Screenshot. Danish for kids. YouTube.
To understand what the English are about, read Matthew Engel reporting on his trip to Denmark this week in the New Statesman (30/11, print issue). It’s great; but most importantly, it’s honest. He could not avoid mentioning the Brits’ obsessions about Scandinavia – hygge (cosiness), smorgasbord and a few more (yes, and Hamlet, of course). The three benchmarks of Danishness for the Brits. It made me chuckle. Good writing indeed.
However, parts of it saddened me too. Engel explained things about Denmark, which could’ve been applied to any other European country. Obvious things that I always thought didn’t need mentioning. But Engel was right in bringing them up – they need to be explained when addressing a varied British readership.
