Flat structure

A building in Grünnerløkka, near Brugata Station.

On the question of food, the food culture in Norway is only now starting to grow. There are a great many immigrant restaurants that are pretty good - I had Punjab Tandoori today in Grønland and was thoroughly impressed.

Norwegian food, in its traditional sense, consists of fish and potatoes. Mostly, the Norwegians have a pretty limited palate and I've been told it's hard for any new or gourmet restaurants to survive because Norwegians will say any food is good. These places don't get a lot of feedback from the customers and end up dying off due to lack of business.

Building facades inside of Ring 1.

That said, food is a good place to start introducing the idea of a flat structure, which most Americans will be baffled by and probably disagree with. Norway works on the idea that everything is equal. This is not idyllic, as in the States, but more literal. All things are equal. What this means is that shitty food costs almost as much as gourmet, bottom shelf liquor almost as much as top. Most tourists complain that the prices are outrageous, and that may be true if you are seeking a cheap inadequate meal. But, if you like anything that's been crafted, and I mean truly fine tuned, you'll pay only slightly more than getting the cheapest shittiest thing. This is good, in my eyes.

The Royal Palace in Slottsparken (the Palace Park).

My first meal out was at a little restaurant/bar in Grønland with a coworker. We had steak with a hollandaise sauce, beautifully fried potato wedges, mushrooms and spinach in a house dressing for around 200NOK. For comparison, you can get a pizza and soda from the kebab shops ("where you have to be drunk to eat there") for 185NOK.
Same goes for drinks. I was under the [wrong] impression that cheap liquor meant a lower price, not true. For well vodka and soda, you'll pay 90NOK. For a truly amazing, mouth watering, blow-your-mind cocktail of top shelf quality - at, say, No. 19, the best bar ever - you'll get your ambrosia for 115NOK.

The Atlantic, as seen from Aker Brygge.

This is the flat structure.

It extends past just buying goods. Work places mainly operate on a flattened hierarchy, where managers and subordinates work at the same level - likely the same level of pay, and most certainly, the same level of decision making regarding your hours and workload. Norwegians are prompt, because its damn near impossible to be late if you're your own boss.

Regarding public transportation, I couldn't have asked for a better system. There are busses, trams, a subway system, trains to other cities, ferries to other countries. These are all on the same ticketing system and, for the most part, you can get anywhere in Scandinavia for a very cheap rate, 24 hours a day. Since Norwegians are extremely attached to the wilderness, most of this transportation will take you outside of city centers, as well; and there's almost never a day I get on a bus without seeing people on their way to the ski slopes.

The Fortress from the northeast side.

Although I've been walking more than riding the bus (for fitness and to look good for Meghan when she gets in), I have many choices in how I want to get somewhere. The busses are always on time and during peak hours you won't wait longer than 5 min. to catch a ride.

Tonight, I'm headed down to Grünnerløkka to meet up with some expats. I'll try to take more photos, when I get the chance and give you guys a better idea of the cultural details. I'm still learning myself, you know.

My kind of art in Aker Bryyge.