Palenque

as Denmark long ago banned outright trans fats being added to foods sold in stores or restaurants - above trace amounts. And apparently it has been received well by the country as 7 years later the law still stands.

Now i think banning trans fats outright is a no brainer - it helps the common good by reducing things like strokes, heart attacks and obeisity - and in a country with socialized health care this should reduce health care expenses that taxpayers pay for.

But even so i think banning trans fats like some American cities have done and others plan to do is a great idea - a win win situation.

What do you think?

This link gives the details

Denmark's decision to ban trans fats has been successfully ...
Denmark feels that the rest of the world should follow its example to ban trans fats. Listing trans fatt on nutrition facts labels, says Denmark's Dr Steed ...
www.stop-trans-fat.com/ban-trans-fats.html

Dukey

Ever eat a weenie in Denmark, Pal? Figure it out...

bilboburgler

weenie?

Pegontheroad

It may be unnecessary. Those folks are so healthy that they really need to do something unhealthy or they'll all live forever.

ira

Hi peg,

>Those folks are so healthy that they really need to do something unhealthy or they'll all live forever.<

Have you ever been with a Danish family for Sunday afternoon dinner?

The eating and drinking starts at about 13:00 and goes on until about 21:00.

skål

Palenque

Various surveys also say the Danes are the happiest people in the world - ironic they are also amongst the highest taxed people in the world!

And Danes have really reduced their carbon footprints - or at least capped it at levels of about 20 years ago - lots of wind power but also lots of conservation - Danes are amongst the most bicycling country in the world - in spite of a generally fowl climate IME

Ah yes the Danes i think set great examples for the rest of us to emulate.

Too bad they are one of those branded European Socialists/Marxists by Fox Noise.

Dayenu

What kind of milk do they drink there in Denmark, non-fat only? And don't they breastfeed their babies? How can you ban ALL trans-fats?

christycruz

Oh, Dayenu, you're such a smartypants. OK, trans-fats from industrial processing, as opposed to naturally occurring. The differences are well-covered in medical literature.

Palenque

I would be my last Danish kroner on Danish women breast-feeding more on a p capita basis than most countries.

travelgourmet

Who cares if they ban transfat if this is the local specialty:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...%A6skesteg.jpg

Ummm... Bacon masquerading as roast pork.

And this:

http://www.bbq.fiedler.dk/hotdog.jpeg

Don't forget this:

http://kievnews.files.wordpress.com/.../carlsberg.jpg

<i>Various surveys also say the Danes are the happiest people in the world - ironic they are also amongst the highest taxed people in the world!</i>

Some sociologists at the University of Copenhagen responded that the study actually just showed Danes had low expectations, which has more than a kernel of truth to it. And make no mistake, the government just lowered taxes due to public pressure.

<i>Danes are amongst the most bicycling country in the world - in spite of a generally fowl climate IME</i>

This is because cars are taxed at 180%, not out of altruism.

Palenque

Why Are Danes The World's Happiest Nation?
Dec 22, 2006 ... Why Are Danes The World's Happiest Nation? ScienceDaily (Dec. ... 22, 2010) — Money only makes people happier if it improves their social ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1222092845.htm

travelgourmet

Pal - Thanks for the link. You want to be happy? Lower your expectations. Maybe I should print t-shirts?

Reminds me of an Eddie Izzard joke:

Guidance Counselor: What do you want to be?
Eddie: An Astronaut.
Guidance Counselor: You're British, aim lower.

Guenmai

I lived in Copenhagen during the summers for 2-plus decades. For about the first decade I was usually there 11 weeks straight. And as far as Danish food and any kind of fat goes, well, it's not low in fat. OK, the "trans" fats have been cut. Good start.

Those Danish pastries, wienerbrod, are made with a combo of lard and butter unless the recipes have been changed. But, I know my regular baker used a lard combination. And let's not go into polser (wieners) and all of the other pork products. And dairy products that are not exactly 2% fat. And then as far as health goes, let's not forget all of the smokers and beer consumption.

I remember when I'd butter my bread, and my best Danish friend's dad would say, "You didn't put enough butter on it. Here, let me do it. When you bite into the bread, you need to see the imprint of your teeth!". Of course he would say this in Danish to me. I also remember when he handed his son his first cigarette at around the age of 14 or 15.

My Danish friend's mom would cook the frikadeller in margarine and the pork chops would be rolled in rasp (bread crumbs) and then pan fried in butter. And let's not even get into, flaeskesteg, although it's a festive food.

I would see all of the food preparation as I lived in the house for two summers before moving out on my own. And after I moved out, I would be invited to come for meals. The first summer I was there, living in the house for 2 months, I put on 10 pounds and that was with walking and biking.

As for biking, I had a bike most of the summers I lived there. There are a lot of bikes as gas is outrageously expensive and to own a car is more outrageously expensive. So, we bike through the wind storms and pouring rain and once I even biked myself to the emergency room at Rigs Hospital.

I absolutely adore Danmark and the Danes, however. I was just last there in August 2009. It was good to finally be able to go to my favorite restaurant, Riz Raz, and not have to inhale cigarette smoke as the most recent times prior to 2009 that I had been in Copenhagen were 2003 and 2004 and I remember sitting at the restaurant in either 2003 or 2004 and had to inhale clouds of cigarette smoke. I ate fast and left. Happy Travels!

Guenmai

Travelgourmet, LOL! I just opened your links, after posting, and that's exactly what I was talking about. The first link is of ,flaeskesteg, of which I refused to eat. The next is, polser, which my Danish friends ate a lot of, and the third link of beer of which they washed the polser down with. And you forgot to add the ,soft is, (thick,creamy, soft ice cream).

I know that you lived in Copenhagen for some years.

As for food, I do greatly miss a good, fuldkorn rugbrod (whole grain rye bread that's cut very thinly). I also miss the little, pink, boiled shrimp, strawberries when they're in season, and a really good marinated or smoked eel on a thin slice of fuldkorn rugbrod, and tebirkes. Fish dishes are also usually very good. Happy Travels!

crefloors

My Danish friend ate lard sandwiches almost every day.

Guenmai

I also had friends who ate lard on sandwichws that they would spread on bread and then there was something else that they put on the sandwich, but can't remember what it was although I think it was a pork product. But, the lard was in a plastic container and most of my friends had them in their refrigerators. Happy Travels!

weber6560

Great thread! Thanks to the knowledgeable posters. I once had a lard sandwich in Rothenburg ob de Tauber and once was enough. In appearance it reminded me of US margarine during the forties when the dairy lobby was able to keep it from being colored yellow. However, the taste was not the same! Thanks again for a great discussion.

travelgourmet

Guenmai - Is the mystery pork product leverpostej?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leverpostej

As for lard, Denmark is the only place I have ever lived where it is readily available at pretty much any grocery store. It comes in very handy for me when making Momofuku's Chicken and Egg.

<i>I know that you lived in Copenhagen for some years.</i>

I'm still here. I was exiled to Switzerland for a brief period last year, but am back in Copenhagen.

Guenmai

Travelgourmet: Now, that I think of it, it was indeed leverpostej! The mom of my best Danish friend used to make homemade leverpostej which was the best I had ever had. She was a cooking instructor who is originally from Jylland. Those are the Danes I lived with for 2 summers before moving out on my own.

Her family would also spread lard and leverpostej on fuldkorn rugbrod and eat those sandwiches. Back in those days, I still ate meat as it was prior to 1976. But, my same Danish friends still eat those sandwiches even now. I was last in KBH in August 2009.

I didn't realize that you were back in Copenhagen. I remember, somewhere on the forum, you mentioning that you were in Switzerland. Happy Travels!

bdjtbenson

I decided the poll saying the Danes are the happiest people on Earth was conducted during the Summer. If they polled in February, I think they'd get a completely opposite response.