Though the word smörgås means something like "open sandwich", and bord is the Swedish word for "table", a SMÖRGÅSBORD is not simply an array of sandwiches but consists of a number of small dishes from which to choose from. These dishes may include herring, Swedish meatballs, salmon, pies, salads, eggs, bread, and boiled or fried potatoes. Smörgåsbord originated in the 18th century as an appetizer but gradually, became a meal in itself.

I feel like in the past, I have adopted a somewhat smörgåsbord attitude when it came to self-identity as I picked and chose various aspects of cultures to define myself. I wore a cloak of self-definition: each patterned cloth, each patch of material carefully hand-picked to fashion a whole. Like a jigsaw puzzle.

Growing up I deliberately and secretly surveyed the Swedish and German culture: I watched Wim Wenders, Lasse Hallström and Ingmar Bergman films, listened to ABBA, sought out ethnic dishes at food fairs, bought folkart at multicultural kiosks, studied food packaging in specialty stores, and listened and studied the mannerisms of Swedes and Germans. A part of me longed for the distinct cultural traditions I might have partook in, in a parallel life: a world existing alongside mine: a 'what if' scenario.

At the same time, I was fiercely attached to the mannerisms, attitudes, traditions, beliefs and of course cooking, of my adoptive family. My Mom's Scottish 'boiled supper' — Corned Beef and Cabbage — and my Grand-Maman's "Fèves au Lard" amongst other things, are as much a part of my memories, my identity. as what I contrived to 'learn' about specific ethnicities.