Wild, tinged with sadness. I wish I had stronger connectivity with my Icelandic friends and cousins by speaking Icelandic as fluently as they speak my English. It won’t happen in my lifetime, but I can dream.
Reading this worries me, I must admit. For the past few years, I’ve been learning Icelandic because I think it’s unique, has a fascinating history, and, well, it’s really fun to speak! I enjoy using it when I visit Iceland because I think the locals appreciate it, even if I mangle it at times! I’m worried because I don’t want the Icelandic culture to submit (for lack of a better word) to the forces of tourism. I understand there is now an American “themed” grocery store outside of Reykjavik called Kostur. They sell name brands and items popular in the U.S. Who in the world thought that was a good idea? I love Iceland because I can get away from Burger King and Walmart, etc. and now there’s a grocery store dedicated to the selling the same (garbage) food items I can get stateside? It makes me heartsick :(
Hi Brett, actually Kostur has been around for nearly 2 decades, with a brief pause for a couple of years while it changed owners. It started out being known for having the freshest fruits and veggies in the country because they were flown in directly from the US, in contrast to the sad produce most of the Icelandic chains offer us. I don't think stores like Kostur are a problem, any more than, say, Costco. After all, why shouldn't Icelanders be able to have a choice if and when they want to buy stuff they may have grown to like when they lived in the US?
Wild, tinged with sadness. I wish I had stronger connectivity with my Icelandic friends and cousins by speaking Icelandic as fluently as they speak my English. It won’t happen in my lifetime, but I can dream.
Hi Alda,
Reading this worries me, I must admit. For the past few years, I’ve been learning Icelandic because I think it’s unique, has a fascinating history, and, well, it’s really fun to speak! I enjoy using it when I visit Iceland because I think the locals appreciate it, even if I mangle it at times! I’m worried because I don’t want the Icelandic culture to submit (for lack of a better word) to the forces of tourism. I understand there is now an American “themed” grocery store outside of Reykjavik called Kostur. They sell name brands and items popular in the U.S. Who in the world thought that was a good idea? I love Iceland because I can get away from Burger King and Walmart, etc. and now there’s a grocery store dedicated to the selling the same (garbage) food items I can get stateside? It makes me heartsick :(
Hi Brett, actually Kostur has been around for nearly 2 decades, with a brief pause for a couple of years while it changed owners. It started out being known for having the freshest fruits and veggies in the country because they were flown in directly from the US, in contrast to the sad produce most of the Icelandic chains offer us. I don't think stores like Kostur are a problem, any more than, say, Costco. After all, why shouldn't Icelanders be able to have a choice if and when they want to buy stuff they may have grown to like when they lived in the US?
More 17th-c Icelandic “content” — care to comment on the witch hunts, the tilberi, the intriguing magic pants? (Sorry to say the witchcraft museum in Holmavík was closed the day I passed through.) https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/objects-of-intrigue-necropants
Thanks! Will "keep it behind my ear" as the Icelanders say. :)