Jana Malinek Photography: Iceland: REYKJAVIK

Remember?
We left the church and entered the neighborhood of Norse gods.

And we did not pay enough respect to Loki. Never underestimate a deity! They have ways to get back to you that you cannot even dream of.

Especially if you have great imagination when it comes to after-the-fact analysis.

We entered Cafe Loki being tired and cold and hungry and the rest of it. It was a great venue - simple but artistic and full of people like us. There was a table for four right in the corner by the window - with a great image of Loki himself presiding over the room.

A beautiful young waitress brought out the menus, Thule beer, coffee, water and a bright smile.

"Something Icelandic? Oh, of course ....."

I do not remember what we ordered individually - all I remember was an introductory plate of "Icelandic traditional foods" - slices of wholesome thin dark bread, butter, dried fish and four creamy-looking cubes in a small porcelain bowl.

"What's that?" I asked, because I am lactose intolerant.

Her smile brightened the room.
"Fermented shark", she said. "Enjoy."

I did not notice then, but with a hindsight I seem to remember that Loki the trickster, straightened up and smirked.

Now, I would never order a whale course (it is available and we have been told that the locals do not really eat whale - it is only the tourists who have left their principles back in their countries, who order such courses).

Staring at the tiny cubes in the dish I felt a pang of guilt - but it was there and it was not a whale .... and I was curious too. So, after some internal struggle I toothpicked one cube, said something "witty" and let my tongue to slide the cube against the palate.
Traditional food is traditional food! One should always explore.

Handsome Loki roared with laughter!

The real taste did not hit until it was too late not to swallow. So the cube traveled down leaving a trail of strange, tingling sensation - as if I swallowed a chunk of beach-rotting shark carcass that the polar bears urinated on day after a day for a week. And then abandoned it for a month. It was dense and it was determined to linger.
One beer, a shot of Brennivin (a very good Icelandic distillate called "Black Death") and a cup of coffee too.....
But I could still taste it afterwards.

And afterwards ....

They say that curiosity killed the cat - no wonder if it ever tried to eat the fermented shark! The first and last bite for me, that's for sure and I am the one to likes to eat almost anything.

Oh, Loki, Loki - why me?

Mind you, my brave brother finished the other three cubes with "well it is not THAT bad" and the poor fermented shark became a standing source of remarks and references for the rest of our trip.

But do not get me wrong: the food was great and people too. It was the experience of the day so far.

Okay - here is an email that came from a goof friend of mine after he read my rant about the fermented shark.
Thank you Cal - I must share this with everyone:

Hi Jana

I looked up the familiar rotten shark and found this information. I can see why you probably did not like it.

Rotten shark is chosen instead of fresh shark meat because the meat of the Greenland shark is poisonous when fresh,^[2] due to a high content of urea and trimethylamine oxide, but may be consumed after being processed (see below). Allowing the shark to fully decay and cure removes retained uric acid from the flesh, making it edible.^[3] It has a particular ammonia smell, similar to many cleaning products. It is often served in cubes on toothpicks. Those new to it will usually gag involuntarily on the first attempt to eat it because of the high ammonia content.^[1] First-timers are sometimes advised to pinch their nose while taking the first bite, as the smell is much stronger than the taste. It is often eaten with a shot of the local spirit, a type of akvavit called brennivín. Eating hákarl is often associated with hardiness and strength.^[4]

After reading this I probably would be not tasting it.

Cal

Read more about the Greenland sharks, Somiosus microcephalus and hakarl on the following BBC site

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141028-the-mystery-shark-of-the-arctic

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There is a street connecting the top of the hill with downtown. It is wide and it is packed with interesting venues, art shops and cafes. A true touristy district and fun after days of exploring lava fields.

By the way: Loki decided to make friends - there were my initials in a bowl of marigolds right outside the cafe. Thanks buddy.

They say that Reykjavik is the stray-cat-capital of the world. This one had a collar and a tag, yet it still welcomed a dishfull of food that someone left out for it.
Hopefully it wasn't the fermented - you know ...

What an outstanding color - the breast cancer society pink. It truly stood out even in the pouring rain.

Down the street an exhibition of interesting photographs on double-sided panels, well protected from whims of weather.

Cafes and stores galore,
all doing well during the busy tourist season.

What is it like for them in the winter? We forgot to ask.

The stores are packed with all things Icelandic.
The sweaters - courtesy of the cute Icelandic sheep and an army of people able to take care of that long, soft wool.

Even the trolls get tired after the long day of shopping.

Iceland is full of trolls and elves, gnomes, fairies and other "hidden people".
Just try to walk the lava fields in the twilight or fog and you might meet one too.

If not .... come back to Reykjavik.

Photo by Stan Sykora

Ice cream time.

The walk down the street end by the phallological museum that hosts a collection of nearly 300 penises of different species.
There is one here, in Reykjavik and another one in the Northern city of Husavik.
For some reason, the male part of our group refused to visit ... the curators are still searching for a human specimen.

It did remind me of a CBC interview on As It Happens, of a couple of years ago. I was listening as I drove in my car - the interview was entertaining though for some reason the idea of looking at severed body parts did not have an appeal.

But .... some like to eat fermented shark and some don't. We all have different tastes.

Back downtown and looking for the old harbour - it is really just around the corner. No need to drive.