the loose ends have been tied up. Tonight, the voice of the invisible old midwife treats us to the following:

"It is not always sunshine that splits the seed, cleaves the armor, releasing the shoot. Darkness makes the heart's case fragile. Pain breaks it open. Courage teases out the leaves and life unfurls and expands, thrusting upwards into light. "

My God! What madness! I suppose it's a quote from the original book on which the series is based, but that's something I'm not entirely sure about.

22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzzzzz !!!!!

Danish translation

09:00 Lois ønsker at deltage i sin kirkes to gudstjenester i dag, for første gang i 4 uger, (hendes fravær var af forskellige helbredsgrunde).

Hun skynder sig ind i køkkenet og laver 5 madpakker: to til os, og 2 til kirkens besøgende prædikant og hans kone. På vej til kirken skal hun også afhente Ursula, en ældre dame, der også har brug for en madpakke – stakkels Lois!!!!

Lois skal lave 5 madpakker i dag –

stakkels Lois!!!

10:15 Lois skal af sted. Jeg har flere timer alenetid (for første gang i 4 uger).

Jeg bliver pludselig klar over, at der en massiv stak af mit strygetøj i bryggerset, som jeg skal klare: jeg kun får muligheden (af ukendte grunde) for at stryge, når Lois er gået i kirke, og et stort stak venter på mig – pokkers! Seks undertrøjer, 2 underbukser, 7 skjorter, 5 t-shirts, 1 sweater: antallene er lidt mærkelige, men det springer jeg over. Men sikke et vanvid!!!

en massiv stak af mit strygetøj

venter på mig – sikke et vanvid!!!!

12:00 Strygetøjet har taget mig 90 minutter, og jeg er udmattet. Stakkels mig !!!!! Jeg spiser frokost og går i seng for at tage en gigantisk eftermiddagslur.

15:00 Jeg hopper op på min kondicykel og cykler 6 miles (10km). Jeg ser på gamle popvideoer fra 1980’erne på min spritnye dvd-afspiller for børn, mens jeg cykler. Jeg cykler en tur på mindernes vej ha ha ha.

15:30 Jeg står op og kigger lidt på nettet. Jeg får lidt af et chok, det må jeg indrømme. Jeg blader igennem den lokale avis, der handler om nyheder i Gentofte, den lille forstad til København, hvor vores ældste datter Alison bor.

I webartiklen står der, at danskerne er de næststørste slikspisere i verden. Ifølge salgstal spiser de næstmest slik i verden, kun overgået af finnerne, som danskerne spås at overhale til næste år. Det skriver livsstilsekspert Anne Glad, der i bogen 'Danskernes mad' har kortlagt danskernes indkøbs- og spisevaner.

danskerne er de næststørste

slikespisere i verden – chok! rædsel!

Otte kilo (18 pund) slik bliver det til i gennemsnit pr. dansker om året, og tallet stiger. Oveni kommer otte kilo chokolade. Og dertil chips, kage, snacks og sodavand.

“I min barndom var nogle produkter forbeholdt særlige lejligheder. Kage til fødselsdag, sodavand om lørdagen og is i sommerferien. De grænser er blevet flydende nu. Vi spiser som børn, der har fødselsdag hver dag,” siger Anne Glad.

Martin Kreuzer, der er ernæringsekspert og personlig træner hos Bodycomp, er enig. “Slik er overalt, og det er billigt og fristende. Vi har ikke længere regler for, hvornår vi må spise slik, men giver bare efter for vores nydelsestrang, og så bliver det hurtigt en dårlig vane. Det er en konsekvens af overflodssamfundet,” siger Martin Kreuzer.

Konsekvenserne af, at danskerne giver los med slikskålen på sofabordet, er ikke bare huller i tænderne og flere kilo på bagen.

“Den yderste konsekvens af dårlige slikvaner er jo en fysisk deroute med alle de livsstilssygdomme, du kan sætte navn på. Det kan være alt fra eksem til sukkersyge og hjerte-kar-sygdomme. Det dramatiske billede er, at alt det, du kan forestille dig eller frygte at dø af, kan fremmes af noget så relativt harmløst som at spise for meget Matador Mix,” siger Martin Kreuzer.

Danskerne forkæler sig selv! At for meget sukker er skidt for sundheden, kommer næppe som en overraskelse for nogen. Men hvorfor spiser de så mere og mere slik?

“I Danmark har vi et klima, der gør, at vi burer os inde hele vinteren. Den hjemmehyggekultur gør, at vi spiser meget slik. Vi synes, at det er en nem måde at hygge på at fylde i munden. Det gælder også vores sociale sammenkomster,” lyder Anne Glads bud.

16:00 Lois kommer hjem og vi slapper af med en kop te og et stykke gulerodskage – nam nam!

Jeg snakker lidt med Lois om webartiklen om danskernes ”søde tand”. Denne nyhed overrasker os, fordi når Lois og jeg er i Danmark, har vi det indtryk af, at de fleste danskere er meget til sports: om morgenen er gaderne fulde af løbere. Og man ser meget færre overvægtige mennesker i området, end man ser i Storbritannien.

Vi mistænker, at Gentofte måske ikke er en typisk forstad: den er lidt mere fornem end den gennemsnitlige, og måske er indbyggere mere vidende om helbredsspørgsmål, men det er jeg ikke helt sikker på.

Det er sandt, at man også ser en masse slik automater i danske indkøbscentrer, og de er altid godt forsynede.

Vi har dem også i den engelske landsby, hvor Lois og jeg bor, og den er altid godt forsynet, takket være automatens opsynsmand, 56-årige Bob Ingersoll, der er lidt af en lokal kendis. Han ramte de lokale overskrifter for nylig, da han blev interviewet af det lokale websted, Onion Local (rapport, den 12. februar 2012).

På sin ugentlige rejse for at genopsyne slik-automaten på Stamford Office Park cafeteria tænkte 56-årige opsynsmand Bob Ingersoll tilbage om, hvor meget B3-spiralvalget har ændret sig i 20 år siden han begyndte at servicere den populære snack-dispenser.

Lokal manden, Bob Ingersoll (56), den lokal automats

regelmæssige opsynsmand

"Der er en masse historie i denne hylde", sagde Ingersoll, vridende en nøgle for at åbne den store displaydør og påfylde B3s spole mekanisme med Kit Kats. "Tilbage dengang jeg begyndte, ville du ikke engang tænke på at lægge Kit Kats i B3. Dengang var det altid mere af en nougat-spiral. Men så er tiderne blevet ændret."

"Yes sir," tilføjede han, "B3 har set det hele."

Ingersoll, hvis resumé omfatter automatgenforsyning på Darien bowlingbanen, Shell stationen på Post Road og den lokale almindelige skole, tilføjede Stamford-dispenseren til sin almindelige runde for første gang i 1991, da den tidligere opsynsmand gik i pension. Efter at have optaget en indledende fortegnelse opdagede han hurtigt, at han havde arvet en B3 i uorden.

Med et efterslæb af usolgte Cheetos og to ensomme pakker Razzles fanget bag dem valgte Ingersoll at starte spindlen fra bunden i stedet for at tabe prisen, et skridt, der førte ham til at fylde hylden med Milky Ways.

"Det var et sikkert valg, men det var det, jeg måtte gøre for at genopbygge B3," sagde han. "Det er sikkert, at Razzles er fint for en fleksibel spiral som F8 eller G2, men ikke B3. B3 er på en ankerhylde. Det er på øjenhøjde og det har brug for et solidt produkt derinde for at henlede opmærksomheden på C'erne, hvor du sætter de store kanoner som ens Twix eller ens M & Ms. Jeg overvejede ikke engang Snickers. Du kan sætte Snickers hvor som helst, og folk vil finde det. "

Da tingene begyndte at vende sig til det bedre, brugte Ingersoll det næste år på at rotere nye genstande gennem B3, og eksperimentere med Doritos, Twizzlers og endda den ukonventionelle 100 Grand Bar. I en kort periode læssede han B3 med Rolos - et slik han sagde havde sælges godt i D2 og fortjente et forsøg på den store tid.

Udspillet opnåede dog kun en kortvarig succes. "Visse ting virker, og visse ting virker ikke," siger Ingersoll. "Men du kan ikke være bange for at prøve noget nyt. I 1994 lagde jeg Sour Patch Kids derind, hvilket er noget, du bare ikke gør. Det er lidt af en uskreven regel, at de forbliver i nærheden af Combos og Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies. Men jeg havde på fornemmelsen, at Sour Patch Kids ville være en solid B3. "

Ifølge Ingersoll betalte beslutningen sig. Han kunne ikke genopfylde B3 hurtigt nok, og den overnatsucces sagde han bredte sig ud til usædvanligt godt salg af naboerne B2 og B4 og gav endda Premium Nut Mix et skub.

I et stykke tid sagde han, var B3 den nye C6. Ingersoll erkendte imidlertid, at intet kan forblive ”stjernesudvælgelsen” for evigt, og i begyndelsen af 1996 efter seks måneder med dårligt salg tog han den vanskelige beslutning om at flytte sin resterende forsyning af Sour Patch Kids til G5.

"Det rev mig op for at begrave dem sådan," sagde Ingersoll, der kalder noget som helst på knæniveau sin ’kirkegård.’ "Men til sidst tror jeg, jeg gjorde det rigtige for B3. Du kunne ikke nægte, hvordan populære Twizzlers var på det tidspunkt, og de havde brug for en chance for at udmærke sig."

Siden da har hylden kørt på frihjul på et respektabelt niveau, med succes på skift med SweeTarts, 3 Musketeers, Bugles, Gummi Worms, Fun Dip og Hot Tamales. Og i de sidste syv måneder har Kit Kats sat sig i en behagelig, fast skure.

På spørgsmålet om fremtiden for spiralen blev Ingersoll tankefuld og sagde, at han overvejede at flytte Ring Dings til B3 fra A4, som han kaldte en solid hylde, som "ingen virkelig taler om." Derudover sagde Ingersoll, at han kunne forestille sig en fremtid, hvor Clark Bars eller endda Nerds indtager stedet. Han indrømmede også, at forestillingen om at "gå for det klassiske look" og lægge ren Hershey barer derind, havde faldt ham ind.

"Efter to årtier har jeg opbygget nok tillid til B3 for at prøve næsten alt," tilføjede han. "Bortset fra åndemynter. De er altid en J. Alle ved det."

17:30 Lois og jeg mindes om, de mange anledninger, vi har set Ingersoll i gang med at genopsyne sin automat. Han er altid ivrig efter at diskutere sine idéer om at variere automatens hylder og spiraler, og det er altid en fornøjelse at snakke med ham om dette og hint. Det er sandt, at nogle gange er det lidt svært at undslippe, så snart han er godt i gang med at tale om en af sine mange kæpheste, men det springer vi over. Hvis muligt plejer vi at undgå manden, det må jeg nok sige.

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og ser lidt fjernsyn. De viser”Ring til jordemoder”, en sentimental dramaserie, der udspiller sig først i 1960’erne i London, og som ærligt talt ikke er mit nummer, men Lois finder den hjertevarmende.

Dette afsnit udspiller sig i vinteren 1962-1963, da meget mere sne faldt i England, end sædvanligt, og sneen lå på jorden i uger: Lois og jeg husker den godt – vi var begge 16 år gamle.

Jeg finder serien lidt for sentimental og sukkersød, i sær den monolog-kommentar på tonebånden, som vi hører ved slutningen af hvert afsnit, efter alle de løse ender forsvarligt bliver bundet til sidst. I aften lyder den usynlige gamle jordemoders stemme, som følger: ”Det er ikke altid solskin, der splitter frøet, spalter rustningen og frigiver skuddet. Mørket gør hjertets frøskal skrøbelig. Smerter bryder den frem. Mod lirker bladene ud, og livet forvandler sig og udvider sig, skydende opad i lyset.”