Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2017, Blaðsíða 8

If you live under a rock, you’ll be
stoked to know that Costco re-
cently opened its first store in
Iceland. Naturally, people are su-
per jazzed. Why? Well, things are
expensive in Iceland—we all know
that—and so Costco’s cheap pric-
es and wide selection have kick-
started a craze that can only be
compared to the vogue for fidget
spinners, or the Salem witch trials.
Only days after its opening (May 23),
Sólveig B. Fjólmundsdóttir created the
Facebook group “Keypt í Costco Ísl.-
Myndir og verð,” which translates to
“Purchased in Costco: Pictures and
Prices.” At the time of this writing, the
group contains almost 75,000 members.
For reference, that is nearly a fourth of
Iceland’s population. For increased ref-
erence, this is as if 80 million people
joined a group celebrating the arrival
of the first Bæjarins Beztu in the US.
The group can basically be sum-
marised as a bunch of Icelandic people
posting pictures of things with prices
that other people around the world
would still find expensive, i.e. school
backpacks for their kids at 2499 ISK
(~$25). But admittedly, the Costco
hype is real. Posters rave day and night
about exotic and eccentric Costco offer-
ings: home deep fryers, baklava, life-
sized brass giraffes, and even squatty
potties for a convenient 4999 ISK.
The biggest delirium, though, re-
volves around berries. There are a pleth-
ora of pictures of berries, some eaten
raw, others mixed with other fruits or
sprinkled with powdered sugar. For ref-
erence, one photo of cut-up strawber-
ries got 1000 likes. For increased refer-
ence, strawberries sell in Costco for 1159
ISK/kg and 6575 ISK/kg in Kostur. Ouch!
Costco also sells gas, which has
been another source of ecstasy. One
woman excitedly posted, “Is there any
chance that my car just spends less of
the fuel from Costco? I've driven 120
km and my car is still almost full!!”
Though we were warned by corpo-
rate not to reveal this, the answer is
yes. Costco actually does sell magic
gas that defies the laws of thermody-
namics. Fill up before the Russians
find it, or worse, the Americans.
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Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
DIGITAL LIFE
Brúðkaup
AROUND ICELAND IN
80 FACEBOOK GROUPS:
'Keypt í Costco
Ísl .- Myndir
og verð'
WORD OF
THE ISSUE
Words often give us insight on
past traditions. “Brúðkaup,” for in-
stance, the Icelandic word for “wed-
ding,” refers to the old custom of
purchasing (kaupa) a bride (brúð).
“Is she worth five cows and a goat?
I’ll take her. You, father of the bride,
will officially sell her to me here in the
house of God.” Quaint, isn’t it? Indeed,
we still keep part of that tradition alive.
Alternatively, one could also use
the word “gifting,” from “gjöf” (a pres-
ent), but to be honest being given to
someone isn’t much better than be-
ing sold. Ask your father and he’ll
agree. Where’s that goat he was prom-
ised at the bachelor party, again? AD
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2017
READER'S LETTER
Dear Grapevine,
I’ve just returned back to Kansas after
a wonderful stay in Iceland, except
from one shocking and offending in-
cident. When visiting one of the local
pools, I got hunted down in the shower-
ing area by a guard and lectured for
not being completely nude. Excuse me,
but how rude! This would never happen
in America. I’m in charge of my own
body and decide who I choose to show
it to. Maybe you should be a bit more
considerate of the tourists and how
you treat them, since you’re kinda de-
pendent of us.
Susy
Dear Susy,
Maybe you should just chill a little, it’s not
like we’re asking you to participate in a
naked yoga session. But let’s try to level
for a second. Icelanders are relaxed and
laid-back human beings who are quite
content with being naked. There’s noth-
ing out of the ordinary about throwing
your togs aside, either for a last-minute
hook-up, or in the shower before sharing
one of the pools with your friends and
neighbors. The pools in Iceland contain
a low amount of chlorine, which means
a proper wash-up is crucial for keeping
them clean. Just flaunt what your mama
gave ya, and we’re sure no one will look
twice. If they do, what’s the worst thing
that can happen? It’s not like someone
will grab you by the p… Yeah, we’ll say no
more. Long live nudity and the free spirit!
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Write to us via Facebook, or email us at
letters@grapevine.is.
A revolution in icelandic retail, pictured
LÓABRATORIUM

WHERE WAS IT SHOT?
‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen
2001 was a memorable time for those
who wanted to see Angelina Jolie run
in slow motion. Yes, that year saw the
release of ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ or,
as we call it at the Grapevine, ‘Hooters:
Indiana Jones Edition’.
The movie is pretty bad, but it does
have nice aesthetics, potentially because
director Simon West filmed a three-
minute sequence at the Jökulsárlón
glacial lagoon in southeastern Iceland.
The scene is identified as taking place
in Siberia—which it is obviously not—
where there is a tiny town full of tipis
(or “chum,” as Wikipedia says they are
called) and other kitschy “indigenous”
objects. There, a fur-clad wise child
warns our buxom heroine not to seek
“him” out—“him” being Croft’s father.
Lara obviously does not heed the
girl’s warnings and jumps onto a
boat/car thing that zooms through
the icy water onto a glacier. There,
the crew boards dogsleds and ven-
tures into the mist—presumably
Croft’s mysterious father lives in
some boondocks ice palace like Elsa.
The viewer desperately thinks, “Let
it go!” but of course, she doesn’t.
The weirdest part about this scene
is that all the indigenous Siberians
sport big fur jackets, woolen gloves
and toasty hats, while Croft walks
around in a light jacket and sexy
tight cotton tank top. Apparently,
the cold doesn’t bother her anyway.
The statue of the proud
foreign bather, Reykjavík
Trials Of
The Never-
Nude