The BITE ARCHIVE DIARY | Copenhagen | 14 | 27.09.24
Why the Dane's dress the way they do, the importance of bike lanes and Hygge.
Welcome to the Bite Archive Newsletter !
We’re trying out a longer format..in Edition no.14 we visit the Danish capital, Copenhagen
23rd September, 2024
One goes by, and another and another…why are all the young people so effortlessly ‘cool’ and well dressed? I think aloud. This question remains somewhat unanswered and only reaches a mediocre conclusion towards the end of this article. As exciting as a mediocre conclusion sounds, there are still some learnings and finally some handpicked tunes after recently visiting Copenhagen for a long weekend.
We (my friend, Ben from university and I), attempt to perambulate from Nørrebro where we are based, towards…east; on a sun-drenched Friday morning in CPH. However, there is one thing we are yet to become accustomed to, the rules of the road. Remembering to look left instead of right is one thing. By ‘road’, I mean the factory-like conveyor belt that runs throughout the city which is, as Casey Neistat once stated, the importance of: Bike lanes.
Who knew that a pair of Ganni buckle ballerinas (seen on 1 in 3 women) also operated as a pair of Shimano clip-ins. Admittedly it did take longer to realise the overtaking lane is very much middle/left and that anyone without a pair of ballerinas should know to stay in their lane. That being said, once we got ourselves a pair of lime bikes (quick giveaway for tourists) we were flying.
The city has a tremendous amount to offer. Spoiled for choice amongst galleries, culinary excellence and fashion hotspots; we were quick to throw ourselves into the most rebellious of activities - 17th century Danish renaissance art - with a touch of surrealism - at the SMK (the National Gallery of Denmark). Whilst we felt that we’d immediately developed just a hint of the sophistication that the Danes reap, we were quickly brought back down to earth a few days later whilst speaking to a Solumun footed (isn’t gorp supposed to be dead), flea market seller, born and raised in Copenhagen informing us that he’d never actually been to the SMK and only ever attends ‘private viewings’, which in his eyes, are the only ones worth going to.
On the topic of good old raisins and peanuts and the theme of well dressed cities, it is up for debate whether the men or the women dressed better throughout Copenhagen, but easily settled in mind was that the women had perfected every fashion editor's favourite time of the year, from Summer to Autumn. With this newsletter in mind, the idea sprung to try and capture evidence of some of the best outfits seen, with what strategy you may ask? The classic, subtle and risk free: phone an imaginary friend whilst snapping away. Photo below:
This idea was quickly abandoned.
But why and how had women mastered the Autumn uniform? Well after momentarily partaking in the highlight of my sporting career, the CPH half marathon, in quite a long diversion attempting to cross the road into Veras flea market. It was a goldmine for vintage, only that it all seemed to consist predominantly of long fur coats or crop tops - whoever thought to bring along a few spare Ralph Lauren Polo's was a hero for us men who found solace in finding something we could at least pretend to contemplate buying.
Not being bound by whether clothing is designed for a specific gender, I frequently find myself exploring both sections, and with that did come across some approachable items such as an A.P.C shirt at O-S-V Secondhand
A nearly too cropped military-esq jacket at København Ø
And a variation of vintage Norse Projects pieces, likely once sat in their Flagship store in the heart of the city. And because I didn’t get any photo’s: Mexican.
Following this, nearly each and every venue we attended, similar to Lisbon had a very understated feel to it, especially from the exterior, so understated that we cycled past the dimly lit LED sign with ‘Yellow’ twice, where we eventually dined and ate:
Ricotta w/ grilled leek, roasted hazelnuts, lemon & brown butter
Stirred beef tartar w/ pickled mushrooms, tarragon mayo, Jerusalem artichoke chips & cress
Dumplings w/ shrimp and chives, spring onions, chili, sesame & soy (4 pcs.)
Asian style soy and ginger glazed pork meatballs w/ roasted peanuts & coriander
It was delightful and delicious. Accompanied by locally brewed ToØi pilsner. If there is one thing good food does well aside from the food itself, it's always leaving you wanting no more and no less.
Proceeding to another recommendation, the ‘Bodegas’ (a bar where you can smoke inside). The novelty quickly wears off, but we persist in finding a reason as to why nearly everyone under the age of 27 features a unique but consistently stylish look - asking a few fellow post graduate looking aged people, to be specific, the question with almost too much humility, ‘Can you tell us why everyone in Copenhagen is so well dressed and cool’, the response was as quickly dismissed as it was unanimous but I think answers the question alongside the general Hygge perfectly, ‘but what do you mean?’.
Now, to give something back - I have picked three of my favourite tracks heard at three very different venues:
Som Tres - Tanga: Listen here
Heard at H15 Studio, Vesterbro where Mokomizik where playing all night (brilliant hand built sound system to accompany the latin - funk records being played).
Velly Joonas – Stopp, Seisku Aeg! (Listen here)
Heard at Reffen, brilliant beach settings just out of the city with a DJ channelling, ‘The Count’ played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the Boat That Rocked.
Theo Kottis - Lighthouse (Listen here)
Heard at Den Arden, opening times: midnight - 8am, I think that answers most of the questions that spring to mind..
To read previous newsletters click here
Mix series: Bite Archive | 01
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