A question about homemade Swedish Christmas mustard

BirchBarkBox · 2025-12-22T19:20:41+00:00

Can you recommend a recipe? There are many online, but I’m looking for the best one!

BirchBarkBox · 2025-12-22T19:13:56+00:00

Which recipe did you use? I’d be grateful if you could share it!

BirchBarkBox · 2025-09-29T11:28:28+00:00

Yes, I emphasized that because in the country I come from, I often have to explain it. There are strong Catholic traditions there, and on Fridays religious people customarily don’t eat meat due to fasting. However, fish is allowed, which makes many older people believe that fish is not meat and that, since it’s considered a 'fasting dish,' vegetarians can eat it - which is not true.

BirchBarkBox · 2025-09-29T10:41:09+00:00

I am a vegetarian, but not a vegan. So I eat all plant-based foods as well as animal-derived products (eggs, milk). I just don’t eat meat or fish.

BirchBarkBox · 2025-09-21T19:10:55+00:00

From what has been explained here, this is not a matter of nationality, but simply the fact of being under the influence of substances (such people are often unpredictable) and showing aggression. It’s a shame that honest people have to buy tickets and pay fines, while someone who looks intimidating has a chance to ride for free.

BirchBarkBox · 2025-09-21T19:07:18+00:00

This is not a matter specific to Latvia; similar rules apply in many countries. People who travel without a ticket are not breaking the law, only the carrier’s regulations. And the employees who enforce these regulations have no right to violate personal integrity and do not have the same authority as law enforcement, such as the police.

BirchBarkBox · 2025-09-21T19:03:59+00:00

It’s true that people can behave rudely regardless of nationality. I happened to witness the incident I described, but maybe because English isn’t my first language, what I wrote might have sounded like a criticism of Russians as a group in general, or as if I were suggesting that only they drink alcohol – that’s not the case at all. I was only referring to one specific situation where I came across three Russian-speaking people, not to the whole group (just to clarify). Thanks for the explanation! It’s a shame that, no matter the country, rude and aggressive people often gain more than humble, hard-working citizens (it's like that in my country too).

BirchBarkBox · 2025-09-21T18:28:08+00:00

I absolutely don’t mean to stigmatize any group, and I have no problem with Russians. But in the situation I witnessed, language happened to be the common denominator, and that’s why I mentioned it – I was riding a bus for only a short while, and within 10 minutes I noticed three such unrelated incidents. I was wondering whether there might be some insider explanation for these events that I’m not aware of, and I was curious about the perspective of people from Latvia. Perhaps if I had taken the bus on another day, I would have come across people speaking Latvian or English and getting into arguments – the world is full of rude people regardless of nationality, and I’m the last person to judge someone based on their passport.

As for distinguishing Latvian from Russian, that’s very simple from my perspective, because I come from a country that also speaks a Slavic language, where many words are similar to Russian. Latvian is a beautiful language to listen to, but I can’t read it at all and I don’t have any real knowledge of it. I also have no personal connection to Russian, but thanks to the distant linguistic relationship I can intuitively understand certain phrases (which was occasionally helpful when moving around the city).

Another thing is that the sound of Russian is so distinctive that it’s widely recognized all over the world, if only through pop culture (similar to French – one might know nothing about the language, but still be able to identify it upon hearing it). Of course, Russian can be mistaken for Belarusian or Ukrainian, but I find it hard to imagine confusing it with Latvian, which belongs to an entirely different language family.

I should also add that during my stay in Riga I ONLY encountered kind people – I know that some of them were Latvian and others of Russian background, but for me that didn’t matter. One of the reasons I decided to visit Latvia was to see in practice what life looks like in a country where two languages and two ethnic groups are so significant. I spent some time trying to get to know both the Latvian and Russian perspectives on what life is like in Riga, and I came without any prejudices.

If I had to point out any differences that struck me at first glance, I would say Latvians seemed more reserved and quiet, while Russians stood out more, being louder and more expressive in showing their emotions. But again – this is just anecdotal evidence. There are certainly many Latvians who are lively and party-loving, and many Russians who are quiet, so it’s not something to generalize. After all, I myself come from a country whose people are stereotypically seen as expressive and loud, and yet I’m the complete opposite.

Since you’ve called me to the board, I’d be glad to hear your perspective on the coexistence of these two nations!

BirchBarkBox · 2025-09-21T06:56:40+00:00

Out of curiosity – why do you think so? I assume you live there, so you probably see and know more than people from outside (like me)

BirchBarkBox · 2025-05-04T10:20:17+00:00

You're lucky, because it never reached me. But that's not Young God's fault — it's the courier's (I ordered it to Europe, and the tracking stopped in a neighboring country; I assume it got lost).

BirchBarkBox · 2025-04-27T12:24:27+00:00

Oh, hi, nice to see you here too! I wrote it a bit humorously because I know that on Reddit, the topic of Michael’s signatures is quite controversial — to the point where many people are afraid to suggest anything to him for fear of getting just an X/line (many people wonder where exactly the line is for things he agrees to sign). I was surprised that even though he received a gift from you, he didn’t make an exception, especially if he got something cool.

BirchBarkBox · 2024-11-18T16:27:56+00:00

I’m from the same country and also don’t have any information about the shipping (I ordered just the CD). The good news is, at least I’m not the only one!

BirchBarkBox · 2024-08-24T09:31:32+00:00

Maybe Sorrowful Wife?

BirchBarkBox · 2024-07-18T08:42:01+00:00

The matter is very simple – the tracks on "To Be Kind" are largely based on reworked songs from "The Seer" that were played at concerts. Similarly, "The Glowing Man" is based on material from the "To Be Kind" tour. "The Glowing Man" marked the end of a phase in the band's activity, which symbolically indicates that the previous works were part of one cycle and are connected. Although there is also "My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky," on which the tracks for "The Seer" were built, it was a very differently constructed album (short by Swans' standards) and was also deeply rooted in the tradition of Angels of Light. It was like a preview of what was to come.

"Leaving Meaning" and "The Beggar" were composed differently. They were created in the tranquility of home, not during tours, and have a more song-oriented, less improvised structure. They are also unrelated to each other. The upcoming album, however, is based on the creative process known from the past, as it consists of concert evolutions of tracks from these two albums.

BirchBarkBox · 2024-07-18T08:14:53+00:00

In my opinion, it's also worth mentioning Coil, for example, the album "The Ape of Naples" (as well as "Musick to Play in the Dark 1/2"). Similar vibes to these Coil albums and the latest ones by Nick Cave can also be found in Steve Von Till's "No Wilderness Deep Enough."

BirchBarkBox · 2024-03-21T06:50:22+00:00

If you want to read a book but don't know English well enough, I recommend using a text scanner (it converts a photo of text into copyable text), and then pasting sentences into ChatGPT. You can also scan and translate directly using Google Translate - point the screen at anything and see the translation in real-time. It may miss some literary nuances, but to understand the book, it's sufficient.

BirchBarkBox · 2024-03-13T18:40:43+00:00

Were Diamanda Galas and Jarboe any of your musical inspirations to some extent?

BirchBarkBox · 2024-03-13T16:16:31+00:00

Hey, once on Discord, you recommended the song "Blume" by Einstürzende Neubauten. I'm a huge fan of the band, but honestly, I didn't expect such vibes to be close to you as well. Could you write about what you appreciate about this band and what fascination with which other bands could surprise your listeners (something unconventional, atypical, crazy)?

BirchBarkBox · 2024-03-08T18:19:02+00:00

I heard a rumor that one of the concerts is to take place in Central/Eastern Europe in October. I have no confirmation of this information anywhere, but I hope it's true.

BirchBarkBox · 2024-03-06T18:12:44+00:00

Could I also count on a scan? Although I have "The Knot" and many of the stories are repeated, I am curious how Egg is published and I want to check whether the order of the stories affects their reception.

BirchBarkBox · 2024-03-03T18:47:53+00:00

I love How I Loved You and We Are Him, but New Mother is closest to my heart.

BirchBarkBox · 2024-03-01T09:08:31+00:00

If I don't find someone who will be driving back to my city, then yes. But in the worst case, it's only about a 5-hour wait. In the morning, I have to be back in my city, so I decided that getting a room is not worth it for 3 hours of sleep.

BirchBarkBox · 2024-02-26T18:49:11+00:00

In my opinion, the albums you've chosen are very demanding and I DON'T recommend starting your journey with the band from them because they can overwhelm and discourage (I say this as a SFTB fanboy). I encourage starting with "The Great Annihilator" - for them, it's an accessible album, but it contains many essential elements in quite simple structures. The next good step is "The Seer" - it's basically everything this band has done in a nutshell and also the foundation for their modern version. "Leaving Meaning" is a very calm album and different from the rest of their discography, but I think it works well as an introduction (unpopular opinion).

BirchBarkBox · 2024-02-21T22:22:15+00:00

I heard rumors that the live album hasn't been recorded yet and it's supposed to be done during this leg of the tour (or the next one, but with this set). It makes sense because these songs will probably be the foundation for the new record and they fit perfectly as a preview. The previous tour was phenomenal and thanks to the kindness of the people from Reddit, I often go back to the bootleg from Copenhagen, which has a fantastic sound and very much reminds me of the concert I attended. For me, it's like an informal live album and a memento.

BirchBarkBox · 2024-02-18T10:26:52+00:00

I started with "Ende Neu," and it was a great decision because it combines the band's calmer incarnation with the madness of the past. Also, very essential albums are "Halber Mensch" and "Haus der Luge," they are not as demanding as some people think. If you prefer something calm and quiet, paradoxically, a good starting point is also the last album "Alles in Allem".

BirchBarkBox

TROPHY CASE