4-20

Crescent

My intention was to pick up a used bike as soon as I arrived in Stockholm...figured it would be the perfect way to explore the city.  I quickly found out that it wasn't that easy...there are plenty of bikes scattered about, so it wasn't a matter of a lack of selection.  Instead of locking the wheel+frame to bike rack, most of the city bikes have a single lock across the rear wheel and are left propped up against a building on the edge of the sidewalk.  Due to this lax attitude towards protecting your bike, thefts are common...so most bikes that you see are quite old, heavy, and frankly, pretty shitty.

As spring arrives in Stockholm, it brings blossoms on flowers and trees, and also all of the bikes that were left to rot on the bike racks and sidewalks all winter long.  On my walks to/from school each day, my urge to rip an old bicycle from its rusty shackle and nurse it back to health became stronger and stronger.  In fear of being deported, I decided not to steal, and opted to pick up an old Crescent 3-speed from a local bike shop.  

After listening to the salesman tell the "stupid" American how amazing the bike was, and how it is worth 7000 SEK (~$1000) new (yea right!), I decided that the old Swedish-made beaut' would do the trick.  From the layer of gunk, it was clear that it had been sitting outside for quite some time...after a nice cleaning though, it looked good as new.  However, during my clean I realized that the rear wheel had a small crack in the rim, a bent spoke, and a slow leak in the tube...what a disaster!  Anyone know if Sweden has a Lemon Law?

Beijing8

To celebrate the birth of the Prodigal Son (happy birthday Dan!), a few of us paid a visit to Beijing8, a trendy, minimalistic dumpling and tea restaurant in Södermalm.  I have been eager to try this place for a few weeks; I heard quite a few positive reviews, plus their website advertised "...dumplings, beer, and music every Friday."  All of the tables were full by the time we arrived (~19:30), and it turned out they offer only one type of beer, Red Stripe...so hipster.  The four of us started with an assortment of 24 dumplings (veal, chicken, lamb, pork+shitake, salmon, and veggie), sides of glass-noodle salad, shredded potatoes with chili and coriander, and marinated beans, and all four of their sauces:  plum and ginger, hoison garlic, chili cilantro, and creamy peanut.

The food arrived before any tables opened up (so many people were just chilling with their Red Stripes and no food!!), so we started our meal standing at the counter.  Although Michael warned us that this place wasn't authentic for a number of reasons, the food was pretty tasty.  The pork dumpling with peanut sauce, or the salmon with chili cilantro were a tie for my favorite. 

After a second round of 9 dumplings, we washed everything down with a few Red Stripes.  The place had a very nice atmosphere; good music and food with modern style and a young crowd, and most importantly, it wasn't all that expensive. Seems like it was plucked straight out of NYC or Chicago.  Good food, good times.