President Obama with Nordic Leaders before their Dinner together..
President Barack Obama poses with leaders of Nordic countries before a dinner together in Stockholm. From L-R: Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Finland President Sauli Niinisto, Obama, Sweden Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson.
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/09/04/dinner/
Obama in Stockholm before heading to G20 summit in Russia
snip//
Greeting Mr. Mr. Obama on a mild, sunny morning at the Stockholm-Arlanda International Airport were Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and leaders of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's center-right coalition government.
Along Mr. Obama's motorcade route form the airport to a hotel, crowds of people lined the streets, some waving small American flags.
Mr. Obama's trip to Sweden will mark the first bilateral visit by a sitting U.S. president to the northern European nation. While in Stockholm, Mr. Obama will meet with Reinfeldt and King Carl XVI Gustav and dine with Nordic leaders from Norway, Iceland, Finland and Denmark. He'll also stop at Sweden's premier technical university to call attention to Sweden's goal to phase out fossil fuels by 2050.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57601234/obama-in-stockholm-before-heading-to-g20-summit-in-russia/
[font color=blue]This is Posted in the Barack Obama Group[/font]
[font color=blue]BOG[/font] 
= new reply since forum marked as read
Lutefisk eaters thrive on quotes and jokes from skeptics of lutefisk comparing it to everything from rat poison (which has a hint of truth to it, because of the traces of nonstandard amino acid lysinoalanine found in lutefisk due to the reaction with lye) to weapons of mass destruction. A few examples are:
Quote from Garrison Keillor's book Lake Wobegon Days:
Every Advent we entered the purgatory of lutefisk, a repulsive gelatinous fishlike dish that tasted of soap and gave off an odor that would gag a goat. We did this in honor of Norwegian ancestors, much as if survivors of a famine might celebrate their deliverance by feasting on elm bark. I always felt the cold creeps as Advent approached, knowing that this dread delicacy would be put before me and I'd be told, "Just have a little." Eating a little was like vomiting a little, just as bad as a lot.
Quote from Garrison Keillor's book Pontoon:
Lutefisk is cod that has been dried in a lye solution. It looks like the desiccated cadavers of squirrels run over by trucks, but after it is soaked and reconstituted and the lye is washed out and it's cooked, it looks more fish-related, though with lutefisk, the window of success is small. It can be tasty, but the statistics aren't on your side. It is the hereditary delicacy of Swedes and Norwegians who serve it around the holidays, in memory of their ancestors, who ate it because they were poor. Most lutefisk is not edible by normal people. It is reminiscent of the afterbirth of a dog or the world's largest chunk of phlegm.
Interview with Jeffrey Steingarten, author of The Man Who Ate Everything (translated quote from a 1999 article in Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet):
Lutefisk is not food, it is a weapon of mass destruction. It is currently the only exception for the man who ate everything. Otherwise, I am fairly liberal, I gladly eat worms and insects, but I draw the line on lutefisk.
What is special with lutefisk?
Lutefisk is the Norwegians' attempt at conquering the world. When they discovered that Viking raids didn't give world supremacy, they invented a meal so terrifying, so cruel, that they could scare people to become one's subordinates. And if I'm not terribly wrong, you will be able to do it as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk
OMG, if only we could have warned him before he left!
I looked for something a little more palatable for our Prez. Maybe we'll get to see the menu of what they actually had.. if they divulge it. 
"Sweden is the new food country."
snip//
"Sweden is a culinary nation shaped by its countryside. The summer — with long, light days and cool evenings — produces fruit that grows slowly and has rich flavors. The coastline provides high-quality fish and shellfish. And the vast forests are full of berries, mushrooms and game, which all have a special place in Swedish cuisine.
Sweden’s nature and the produce it yields create opportunities for exclusive culinary experiences. And as the Swedish food scene grows, a new style of cooking is developing. Swedish chefs are returning to their culinary roots, rediscovering classic Swedish dishes and fantastic local seasonal ingredients, and giving them a modern twist. Swedish chefs are renowned for their ability to make the best of this blend of tradition and innovation.
In recent years there has been a boom in top-class restaurants in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, but also in smaller towns and the countryside. One of the most praised restaurants in Sweden is tucked away on an island in the Stockholm archipelago. There is a general trend towards serving good food, as well as increasing demand for it. Swedes are curious about food and keen to learn: they travel for gourmet experiences, and when they come home they demand interesting and innovative fine dining."
There's more..
http://www.sweden.se/food
President Obama at the Great Synagogue in Stockholm
I will be back tomorrow.
http://theobamadiary.com/
I just had to post one last thing~
freshwest
Last edited Thu Sep 5, 2013, 05:11 PM - Edit history (1)
Mahalo! Made me go check out to see what more chipsticks had..
Respect~
President Obama honors Raoul Wallenberg~ Turns out Raoul Wallenburg was born exactly 49 years before Barack Obama on August 4, 1912, she!
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/09/04/respect-6/
"Raoul Wallenberg was born on August 4, 1912, in Stockholm, Sweden."
snip//
"Having studied in the United States in the 1930s and having established himself in a business career in Sweden, he was recruited by the US War Refugee Board (WRB) in June 1944 to travel to Hungary. Given status as a diplomat by the Swedish legation, Wallenberg's task was to do what he could to assist and save Hungarian Jews.
Assigned as first secretary to the Swedish legation in Hungary, Wallenberg arrived in Budapest on July 9, 1944. Despite a complete lack of experience in diplomacy and clandestine operations, he led one of the most extensive and successful rescue efforts during the Holocaust. His work with the WRB and the World Jewish Congress prevented the deportation of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews to the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center."
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005211
BOG
Mahalo for posting one last Post, she~
those Nordic names~
Another pic from the President's "Day in Sweden".
President Obama is shown an example of a vehicle that uses fuel cells by Professor Goran Lindbergh during a tour of an energy expo at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/09/04/the-day-in-sweden/
BOG
He reminds me of my youngest (younger?) son. I only have 2 and I never know whether to use the superlative form or not. It makes me sad. He's in South Korea. 
My son is really handsome. I wish I had his nose. It's perfect. Drat him. But he's tall and husky, but fit. Imposing but gentle. Sigh.
