Hard at work

Now that you have had a taste of the food I've been eating, seen the beautiful place I live and work, and had a glimpse into my social life, you must be wondering what I've been up to while working at the Nordic Food Lab.

Some interns/researchers come to the Lab with a specific project in mind such as Elizabeth, a German girl experimenting with using blood as a replacement for eggs in many recipes including ice cream, muffins, crepes, and French macaroons. Others, such as myself, arrive without a plan. So far I have been given a variety of tasks to fill my days but have also been encouraged to explore any project that strikes my fancy.

One of the first tasks I was given (on my second day at the lab!) was to freeze honeycombs with liquid nitrogen, crush them, and then sift through to separate out the bee larvae. The larvae is then saved for recipes we develop which incorporate the larvae into other more commons foods such as granola, yes you read that right, Bee Larvae Granola. Bugs- the breakfast of champions!? The first day I arrived at the lab Michael (the director) asked Josh to fix me something to eat for breakfast. I was served a heft bowl of protein rich Skyr Icelandic strained yogurt with bee larvae granola. I must admit, it wasn't bad- a little more savory and nutty-er then regular granola, but tasty.

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After helping out with some necessary data entry of past projects (the lab becomes more digitized and organized), I was given the task of putting together the Herbarium. This has been by far my favorite project!

Wild edibles have been collected over the last year, and many within the last month. I was put in charge of pressing them, creating identification cards for each, and then laminating them. I may sounds perhaps uneventful or unexciting but actually it is great fun! I get to let my artistic side shine while also being organized and precise, and I get to put to use my excellent laminating skills (ya'll know I love office supplies). Not to mention, having a physical, aesthetically appealing and extremely useful finished product is extremely rewarding!

After the forage.

Technically the work day is from 9-5 but most days we all end up staying at the lab much later than 5. Actually I can't remember a single day everyone left before 7. At the lab there is a blurred line between work and play/exploration/creativity. So much of what we do is extremely fun, thought provoking, and truly enjoyable.

I love it here.