Refugee's food protest in Finland

"Ungrateful refugees served wholesome Finnish food protest about it" was the theme in recent headlines in the Finnish media.

A few days later the newspapers offered more in depth analysis; explaining the disappointment of at least some refugees who may have been mislead by their smugglers. 

They expected paradise but got a pot of barley porridge to eat.

We expected them to be thankful and were baffled and offended by the protest. In Finland, we are proud of feeding our children with barley porridge. It is health food.

Reality hit everybody in the face.

Some refugees said they would food strike. That is a creative solution. Hunger is a potent spice.

  

Traditional Finnish food is simple, spiced with salt and pepper. Adding some bay leaves is close to adventurous.

I am a great example myself of this food-gap: I call my food blog posts #creativecolourfulcooking. What a joke for many people in the world…

“Look: I used a red tomato!”

“I served yellow soup with dark green parsley! “

But when I was little, oranges had just arrived in the shops.

Spaghetti and pizza was a very rare treat.

We had boiled potatoes every day.
Breakfast was barley porridge.

My favourite food was makaroonilaatikko (macaroni and minced meat cooked in egg-milk).

My country was in uproar when former Italian prime-minister Silvio Berlusconi insulted Finnish food and said “they don’t even know what prosciutto is”. This was back in 2001 but it still hurts.

Finnish people have a proud core with a humble layer on the outside and we expect others to behave in a humble manner, too. Throwing a food protest on us is not a good idea.

But it will not make us racists and it will not stop us from helping those in need.

It may provoke us to serve mämmi, though.

Refugees

A flood of refugees

suffering families fleeing their homes.

European politicians acting as referees

meanwhile my countrymen are throwing stones.

I am an expatriate

and a proud patriot,

but seeing a Finnish man 

dressed as Ku Klux Klan

in the international news
blows my fuse

and throws me into a refugee's shoes.

I don't know the solution 

the European politicians, elected to decide

are still struggling with simple air pollution

and trying to choose the right side.

They talk about the costs -

As if tormented humans were moths,

how most economically to eradicate

or fairly allocate.

They supposedly have access to all facts

so I forgive my own ignorance.

We still cannot turn our backs

or prop up fences of defense.

Political history leaves deep tracks.

It tears me apart

but here's what I know in my heart:

We humans do not ignore suffering

we do not ignore a person hungering

we humans do not let people die

and we do not turn our backs on a baby's cry.