Imagine going from America a fast paced, high strung society to Sweden the land of patience and relaxation. Talk about culture shock. Imagine my surprise when I found out they even have a name for the task of doing nothing but drinking coffee and eating pastries. In case you aren't familiar with European culture, all European countries have variations of drinking coffee or tea, eating delicious pastries, cakes or cookies and sometimes smoking cigarettes. The difference is that the Scandinavian countries created a name for it, Fika. Well its not actually fika in all of the countries but its some variation of the word and I will refer to it as fika for the rest of the post.
Anyways Fika literally means "to take a break" or "take a coffee break" but it has changed over time to become longer than a regular break and often entails spending hours at a coffee shop over a long brunch or lunch. And trust me nothing is better on a hungover morning then sitting in comfy antique chairs and trying to piece together memories of the previous night over sandwiches, coffee and cake. Now you may be thinking to yourself what exactly is so special about fika? I can sit at my local coffee shop for hours and do the same thing with my friends but this my friend is where you are wrong! Unless your BFF's with the owner or barista at your local coffee shop chances are you can't sit there for hours, without getting the stank eye and ordering 3 cups of coffee. In Sweden you can sit in the same chairs for at least 3 hours before getting a second glance from the waitress that brought you your food. O Ya that's another thing you get in Sweden customer service. Restaurant service without the tipping. How many times has your Starbucks barista brought your coffee to your table? But the greatest difference between your local coffee shop here and your local coffee shop in Sweden is the delectable foods! Yummmmm.....
This is why I'm here to introduce you to Della Fattoria. If you already knew about Della's then lucky you, you've been experiencing fika without even knowing it. Della's is located in downtown Petaluma on a cute main street that reminds me of the main street in Uppsala with its blend of corporations and boutique stores. This gives you the opportunity to walk off the calories of deliciousness you will consume and if you doubt you will eat a lot then just try sitting next to the pastry case. I dare you!
First we started off with lattes that come in large cups with no handles and and the cups show their age which is exactly how it is in Sweden. Those people do not waste a thing and their cups are probably used for decades before finally being tossed and thats only because the coffee has started to leak from it. Even though we were all starving it was nice to relax and enjoy our lattes before our lunch was brought out to us. We were able to tell our friend Katie about della's and how its actually a farm and everything used in the restaurant is and either local, organic, or off the farm. They even make their own breads which is one of the best parts. It's the of quality of food that sets certain coffeeshops apart from one another, especially when their pastries are baked on premise rather than be delivered at 5 a.m. in a white box. In Sweden they serve sandwiches, salads or paj (quiche) for lunch at their coffeeshops and the quiches are probably what I miss the most. At Della's I ordered the egg salad and salmon sandwich that came on semolina bread but my friend leigh and I trade half of what we order. So I also got to try the mushroom and gruyere sandwich and it made me think of an adult grilled cheese. Both sandwiches were amazing and the best part was that we were left alone to enjoy them while we dined and talked. It also gave us a chance to admire the knicknacks that decorate Della's and make it unique. It's the little trinkets placed in places and mismatched chairs that give it a relaxed homey feel. It's even more relaxing when your hiding from the rain outside. After finishing our sandwiches and conversation we debated whether or not to grab some pastries but after two hours of sitting next to it, it's impossible to say no. So I walked out of there with the cheesecake featured in my welcome post and Leigh left with a muffin. But most importantly we left feeling more relaxed after taking a two hour break from our lives and that is the beauty of fika!
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