Hygge, a Danish term, pronounced "hoo-gah", has become familiar to many people in the United States over the past year. It was short listed to be inducted into the English Language as the Oxford English Dictionary word of 2016 (it was beaten out by "post-truth"). My father, who is Danish, maintains that it could never be a word in an English dictionary, as it is untranslatable.
Hygge is described as "....to provide a safe place for togetherness. It's about making a conscious effort to feel gratitude for the people around us who we love and who love us."
On the evening of Saturday, November 4th at the Second Congregational Church in Hyde Park, the hygge experience was alive and well as a crowd of around 25 enjoyed a Potluck Supper with recipes from the 1912 Hyde Park Cook Book. We sampled Mrs. Frank Slayton's recipe for Corned Beef Hash; Genevieve Perley Waterman's recipe for Welsh Rarebit; Sweet Potatoes au Gratin from Helen Putnam Gale; Mock Mince Pie by Elzada Waterman Smith; Dorcas Sawyer's Coffee Cream...plus Indian Pudding from Plymouth Plantation, and so much more, squash with spices and maple syrup, mashed potato casserole....and more!
However, the food really was the side dish. The people, the camaraderie, the poems read and performed by many, and an exciting game orchestrated by John Clark (without whom this entire evening would not have ever happened) were the main meal.
Warmth, safety, comfort, coziness...hygge in Hyde Park.
Thank you to all who participated and especially to John Clark!
Enjoy the pictures...and if you weren't able to make it this year....stay tuned for what we cook up for next year.
RSS Feed