Fika

As alarming as this might sound especially to the Germanic ear, this is a very Swedish institution, the foreign traveler is introduced to shortly upon his/he arrival and this Nordic custom is one which even in our clinic in Falun is frequently enjoyed and which had its fixed place in the daily routine.

No, it is not what you might think………..

The “Fika” break, a time to calm down and to take your time for a relaxed cup of coffee (or tea) with friends or colleagues (or both), is an ever more important stress reducing exercise in the middle of the day (or at any time during the day) which is now also utilized by forward thinking large companies.

The name “Fika” resulted from a word play, where the two syllables of “Ka-fee” are exchanged and slightly tweeked. The first mentioning of the word dates back just over a hundred years but that means a lot of coffee cups (!)………

My hosts were in this matter preaching to the converted – although I loved spending time in my clinic in Virginia Water with my team, I always tried to break away at least for a short time to one of the local coffee chains in the UK to meet of a coffee and a sandwich with friends, to have a quiet read though the daily newspaper or just for a quick caffeine fix. Knowing now how serious this habit is taken in other countries, makes me with hindsight feeling far less guilty.

So – when have you had your last “Fika” ?……