When I began this blog, I was quite sure that my Mexican food eating days were behind me. Hello boiled potatoes, salmon and rye bread…goodbye tacos and guacamole. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that many Scandinavians spend their Friday nights getting cozy at home and eating chips and tacos! Known as Fredagsmys in Swedish (Cozy Friday) or Tacofredag in Norwegian (Taco Friday), this unlikely tradition began in the 1990's with an ad campaign for chips. This genius marketing concept glorified the idea of spending Friday nights at home munching on tacos and hanging out with your friends and family. Cozy Friday quickly became a popular ritual in modern Scandinavian culture and continues its reign as the thing to do on Friday to celebrate the beginning of the weekend.
Tips for Creating Your Own Cozy Friday Ritual
1. Find some delicious, easy taco recipes. I'll get you started with this one for THE BEST ground beef tacos (it's important to master the basics after all), but consider branching out from this good old stand-by. There are so many interesting taco recipes out there these days featuring chicken, fish, beans or roasted vegetables in place of the predictable ground meat. Get creative!
2. Chips and dip. Whether it's salsa, guacamole or something more exotic, you're going to want something crunchy to munch on while you prepare your tacos.
3. Beverages. Whatever your festive beverage of choice might be. I am a beer and tacos kind of girl but also love a good margarita now and then.
4. Convince your people to stay home with you. You don't need to ask this homebody to spend Friday night in. But here in the U.S., we are more likely to go out for a bite to eat on Friday nights that our Scandinavian counterparts. Make Cozy Friday a festive occasion, a reason to stay home in and of itself.
5. Find something fun to watch. Scandinavians typically gather around the television and watch something together as they munch on their tacos. Find a movie or show that everyone can agree on (sometimes this is the hardest part) and snuggle in for dinner and a show.
Leave a Reply