Sometimes you need a small trip across the border to see your own everyday life with completely new eyes.
Yesterday I was visiting my cousin in Flensburg. Just a couple of hours together, and as it goes, we ended up popping into a big supermarket for a moment. I actually just wanted to pick up a few things—items from my old home that I can't easily find up here in North Jutland.
And then I suddenly found myself standing in front of that produce section again. It was a massive selection, everything looked organized, and there was an incredible amount of loose goods. You could put together whatever you wanted however you wanted. Exactly how I used to do it. You often don't realize how natural these things are until you've gone without them for a while.
Here in North Jutland, the reality is different. The fact that the selection of fruits and vegetables isn't quite as abundant as in Germany is completely fine. I've long since come to terms with that and can live with it wonderfully. What really bothers me, however, is the massive use of packaging.
Almost everything here is shrink-wrapped in plastic. You rarely find potatoes, onions, or garlic loose. And it's not those light mesh bags, but often really solid plastic. Added to that is a quirk that irritates me every time: many of these products are stored directly in the refrigerated section.
Even vegetables that you would never normally store in the fridge are presented here at low temperatures. The real problem only becomes apparent at home in your own kitchen. This produce was sometimes stored really cold in the store. When I then keep it the way I'm used to, the product can't handle this extreme temperature change.
It basically falls apart. What would normally last several days suddenly becomes soft quickly or gets ugly bruises. After about 30 hours, much of it is barely usable.
So you adapt. You suddenly put potatoes and onions in the fridge, even though it feels completely wrong. Suddenly your fridge is full of foods that never had a place there before. I've adapted to life here in many ways. Many things simply work differently without being worse for it. But on this topic, I've reached my limit. I miss the simple ability to buy vegetables loose and be confident that they'll stay fresh for a couple of days outside of a cooling zone.
But I keep noticing a contradiction that I still don't quite understand. Denmark is so far ahead in so many areas, especially when it comes to climate protection and sustainability. In some ways, the country really seems exemplary and well-thought-out. And at the same time, I've never produced as much plastic waste in my entire life as I do here.
This is particularly striking with ready-made food. It's very common here to buy complete, ready-made meals at the supermarket. It's practical, no question. But these dishes almost always come in sturdy, thick plastic boxes. Even simple sandwiches or classic smørrebrød often come in packaging that almost seems too nice to throw away immediately.
I became particularly aware of this recently when I was sitting with colleagues at the harbor. There were sandwiches for everyone, and they were really well made. But each single one was in its own large plastic box. You stand there, look out at the sea, and think: This really can't be what we're aiming for.
Maybe it's just a small detail in everyday life. But it's precisely these small differences that stand out when you suddenly experience them differently.
