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Beating loneliness is just One Bowl away in Copenhagen

With many Danes suffering from loneliness and a steady flow of new people coming to the city from outside Denmark, finding ways to meet people can be a challenge.

Published: 18 May 2016 12:45 CEST
Beating loneliness is just One Bowl away in Copenhagen
One Bowl coordinator Allwin Jebahar and volunteer Emilie Da Silva. Photo: Melanie Haynes
A volunteer-run community restaurant in Nørrebro is trying to help. 
 
At least 50 people turn up to One Bowl every Wednesday to eat together. There, you can eat as much as you wish and are only asked to pay whatever you can.
 
The aim is to bring people together for a delicious hot meal regardless of their situation. The food is served from a counter but enjoyed at long tables, where strangers can eat and talk together. There are a large number of regulars who attend each week to willingly chat with new people. 
 
One Bowl bills itself as a 'pay as you feel' community restaurant. Photo: Melanie Haynes
One Bowl bills itself as a 'pay as you feel' community restaurant. Photo: Melanie Haynes
 
I went along one Wednesday to meet the organizers of One Bowl and to find out more about why people come here. Emilie Da Silva has been volunteering at One Bowl since it started in 2014 and after a long day at work she looks forward to an evening at the restaurant. 
 
“I am excited to come along here to help out and to see people coming, their smiles as they enjoy good food and company without having to spend a lot of money,” she said. 
 
“We see a lot of the same people each week but also plenty of new faces. It is a laid-back place to hang out and there are people from all cultures, ages and background here and they all want to meet new people and eat great food together,” she added. 
 
Allwin Jebahar from southern India is the project co-ordinator behind One Bowl. He took inspiration from other community restaurants in other parts of Europe but found that back in 2014 when he launched the concept, it wasn't common in Denmark to regularly bring strangers together to eat food and socialize. He missed this kind of cultural exchange and decided to start One Bowl.
 
“I would love to open more than one night a week and I think there would be the demand for it but at the moment we would need a lot more regular volunteers to make this happen,” he said. “I am also looking a ways to fund One Bowl so we can look at having our own dedicated space.”
 
It was interesting to see the mix of guests at One Bowl enjoying the vegan meal. 
 
Henrik, 64, told me that he comes regularly to eat here.
 
“People are often on autopilot in their own cultures but it is enriching to meet people outside that context,” he said. 
 
Other guests said that they come to One Bowl to beat loneliness and meet new people, while many others said that they simply wanted to enjoy a delicious freshly-cooked meal on their limited budget. 
 
One Bowl is open every Wednesday from 6pm to 9pm. More information, including how to volunteer, is available on the community restaurant’s website. 
 
Volunteers serve up the restaurant's tasty meals. Photo: Melanie Haynes
Volunteers serve up the restaurant's tasty meals. Photo: Melanie Haynes

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FOOD AND DRINK

Five dishes that every newcomer to Denmark should try at least once

Denmark may have a stellar reputation as a world leader when it comes to fine dining, but it’s also home to plenty of hearty dishes. Here are a few you should try.

Published: 19 April 2024 17:30 CEST
Five dishes that every newcomer to Denmark should try at least once

With dozens of Michelin stars scattered across the country, world-famous restaurants like Noma and Geranium and Bocuse d’Or winning chefs, it’s not surprising Denmark is known as a gastronomical destination.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t many simple, traditional meals that make up an important part of the culinary landscape.

Danish dishes often reflect the country’s agricultural roots, its heavy use of pork and fish and common “meat and two veg” style of meal composition.

Here are a few dishes that are time-honoured favourites in Denmark and, as well as tasting great, might tell you a bit about the Nordic nation’s past and present.

Frikadeller

Frikadeller is Denmark’s answer to Sweden’s köttbullar or meatballs, made famous worldwide by their presence in IKEA cantines.

The Danish version consists of ground meat – commonly pork – rolled into a ball with salt, egg and seasoning like thyme and cumin, fried on a pan. There are other variations and styles but this seems to be the most common.

Usually, the frikadeller are pressed flat to make them more cylindrical than ball-shaped.

They can be served with anything from a salad to pasta or a slice of rye bread, but seem most at home with boiled potatoes, gravy and some cabbage or beetroot.

Look out also for fiskefrikadeller – where the meatballs are made of fish.

Karrysild med æg

Curried herring with egg might sound like a potent mix of ingredients and it can be an acquired taste, but once you’ve got used to it you may join many Danes in favouring it as a rye bread topping on occasions like Easter lunches.

It’s easy to make – you chop up the herring (which can be bought in pre-marinated jars at supermarkets, if you prefer) and mix it with a creamy dressing consisting of mayonnaise, crème fraiche, curry seasoning and red onion.

Mix in some chopped boiled eggs or serve them alongside the curried herring for your finished article. If you want to add a fancy twist, include some chopped apple in the cream for a bit of extra crispness.

Curried herring with egg. Photo: Vibeke Toft/Ritzau Scanpix

Brændende kærlighed

Translating literally to “burning love”, brændende kærlighed is a classic Danish winter dish that will, as advertised, warm you up on cold nights.

It includes buttery mash potatoes and usually a side of pickled beetroot, but its crown it the topping: a hefty portion of chopped bacon, fried up with onions, pepper and sometimes a little chili.

Make sure the bacon is as crisp as possible.

READ ALSO: Five classic Danish cakes you need to try

Grønlangkål

Kål is the Danish word for cabbage. Grønlangkål or “green long cabbage” isn’t a type of cabbage in itself but a way of preparing and serving regular green cabbage, often at Christmas dinners or as a side with a pork-based main like glazed ham, the giant medister sausage or the aforementioned frikadeller meatballs.

Prepare by finely chopping the cabbage, mixing with cream, butter, sugar and muscat, and sautéing on a pain until it is soft.

Grønlangkål (top right of picture) with medister sausage and leverpostej (pate). Photo: Nils Lund Pedersen/NF/Ritzau Scanpix

READ ALSO: Påskefrokost: What are the essentials of a Danish Easter lunch?

Hotdog

Although it wasn’t invented in Denmark, the Danes have certainly made a version of the hotdog their own.

There are a few types which could be considered typically Danish, but the hotdog with rødpølse (“red sausage”), remoulade relish, pickled cucumber and dried fried onions is a classic and arguably the Scandinavian country’s signature street food.

You could also try a fransk hotdog or “French hotdog”, a somewhat blander affair in which the sausage is placed into a hollowed out miniature baguette, usually with ketchup or mayo.

Although fast food has diversified hugely since the hotdog’s arrival in Denmark over a hundred years ago, it is still as popular as ever – just ask the country’s police officers.

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