random thoughts – Day 2,349 (Saturday) – finnish pastry and thirsty robot

The day began with attending the Finnish Mama 4^th Annual Summer Finnish Coffee Table. I initially thought it was on Sunday, but luckily got the info straight in time to attend on the correct day. Some of my friends are in the Finnish dance group and I have been very negligent in seeing them perform, which I have felt bad about.

I saw a Finnish Mama booth at a festival last fall that the dance troupe performed at and I was intrigued by the variety of pastries. There were coffee breads with orange and other fruit flavorings, and lots of smaller bun type breads that I wanted to try, but that festival day was warm and it was during the stretch when my neck and shoulder were in big pain and after we danced I just wanted to get out of Dodge as quickly as possible. 

Dancers in authentic Finnish costumes.

Today was a great opportunity to check out the pastries and see my friends dance the Finnish dances. I didn't quite know what to expect, and all I can say is "wow"! A long table in the center of the room was loaded with plain and flavored coffee breads, tiny cakes, and cookies. There was coffee, iced tea, and cucumber water.

The dancers wear authentic Finnish costumes from various regions in Finland and perform several dances. I even had a chance to chat with someone who has been to Finland several times and now I want to go there even more. 

The day turned into a double-header of social events with a meet-up at Thirsty Robot for supper, music and a game from the big rack of tabletop games. We played Shut the Box, a wooden dice board game I had never heard of before and now look forward to playing again.

Five of us shared quesadilla, pretzel, and pizza. Some of us were meeting for the first time, but it felt like we were all long-time friends. The quesadilla is amazing with a lacy edging of browned and crunchy cheese. The pretzel was warm and soft and served with mustard and beer cheese dip. The pizza was as good as the last time I was there. We ate until we were full and there was still some left over. I love it when a day without solid plans blossoms into a fun time with friends.