Milk as a symbol of Norwegianness
Thomas Hylland Eriksen
Norway Now, 1994
[Image]
[Image] A little while ago, the manager of Norske Meierier
(Norwegian Dairies) was liberated from his obligations,
About this site as one would put it in diplomatic terms. Mr. Per Hatling,
it was alleged, had mixed his private business interests
[Image] with the company's in unacceptable ways, and left
ingloriously.
Relational
index In the aftermath of Mr. Hatling's departure, a hidden
agenda became publicly known. It turned out that there
[Image] had long been miscontent with Mr. Hatling's style of
management in the dairy cooperative. Mr. Hatling, it was
Thematic index claimed by dairy farmers and others, represented an
enterprise culture alien to the farmers. His approach was
[Image] described as that of an aggressive liberalist with a poor
understanding of the farmers' way of life and economic
Alphabetic style.
index
The issue could be described as a cultural conflict
[Image] between a modern urban style of management and a
traditional rural one. However, the conflict runs deeper
Recent than this. It has to do with the peculiar position of
milk in Norwegian culture. By running the dairy
cooperative like any other business, Mr. Hatling has
[Image] unwittingly violated a religious taboo in our society:
Through his marketing strategies and his managerial
World style, he has turned the sacred drops of cow's milk into
a glossy commodity.
What makes milk so special? Some time ago, poet and
critic Håvard Rem asked why on earth people couldn't
drink orange juice instead. In terms of litres per acre,
oranges produce a greater quantity of breakfast
refreshments than cows. Of course, Mr. Rem is perfectly
aware of the fact that Norwegians are not going to let go
of their milk.
The symbolic meaning of milk is apparent already in the
design of the cartons. They feature a picture of grazing
cows in one of those picturesque landscape typical of
19th century national romanticism. There are also small
stories on the cartons, intended for reading during
breakfast, highlighting in different ways how milk is a
natural and wholesome ingredient of Norwegianness.
Other dairy products also have a central place in the
Norwegian identity. Whipping cream is indispensable for
birthday cakes all over the country. The brown cheese G35
won the competition for "the most Norwegian of everything
Norwegian" staged by a nationwide radio programme some
years ago. "Real butter" is without question considered
superior to both margarine and olive oil. Finally, one of
the most famous advertisements in the country talks about
Freia's milk chocolate as "a little piece of Norway".
In most other countries, milk is in its pure form imbibed
only by small children. Foreign adults may use a few
drops of milk in their coffee or tea, full stop. Not so
in Norway. Norwegians of all ages love their milk, indeed
to the extent that East Asians living in the country
complain that the natives smell of sour milk.
Milk symbolises health, the honest work on the land, the
beauty of the Norwegian scenery and -- not least -- pure
whiteness. In this latter respect, milk holds a position
comparable to snow, and it goes without saying that an
urban-minded no-nonsense capitalist like Per Hatling must
fight in vain against a national totem of this magnitude.
⌐Thomas Hylland Eriksen 1994
[Image]
Nexus