Snippets of Life in Copenhagen: Grocery Shopping

I've been in Copenhagen for just a little over three weeks now. The first week was a pretty steep learning curve as they do things quite differently on this side of the globe. Going into my fourth week, I think I've been surprised by enough. Now I feel a little as if I could - for a fleeting second - go out in public without making a complete fool of myself by committing ten social faux pas in a row. Here are just a few observations and snippets of what grocery shopping looks like in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Grocery Shopping

For starters, the grocery shops in Copenhagen are like enhanced, futuristic versions of the supermarkets I'm used to. Call them super supermarkets. In some stores, you don't even need to hand money to cashiers. You just dump your coins into a bowl-shaped contraption and it automatically spits out your change. It was surprising that the human element had been completely removed from the equation of cashiering and money exchange - the very raison d'etre of a cashier.

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copenhagen, exchange, travel

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Tulipmania at the Flower Dome, Gardens By The Bay

On Good Friday, we went down to the Flower Dome at Gardens By The Bay for Tulipmania 2014. Tulipmania is an annual event where tulips are flown in straight from Holland and they're lined up in a stunning display. I had already seen them last year, but they were so stunning I had to go back again this year.

While the tulips were the stars of the show, I couldn't neglect the rest of the flowers. Ridiculously photogenic things, they are!

“The earth laughs in flowers.” 

x

photography, singapore, travel

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• London // Hummingbird Bakery // Lola's // Last Day •

We were taking a walk about the Old Spitalfield's Market when we realised Hummingbird Bakery was just a stone's throw away. Everyone has RAVED about Hummingbird's treats and it's frequently listed as a must-try. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling very well at that point in time, so I was craving a bowl of clear porridge more than I was a cupcake... (shock horror right).

One thing I've noticed about ang mohs and their cupcakes is that they LOVE to load on the frosting- it's like a 1:1 icing to cake ratio. I'm not too fond and I prefer a 1:3 ratio (am I really using math to talk about food?)







So we all just shared one lone slice of their famed red velvet cake. AND IT WAS SO SO good. Very moisty, soft crumb and not cloyingly sweet at all.

There's another bakery in London that's known for their cupcakes- Lola's Cupcakes. They were handing out free samples so I had a quarter, repping Singaporeans with my if-its-free-im-taking-it motto.

We stopped by a record store in Soho to pick up some CDs (they're so affordable over there!) and MY PHONE GOT STOLEN HERE :'( :'( :'( I'm pretty damn sure it was this young hispanic woman who stood REALLY close to me at one point. I didn't think twice about it because I thought I might have been blocking her way. Wasn't until 10 minutes after she left that I realised my phone was missing- and when we tried to call it, it had already been turned off... Bye bye phone forever. :'( Even though I've never been that attached to my phone, I was really upset about it because losing things suck. And it was the last day of the trip! Almost made it without any casualties. Ah well, lesson learned- never let your guard down- you're practically daring the universe to prove you wrong.













Dinner was at an Italian restaurant near our apartment. Overall, I really REALLY enjoyed myself on this holiday. Finally got all 5 members of the family together after missing my oldest brother for 4 months! I will always cherish quality time, talking about stupid things like we do when we're together and laughing like maniacs in the middle of an empty street. Words cannot aptly/sufficiently describe how incredibly blessed I feel to have been born into this family. Even though we fight sometimes, I know things will be always turn out okay and I know they'll always be there for me. End of excessive mushiness, good bye. :-)

food, London, travel

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• London // Brick Lane Part Deux •

We came back to Brick Lane the next morning because the previous evening's forays were insufficient. It turns out we had barely covered 40% of the shops! The first thing that we noticed was how CROWDED it was now that it was a weekend morning. There was a ridiculous queue outside this supposedly famous bagel shop. Sadly, my tummy could not bear to wait in line and we settled at a quiet cafe nearby for brunch.





Smashed avocado, cream cheese and cherry tomatoes on wholegrain toast, with a side of apple-pear-ginger juice.

We also came across a chocolate shop that sourced its cocoa from Africa I think and...... oh my lawd... totally drool-worthy CHOCOLATE.......



















Making a special appearance in this post is the best-damned-churros I have EVER had in my entire 19 years of existence. There weren't any lines at the churro cart (is churros a singular or plural word?) and so I decided to give it a try. The man was kind enough to give me two flavours- vanilla and caramel!

I think it's a well-known equation that cold weather + hot food = extra deliciousness. So imagine eating this piping hot, crisp-edged, cooked-to-perfection churro stuffed with luscious oozing caramel and vanilla cream in the middle of a cold, blustery day. I said, pretty loudly, "this is the best damned churro stick I've ever had" and promptly this long line formed at the stall. I'd like to think it was my doing (probably wasn't).





There are also plenty of middle eastern, chinese, indian, thai, vietnamese cuisine stalls set up there on the weekends so there's plenty of food to try. And that sums up my great experience at Brick Lane!

food, London, travel

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