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- Weekly Zephyr #31: Sauna and Sisu
Weekly Zephyr #31: Sauna and Sisu
Weekly Zephyr #31: December 28th, 2017
Carolyn Swiszcz, Sauna, 2015
GOODBYE 2017 You were many obvious terrible bads
but we don't know what 2018 is yet so we could even end up nostalgic for you
By the way, we're at the point in the year where I feel that we're all supposed to spend a week holed up in a cliffside mansion eating cheese and reading good literature by lamplight at a rain-battered window but I don't know about you but this keeps not happening to me over and over year after year oh well
ANYWAY
Years are arbitrary! Life is never not a mix of everything! Nothing is a monolith except a monolith! Good and glorious things happened, too but that said let's take a minute to rest before we get very strong in 2018 to do what we must
This is also the end of Finland month here in the Zephyr. THE FOUR S's of FINLAND
SUOMI (Finnish for Finland) SIBELIUS (we've had some this month already but the most Finland-est is below) SAUNA (I've never been able to handle them, frankly, SO HOT HELP HELP but I aspire to try again because it SEEMS great) and
SISU
The Finnish national characteristic. Translates to something like "true grit". Perseverance, oomph, strength. We all need megadoses at this point and there are ways to up our reserves but guess what: we're not talking about that until January. It's too muscular for the end of December. That'll be on January's menu. I just wanted to introduce you to sisu while we're still in Finland.
how to build a basement sauna re: the steps —> oh is that all? super. we're halfway done already. (we here in this family are deeply unhandy so these instructions feel hilarious to me but some of you could probably actually pull this off)
Pulla (PULL*-la)
("pull" like pull my finger + la like...la) If you're nervous about making yeast bread like I am, DON'T BE This is so doable and satisfying and then you have this delicious, tender, sweet cardamom bread I made it for the first time this Christmas Eve with the help of my son and my mom (the OG pulla-maker) and it was magical
Double the recipe and make two. You might as well. You're doing this anyway. Twice as much eating for nearly the same amount of work.
This recipe doesn't tell you to get pearl sugar but I'm telling you to get pearl sugar to sprinkle on top.
HOW TO MAKE PULLA
PLEASE TAKE THESE REMAINING DECEMBER DAYS AND SHORE YOURSELF UP BE WARM, EAT WELL, SLEEP LOTS, READ GOOD THINGS, LISTEN TO MUSIC THAT FORTIFIES YOU
on that note: music for when Russia has been interfering with your national well-being and you must rally for your country (in case you are in this situation)
in case you build that sauna in your basement, know this:
from