Taking Care of the World Tour

[lance]

classic look - will be interested in the results of your indigo/shibori project

[mandel9000]

Thanks for the nice comments! 

 

Cuffs were sloppy, I just made them right there and then. I'm 5'10"/1,77m. I only need a single cuff if I wear a belt (not that uncomfortable and more in tune with my style than suspenders), double if I go without. 

[louisbosco]

don't mind if i ask, where did you get the dye from?

[mandel9000]

I bought it in Los Angeles, some craft shop close to Silver Lake, when I was there in October. It's this one. 

[mandel9000]

It makes my bathroom smell like a barn and it seeps through the door to the rest of the apartment, so I have to get all the dyeing done the next few days, can't live like this!  + Afraid that the neighbours will think I have a dead body inside.

[Maynard Friedman]

They'll think your involved in the dying business rather than the dyeing business!

[louisbosco]

sweet. thanks. can't wait to see how you project turns out.

[Iron Horse]

Jeans look great; yes, indigo vats smell like farm animal piss.

 

It's too late to say urine for a surprise!

[jigsaw]

Love the 20s fit on Mandel, looks comfy

[mandel9000]

Just a few updates, I've been planning the office Christmas party for the last couple of days because the ones supposed to be in charge came down with the flu. 

 

First, a sneak peak of the indigo/shibori project. Shoelaces dipped once and twice. 

 

A bandana with pattern. It went back for another dip after this photo was taken. 

 

From when I woke up yesterday morning. Last full moon of 2016. 

 

I always go away for Christmas so I don't own many festive decorations, except for this:

[heavydoom]

i love indigo bandanas.  i got some nice japanese ones by h.r.m..

[mandel9000]

Sorry about the radio silence, I don't currently have a laptop that works and can't figure out to embed photos on the iPad, so for now the work computer is where it happens. 

 

I've been busy with the indigo/shibory dye this weekend. I'll have to do some serious cleaning later, because - to paraphrase Arrested Development: I just blue myself and my bathroom. It's a real mess. 

 

Anyways, no fit pics this time, but here's an update on the dyeing: 

Some of the stuff I dyed. The fabric with different patterns will be made into pillows. 

 

Nothing fancy here, just a couple of dips and a bit uneven, but I love this shirt and I couldn't wear it before because of the yellow-y beige colour that didn't look good on me at all. Now I have a useable shirt in a nice indigo. 

 

How I wish these gloves were wearable. So pretty!

 

I had to eat too, so I made a customised larb based on memory. I don't think the cucumber and carrot is supposed to be mixed in at this stage, but it turned out quite well and very tasty. 

 

Tomorrow I leave for the north. Ufortunately it's going to rain the whole time according to the forecast, so no snow or northern lights, but I'm sure I can find something to photograph. 

[nycsurfer530]

Those gloves are a thing of beauty

[louisbosco]

i was about to say northern lights until i finished reading the sentence... btw the gloves look amazing. i'm sure it could make it into your EDC or wearable gloves for the cold. 

[aho]

Friends, when are we looking to start the TCB20's contest? Count me in (as if I already wasn't), I'm dying for a cinch back over here!

[volvo240thebest]

Hey Aho we will start Sept 1st 2017.

Btw Tcb is producing the first batch of tcb 20's now, soon we will have measurements.

[Capsicum Fried Meat]

I'll wait, I'll wait.

[mandel9000]

So I landed in Tromsø, the town where I grew up, late last night. I always forget how pitch dark it is here. At daytime the landing is usually quite spectacular, mountains and ocean on all sides, but now it was just black, with some scattered city lights once we got close. I think around 70.000 people live here now, but it's a large area so it actually feels like less.

I moved to Oslo when I finished high school and have been living there for almost half my life now, but I have so fond memories of growing up in this town, in the midst of nature, where we could do anything and go everywhere because it was so safe. It still feels that way.

Today the sun turns, which means lighter days are ahead. December 21 is the middle day of winter darkness, the darkest day of the year. The sun is nowhere to be seen in Tromsø between November 21 and January 21, but from now on it gets a little lighter for a little longer each day. And of course, to make up for the dark times there's midnight sun (if the skies are clear) for two whole months in summer.

 

This is a photo I took just now, about 11:30am.

 

And a little bit of cheating, just to give you a better idea of the place: This is a panoramic photo that I took when I visited in September, from the mountain that you see in the middle in the picture above.

I grew up close to a small lake in the very middle of that small island (maybe it's not possible to see unless you know about it), on the very top, with great views in all directions. My mom has since moved to the right side of the island.

Edited December 21, 2016 by mandel9000

[lance]

Such a fun way to learn about an interesting part of our world - thanks for your post, mandel9000!

[mandel9000]

Today we went to the "city centre" to buy the last gifts and some ingredients for upcoming dinners.

It actually snowed a little this morning:

30 minutes later, about 1:30pm, we got to the very happening downtown Tromsø and it was already dark.

This used to be my favorite shop when I was a kid. All candy. Felt good to see that it's still going strong.

We went to the fish market to get some lutefisk, more about that in a few days, and passed by the boats that either sell fresh fish (during the season) or take tourists out on whale safaris.

At the fish market. Note the orange jacket with rephlex (or whatever it's called in English), lots of people wear them here because it's so dark.

I briefly considered getting this dried cod to eat as a snack (an acquired taste, I must admit):

But instead I settled on the raindeer stew. The photo is not very appealing, but it was excellent!

My mom's cousin used to run the polar museum here. We stopped by and I snapped a photo of this photo of polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen. Really like the cut and assymetry of his jacket.

Edited December 22, 2016 by mandel9000

[louisbosco]

no way. 1.30PM and it's already dark?!? even the most winter of winter countries i've been too gets dark at maybe 3ish 4PM. which probably would be hokkaido..

[volvo240thebest]

I was expecting some sort of mention of lutefisk during the Arctic leg of this tour! Viking peasant Xmas food par excellence!

It would be a hard hard competition between lutefisk and Marmite (see Roy tour thread debate), but the lutefisk must win it as its a much more elaborate recipe...

I also had the dried cod snack bags while in Norway, terrible...

Edited December 22, 2016 by volvo240thebest

[holio cornolio]

Lutefisk with marmite? Mmmmmmmm

[Maynard Friedman]

Never heard of lutefisk but dried cod sounds great. I'm sure pickled herring must be popular in Tromso too, that's one of my favourite fishy snacks, covered in onion.

[volvo240thebest]

this is the Viking dried cod snack, I had it in Lofoten Islands a few years ago and will never forget!

 

this is how we do it in Liguria where dried cod is one of the classics of local traditional cooking

the old woman in the picture is somewhat of a local legend, she's 97 yr old now and she still occasionally works in the same restaurant she opened in 1940, 76 years ago.

If you want to google the recipe (good luck to find one in English) the name is stoccafisso accomodato alla genovese.

I have fond memories of cooking this recipe in Lofoten islands for some local guys that own a dry cod business. I was quite drunk and I ventured to cook it for 16 people. It's a miracle that i didn't cut any of my fingers or things like that!

Edited December 23, 2016 by volvo240thebest

[Bobbo]

I love world tours.

 

Don't think I've ever seen that kind of viking food in Sweden. 

[mandel9000]

Haha, @Volvo, I really wish I was there.

@Bobbo, I guess we're just a little more advanced in the potentially gross food department. But you have surströmming going for you, so I don't really know

-----

I ventured outside today in that small daylight window around noon.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

 

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2016 by mandel9000

[holio cornolio]

If you want to google the recipe (good luck to find one in English) the name is stoccafisso accomodato alla genovese...,

Google translate my man. I will be making this some time soon... sounds epic.

[volvo240thebest]

IT IS! go for it, it sounds tricky but really it's way easier than the farinata.

[holio cornolio]

Super update mandel. Lovely pics. We won't see snow here in my neck of the woods this Christmas but your post reminds me that we should maybe travel somewhere to try and get a white Christmas in again before my kids are too old to give a crap.