Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.09.2008, Blaðsíða 17

REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 14—2008 | 17
The walls of truck stop-cum-gas station Staðarskáli are
plastered with thank-you notes and dedication shields
from the community it has served for the past five de-
cades. And that community stretches far beyond Staðar-
skáli’s rural Hrútafjörður location; in fact it is entirely
reasonable to assert that the establishment’s clientele
consists of Icelanders As A Whole, and most of their for-
eign visitors to boot. Its route 1 location ensures that those
travelling from Reykjavík to pretty much anywhere else in
the country have as reason to stop there, and its friendly
staff, welcoming atmosphere and quaint decorations en-
sure that they feel happy to do so.
Glancing over the aforementioned thank-you notes,
one can see that for decade upon decade, women’s bas-
ketball teams, trucker’s unions and Rotary clubs alike have
sought refuge at Staðarskáli on their way to tournaments,
tours and group outings. “One of the great things about
Staðarskáli is that as a mom and pop establishment, they
never had any problems bending the rules,” Jón Þór, a fel-
low patron tells the Grapevine as we pay our final respects
to the place by ordering a pretty lacklustre hamburger.
“They would never hesitate to serve us after closing time,
and they would go that extra mile that corporations and
their lackeys never do.”
But of course, progress equals change, Iceland is
in a state of perpetual progress, and “old” Staðarskáli’s
demise is yet another indicator of the fact. We are build-
ing new roads; those roads will shave valuable kilometres
off our trips. So it’s only natural that Staðarskáli needs to
change locations, re-model and upgrade if it is to survive
in today’s harsh, competitive climates. The Grapevine is
not a particularly naïve journal, and it understands quite
well that not everything needs to always be the same at all
times. However, not everything needs to be exactly like
everything else either, so we feel justified in our lament.
Also noteworthy is the fact that nearby rest stop
Brúarskáli, that was just as legendary and just as quaint,
has already been torn down as part of that same progress,
and it is not scheduled to re-open.
INTRODuCING: THE HAMBuRGER
“They’ve been selling gas at this location since 1929,”
71-year-old Bára Guðmundsdóttir tells us. Bára founded
Staðarskáli in 1960 along with her husband, Magnús Gís-
lason, and his brother Eiríkur, and has been on duty there
for the half a century that has since passed. “In 1951, they
built a small shed alongside the pumps that sold candy
and refreshments, and in 1960 we built the first section
of the Staðarskáli house [starting in 1960 at 180 square
metres, the rest-stop has since been added on relentlessly
until it reached its currently gargantuan size].”
“The original idea was to sell minor refreshments here,
coffee and cakes. But quickly after opening we realised
that we would have to offer a wider selection of foodstuffs,
so we started offering up eggs, bacon and ham. As the
summer passed, we started adding more and more items
to the menu, including hamburgers.”
It is often claimed that Staðarskáli was the first
Icelandic establishment to sell the now-popular dish of
“hamburger.” Jón Þór confirms: “I heard that they heard
someone describe hamburgers in passing, and decided
to try their hand at it. The baker in [nearby village] Blön-
duós supposedly had the hardest time of making a round
loaf of bread that you could fit a meatball in. Staðarskáli’s
hamburgers weren’t an instant hit, but once they got the
truckers and bus-drivers hooked, it was a sell.”
Bára verifies that the Blönduós baker often tells the
story of his first ventures into hamburger making. “We just
started grounding beef and making flattened balls out of
it. We just put the meat dry in the bread, no sauce or any-
thing. They were quite wholesome. I’ve never bought that
theory of “sweaty hamburgers”; I don’t know what that is.
There’s nothing unhealthy about hamburgers except for
the sauce. Meat is meat, lettuce is lettuce, bread is bread.
I don’t know why they’re called junk food. The only un-
healthy part of the meal is the mayo and the French fries,”
she says and laughs heartily.
According to plan, “old” Staðarskáli will close down
on September 15; at which time the sterile new N1-brand-
ed version will open for business. “It’ll feature the same
menu, I hope. We will continue to operate the restaurant
at the new location for a while. A year, at least, but we sold
the place and only committed to working there for a year. I
am 71 years old now, it isn’t even given that N1 will require
my services for much longer, I’ve been doing this for fifty
years. My daughter Vilborg and her husband run things
now, and are doing a good job of it. But I am going to see
things off to a start, at least.”
The Inevitability of Homogenisation Staðarskáli makes way for yet another shrimp-dog stand
gLAncIng oveR THe AFoReMenTIoneD
THAnK-You noTeS, one cAn See THAT FoR
DecADe upon DecADe, woMen’S BASKeT-
BALL TeAMS, TRucKeR’S unIonS AnD Ro-
TARY cLuBS ALIKe HAve SougHT ReFuge
AT STAðARSKÁLI on THeIR wAY To TouR-
nAMenTS, TouRS AnD gRoup ouTIngS.