Why I made Fjordside

San Francisco, November 2023. I was scrolling Instagram on the couch by myself while getting a little break from newborn duty. A reel of a woman eating tinned sardines with chopsticks caught my attention. The internet was in its tinned seafood era and it got me wondering why there are so few tinned products from the Nordic countries. I mean, we know fish. Down the rabbit hole I went.

I’ve lived away from my home country of Norway for 16 years and being Norwegian abroad is naturally a part of my identity. I miss home very much, and a way to feel connected to it is food. I’m not a great chef, my husband does most of the cooking. But I love food. I love talking about it, I love eating it, but mostly I love the connection the dinner table creates. Whether it’s at home, a restaurant or a picnic blanket it’s the Togetherness with your family, your chosen family and the family you are yet to meet <3 

By trade I’m a storyteller, marketer and content creator. I’ve been doing it my entire life. 

I’m one of those people who glued a video camera to my hand at a very young age and fell in love with documenting everything around me. You know the type. 

On this November day, my soul was searching to expand my identity. I’m a new mom. I’m nearing a milestone birthday. Who am I now? What lies close to my heart? What do I want to create in the world?

Something so lofty, yet what triggered my brain was tinned fish. The world should know that Stavanger used to be the sardine capital of the world. Of COURSE. There’s even a museum there today dedicated to the sardine labels, Iddis (the label themselves), which got so creative and popular people would collect the tins. So many stories to be told. The world must know.

When my husband came back from the babywalk, I had created a Nordic media empire in my mind. He swore to never leave me alone again. (JK, he is my biggest fan)

I pitched the idea of Fjordside to my family and friends with mixed reviews (constructive feedback ;). “Tinned fish is not for everyone”, but what about Nordic berries! Or chocolate! “Nordic cuisine is not known for its delicacy”, yeah but I’m here to change that. “But what is Nordic comfort food? Herring?” We got pork belly too!

One by one they are getting curious. 

My job is to be the Nordic window for every curious mind! 

The core of Fjordside is not to be a cooking show. The core is the stories. What we eat and why. I might sneak in a recipe here and there if it feels right 🙂 And I’ll let you know if you can find it near you, or even better, you let me know what you have found near you! Together we’ll explore.

Offline, I’m already doing it. Lovingly forcing my friends to eat mayo and roe from a tube. …And chocolate of course. Online is the next frontier. Then you all can bring it back to your table wherever you are in the world.

For all curious minds and hungry bellies: Welcome to Fjordside. Be an ildsjel (a fire soul) and follow the journey. There are so many stories yet to be told.

– Ina Maria. Written by my own two hands.