Danish Pastries...This Picture Almost Makes Me Cry

You may look at this picture and see about a million calories, or think that this collection of deliciousness can be found just about anywhere.

You'd be right about the first, but wrong about the second. You can't just find this collection of treats anywhere. And that's what gets me. That's why this picture is a little tough to look at.

When I look at this shot, it brings back as many memories as there are calories. It makes me homesick.

The picture of Danish pastry (or "Weinerbrød...) was downloaded from a Facebook post from Ken Doney. I'm never met the man, but he and I share a common history. We both lived in Denmark in our younger days and went about the land speaking to anyone who would listen about religion. And we both ate this food as often as possible. From his post he said this was a picture of a Danish bakery in Esbjerg, a city on Denmark's west coast. He also said that many of the corner bakeries we visited are gone, and that's a crying shame. He pointed out that this was the only place he saw that still made "Trekant," the big chocolate-covered pastry in the lower left in the picture.

Those things tasted like heaven. I remember when we first arrived in the country finishing an entire Trekant meant you joined an unofficial club--a baptism by pastry, as it were. I don't know exactly how many I finished in the two years I lived there, but it wasn't a low number. Seeing all this food reminds me of the time when I could actually eat that much pastry in one sitting. Just thinking about it now I realize there's no way I could do that today. Oh, I'd try, but I would pay for it. 

But the picture reminds me of so much more. I remember the days, the short nights in the summer and long nights in the winter. I remember the friends I made--many friendships that survive three decades later. I remember the beautiful, amazing people and the tough times I went through, times that have helped me become the person I am today. I remember so much--the pastry is the literally the icing on the cake.

Thanks Ken for posting this. It's another reminder of why I love Denmark and I always will. So much so, it almost makes me want to cry.