Roman Schatz reads from his new book „Gebrauchsanweisung für Finnland“ for FENNOBED

Finland was the guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year. A good reason for FENNOBED to get probably the most famous German Finn into the box spring bed. Author Roman Schatz threw on his pajamas, made himself comfortable in our Suvia motor box spring bed and read from his book „Gebrauchs anweisung für Finnland“ in the personal ambience of the Frankfurt hotel and boarding house „Das Lindenberg“. This caused a lot of understandable nodding among the Finnish guests, all non-Finns, however, were allowed to learn a lot. About language, about beds, about Finns and Germans and also about many really important things like slippers, reindeer, drinking habits and of course the sauna.

The comparison with the German friends could not be missing. How Germans want to explain their own sauna to the Finns provided just as many laughs as the world of Finnish curses and the peculiarities of this endearing language, which actually almost no one except the Finns really understands. With Roman Schatz, who has lived in Finland for almost 30 years, as a translator, one may conclude, however, that hardly any other language is so well suited for communicating succinctly across the frozen lake. As long as one can do without details: He and she, for example, do not distinguish the Finns, one simply says „hän“. Actually very sympathetic.

Also culinary the guests of our FENNOBOOK Event did not come too briefly: Roman treasure put again and again breaks, in which the chef Jyrki Tsutsunen, especially he for the evening traveled, served his handmade Finnish-Scandinavian Tapas. These Scapas („scandinavian tapas“) bore such exciting names as „Tilligraavattu Kuha & Perunakakku“ or „Hirven Paahtopaisti & Nokkoscreme“, sonorously recited from bed by Jyrki Tsutsunen. Again, interpreting skills were needed. Graved dill pike perch on potato cake, elk skewers on nettle cream or trumpet chanterelle cream soup and panna cotta on potato rose flattered both Finnish and German palates.

The later the evening, the more relaxed the guests. This was also true for Roman Schatz, who had a veritable marathon of appointments at the fair behind him, but did not miss the opportunity to have a glass of wine after the reading, to exchange ideas with the chef, team and guests and, of course, to explore the unique interior of the Lindenberg.

If you are now curious about Finland, we can only recommend one thing: Try it out for yourself! At FENNOBED and with Roman Schatz‘ novel „Gebrauchs- anweisung für Finnland“. Then you’ll also find out what Finns mean when they say „start on a mountain“…