Challenge To Wisconsin’s Voter Photo ID Law, Shark Conservation, The Swedish Coffee Break

Air Date:
Heard On Central Time

While mass media has conditioned humans to be afraid of sharks, our guest makes the case that it’s time to work toward the conservation of sharks.”Fika” is a tradition in Sweden based around taking twice-daily coffee breaks to unwind and regroup during the day. Our guests share some of their favorite recipes for treats to go along with the coffee, and argue more cultures should embrace this tradition. And the trial to assess the legality of Wisconsin’s voter ID law is underway, we’ll learn more about the proceedings.

Featured in this Show

  • What Is Fika? A Coffee, Sweet Treat And Swedish Tradition

    Many Americans enjoy a cup of coffee (or two) in the course of their day. But two Swedish authors said they hope to educate Americans on their cultural tradition of fika.

    They’re doing so with their illustrated lifestyle cookbook, “Fika: The Art Of The Swedish Coffee Break With Recipes For Pastries, Breads, And Other Treats.

    “We’ve seen a lot of change in coffee culture in the U.S. in the past 10 years or so, and I think we have more of an embrace of a slower coffee lifestyle with the rise of more cafes where people do go to sit down,” said Anna Brones, one of the book’s co-authors and editor of the food journal “Foodie Underground.” “I think we’re all in need of something to get us to slow down.”

    In Sweden, fika is a cultural institution when friends take a break from work and chat with co-workers, friends, or even alone to enjoy a cup of coffee and a treat.

    Johanna Kindvall, illustrator of the book and writer of the illustrated cooking blog kokblog, said the tradition is meant to give workers a short break to forget about work and enjoy time with co-workers.

    “Most of the time, they don’t talk really about the work. It’s more about what you’re doing this weekend or the latest TV show, and so on,” she said. “It also makes your put your focus on something else for awhile and I believe that you work better when you go back to your desk whatever you do.”

    Brones and Kindvall offer dozens of recipes for some of those classics treats in the book while also exploring the tradition from it’s early begining to today.

    Here are a few of the recipes included in the book:

  • Trial Continues For Wisconsin's Voter Photo ID Law

    The trial to assess the legality of Wisconsin’s voter photo identification law is currently underway. We check in with Wisconsin Public Radio State Capitol Reporter Laurel White about the ongoing testimony.

  • Shark Conservation

    Years after the movie “Jaws” made us afraid to go in the water, our guest makes the case for the crucial role sharks play in the ocean ecosystem and why it’s important to work toward their conservation.

  • Food Friday: Kaffe, Treats, And A Moment To Unwind Make Up Fika, The Swedish Coffee Break

    Fika–pronounced FEE-kah–is the traditional Swedish coffee break where people unwind with a cup of coffee and a treat. Food bloggers Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall join us to talk traditional Swedish treat recipes and why taking a coffee break can be the best part of the day.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
  • J. Carlisle Larsen Producer
  • Veronica Rueckert Producer
  • Johanna Kindvall Guest
  • Anna Brones Guest
  • Laurel White Guest
  • Brian Skerry Guest

Related Stories