# Ask the Icelandic dude
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [September 8, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629 "2008-09-08T16:31:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/1 "2008-09-08T16:31:17Z")
So, as people may or may not have figured out, I live in Iceland.
You may, or may not, have heard about the amazing island in the middle of the North Atlantic, just below the Arctic Circle which just won the silver in men’s handball in the Olympics 😉 (yeah, I’m braggin - so sue me)
But I have also realized that not many people know all that much about my little island, so here’s the thread for you to find out.
So without further ado:
**All you’ve ever wanted to know about Iceland (but where afraid to ask)**
[ul]
[li]Where: In the North Atlantic, just below the Arctic Circle[/li][li]Population: 300´000 (so our PM isn’t fit to rule Alaska 😉 )[/li][li]Anything else? Just ask…[/li][/ul]
---
### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/2 "2008-09-08T16:32:46Z")
How many languages do you know?
---
### Author:  [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/3 "2008-09-08T16:34:45Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> How many languages do you know?
Me, personally. I say I’m fluent in Icelandic and Swedish (I’ve lived in Sweden) and pretty good at English and German.
In school you’re taught Danish (the old colonial power), English and then a pick of French or German (most pick German). (and Icelandic, of course)
---
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/4 "2008-09-08T16:36:54Z")
What’s the warmest temperature you’ve ever experienced?
What other country would you say you’re most similar to?
What do you eat?
---
### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/5 "2008-09-08T16:44:09Z")
How’s the transition away from petroleum coming? I understand that it’s a generation-long effort to restructure the Icelandic infrastructure (vehicles, heating, etc) so that it’s based on hydrogen and geothermal power; is it hype or actually happening?
How is climate warming affecting Iceland? Is the island becoming more forested?
Can you really read the old sagas from a thousand years ago? I’ve seen Old English from a thousand years ago, and, quite frankly, it looks more like Icelandic that it does Modern English. We have to learn it as a foreign language.
Lastly… any chance Icelandic women would be interested in a middle-aged Anglo from Toronto? 🙂
---
### Author:  [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/6 "2008-09-08T16:48:03Z")
Are Sigur Ros as popular in Iceland as they are here?
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/7 "2008-09-08T16:49:43Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#):
>
> Are Sigur Ros as popular in Iceland as they are here?
And here? (Disclaimer: ‘Here’ may refer to the inside of my iPod, as opposed to, say, ‘Toronto’.)
---
### Author:  [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/8 "2008-09-08T16:50:26Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#):
>
> What’s the warmest temperature you’ve ever experienced?
The warmest temperature ever recorded in Iceland is 30,5° C (87F). But that was set in 1939 😉 We almost got that for a day, this July - so almost 30° C.
Me personally? Close to 40° C (104F) in Italy and Greece 😉
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
What other country would you say you’re most similar to?
[/QUOTE]
We’re probably a good mix of Scandinavia and the US/Canada. Pretty much everybody has Scandinavian roots and Denmark ruled Iceland up until 1945, so that’s definitely heritage speaking. However, most Scandinavians who visit, say it’s pretty Americanized with a heavy dependency upon having your own car, national pride and individualism.
But mostly Scandinavia - hard to pick from them.
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
What do you eat?
[/QUOTE]
Well, this weekend I had a burger on Friday, a pizza on Saturday and a sub on Sunday - not a very healthy weekend 😉
Icelandic cuisine has changed very much in the last couple of decades. In the 70.s people ate more traditional foods, with a heavy emphasis on fish and lamb (those being the two types of meats that are easily available). Nowadays, you can get pretty much anything you want if you live in the city.
We do however celebrate what we at the office tell visitors is called a “rotten food festival” 😉 Well, [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Eorramatur) has a pretty good description of it.
---
### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/9 "2008-09-08T16:52:21Z")
Do you prefer to read English books in English or in Icelandic translations?
Have you ever seen an Icelandic musical?
---
### Author:  [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/10 "2008-09-08T17:08:10Z")
> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> How’s the transition away from petroleum coming? I understand that it’s a generation-long effort to restructure the Icelandic infrastructure (vehicles, heating, etc) so that it’s based on hydrogen and geothermal power; is it hype or actually happening?
Most houses on Iceland are heated with geothermal energy and we have hot-water a plenty from the earth. In addition, we have quite a few rivers that have been damned for hydro-plants (this, however is getting heat from “the Greens”).
Also, we have some hydrogen- and methane “gas”-stations for the few cars that run on that.
The important thing here is though that Icelanders are really connected with their cars. And most of us want those gas-gusling Tanks (Land-Rovers, Highlanders, Pajero, Hiluxes, F-350s…) for that one time a year you go off tarmac and into the highlands. So either we’re gonna have to pave the highlands (not likely) or find a way to make those big cars green (not likely) - or we’ll just stick to gas and diesel for now.
In most other segments than the car - Iceland is enviromentaly friendly.
> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> How is climate warming affecting Iceland? Is the island becoming more forested?
Can I quote Putin on this one and say that I know of a few places that need more sun-hours in the year 😉
Winters are less snowy than they were and the Glaciers are melting - but they’re still quite a bit larger than they were a 1000 years ago when it got inhabited.
As for the forest. Yes, it’s getting more forested - but that’s mainly due to a heavy emphasis on reforestation. It’s really good PR for companies to buy a plot and plant some trees there (we even have a forest called Toyota-forest :smack:).
> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> Can you really read the old sagas from a thousand years ago? I’ve seen Old English from a thousand years ago, and, quite frankly, it looks more like Icelandic that it does Modern English. We have to learn it as a foreign language.
Yes I can 😛 And it’s quite fun to impress people with my knowledge of arcane languages (not that I know any other but Icelandic).
> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> Lastly… any chance Icelandic women would be interested in a middle-aged Anglo from Toronto?
You don’t know until you visit, right 😉 I can say that our women are very nice and friendly 😃
> [@An\_Gadai](#):
>
> Are Sigur Ros as popular in Iceland as they are here?
As famous - definitely. Everybody knows who they are.
As popular - nope. Most people think they are weird and play strange music. They usually draw quite a crowd though - since everybody needs to be up-to-date to tell foreign friends about them (yes, this is me)
Icelandic celebrities are kinda like your mom; You’re allowed to trash-talk her, but damn them if someone else does (if you know what I mean?)
Have to run from the office now - will be back in a few hours to see if any other questions have appeared.
---
### Author:  [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/11 "2008-09-08T17:46:49Z")
How bad are the flies around Mývatn?
How do you stay sane in the dark winter months? (Well, _somebody_ had to ask the obvious question!)
---
### Author:  [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/12 "2008-09-08T18:12:13Z")
A few questions about your nightlife and booze 🙂 :
1. I read a few years ago about a trendy Icelandic nightclub called “NASA,” decorated along a high-concept space-program theme. (I suppose their martinis sent people “to the moon”.) Is it still around?
2. Have you tried [Kvoldsol](http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/eating-drinking-places-eating/4131253-1.html), the first Icelandic [non-grape] wine? What was it like?
3. What with those melting glaciers and year-round chill, Iceland should be a great place to locate breweries and distilleries. Are there any such institutions of note?
4. What’s the most popular drink in Iceland? Beer? Vodka? Which particular brands?
---
### Author:  [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/13 "2008-09-08T18:20:25Z")
How long does the winter last?
What’s the coldest daytime temperature you remember? What’s the average winter daytime temperature?
Can you describe traditional Icelandic food?
Do most people in Iceland belong to an organized religion? Is there a conservative religious movement like we have in the U.S.?
---
### Author:  [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/14 "2008-09-08T18:22:13Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#):
>
> A few questions about your nightlife and booze 🙂 :
>
> 1. I read a few years ago about a trendy\* Icelandic nightclub called “NASA,” decorated along a high-concept space-program theme. (I suppose their martinis sent people “to the moon”.) Is it still around?
>
> 2. Have you tried [Kvoldsol](http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/eating-drinking-places-eating/4131253-1.html), the first Icelandic [non-grape] wine? What was it like?
>
> 3. What with those melting glaciers and year-round chill, Iceland should be a great place to locate breweries and distilleries. Are there any such institutions of note?
>
> 4. What’s the most popular drink in Iceland? Beer? Vodka? Which particular brands?
- This stayed with me because, AFAICT, no club or bar inspired by our space agency would be really cool here, where many people feel that NASA burns through too much of our tax dollars on programs of questionable value. I suppose what I’d like to know is, was this club popular in a straight-up way, or was it in the spirit of retro-chic, postmodern, ironic appreciation of 60’s and 70’s programs and detente cooperation with the Soviets?
---
### Author:  [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/15 "2008-09-08T18:23:01Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> Do you prefer to read English books in English or in Icelandic translations?
I prefer to read books in the original language, no matter what that is (so English books in English, Icelandic in Icelandic and so on)
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> Have you ever seen an Icelandic musical?
Nope - I have not. I’ve seen an Icelandic student opera though. It was a fair-tale with whitches, princesses, knights and dragons.
First opera I didn’t fall asleep at (which is quite a good grade from me)
The theatre/opera/musicals/dance-shows are quite popular in Iceland though. Most shows put on extra performances, due to demand.
---
### Author:  [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/16 "2008-09-08T18:25:59Z")
double post.
---
### Author:  [@MrBerious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrBerious)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/17 "2008-09-08T18:27:45Z")
Do you by any chance play the Icelandic MMO “Eve Online”? Are people there generally aware/proud of that international export?
---
### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/18 "2008-09-08T18:33:48Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#):
>
> I prefer to read books in the original language, no matter what that is (so English books in English, Icelandic in Icelandic and so on)
I presume that there is Icelandic television. 🙂 When you show foreign shows, are they dubbed or subtitled in Icelandic?
> [@WormTheRed](#):
>
> The theatre/opera/musicals/dance-shows are quite popular in Iceland though. Most shows put on extra performances, due to demand.
These would be home-grown shows in Icelandic, correct?
Is there anything corresponding to the North American “neo-pagan” religious movement in Iceland?
Edit: is great drinking considered a feat to boast of in Iceland?
---
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/19 "2008-09-08T19:04:30Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#):
>
> The warmest temperature ever recorded in Iceland is 30,5° C (87F). But that was set in 1939 😉 We almost got that for a day, this July - so almost 30° C.
>
> Me personally? Close to 40° C (104F) in Italy and Greece 😉
>
> We’re probably a good mix of Scandinavia and the US/Canada. Pretty much everybody has Scandinavian roots and Denmark ruled Iceland up until 1945, so that’s definitely heritage speaking. However, most Scandinavians who visit, say it’s pretty Americanized with a heavy dependency upon having your own car, national pride and individualism.
>
> But mostly Scandinavia - hard to pick from them.
>
> Well, this weekend I had a burger on Friday, a pizza on Saturday and a sub on Sunday - not a very healthy weekend 😉
>
> Icelandic cuisine has changed very much in the last couple of decades. In the 70.s people ate more traditional foods, with a heavy emphasis on fish and lamb (those being the two types of meats that are easily available). Nowadays, you can get pretty much anything you want if you live in the city.
>
> We do however celebrate what we at the office tell visitors is called a “rotten food festival” 😉 Well, [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Eorramatur) has a pretty good description of it.
M’kay…everything seemed alright until the blocked balls and other assorted weird food. I’m so glad to hear you have pizza and other stuff.
---
### Author:  [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-icelandic-dude/462629/20 "2008-09-08T19:19:17Z")
> [@Spiff](#):
>
> How bad are the flies around Mývatn?
Not that bad. I’ve had plenty worse in other countries, but if mosquitoes are attracted to you - use plenty of deterrent.
> [@spiff](#):
>
> How do you stay sane in the dark winter months? (Well, somebody had to ask the obvious question!)
We don’t 😉
Well - everyone pretty much goes into hybernation. As in, life goes into a complete routine, and you just try to survive January and February.
Loads of booze and sex, gets you through it though 😉
But all things concidered, we are south of the Arctic Circle, so we do get 2-3 hours of twilight a day. So it’s not like further north (Greenland, Norway, Sweden) where it gets completely dark for 30 days.
> [@The Scrivener](#):
>
> A few questions about your nightlife and booze :
Finally, a subject I know something about 😃
> [@The Scrivener](#):
>
> 1. I read a few years ago about a trendy Icelandic nightclub called “NASA,” decorated along a high-concept space-program theme. (I suppose their martinis sent people “to the moon”.) Is it still around?
It’s still around and it’s one of the few places that’s big enough to get the real night-club feeling. They usually go for a techno-crowd with well-known DJ.s (DJ Tiesto, van Büren) and host house-parties.
It’s fun, once in a while - but there are loads of better places.
And I’ve actually never thought of the name. Sometimes a name is just a name?
> [@The Scrivener](#):
>
> 1. Have you tried Kvoldsol, the first Icelandic [non-grape] wine? What was it like?
Afraid not. I’ll check it out this weekend and let you know.
> [@The Scrivener](#):
>
> 1. What with those melting glaciers and year-round chill, Iceland should be a great place to locate breweries and distilleries. Are there any such institutions of note?
More and more micro-breweries are being opened across the island. Some of them do pretty good beer ([Kaldi](http://bruggsmidjan.is/), would be my personal favourite). But keep in mind that beer was actually not allowed in Iceland untill 1989! (yes, you read it right) So we’re still apprentices.
Vodka, however, is the favourite drink of most icelanders 🙂 I do recommend Reyka, but [Black Death](http://www.brandchannel.com/images/FeaturesProfile/278_profile_img1_blackdeath.jpg) might be the best known.
> [@The Scrivener](#):
>
> 1. What’s the most popular drink in Iceland? Beer? Vodka? Which particular brands?
Regarding the brands, see above.
Most popular - depends upon the occasion 😉
[ul]
[li]To party? Beer and then vodka[/li][li]To get drunk? Vodka[/li][li]To socialise? Wine (typical reds - hard to specify) [/li][li]To “hang”? Beer[/li][/ul]
> [@The Weird One](#):
>
> How long does the winter last?
Define winter. The weather gets crappy in October and stays crappy untill the end of March. Snow can be expected from early November untill the end of March (and sometimes longer than that).
> [@The Weird One](#):
>
> What’s the coldest daytime temperature you remember? What’s the average winter daytime temperature?
The coldest temperature I’ve experienced was -40 C/F when I went skiing in Sweden 🙂 The coldest I remember in Iceland is probably around -15 C (5F). Those -15 C felt a whole lot colder though due to the wind.
It usually doesn’t get that cold in winter (the Gulf Stream Rocks ;)), so I’d say the average temperature in Reykjavik (south-west coast) in winter is around 0 C (32 F). An average winter day starts with you having to scrape the frost of your car, driving through unplowed streets to the office, walking through halfmelted shit and rain on your way to lunch, then more rain in the afternoon and finally it all freezes over in the evening making the streets reaaally slippery.
Basically - the weather sucks big time. But it’s not that cold 😉
> [@The Weird One](#):
>
> Can you describe traditional Icelandic food?
Asked and answered - see my posts above.
> [@The Weird One](#):
>
> Do most people in Iceland belong to an organized religion? Is there a conservative religious movement like we have in the U.S.?
There is one, but it has no influence. Iceland is very secular.
We have a State Curch though; which is Lutheran. Most people are members of the State Church and do get baptized, confirmed, married and have their funeral in the Church. For occasions other than those, people (in general) don’t go to church.
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