(Philosopher and teacher. Former chef. Food lover. Spends on average 2 hours every day cooking. Cooks often food for larger events).
Rasmus
We meet in front of Irma, one of Denmark’s fairly expensive and exclusive supermarkets. “I shop here because of the atmosphere”, Rasmus explains. “I dislike being treated like garbage down in Netto”, he says, referring to the very popular discount supermarket. In the fruit section he goes straight to the citrus shelves and picks a number of large grapefruits. “Not ecological?”, I ask. Rasmus takes me to the ecological shelves and shows me the grapefruits there. They are small, wrinkly and with brown marks. “That’s just not appetizing”, he says.
We meet in front of Irma, one of Denmark’s fairly expensive and exclusive supermarkets. “I shop here because of the atmosphere”, Rasmus explains. “I dislike being treated like garbage down in Netto”, he says, referring to the very popular discount supermarket. In the fruit section he goes straight to the citrus shelves and picks a number of large grapefruits. “Not ecological?”, I ask. Rasmus takes me to the ecological shelves and shows me the grapefruits there. They are small, wrinkly and with brown marks. “That’s just not appetizing”, he says.
Taste, Smell and Freshness
When Rasmus shops he goes after taste, smell and freshness. Organic is not vital unless it makes a difference for the taste. In dairy products and in certain vegetables he can really taste the difference, but otherwise he gives priority to freshness and fragrance.
We continue in the vegetable department. In front of a shelf with tomatoes, Rasmus stops short. He has already picked a pack of tomatoes, but on this shelf the plum tomatoes are on sale. He returns the other pack and takes the plum tomatoes instead. “They’re cheaper, and they smell better”, he explains. Price matters to him. “Buying stuff on sale in Irma is the perfect package: cheap and good quality in one go!”.
Making other people happy
He peruses through the supermarket, allowing himself to be inspired. “When I shop, I like to think about what would make others happy. I live with two friends, and I know that Martin loves peanut butter – the organic crunchy one. So I should remember to buy that”. The social aspect of cooking is at least half the pleasure, according to Rasmus. When Rasmus cooks, he likes to cook for others.
He peruses through the supermarket, allowing himself to be inspired. “When I shop, I like to think about what would make others happy. I live with two friends, and I know that Martin loves peanut butter – the organic crunchy one. So I should remember to buy that”. The social aspect of cooking is at least half the pleasure, according to Rasmus. When Rasmus cooks, he likes to cook for others.
Dropping meat
Recently, he decided to quit meat. He felt that his cooking had simply become too boring, because it always revolved around the meat. As a challenge to himself and his cooking dedication, he decided to become a vegetarian. It brought back the slow, focused cooking in his life. Obviously, there were other aspects of this choice too, e.g. animal welfare and health. “I just feel so much better after I dropped the meat”, he says. Dropping meat also spared him the eternal conflicts at the supermarket when he had to decide whether to buy the ecological and politically correct eco-chicken at an exorbitant price or just go for the cheap regular chicken. “I’m free from these conscience issues now as a vegetarian”, he says.
Making yourself happy
Usually Rasmus will spend 3-4 hours on preparing a meal. He loves that feeling of entering a meditative mode in the kitchen. It’s a way of showing care for yourself. Of feeling life. Of being in the moment. That’s also part of the reason why he stopped eating meat. “I just felt like the lost bird on capitalism’s big tree – being force-fed industrial meet produced under gruelling circumstances. This whole machinery surrounding the industrial production of meat is just too far out. I didn’t feel good about myself being part of that.”
Simple food is good food
Rasmus likes to make good simple food. He used to work as a cook for several years, so it is not out of lacking skills that he does not make fine French cooking. He just prefers simple food which focuses on fresh ingredients from the season. “Asian food is great, because it’s simple and in small portions. Really yummie.”
Recently, he decided to quit meat. He felt that his cooking had simply become too boring, because it always revolved around the meat. As a challenge to himself and his cooking dedication, he decided to become a vegetarian. It brought back the slow, focused cooking in his life. Obviously, there were other aspects of this choice too, e.g. animal welfare and health. “I just feel so much better after I dropped the meat”, he says. Dropping meat also spared him the eternal conflicts at the supermarket when he had to decide whether to buy the ecological and politically correct eco-chicken at an exorbitant price or just go for the cheap regular chicken. “I’m free from these conscience issues now as a vegetarian”, he says.
Making yourself happy
Usually Rasmus will spend 3-4 hours on preparing a meal. He loves that feeling of entering a meditative mode in the kitchen. It’s a way of showing care for yourself. Of feeling life. Of being in the moment. That’s also part of the reason why he stopped eating meat. “I just felt like the lost bird on capitalism’s big tree – being force-fed industrial meet produced under gruelling circumstances. This whole machinery surrounding the industrial production of meat is just too far out. I didn’t feel good about myself being part of that.”
Simple food is good food
Rasmus likes to make good simple food. He used to work as a cook for several years, so it is not out of lacking skills that he does not make fine French cooking. He just prefers simple food which focuses on fresh ingredients from the season. “Asian food is great, because it’s simple and in small portions. Really yummie.”
Inspiration
Rasmus likes to spend time flipping through his cookbooks or surfing food blogs on the net to find inspiration. Often, he can just sit around fantasizing about different combinations of taste or ingredients for some future meal. Tonight, he is making Vietnamese fresh spring rolls. They are great for when you have many guests, and they will be 15 this evening.
Butter
“I like butter!”, Rasmus says. “I always have it in the fridge.” He has stopped using it under cold cuts and spreads out of concern for his weight. Instead he uses it as a spread of its own occasionally. “It has to be salted and organic – that’s definitively the tastiest choice!”, he explains. Otherwise, he uses it for baking and cooking. Generally he fries with oil, but he likes to add butter to stuff he prepares in the oven. Rasmus’ roommate enters as we’re discussing butter. “Do you ever fry meat with butter?”, he asks her. “Sure – I prefer frying it with butter!”, she responds, a little surprised. Rasmus is bemused. “That’s so weird. I’d never fry meat with butter. Oil is much better suited for that.”
“I like butter!”, Rasmus says. “I always have it in the fridge.” He has stopped using it under cold cuts and spreads out of concern for his weight. Instead he uses it as a spread of its own occasionally. “It has to be salted and organic – that’s definitively the tastiest choice!”, he explains. Otherwise, he uses it for baking and cooking. Generally he fries with oil, but he likes to add butter to stuff he prepares in the oven. Rasmus’ roommate enters as we’re discussing butter. “Do you ever fry meat with butter?”, he asks her. “Sure – I prefer frying it with butter!”, she responds, a little surprised. Rasmus is bemused. “That’s so weird. I’d never fry meat with butter. Oil is much better suited for that.”
Dietitian
Rasmus attends a dietitian once in a while. Originally it was a weight issue, but now it’s more a desire to know what is actually healthy and what isn’t. “You’re just filled with so much messy information that it’s hard to figure out what’s actually good for you and what isn’t”, he says. Since becoming a vegetarian, the need to know about proteins and vitamins has become bigger for him. And in general he would just like to get out of the dark when it comes to knowledge about health and food. So currently the dietitian has put him on a fairly restrictive regime which means that he gets to eat much less cheese than he’d prefer.
Always in stock
There are certain things which just have to be available at home at all times. Lots of fruit for instance. Apples, pears, oranges, grapes and kiwis. And basic vegetables like carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes. “We also have to have some candy in the cabinet. Everybody always says that they don’t eat it. But whenever there’s something in the house, it’s eaten pronto. So I just make sure that we have some, because really – it makes everybody happy.” When we were shopping in Irma, Rasmus picked a high-quality dark chocolate and a bag of mixed candy on sale. 50% reduction. “We cannot resist that, now can we?”, he smiles.
