Friday 13 July 2007

Pic of the day: Wasa breakfast crispbread. This picture actually shows two slices side by side, one with the underside up.

Crispbread and teeth

As I was about to write today's entry, I realized that I had no idea what this food was called in English. In Norwegian the name "knekkebrød" is something every schoolkid knows, and most probably well before. I could not remember ever having heard about it in English though. I decided to Google for the name of the main producer of these crunchy breads, "Wasa" and "food". Sure enough. Evidently they are called crispbread.

In America this is marketed as healthy, which I am sure it is. Just lately this approach has shown up even here, probably because only now have we become fat enough to worry about a few calories. When I grew up, we ate crispbread because it was good. It tastes delicious, and crunching it with our teeth is fun. A more practical consideration is that it stores for years with little loss of flavor if you keep it dry and away from insects.

Unfortunately, the crispy part means that you can occasionally break or chip a tooth on it, unless your teeth are in perfect health. (There is also a certain technique to eating it that reduces the risk of breakage - some of your teeth are likely to remain robust through most of your life and can be safely used to tear into the crunchy goodness.)

Anyway, I had some crispbread at work today with the new paste of cod roe and egg. Cod roe and egg was one of my favorite combinations in childhood (family members may still remember my "Lomonosov sandwich"). The paste is less appetizing to look at but tastes much the same, and goes well with crispbread. (Which I keep wanting to type as "crunchbread" unless I cheat and look at the text. Huh.)

Not long after the crispbread meal, however, one of my teeth (upper right front tooth, it seems) became overly sensitive to cold and sweets. Painfully so. So perhaps I have chipped off some small part after all. I can't feel any part missing. But I guess I should inform my dentist of my new address after all, just in case...

So take care if you are elderly people with poorly maintained teeth. But don't let it stop you from enjoying a crispbread now and again. There is a Jewish saying that on Judgment day, God will hold your responsible for the innocent pleasures you rejected on Earth. And you don't get them much more innocent than this. I recommend the type with sesame seeds unless you have anything against sesame.