Each week co-hosts Sam Floy (British podcast host living in Copenhagen) and Josefine Volqvartz (Danish TV/ podcast journalist) take on a new topic that seems peculiar as an outsider in Denmark.
Each of our episodes have a thorough research process and are accompanied with a blog post with links to more information.
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What to expect when tying the knot (or not) in Denmark
If you’ve listened to our episode on Dating Danes and have been really applying yourself, you might be starting to think about Danish weddings… Both Sam and Josefine have (separately!) had Danish weddings that are a little bit different to how other countries do it. But what are some of the things to expect when going to a Danish wedding?
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Everything you need to know ahead of visiting Denmark for the first time
Sam and Josefine are joined in the studio with two excellent guests sharing their insights and tips on how to orient your first days and weeks in the land of Denmark..!
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Learning the (missing?) language of love in Denmark
Compared with other cultures, it’s rare in Denmark to ask someone out on a date (unless drunk) and there’s often missing vocabulary around defining what relationships are (there’s no direct translation for “dating”).
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How Denmark became a low-carbon, sustainable society
In the 1970s, Denmark was like most other Western countries when it came to generating energy: the majority came from high-polluting, non-renewable resources. However unlike much of the rest of the world, Denmark used this as an opportunity to transition to renewable sources of energy.
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How Denmark's history defines the nation today
It seems that one of the defining characteristics of being Danish is to feel you are a member of a small nation. Sam and Josefine speak with Asser Amdisen about the source of Denmark's national pride and how this once manifested in breeding a special form of pig
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Why Danish parents send their children to learn in nature
In the 1950s, a Danish woman, Ella Flatau, began taking her kids on walks in the forest to teach them about the world. Soon, other parents asked if their kids could join, and before long, they formalised the arrangement, creating the first "forest kindergarten" in the country, and possibly the world. Today, in Denmark, they are more popular than ever...
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Denmark is such a 'low anxiety' place to live
In this episode Sam is speaking to Anne and John, a couple from the USA who moved to Denmark from Dubai last year about the contrasts of living in different places.
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Denmark's cooperative (andelsboliger) approach
Around the world house prices are rising far higher than incomes meaning "ordinary people" are unable to afford to own a place to live. In Denmark, andelsboliger ("co-operative housing") offers a solution
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Why Janteloven is essential for understanding Danish culture
Michael Booth, author of The Almost Nearly Perfect People joins Sam and Josefine in the studio to discuss "The Law of Jante" that comes from a 1933 book by Danish-Norwegian author Axel Sandemose and still influences Scandinavian culture today.
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Is cold water the secret to Danish happiness?
When temperatures drop, the last thing on most people's minds is to go outside, strip off and take a plunge into near freezing water. That is, however, what a large percentage of the Danish population do each winter. Why on earth would someone choose to do this? Well, it turns out that the benefits are pretty convincing.
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How and why Danes have the highest trust levels in the world
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, citizens' trust in their governments has declined all across Europe, and around the world. Denmark, however, stands out as a country where trust levels have increased. But why? This is the topic of this week's episode + an exploration into the country's remarkable high levels of trust between people.
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How can Denmark have the best restaurants in the world?
Danish food culture has an outsized impact on the world stage. For a country with less than 0.1% of the world's population, Denmark boasts the two best restaurants in the world and has a culinary movement that is the envy of chefs and kitchens around the world. But it wasn't always that way...
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What flyverdragter says about Danish fashion
As winter approaches, you might spot an unusual sight on the streets of Denmark: fashionable people (mostly women) wearing an all-in-one ski suit worn predominantly by toddlers. These ski suits (or rather "flight suits") have become a fashion trend in Denmark in recent years, and they show no signs of stopping.
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"Ignoring people is polite here"
Danish culture is premised on various values such as trust, equality and respect for privacy. Whilst this has many virtues, from an outsider perspective, this can also appear to play out in scenarios where Danes come across as... well, a bit rude.
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Work life balance (US vs Denmark)
This week on What The Denmark - we have something a little different. We want to start getting the perspectives of Danish people who have an international presence to understand how being Danish has influenced their life. For our first, we chose tech entrepreneur David Heinemeier Hansson.
Read moreDecoding Danish Culture