This week, I started research on my next culture, which is Hawaiian culture. I researched Hawaiian language, and the two forms of Hula dancing. I completed my writing about the Hawaiian language and did a summary on the history of Hula dancing. I decided that I will make a Lei for this month’s culture, as it is an important symbol of Hawaiian culture.
2) Currently, I am working on finishing my research on Hawaiian culture. After I finish my research, I will write a summary of each aspect of Hawaiian culture that I research. I estimate that I will finish this part of my work by the end of next week, as I am already done with around half of my research topics. Since I have no pending projects in other classes, I expect myself to do lots of work and remain on task for the whole week.
3) Next week, I will make my one item relating to Hawaiian culture, if I remain on task and complete my research and writing first. This item will be a Lei, which I will make with actual flowers and I will document the process of making it on my website. After I’m done with this, I will start research on next month’s culture, to get a head start on my next deliverable.
Sweden is located in the Scandinavian peninsula in northern Europe. It is one of the four Scandinavian countries, which include Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.
The majority of Swedish land is made up of forests or woodlands. To be more exact, 69% of Sweden is forest. Northern and western Sweden are mountainous, containing many important mountain ranges, such as the Kebnekaise mountain range in north Sweden, or the Áhkká massif is southwestern Sweden. Because of the inhospitable conditions in the north and the west, most of Sweden’s population lies in the southern valleys and central lowlands. Additionally, these areas are home to Sweden’s major lakes, providing fresh water and hydropower to cities.
You would expect Sweden to have an arctic climate due to its position high above the equator, but this is not entirely true. While north Sweden does have a subarctic climate, central and southern Sweden have two different climates. Central Sweden has a continental climate, with very hot summers and very cold winters. Southern Sweden has an Oceanic climate with four distinct seasons, due to its position next to the Baltic Sea. This allows ocean winds to go through south Sweden.
Swedish Cuisine
Sweden has a very rich food culture that differs from region to region. The north and south have much different cuisines because of their different ecosystems and climates. Northern dishes revolve around meats like reindeer or other game meats, while southern dishes use more vegetables and dairy. Many traditional Swedish dishes often feature preserved foods. Pickling and fermentation are the two main ways. Surstromming is a dish of fermented herring, and pickled cucumbers are also common with many meals. A full Swedish meal will often consist of many contrasting flavors, such as a food with sweet flavors, another with a savory flavor, a sour flavor, a tart taste, or other flavors.
One of the most iconic Swedish dishes is the Swedish meatball. Despite the name, these meatballs actually originated from Turkey. The recipe was brought to Sweden in the late 1700s, when King Charles XII visited Turkey. The main ingredient in these meatballs are beef or veal, but many chefs add spices and other ingredients to the meat. They are served with a tangy sauce or gravy which usually consists of a sour cream and beef broth. After being combined with sauce, they are topped with some basil or parsley.
Traditional Swedish Meatballs
Language
The language of sweden is Swedish also known as svenska. Swedish is spoken by about 10 million people in sweden. Swedish is relatively close to the language of Danish and Norwegian. Finnish and Swedish are both equally the official language of Finland. Swedish was first written in AD 1225.
These are the ingredients for the meatballsMeatballs while they are sizzling on the frying panThe finished product
The meatballs tasted quite good, considering it was my first time cooking them. They had a savory taste which was complimented by the basil on the top. I didn’t make any sauce, but I will be sure to add it next time.
This week, I continued working on my research of Swedish culture. I completed my research of the various language of Sweden, and I also made progress in determining what item I would get relating to Swedish culture. I am going to create something related to the Dalecarlian horse, an important icon in Swedish culture. I will either bake some horse-shaped dish, or create something more close to a doll or action figure.
2) What are you working on right now?
Because of other projects for history, and a concert for band, I was unable to work on my 20Time Project much this week. However, I am aiming to work on completing my research of Swedish culture and determining which culture I will research for December. I still need to research Swedish history and write about the Dalecarlian horse. I am aiming to complete either one of those research topics by the end of this week.
3) What do you plan to do next week?
Next week, I plan to start working on my next culture, and determine the item I will get for that culture. By the end of next week, I hope to be done with Swedish culture. However, I don’t expect to complete either of these goals as I have a history project due on Wednesday (12/19), and I will devote all my time to finishing that project. I will try to work on my 20Time project for the remaining four days of next week.
4) Deliverables Update
My November first deliverable is complete, as I have finished my research of Taiwan and I have gotten the item related to Taiwanese culture, my own calligraphy of a famous Taiwanese saying, “A beautiful person may not have a beautiful life.”
My December first deliverable stills needs work as I still need to research Swedish culture and I need to create an item relating to the Dalecarlian horse, an icon of Swedish culture.
Swedish Alphabet
Forgotten Cultures 