Day 328: What’s the Deal with Nespresso?

January 22, 2016January 22, 2016 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

So, I confessed that I am back on the Coffee train after many years away from it. The taste of the nectar of the Gods early in the morning after the fire is crackling and I look out into the cold morning is about as good as it gets – especially due to the lack of sleep that has accompanied having a child. It’s not the mellow “slow-and-easy” caffeine injection that comes from tea that I now need in the morning, it’s an express delivery that I can only get from coffee.

To deliver our coffee to us, we have a Nespresso machine. Nespresso has been popular in Scandinavia for quite a while now, and I think it is gaining ground outside of Europe now as well. Basically a Nespresso machine operates on special pods that you can only buy from them, and you can get various ristretto, espresso, and lungo pods from them. In the US I noticed that the Keurig and Senseo are everywhere, but these pods and the cup of coffee you get from them is noticeably better. With Nespresso, you are not getting a cup of brewed coffee, you are getting an espresso.

You can buy the machines at various retailers around Sweden, but you can only buy the pods from them – either on their website or in their shops. And their shops are fairly rare. For example in Sweden, where a lot of people have Nespresso machines, they only have one shop, and it is in the heart of Stockholm (on Kungsgatan). They also have 1 shop in Hong Kong in the most exclusive mall there. And so on.

The Nespresso shops are a bit like if you were to imagine if Apple owned and operated them. They feel a bit exclusive; they are well-staffed. You definitely can tell who has been there before and who has not – you don’t just go “browse” in a Nespresso store. You go in, you take a number, and you wait for your person to help you with either finding the coffee for you, or a machine, or so on.

I have been into the Nespresso store only a few times. As a retail person, I do not particularly enjoy the “exclusive” vibe they are going for, because it creates a power imbalance where they are in power and you, the idiot consumer, need to rise up to their level. It is not aimed at making you feel comfortable – and I believe it should. Why make things harder for yourself as a company by competing with the environment? (unless they want to push you to their website) The most recent time I went in, I was completely lost with what I was looking for (I just wanted some more pods for our machine, but did not know what), and luckily I got a nice guy who was eager to help me. So I would guess their people are well-trained, especially because they can describe every coffee quite complexly.

Interestingly, Nespresso is owned by Nestle. It probably stands for “Nestle Espresso.” Nestle is generally though of in the food world as a completely irresponsible company, and they get boycotted all the time. When I saw the Nestle logo on the sleeve of pods, I was surprised, but found it a little less painful when I read that they seem to be working sustainably (read about it here), and generally how they obtain the coffee seems to be legit. They also offer pod recycling, so for those who are worried about the waste of the pods, they need not worry (and you can also simply recycle them with your metal recycling).

Cost of a pod ranges from 4-6 sek (0,50 – 0,60 usd), but Sweden is the cheapest place to buy pods. For example in the US and Hong Kong, it was twice that price. I guess it makes sense from a supply & demand perspective – Swedes are at the top of the list in coffee consumption, so it needs to be less expensive to work here. And considering a latte at Starbucks costs 45 sek (5,25 usd), it is a really good idea to get a Nespresso machine and have your high-quality coffee at home.

Day 327: My Love Affair with Abba

January 21, 2016January 21, 2016 Pappa on Leave1 Comment

Today marks the 4-year anniversary of when I moved to Sweden. I came with a few suitcases loaded heavily with winter clothing, and a lot of anxiety (luckily the airline did not charge extra for that). 4 years has flown by, and this week as I have been jamming to Abba with the little guy, I realized that I have not always liked Abba; it kind of snuck up on me.

Growing up in the US, references to Abba in the 90’s were usually as a snarky expression or dig at our parents who grew up during the era when Abba was in it’s it’s prime. “Look at those clothes!” “Nice hair” “Oh My God, it’s disco! hahahaha!” Basically it was too soon for us to appreciate them – instead we appreciated stuff from the 60’s.

In Sweden, everyone has tremendous respect for Abba. Of course they deserve it, they came from little-old-Sweden and made it in the big-bad-world with their music, right? People do not ironically like Abba here. They like them. Love them. There’s a bit of nostalgia attached to them – maybe like baby boomers and the Beach Boys in the USA.

I should point out here that if you think Sweden is this cute little country where music is funny and special, and they rarely make it outside of Europe, think again. Sweden is a major global player in the music world, and some of the most influential musical producers, writers, and artists come from Sweden. If you are interested in reading more about it, go to this article in The Atlantic, but basically musicians range from Abba, Robyn, Roxette, Europe, and many many more. There is also one of the biggest writers in the music world named Max Martin, who has written or produced for everyone from Britney Spears to Katy Perry. Read more about him in this New Yorker article. And above all, I think it is fascinating that Sweden, with it’s 10 million people, is the 3rd largest exporter of music in the world, behind the US and the UK. Interesting, isn’t it?

Anyway, moving on to Abba. Somehow, I think the culture, mindset, and the lifestyle – basically everything it means to be a Swede – all these things I have been learning for the last 4 years – has finally culminated into really liking Abba. It came on suddenly, the other day in the car, on my way home from the supermarket with the little guy. “Money, Money, Money” was on the radio and I was transfixed. I wanted more. MORE! MORE ABBA!!!

So off I went back home, logged into Spotify (also Swedish), and got on an Abba playlist. And we have been going for it and really enjoying it all week. So, I guess Abba really is great after all. Either that, or we can blame it on my mild case of sleep depravation 😉

Day 326: Toddler Bedtime with Squeaky Floors

January 20, 2016January 21, 2016 Pappa on Leave1 Comment

I mentioned before that we bought a “fritidshuset” (literally translated as “free time house”) in Sweden that we live in when we are back from Hong Kong. This has been working out really nicely for us, and we really enjoy it here. In fact just today I went on a beautiful walk and reflected how beautiful it is and how much I like it here.

I have written recently about the sleep training I am doing with the little guy right now. We are making progress this week, and now I have narrowed it to just 1 nap today, and a decent bedtime that did not take over an hour (30 minutes!). Before I celebrate we will have to wait for a while and deal with these middle-of-the-night wake ups, but at least now the daytime routine is on track.

What makes things more difficult in is whole process is that our fritidshuset was built in 1909. As with all these old houses, there are a series of add-ons, with the kitchen and adjoining room being the oldest. Coincidentally the kitchen is right next to our son’s room, and his room is the aforementioned adjoining room. And you know what 107 year-old houses have in their old rooms? Squeaky hardwood floors.

Last night on multiple occasions, when I was trying to leave the room, I stepped on a squeaky area, thus waking up the almost asleep little guy. This was at his 4:00 am wakeup which lasted until 5:30 am, so I was not too thrilled about the situation as it was, but to then be that close (literally a meter away) and have to start the whole process over again, it was brutal and heart-wrenching.

I should mention there are basically 2 major schools of thought on the sleep training. One is where you put the little one to bed drowsy but not sleeping and you are visible to them, and step by step (night by night, visit by visit, etc.) you find yourself further away until they don’t really see you anymore – eventually making it so they do not rely visually on you. The other is where you let them cry it out and get bored and fall asleep, and/or you visit them consistently with longer gaps in-between when you go in to soothe them (wait 1 minute, then 2, then 3, and so on) – being careful not to pick them up, but instead to leave them in the bed. We are opting for the first one, with a strong backup of using the second one if it has gone on for too long with us sitting in his room (can’t sit there all night). The whole thing coincides with our hybrid style of everything with him (we give him routines, but not so rigid they take away your flexibility, and so on).

So as I was sitting there in the darkness waiting for the little guy to fall asleep, I mapped out how I planned to sneak out of the room tonight. I planned where I could step based on my memories of the squeaky spots from last night and today. I took one step by the edge of his IKEA play rug, one step on the roundabout on that play rug, turned towards the door and put my hand on the daybed to lighten my next step, and then stepped lightly a little left of center of the door. Then only 2 steps and I’m out, don’t screw it up! One step further, and then one right by the door jam. And out! I made it! It was a mixture of Catherine Zeta Jones in Entrapment, that guy from Oceans 12, with a sense that the next step is becoming Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. It’s times like this that I wish I was a little lighter on my feet 😉

Day 325: Toddler Sleep Training

January 19, 2016 Pappa on Leave1 Comment

I wrote that this week I was dedicated to getting the little guy’s sleep patterns sorted. This involves getting the naps, waking time, and sleeping time on a regular routine, as well as getting the bedtime routine normalized, and making sure that during nighttime wake-ups that it is “strictly business” and goes smoothly.

None of these things are easy because they are all intertwined. We have some bedtime routines that we have always done, but what happens when the little guy tries to start them 1,5 hours before bedtime? And naps – if he shows he is tired at 11, and you are trying to get the nap to be at 13:00, what do you do? (Let him take a really really short one at 11). The goal is to get the naps from 2 to 1 a day, which is what I think he is telling us by waking up during the night when he has 2 naps during the day.

All of this is super fun to deal with, of course ;). Nobody ever said parenting was easy.

Day 324: the stillness of Swedish winter

January 18, 2016 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

It’s hard to describe what it is like to be outside in winter in Sweden. Of course it is cold and of course there is snow. But then imagine you are in a vacuum, where there is no sound except for the sound you make. Like if you watch a sci-fi movie that is based in space.

As I write this and look outside I also get a complete sense of stillness. The trees aren’t swaying, the wind has not even touched the snow that fell a week ago. The only disruption I can see in an otherwise perfect landscape is that which I or animals have made. It creates a scene of unparalleled beauty, compounded by the eerie sense of emptiness.

Growing up in the Midwest USA, I have forgotten how much the wind accompanies you there; I suppose you only notice it in its absence, like I do now.

Day 323: father and son alone again

January 17, 2016 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

Tomorrow my wife goes back to some meetings at her company’s head office in another country & city. This means of course a long week for her, and it also means a long week for me.

I love spending time with the little guy, but there are times when you need help. For example when you want to take a shower, or you need to go to the supermarket. Or simply put, there are times you need to have some “you time.”

When you are alone with your child for long amounts of time, on the positive side it creates a stronger bond between you. On the other hand it is easy to forget your own needs or to get the right socialization for both of you.

Fortunately my wife has family where we are spending our time in Sweden, so we can see them and it will not be complete isolation. As for me, this week might get a little long because I plan to get my son back on track for his messed-up sleep patterns, which will involve some long nights and some whiny periods during the day. Long story short, he is taking longer naps than he should during the day, and going to bed too late and waking up during the nights. It won’t be fun but sometimes you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do, and it’s better to do it while my wife is gone so it won’t interfere with her work. Wish me luck 😉

Day 322: chocolate-covered potato chips

January 16, 2016 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

I was talking with a few family members in Sweden about snacks I liked to eat, and I mentioned chocolate-covered potato chips. They had never tried them! So naturally I had to make them some today. Below are the steps if you want to do the same.

Buy 3 chocolate bars and 1 bag of salted chips
Set up 2 sheets of wax paper or baking paper
Melt chocolate bars
When full melted, add a few chips. When covered fully with chocolate, remove one-by-one and place on paper to dry
Repeat process in step 4 until you run out of chocolate
Wait a few hours for the chocolate to set again, then you are good to go!

See below for some photos, you can see I also added some sea salt on some of them, too. Enjoy!

Day 321: pacifier as the first lesson in “ownership”

January 15, 2016 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

There’s plenty of debate about whether or not you should give your child a pacifier (or “dummy” as they say in Colonial English). Should you give them one, then the next debate is when you should take it away. It’s a constant circle of judgement, self-doubt about your decisions, and on and on.

The little guy was super colicky and generally unhappy the first few months of his life, so we did eventually give him a pacifier as a “self-soothe” tool, and I am glad we did. But the reason why is not the reason why is not what you’d think.

The reason I am happy with the decision to use a pacifier is because it has helped our son learn about ownership. He knows that the pacifier is his and his alone, and he has the full “rights” to it. He can choose to share it (which he does), and he can choose when he wants to use it. I like this.

When else does a child learn about ownership before they are even 1-year old? They might have toys and things they value, but with a pacifier, it’s something sacred. So when my son takes it out of his mouth and offers it to me and my wife, it means he understands it is his, and that he wants to give it to us, to share it on his terms.

I am more of a believer in the movement not to teach about sharing, but instead to teach about “when you’re done with it” – more on that later- but the awareness I see about what my son does with the pacifier that is “his” without any ambiguity is pretty cool.

Day 320: not a baby anymore

January 14, 2016 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

Looking at old photos and videos of the little guy from a year ago is something we do occasionally. It makes us realize how little he was, and it makes me think about how he is not a baby anymore.

When he was a few months old we delighted in the small things like when he started to laugh at what we did or when he could grab things from our hands.

Now we delight in other small things too, so it is funny to think about what we will think when we look back in another year. I guess life is like that too – everything is a big deal in this moment, but after time it is overshadowed by the things you have built on those previous moments. Pretty cool how that works.

Day 319: Syrian Refugees in Sweden

January 13, 2016 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

The Syrian civil war has created an understandable influx of refugees into other countries. The neighbors in countries around Syria have absorbed the majority of the more than 4,3 million people fleeing the conflict, but countries around Europe have also been doing what they can.

Germany with 81 million people has taken approximately 360 000 people in 2015. Next down the list is Sweden, with 9,8 million taking 78 000 people. After that is The Netherlands, with 17 million people taking 36 000 people. So basically compared to population, Sweden has been handling proportionally way more Syrian refugees.

This is amazing and I think it is a testament to the character of Sweden as a nation to step up and help in a real way because it is the right thing to do. It is not without national debate, because taking these people does put a massive strain on the systems that are in place, and taking this many refugees makes you ask real questions about helping them in the right way, responsibly. But it is still amazing that it has and is happening to try to do a good thing and help these people.

I had to go to Stockholm today and at one stop on the train ride back home (about 3 hours north), I saw a Syrian family get on the train. A father, hands clinging to a packet from “migrationsverket,” which is surely the most important possession he has – this envelop likely contained their new address and instructions, as well as important documentation. A mother carrying a child about the age of my son, and a daughter, maybe 6 years old. This family was dressed in old and obviously donated winter clothing, no newer than the early 2000’s. The girl didn’t care, she seemed to be most amazed by their journey. The parents were confused and just trying to figure out where to sit. These were not old people, but I tell you the look at fatigue in their eyes was notable. They looked tired, relieved, and wary.

Can you imagine a situation where life is so dangerous and threatening that you literally have to leave everything you know behind and go far away and start over with just your family, while you are relying on a government and their system to give you the tools you need to start over again? I cannot imagine what they are going thru emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.

So here I sit. Can I do something for these people? I bought a book for my son today, should I give it to them instead? What about the chocolate I brought with me, would the little girl like it? Or am I supposed to ignore them?

I mean, maybe in the midst of all the different experiences they are having, just allowing them the anonymity of fitting into the crowd on the train is the most human, caring thing I can do. Personally I just want to go give them all a hug and reassure them that everything will be ok. It will be. Sweden’s got their back, and they are here now.

A Father on Pappa Leave

Author: Pappa on Leave