Cafe, cafe and mormons

In town yesterday I saw an old man in a wheel chair sitting by a table in an outdoor cafe. He was leaned back in his seat with a look of content on his face. On the table in front of him two pigeons were eating his chocolate cake. The man noticed the smile on my face and commented: “They’re hungry”. I laughed and asked if the cake was good. He agreed to that and kept studying the head-butting pigeons going to town on his cake.

Yesterday was our Swede’s last day of work, so she and I went out to celebrate with a “fika”. I was starving after a long day of work, and spent the half-hour before her train arrived looking at menus from different cafes and restaurants. The Pastabakeriet was what tempted the most, with its vegetarian alternatives and cheerful Russian waitresses. The Swede and I put our bags and backpacks next to an outdoor table to make sure no one else would take it. To decide what to have when the selection is so large, takes time. Right after I had ordered my smoked ham pasta salad, one of the waitresses grabbed our bags and walked in with them. I ran towards her, excusing myself and explaining that those bags are ours, we just wanted to sit by that table. The poor waitress was really embarrassed and hid from us for the rest of our visit. There were three middle aged women who laughingly took the blame. “It’s is our fault! We told her that the people sitting there had left their belongings”.

For proper celebration a pasta salad and bruschetta just isn’t enough. There is a chocolatier in town, and we decided to see if they actually sell something to drink as well as chocolates. On the way there two Mormons stopped us and told us they’re on a mission to inform us about the book of Mormons. I said I know what they are about, but what I really wonder is how they learn Norwegian. How come they speak so fluently after a few weeks of studying? The guys were confused at my turnaround of topics, but told us that they have 9 weeks of language classes in the US, and they learn grammar and vocabulary. After those nine weeks they go to their designated country and just speak it. We wondered if Mormons are smarter, or maybe more motivated, but the reason they gave for their successful language learning is: God helps us learn.

In the chocolatier the young girl working there didn’t understand our Swede at all. Maybe the intonation, maybe the specific word usage was a hindrance. The hot chocolate is made with milk, and the girl didn’t understand soy milk or lactose intolerance. Our swede got annoyed and ordered tea and some pieces of chocolate instead. I had coffee and a chili infused chocolate ball. The Swede hasn’t openly complained about the prices in Norway, but in this chocolatier café, she leaned in over the table and whispered in a conspiratorial way: “The prices in here are actually really good. Even in Sweden you wouldn’t find a place where they sell tea and a praline for 25 kroners.”