Last Friday I ignorantly wrote the following on my Facebook status…
…because somewhere in my online traipsing for maps of Solvang, CA, I read that it’s a Dutch village.
Well, it’s not. And what kind of journalist would I be if I let the mistake stand without correction? I have a dubious blogging responsibility to check my facts and report them to you, dear reader.
But here’s the problem. I get so confused when it comes to distinguishing more than one country when referring to Denmark and The Netherlands and Holland. And if they speak Dutch in Holland, then what language do they speak in Denmark? And which one is in Scandinavia? And which one has windmills? And the wooden shoes?
And how could I be so confused when I’d actually BEEN to one of these countries (whichever one has Amsterdam in it)?
So after learning that Solvang is a Danish village which refers to Danish people who are from Denmark and only Denmark, a country that has Danes in it, I find that you can still be easily confused, because I thought Holland was a country known for its windmills and wooden shoes. But no, Solvang would have you believe that they are the symbol of the Danes as well:
And spotting The Belgian Cafe only complicates matters.
I mean, aren’t Belgians from Belgia, or Bulgaria or somewhere?
And aren’t trolleys from America? Specifically, San Francisco?
And when you see a sign for “Dogtoberfest” in a Solvang store front window, do you think “Danish Pointer”? Or “German Shepherd”?
Of course, nothing screams Danish culture like memorializing Michael Jackson’s death and his virtually-foreclosed Peter Pan property, which I will grant is located within 150 miles of Solvang.
So, in summary and conclusion, I ask you: what is Danish? I’ll tell you what it is. It’s this bad boy from the Solvang Bakery…
And now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some blood sugar to raise.
Some of you may recall that I wrote some content for a video game that was released in August called Coconut Queen. Gamezebo interviewed the game’s creators who also mentioned me in the article which you can read on the Gamezebo website in this Behind The Scenes Interview.
From the Aww-You-Shouldn’t-Have Department:
Some of you insist on upsetting the balance by one-upping me in the gift arena. I sent Paula (who writes a blog called How to be a Cat Lady Without all the Cats) a pen or two and she hurls THIS T-shirt back at me:
Thank you, Paula! It is so goaty and bizarre and I love it! This shirt comes from the Bully Hill Winery in Hammondsport, New York, where even their mailing labels are crazy!
Also? I would like to thank Plain ol’ Bob over at plainolebob answers for awarding me with his very own super customized Hot Dawg Blogger award. Thanks, Bob!
Is this article a joke? I find it hard to believe that you'd take a corrective approach when you did next to no research just to check "how Danish Solvang is" They speak Danish in Denmark (and there are many people that speak English, German, Swedish and other languages, specially college graduates), which is a Scandinavian country along with with Sweden and Norway, and the architecture, traditional dress and language among them crossover greatly, thus it is possible to find windmills all over Northen Europe, and Wooden shoes (aka clogs) are not only a tourist image of the Neatherlands, but they are part of the traditional dress in Denmark, Norway, France, Spain, and even the UK. By the way, going to Amsterdam (The Neatherlands), does not make you a Scandinavian anthropologist and free of confusion, specially since you don't show much interest to learn about the places that you go to. Belgians are from Belgium, not Bulgaria, and the Trolley you picture is a replica of a 1915 Danish streetcar. Trolleys have been present in history not only in San Fransisco, but all over the world, including the UK, Denmark, Mexico, Argentina, Eastern Europe and even Asia.
If you had taken one of the historical tours you would know that Solvang is rich in Danish culture due to the national origin of its founders, but there are many other cultures present, such as Spanish, Mexican, Chumash, German, Norwegian, Irish and English, and Anglo American, thus do not be surprised that there are Michael Jackson tshirts being sold at souvenir shops, and there is a Dogtober fest at the park. Solvang is as diverse and makes many cultural mixes as any other part of the united states.
I am left truly confused after reading your article. If you're claiming to be a journalist, aren't you supposed to do a bit of research? Wikipedia if not direct sources? Or is this supposed to be ironic by showing how little importance you give to accuracy?
Funny post, but lolicaor's irony-free comment is even funnier. Thanks for the laughs.
Funny post, but loli's irony free comment, funnier!