Category Archives: products

Cultural Learnings of Iceland, Part 6: Brennivín

The official Icelandic national schnapps is not unlike Hobbes’ natural state of mankind: nasty, brutish and short.
Having a national beverage seems to be de rigeur for small countries who want to sell stuff to tourists maintain their cultural identity. Iceland is no exception.
The local tipple is called “Brennivín”, an ancient Icelandic word that translates as “we […]

19 August 2009 – 11:11 | By valgeir | Also posted in iceland, drinking, icelandic sweaters, brennivin | Comments (3)

Cultural Learnings of Iceland, Part 5: The Blue Ópal

Rarer than a disco remix by Sigur Rós, the Blue Ópal is an Icelandic candy that is no more. It has ceased to be. It has expired and gone to meet its maker.
Along with its Red and Green cousins, the Blue Ópal was born in 1950, when its producer, Nói Sirius, got some fancy new […]

16 June 2009 – 7:47 | By valgeir | Also posted in iceland, food | Comments (3)

Wanted: Genuine Icelandic Grandmothers

There’s no point in wearing a traditional Icelandic jumper unless you can say, “What, this old thing? Oh, my genuine Icelandic grandmother knitted it for me years ago. Of course, I’ve had it since before they were in fashion.”
It may look like an unwanted Christmas gift to your foreign eye, but here in Iceland the […]

4 December 2006 – 21:54 | By Annie | Also posted in iceland, shopping, designers, Icelandic clothes, icelandic sweaters | Comments (7)

Cultural learnings of Iceland to make benefit glorious nations of the world

Part 2: Kókómjólk.
After years of research, your humble editors have concluded that Kókómjólk is probably the best nonprescription hangover cure with a picture of a striped, muscular cat on it.
What’s this Kókómjólk, you ask? Well, it’s Iceland’s premier chocolatey milky drink. In fact, it’s Iceland’s only chocolately milky drink.
Which is probably why, having nothing else […]