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LIVING IN DENMARK

Are these the 30 most ‘Danish’ things in existence?

Hot dogs with chocolate milk, tight dark suits, shops covered in Dannebrog flags for their 'birthdays'. These are some of the objects, foods, statements and behaviours our readers (and other foreigners) consider the most Danish in existence.

Published: 20 November 2023 15:53 CET
Updated: 18 May 2024 07:46 CEST
Are these the 30 most 'Danish' things in existence?
Is there anything more Danish than a pølse? Photo: Scanpix

You don’t have to be living in Denmark long before you start puzzling at some of the things that pass for normal, so, half in jest we asked The Local’s readers for what they think are the most “Danish” things in existence. This is what they came up with. 

The most Danish foods in existence 

Former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen shows he is one of the common people with a hot dog and Cocio. Photo: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix

Pølser og cocio, or “hot dogs with chocolate milk” wins The Local’s choice of most Danish food. 

It turns out that Cocio, the chocolate milk brand now owned by Arla, began selling its milk through Denmark’s hot dog carts back in 1953. 

The collaboration was broken off in 2011, with the Sausage Sellers Association instead launching Pølsemandens egen Chokolademælk, or “The hot dog man’s own chocolate milk”. 

Many other suggestions were either hotdog or chocolate-based, with “gourmet hot dogs” and pålægschokolade, the thin slices of chocolate Danes love to put on bread for breakfast getting several votes, so the sausage and chocolate combination was the natural winner. 

Danish Rugbrød, or rye bread, of course came a close second as the most “Danish” food imaginable. As we recently wrote, most Danes eat it every day.  

Other contenders on the savoury side included frikadeller sandwiches from Føtex, remoulade, and stegt flæsk med persillesovs (pork with parsley sauce).

Lakridsis, or “licorice ice cream” is a strong contender for the most Danish ice cream, combining as it does the Danish love of licorice (which got many mentions as the most Danish food), and the ice cream that Danes consume in huge quantities from chilly spring to overcast autumn.

One respondent suggested “enormous ice creams all year round coated in chocolate dust” as something super Danish. 

While many mentioned “bakeries” and “delicious pastries”, the best contender for the most Danish of all confectionaries was probably Brunsviger cake, the vanilla and brown sugar slab from the Danish island of Funen, although Æbleskiver, the fluffy donuts which, despite the name contain no apple, came close. Others mentioned Feriekage. 

What is more Danish than a Christianiacykel? Photo: Viggo Lundberg

The most Danish things or places imaginable 

Two single quilts on a double bed, (or even two mattresses). As The Local explained in a previous article, while Danes like to be close to those they love, they also like to have some distance. 

Christianiacykel. Combining the Danish love of bicycles with Danish childcare, you will see these box bikes whizzing around Danish towns and cities every morning and afternoon, more often than not overloaded with children, shopping, and sometimes even the family dog. 

A summer house in the dunes by the sea. Danes love holidaying in Denmark and, according to several readers, nowhere could be more Danish than a house among the dunes in western or northern Jutland. 

Kolonihave. The combination of well-tended tiny gardens, abundant hygge, and a certain lack of flashiness makes these tiny getaway cottage allotment areas on the outskirts of cities uber-Danish. 

Lars Plougmann/Flickr

The most Danish ways you could imaginably behave

Shops covered in Dannebrog flags for their ‘birthdays‘. This reader suggestion sums up Danes’ wish to stick their beloved flag everywhere, particularly when celebrating birthdays, even if it’s just for the birthday of a shop.

“Let’s place tiny flags in front of the house as well, so people know we are celebrating a birthday but we did not invite anyone”, another respondent also complained wryly.

“Having plans for New Year’s Eve from 1st January”. Several respondents mentioned Danes’ obsession with filling up their social calendars months and months in advance, as well as their uncanny ability to know whether it’s week 33 or week 37 at all times. 

Danish respondents seemed to think “sarcasm and dark, biting humour” was particularly Danish, although this was a trait that seemed to strike foreigners in the country a little less. 

Waiting for the green man at empty crossings, even in the middle of the night on an empty suburb street, came up several times. The extreme aversion to jay-walking that Danes exhibit, stronger perhaps even than that of the neighbouring Germans or Swedes, demonstrates the rule-following qualities Danes hide behind their seemingly outspoken and free-thinking exteriors. 
 
Others mentioned Jantelov, the Scandinavian version of tall-poppy syndrome, as a very Danish phenomenon. This should be no surprise as Jante, the imaginary town from which the law is drawn, was modelled on Nykøbing Mors in the north of Jutland. 
 
To walk or bike in the rain like it was just a normal sunny day. You might think that if Danes were put off by bad weather, they would barely go outside at all. But at the same time, respondents said that “complaining about the weather” was a particularly Danish thing to do, particularly moaning about the heat when it’s 19C outside. 
 
 
Danish politicians often seem to wear the exact same suit. Photo: Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix

The most Danish ways to dress

Grey, black and beige. “Dressing all in black 24/7, even when the sun is out,” is, one respondent suggested, very  Danish. He wasn’t the only foreigner picking up on Danes’ reluctance to wear colours, with many noting the popularity of grey, black and beige. It’s quite noticeable that Danish male politicians and businessmen all seem to wear the exact same slightly tight dark suit (see picture above). 

Short trousers (or even shorts) in winter. “Going for a jog in shorts no matter if it rains or snows or if it is way too warm,” struck one respondent as Danish, whereas another pointed out that Danes love “wearing pants that only go to your ankles no matter how cold it is outside”. 

Bare feet in the office. While they may be conventional, Danes like to be comfortable and informal. 

Sandals with socks was also mentioned as a distinctly Danish clothing combination. 

Danes will say “tax for mad” to whoever cooked or footed the bill. Photo: Robin Skjoldborg/Visit Denmark

The most Danish things you can say  

Tak for mad, thanks for the food, got a lot of mentions, obviously, although is thanking people for a meal really so unusual? Danes certainly do it a lot. 

Others zeroed in on the phrases hvad så eller hvad, meaning roughly “so what?”, as framing a particularly Danish nonchalance. 

The versatile interjection nå, which can mean anything from “please go on” to “aha!” through being an expression of mild scepticism, also got a mention. 

Some foreigners felt that asking Hvor meget kostede det?, “how much did that cost”, or inquiring about someone’s salary was particularly Danish.

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RENTING IN DENMARK

How Denmark’s international students fall into the trap of CPR address fraud

An increasing number of foreign students in Copenhagen have resorted to the so-called ‘sale’ of fraudulent address schemes in order to get a Danish personal registration (CPR) number.

Published: 25 July 2024 16:12 CEST
How Denmark’s international students fall into the trap of CPR address fraud

When Lavanya* returned to the room that she rented in her landlord’s apartment in Brønshøj on the outskirts of Copenhagen, something felt odd.

Her personal belongings were not organised in the way she had left them.

It was not the first time Lavanya’s landlord had apparently been in her room – or otherwise made unusual demands – since she arrived from Bangladesh to study at the University of Southern Denmark in 2021.

In addition to the intrusions in her room, Lavanya was also instructed to stay in the room or pretend to be “a friend” when, for example, a midwife visited after the landlord’s wife gave birth.

That’s because her landlord could or would not formally register Lavanya as a tenant — meaning she had to create false pretences for being in the apartment.

What could the international student do? Who could she complain to? As an undeclared tenant, whose landlord did not want to register her with Danish authorities, her options were slim.

Lavanya was however registered with Copenhagen authorities, just at a different address.

Whilst her undeclared rented room was located in Brønshøj, she was officially registered at an address in Østerbro. The reason?  The need to obtain an Danish personal registration (CPR) number.

A CPR number – the Danish equivalent of a social security number – is needed to access the Danish healthcare system, open a bank account, get a mobile phone plan, attend Danish language classes, and use the MobilePay payment app.

Crucially, it is also needed for tax registration and to receive a salary, so international students in Denmark need it so they have a right to work.

READ ALSO: What are the rules on summer jobs for international students in Denmark?

But the lack of available housing in Copenhagen makes getting one difficult for many.

The CPR number is tied to the address you legally live at. Without securing a place to stay, you can’t apply for a CPR number. Without it, you are not allowed to work legally in Denmark, which is crucial for many incoming South Asian students looking to finance their stay to complete their university degrees.

“Many new arrivals don’t understand the importance of a CPR number because we don’t have this concept in our country,” said Saiful Azim, a Bangladeshi national working as a researcher at the University of Copenhagen.

Navigating solo into the Danish bureaucratic jungle as a newcomer to Denmark in 2017, Azim initially dedicated time to guiding and sharing advice to help incoming Bangladeshi students via Facebook groups.

“Around 2021, many new students arrived, and the topics changed to selling and buying CPR addresses. It became annoying. Despite understanding that it’s illegal, people were desperate due to the housing crisis and stopped caring. I tried to convince them, made several posts, but they didn’t appreciate them and argued against me. I got fed up and left,” he said.

READ ALSO:

A check of the Facebook group “Bangladeshi Student Association in Denmark” shows that various profiles, often anonymously or behind a fake account, offer their own addresses as a place to register students for a monthly fee.

Students pay for this to gain access to a CPR number while living at another unregistered address, which for various reasons won’t be accepted as a legal residence to stay at by a municipality.

The Facebook posts often mention “CPR for sale,” meaning that an address for CPR registration is available for a fee. 

“Selling CPR addresses is unfortunately common among South Asians, especially Bangladeshis and Nepalese,” Azim said, adding that many providing and buying the service are not aware it’s illegal.

As a non-EU national, Lavanya was liable for tuition fees of some 32,600 kroner per semester. As the housing crisis marched on, apartments requiring a deposit of three months’ rent in advance were not an option for her without a job.

READ ALSO: Renting in Denmark: Four things worth knowing about your deposit

She settled on a room in her landlord’s shared apartment in Brønshøj priced at 2,200 kroner per month. She brought with her enough money to cover rent, groceries and transport costs for three months. It was not until Lavanya was about to board the flight to Denmark that her soon-to-be landlord said she had to find an alternative address for CPR registration.

There can be many reasons a landlord might not want to register tenants legally: it can affect social welfare eligibility, they might not want to pay taxes or they may be renting out to more than one person, which can also affect welfare eligibility. In some cases, properties are only approved for business, rather than residential use.

“My CPR cost 600 kroner,” Lavanya said.

“When I had post to pick up, I had to make the journey to Østerbro. It was half an hour by train and bus. I had classes and work, and he [the person who she paid for CPR registration in Østerbro, ed.] also had work, so it was time-consuming and sometimes impossible to coordinate,” she said.

According to the CPR register office, you can’t legally assign an address to the CPR registry if you don’t genuinely live there. A housing confirmation for CPR registration provided by the city of Copenhagen cites the CPR law’s paragraph 57, section 1, subsection 5, stating that a landlord providing false information is liable to a fine.

A spokesperson for Copenhagen Police told The Local that they were not aware of the illegal scheme to sell addresses for a CPR number and they were unclear about whether the law says the landlord and/or tenant is to blame and what they can be charged under. 

Bjarke Dalsgaard Madsen, a senior police inspector with the economic crime department in Copenhagen, said that the police would look into the issue if a resident reports it.

“It’s something you could feel outraged about, because it seems to be taking advantage of others’ vulnerable position,” he said.

Are you an international student in Copenhagen? Have you paid for a CPR address registration? If so, we’d like to hear about your experiences. Get in touch here.

*Lavanya is not her real name. She agreed to contribute to the article anonymously and is no longer living in Denmark. The authors are aware of her real identity.

Additional reporting by Benjamin Nordtømme, Alexander Maxia (Nordljud), Maya Lagerholm (spionen.se), Jazz Munteanu (spionen.se). This article was developed thanks to a collaboration between Nordljud and Spionen.se with the support of Journalismfund Europe.

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