Edward Hancox's Blog, page 18

Skyr in New York?

Iceland, Defrosted has recently been snapped next to the Empire State building in New York City. It’s part of the Books on the Subway campaign, but it reminded me that its not the only connection between the book and this fantastic city.

Photo courtesy of Books on the Subway.

There is one Icelandic food that I love, though. I adore it. I crave it. It’s skyr. I even found it in New York. Let me explain.

New York was baking hot, seeming to shimmer in the blazing sunlight. The skyscrapers turned from grey to silver as they reflected back the sun’s rays. The sun beat down, sending commuters and hipsters running for shade and air-conditioned shops, and turning the subway system into an underground oven. Typically, the English tennis players had already been knocked out of the early stages of the US Open, citing the heat as the reason why. I was in New York for other reasons, but I couldn’t let the opportunity slip by. I had to take the chance to find Siggi Hilmarsson and his Icelandic skyr. I had read about the guy, and was utterly enthralled by his story. Moreover, I couldn’t resist a tub of cool Icelandic skyr in that sultry heat.

Skyr is an Icelandic dairy product. Although you wouldn’t be wrong to think of it as part of the yoghurt family, it is actually a form of soft cheese and is slightly acidic. It is virtually fat free, which is a bonus. Like most things, it was brought to Iceland by the Vikings, although I’m not sure that they were particularly health conscious. I certainly can’t imagine them counting the calories. Skyr is part of my staple diet when I’m in Iceland – I probably eat more than is strictly good for you, but it is delicious and there is nothing like it in the UK.

Siggi moved to New York from Iceland in 2002 for grad school. In 2004 he found himself all alone in the big city at Christmas, and, for the first time, not going home for the Christmas holidays. Feeling homesick for his friends and family, and for laufabrauð (the thin Icelandic ‘leaf bread’ served at Christmas) and skyr, Siggi asked his mother to send over some recipes so that he could attempt to make his own Icelandic food, especially as skyr was nowhere to be found in New York. Siggi told me that he was missing Iceland and the ability to drive only an hour to find that ‘instant feeling of aloneness’. So, in his adopted city of 8.4 million souls, a lone Siggi made his first batch of skyr.

He didn’t say whether it cured his homesickness or not, but it must have gone well, as Siggi went on to produce further batches from an agricultural college in upstate New York during the spring of 2005. It was rapturously received by New York foodies. So rapturously, in fact, that Siggi was able to start his own company – Icelandic Milk and Skyr Company. He moved production to Norwich, Chenango County, New York, where doe-eyed brown cows eating pristine green grass produced organic milk for Siggi to turn into yummy skyr. By 2008, Siggi had doubled his company’s size (OK, from two to four employees), and was producing skyr for stores up and down the eastern seaboard. Not bad for something started in his own diminutive kitchen. He planned to focus on the North American market, with the next stop being Canada. I remarked that the Icelandic–Canadian connection should make that an easy transition, a ready-made market even. Siggi just chuckled to himself. I asked whether – fingers crossed – he was planning to start producing skyr in the UK, but despite a lot of requests, he wasn’t. I almost shed a tear. He did have some tips for me though. ‘Try the grapefruit one,’ he said. It was his favourite as he didn’t like anything too sweet. His biggest seller was blueberry skyr. My stomach is rumbling now, just thinking of it.

Later, I did try the grapefruit one, bought from one of the best food shops I’ve ever been into. It was in Brooklyn, and although Siggi’s skyr is available across all five New York boroughs, I recommend this store. Outside on the street, it was marked by huge boxes of green and red oversized apples, landslides of heart-shaped strawberries and juicy watermelons. Inside was a tribute to any food you could possibly desire; pastries and aromatic coffee, hot and cold buffets, cold sliced meats and hot spinning chicken, English Ale and exotic fish, olive oils and fresh bread. I found the skyr and sat in the shadow of the Borough Hall to eat it. The grapefruit skyr – Siggi wasn’t kidding around – wasn’t sweet at all, rather tart, if anything. It had a slightly stiffer consistency than its Icelandic relative, allowing the spoon to cut though, and it held its form in a pleasing manner. It was pleasant, but I was not bowled over, if I’m honest. The next day, though, I was back for more. I chose the blueberry one, and it was divine. No disappointment there. It had a purplish tinge from the blueberries, and I was pleased to find that they also lent an extra sweetness to proceedings. I scraped every last bit from the pot. I could see why it was Siggi’s top seller – it was really delicious.

Siggi said that he was continually surprised by the success of his skyr, as he thought it was going to be a niche market, the preserve of speciality food shops and alternative restaurants. Ever modest, he put some of the success down to the media spotlight on obesity and heart-attack risks, and the subsequent craze for health food. But I think that it is more than that. It’s not just the taste either, or that lovely thick creamy consistency. I think Siggi has managed to find a way of putting a little bit of Iceland into pots.

(Excerpt from Iceland, Defrosted)

Iceland Airwaves Preview

It’s that time of year again. The rest of the world has put the festival season to bed and are hibernating for the winter. Reykjavík, never one to conform, is getting ready to host Iceland Airwaves. This might just be the last great party of 2013.

The signs are all there. First off, Icelandic artists are out in force. The usual suspects are all present: Rökkurró, Amiina, Sin Fang, Sykur, Retro Stefson and FM Belfast, along with the lesser spotted varieties such as Múm and Emilíana Torrini.

There are also the foreign artists, which fall into two camps: the up-and-coming, about to break through artists, or the alternative, been-around-for-a-while acts, such as headliners Kraftwerk.

This year, there also seems to be an invasion of bands from the U.K; Stealing Sheep, Money, Gold Panda, Jon Hopkins and Savages lead the charge, representing some of the best new music from the U.K. in one its frozen neighbors backyards.

I thought I’d put together a list of performers worth catching. Feel free to ignore, of course.

Alunageorge

Actually Aluna and George, this U.K. duo have gained fans all summer with their clever lyrics and R&B styled presentation. Don’t let the R&B tag put you off—this is the real stuff. ‘Attracting Flies’ is the song of the summer for me.

Ásgeir

Ásgeir has seemingly abandoned the rest of his name (Trausti), in his bid to be the next big thing out of Iceland. This singer/songwriter is going to do it too, with his Bon Iver leanings proving irresistible.

Mø

Karen Marie Ørsted sings over a melting pot of hip-hop, funk, soul and electro, and has the voice to sew it altogether. This Danish songstress is going to be huge. Catch her here whilst you can.

Zola Jesus

Experimental is probably the best way of describing Zola Jesus. Nika Roza Danilova performs under the stage name Zola Jesus, and provides extraordinary performances reminiscent of Florence and the Machine but much, much better.

Samaris

Sounding like an Icelandic Portishead, Samaris are gaining momentum. Using clever electronics, Icelandic poetry and an often surprising clarinet, Samaris are going places.

Yo La Tengo

Going since 1984, Yo La Tengo are hard to pin down. Alternative, yes, but able to mix and match styles and influences like no one else. Often called the ‘critics favorite band’ it’s probably not surprising that their latest album received glowing reviews.

Soléy

Soléy is a personal favorite of mine. With an adorable accent, and broken piano pop, this homegrown talent is hard to beat. In the right venue, she will be unbeatable.

Múm

The electronic, ever-evolving Múm are back with their first album in four years, Smilewound, which is a lot of fun. Expect contradictions of beeping arcade game sounds, sexy beats with soft, elegiac vocals.

Nite Jewel

Another female performer from the U.S. Only this one is different. Operating in a blur of 80’s keyboards and electro sounds, which her clear-cut American voice slices through. Late night fare.

John Grant

43-year-old Grant has adopted Reykjavík as his home. He has been taken in by Icelanders and the result is the impressive Pale Green Ghosts album. Definitely worth a look.

ÍRiS

Ok, ok. I’m biased here, as ÍRiS helped launch my book in London, and Reykjavík. But she is bloody good, and her debut album is amazing.

Of course, you could ignore all the above. You could ignore everything about the program, and just drift from venue to venue, catching the very best of Icelandic music as you go. Try unusual venues and locations, such as the extended Blue Lagoon line up. Grab yourself an Icelandic beer, and the ubiquitous pylsa. If the queue is too big, move on. If the music isn’t your thing, wait for the next band.

Follow icelandreview.com for coverage of Iceland Airwaves 2013.

Arctic Adventures Review

Huge thanks to Charlotte Theobold at Arctic Adventures for this wonderful review:

Iceland, Defrosted by Edward Hancox is ‘The story of one man’s obsession with the people, places and music of Iceland.’

Edward Hancox is a puffin loving Englishman with a passion for Iceland. Iceland,Defrosted is his first book, which evolved from his blog of the same name about all things Iceland.

”I found that the real Iceland is well beyond the confines of a hire car, or a weekend trip to Reykjavík. It doesn’t exist in current guidebooks, and can’t be brought with a stuffed puffin toy. The real Iceland is one where warmth, friendship, creativity and quality of life abound, making this small community into something really special.’’

I discovered the book through the wonder that is social media. When I moved to Iceland I set up my own blog to keep my friends and family updated on my experiences and adventures. I linked the blog to twitter and followed a lot of Iceland related accounts one of them being Ed Hancox. I started to read about this book that had newly published with the help of Kickstarter. So here I was, in Iceland reading these incredible reviews for a book written by a fellow Englishman about one of my favorite places. It was a no brainer. I had to purchase it and wow am I glad I did.

This book is not intended as a travel guide, it’s not a history book it’s just a book about one man’s passion for Iceland that just so happens to be an incredible travel guide and a very interesting history book. I read this book in my first week of being here and it inspired me to get out and see the country immediately. I was desperate to get up to the West Fjords and down to the South Coast as soon as I could.

Ed is honest in his writing he’s not shy to tell you when actually he didn’t really enjoy a certain experience or that it was a bit touristy for his liking. Something I have a lot of respect for. However, when he writes about an experience he found interesting or amazing you can feel his excitement in his writing and it is infectious like his love for Icelandic coffee, Puffins and Beer. He talks about some incredible places off the beaten track, with just enough information that a savvy traveler could research themselves but not with so much information that the whole world will have descended on them by next summer.

Ed covers all manor of topics from Elves to Einstök. Coffee to Cows and Seals to Shellfish and a recurring theme in the book his bad luck with seeing the Northern Lights or rather not seeing them.

The book is informative, funny and and times a little emotional. His words have stayed with me and whilst travelling the south coast last week I had a little Iceland, Defrosted voice in the back of my head reminding me of Ed´s experiences in the same locations or advice on the area.

I can´t recommend this book enough. I have an e-reader copy but have already decided I need a paper copy too as I want to take it everywhere I go this year for the advice and information. I have already noticed it in a number of bookshops around Reykjavik and I know that some independent bookshops in the UK are stocking this fabulous read too.

Walrus?

It seems that the humble walrus is making a comeback. Not only were several walrus spotted on Icelandic shores this summer, they’ve cropped up on bizarre situations recently too.

A walrus was spotted sunning himself on the beach Hofstrandarsandur in Borgarfjörður eystri, East Iceland, at the end of September. It is believed to be the same walrus seen observed on Skjálfandi bay off Húsavík in Northeast Iceland just a few days before. There have been five other walrus sightings in Iceland this year.

Vladimir Putin was recently photographed shaking hands with one, a walrus skeleton was found beneath St. Pancras station in London and Kevin Smith is working on a horror film, where victims are forced to dress up as a walrus for up to two hours a day, to please an old, but deranged, seafarer. It’s called Tusk. Oh, and there is that Beatles song too.

I thought I’d find out a bit more about this large, flippered, slightly- ugly marine creature. I’ve seen one, once. I was in Alaska though, not Iceland. Sightings in Iceland are rare and the animals are probably nosey visitors from the Greenland continental shelf.

Walruses come in three varieties, the Pacific, Atlantic and a lesser known species that lives only in a specific location in the Arctic and no one bothers about those much. These sociable creatures are huge, and can way up to 1,700kg, although Atlantic Walrus tend to peak at a not so measly 900kg. That’s still big enough to give you a nasty shock though, isn’t it? Also, bear in mind that walruses can move quickly on their stubby flippers; they can even out run humans.

The animals can live up to 35 years, although their tough Arctic lives tend not to lend themselves to this, and hunting, although now limited, shortens this even further.

The Icelandic name for Walrus is rostungur. The word ‘walrus’ is supposedly related to the old Norse ‘wal’ for whale, and ‘rus’ for horse and the Latin names translates as ‘tooth walking sea horse’. This is probably due to the walrus hauling out of the sea with its huge tusks and looking like a stranded, blubbery horse.

Those tusks, by the way, can grow up to a mammoth one meter long and like trees can be used to determine the age of a walrus, with the number of rings inside denoting a year. Don’t tell a walrus about this, though, they might not like it.

The tusks are used for breaking through ice, scouring the sea bed for food, hauling out, and having a good old fashioned fight. Usually over a female, at mating time. The longer a males tusks, the more important he is in his social group. By the way, the walrus has the longest penis bone of any land mammal. Just saying.

Walrus can spend up to 30 minutes underwater, have a special air-sac to allow them to bob and sleep in the sea, have skin up to 10 cm thick and blubber up to 15 cm to keep nice and snug in the icy seas. This is probably a good thing, as they spend up to two thirds of their lives in the water.

The animals have poor eyesight so they can’t actually see each other’s ugly bodies but have highly sensitive whiskers on their faces. These are similar to the whiskers of a cat, and are actually called vibrissae. They are used for snuffling out tasty morsels on the sea floor, such as snails, worms, crabs, small fish and for a bit of salad, sea cucumber. Their favorite, though, are clams, for which they use their tongue to suck them right out of their shells.

The children’s show Pajanimals has a character called Coach Whistler. He is a walrus. It’s not clear why. But then it’s not clear why there is one shaking hands with Vladimir Putin, buried under London or visiting Iceland either.

Original article on Iceland Review Online

Iceland, Defrosted in the Little Free Library.

I have posted another freshly cooked batch of books today. They have gone worldwide, but the one I’m most excited about is the copy going to the Little Free Library in Reykjavik.

I found out about this intriguing project earlier this year from its creator Larissa Kyzer, and I’m so pleased that Iceland, Defrosted is now going to be part of it.

The Little Free Library in Reykjavik website is here, and my original blog is below.

Photo courtesy of Little Free Library

Little Free Library is an international project, and it is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 6,000 ‘branches’ in 36 countries around the world. But thus far, there are no branches in Iceland. Larissa Kyzer is doing her best to change this.

What is the Little Free Library in Reykjavík?



To answer this, I first have to give a little background on the Little Free Library project in general. It was started in Wisconsin in the U.S., by two very crafty and literary-minded gentlemen.

The idea is to place a small, weatherproof hutch, house, or other interesting structure (there’s one in an old fridge in New Zealand, and the city of Berlin is making a whole ‘book forest’ out of hollow tree trunks) in a public place, fill it with books, and then let people come borrow and return them whenever they want.

It’s like the typical ‘take a book, leave a book,’ system, but better because instead of being a place to discard old books and magazines that you don’t want, it is rather a thoughtfully curated mini-library which can bring together broad communities of readers in a new way.

When it is completed, Little Free Library Reykjavík (LFLR) will be a multilingual, multinational ‘branch.’ Books in the collection will represent a wide variety of genres and reading interests.

The collection will be curated by librarians, literary organizations, academics, publishers and readers with an interest in Icelandic literature.

The library structure itself will be built using one of the ‘Amish Shed Kits’ sold by Little Free Library, resulting in a beautiful, weather-proof structure (very important in wet and windy Reykjavík).

Fun little tidbit about the kit, too: the wood was salvaged from an American barn that was leveled by a tornado nearly 100 years ago!

I know that you are crowd-funding the project on Karolina fund (an Icelandic crowd-funding platform, similar to Kickstarter). How is it going?

So far, so good! On the first day of fundraising, I received EUR 226, which is 26 percent of the final fundraising goal of EUR 860.

There’s still a long way to go, but I’m hopeful that the project will generate enough interest to meet the fundraising goal by March 25th (the day the fundraising campaign ends).

How did you get involved in the project?



I am a librarian and a student in the ‘Icelandic as a Second Language’ program at the University of Iceland. Years ago, I fell in love with contemporary Icelandic literature, only to realize that vast quantities of it doesn’t ever make it into English, as there are not many English translators working from Icelandic.

And so—after finishing my Master’s in Library Science—I applied for, and received, a grant co-sponsored by the U.S. Fulbright program and the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture to start learning Icelandic. One day, I hope, I’ll be able to split my time between librarianship and translation.

How can people get involved?



Monetary donations of any size will be an immense help, so I really encourage anyone who is interested in the project to throw in even just a few dollars (or few hundred krónur, as the case may be).

Outside of donating money, though, I also need help promoting this project widely—most success stories related to crowd-funded projects seem to stem from interested people just forwarding project information to their friends and family.

After the funds have been raised, there will be a lot of small tasks that it would be great to have help on.

I will need help translating some of the written material for the library into Icelandic (my own language skills are not up to the task yet), designing LFLR stickers for the book covers, and laminating all of the books so that they are at least a little weather-proof.

What if it doesn’t work? What if people take all the books, or don’t take any?



It seems to be a common fear among people starting Little Free Libraries that people will steal all the books. According to testimonials around the world, though, book theft is pretty uncommon—there’s something about the fact that these are ‘libraries’ that instill people with a sense of responsibility and respect for the return system.

If people don’t take any books, then that is probably a sign that the books we’ve selected aren’t of interest but I’m pretty sure that we’ll have a little bit of something for everyone.

What’s wrong with the full-size libraries already in Reykjavík?



Absolutely nothing! I love the Reykjavík City Library and the library system in Iceland. Little Free Libraries are libraries in spirit, but they don’t replicate or replace ‘real’ libraries at all (there are no librarians, for one!).

Supporting a project like Little Free Library Reykjavík is, I think, a vote of optimism for what community spaces and literacy and cultural involvement can be both today and in the future.

That’s not about replacing the brick-and-mortar library, but about expanding the ways that we think about information access, literacy, and public services.

Are you going to have Little Free Libraries anywhere else?



At the moment, just the one is keeping me quite busy. But if it is successful, I would love to help establish Little Free Libraries in more places around Reykjavík, and maybe even better yet—around the country.

Iceland, Defrosted at the Blue Lagoon.

10 Icelandic Authors You Really Should Check Out!

Earlier this week, the BBC, as current as ever, featured an article regarding the publishing industry in Iceland. Entitled ‘Iceland; Where 1 in 10 People Will Publish A Book’, it explained briefly about the importance of the written word to Icelanders, touched briefly on the Sagas, made reference to ‘jólabókaflóð’ (Christmas Book Flood – the release of numerous books before Christmas; Icelanders love to give books as presents) and then that was it.

I thought I’d take it a little further, and list a few Icelandic authors who have been translated into English. You may wish to seek their work out, and maybe have a little ‘jólabókaflóð’ of your own.

Hallgrímur Helgason - Dark, humorous and often slightly worrying, Hallgrímur writes about the darker side of Icelandic life, no more so than in 101 Reykjavik and The Hitmans Guide To Housecleaning.

Arnaldur Indriðason – one of Iceland’s contributors to Nordic noir, he is a master of crime and mystery. Often produces gripping tales that could only happen in Iceland, with his brooding Detective, Erlendur.

Nanna Árnadóttir – This debut writer produced Zombie Iceland, a fast paced zombie adventure set in Reykjavik, complete with pointers on Icelandic culture, illustrations from Hugleikur Dagsson and links to Icelandic music to listen to with each chapter.

Halldór Laxness – The master and Noble prize winner. Seek out Independent People; still as relevant now as when it was published, this classic is the tale of Bjartur and his struggles in the harsh Icelandic terrain as a sheep farmer.

Sjón – a friend of Björk, Sjón produces enigmatic and beautiful prose, that often lurks between fairy tale and dark surrealism. The Blue Fox is the best novella you may ever read.

Alda Sigmundsdóttir – after being a key commentator on Iceland’s financial collapse, and producing the amusing The Little Book Of Icelanders, Alda has turned her hand to novel writing. Her first novel, Unravelled, is the story of two different meltdowns.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir – Another excellent crime writer, Yrsa produces suspenseful, clever plot lines with the occasional spark of Icelandic humour. Not surprisingly, ‘I Remember You’ is already receiving the Hollywood treatment.

Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir – Guðrún has a keen eye for the minutiae of Icelandic life, no more so than in her latest novel, The Creator, set against the backdrop of a man who makes sex dolls in Akranes, and an unexpected visitor.

Andri Snær Magnason – a prolific writer, Andri manages to write award winning children’s books (The Story Of The Blue Planet) and hard hitting non-fiction (Dreamland: A Self-help Book For A Scared Nation). Also worked with the Icelandic band Múm.

Auður Ava Olafsdóttir – probably best known for the sensitive and gentle ‘The Greenhouse’, Auður has just published ‘Butterflies In November’, which even contains Icelandic recipes, and again, is about to become a major film.

Gold Star!

Iceland, Defrosted has been awarded a gold star by The Book Designer website, for its cover, which was designed by Kit Foster.

The website commented ‘Makes you frosty just looking at it.’

Bublish Live Twitter Chat

On November 7th, I’ll be taking part in a live Twitter chat with Bublish.

More details to follow.

Iceland Review: Review of Iceland, Defrosted

Review by Laura Nicholson.

As a self-proclaimed addict looking for his “next hit” of Iceland, Edward Hancox writes a relatable and amusing debut called Iceland, Defrosted that will have you packing your bags and getting on the next airplane to Keflavík.

Hancox is obsessed with all things Icelandic and was first drawn to the chilly North Atlantic island because of his love for the cold and Sigur Rós. With his wry English humor, Hancox describes the appeal of the crisp winter frost rather than the “semi-warm, wasp-infested flat lemonade of an English summer.”

Iceland, Defrosted is a collection of hilarious anecdotes based on Hancox’s travels around Iceland. Iceland Review Online readers will be familiar with Hancox as he writes regular Daily Life columns (some passages in the book are built on those columns).

I laughed out loud countless times as he detailed his observations about the uniqueness of the country. Perhaps one of my favorite stories was his commentary about the Reykjavík Zoo where he says a young Icelandic woman confided in him while she was drinking, that the zoo staff sit down to a “very special dinner” once a year where some of the zoo residents are eaten. Hancox notes that many of the animals at the zoo, like dogs and cats, would be found as road kill in Britain.

Mixed in with his stories are interesting facts about Icelandic culture, like the naming system, where to find the best pylsa and where the hidden people are said to exist. Hancox’s vast knowledge of Iceland is evident and his enthusiasm will resonate with his readers. Reading Iceland, Defrosted made me feel like Hancox was an old friend of mine who was telling me about his latest trip. The reader gets a real sense of his personality and he is instantly likable.

However, as he is not a writer by trade, Hancox’s overuse of punctuation is a distraction. I felt that the proofreading of the book could have been done more thoroughly. Another minus is that he would often be telling a compelling story and then would abruptly go off on a tangent. I think Hancox would benefit from a more focused approach to his writing.

The longing for Iceland that Hancox describes is one that only those who have visited the country will understand. I too had such a strong urge to visit Iceland while reading his book that I reserved a plane ticket on a spur of the moment. Four days later I was in Reykjavík at places Hancox recommended. I couldn’t help but wish Hancox was with me to introduce me to his Icelandic friends and to listen to more of his stories over kaffi.

Iceland, Defrosted is a strong debut and gives an inside look at Iceland that you can’t get anywhere else. I suggest you get rid of your guidebook immediately and instead bring along Hancox’s comical and honest suggestions.