Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2018, Side 6

If you’re a hip gym rat or
underage teenage vaper,
you’re probably
super into the
N o c c o e n e r g y
drink. The Swed-
i s h b r a n d h a s
taken Iceland by
storm—so much
so that the pack-
aging is literally in
Icelandic (for you
tourists: that nev-
er happens). The
name "No Carbs
Company” is a marketing
trick that makes us believe
it's healthy. To get deeper
into the Icelandic psyche,
we bought two cans to try.
On first taste, the drink
completely assaults your
mouth with an intense
chemical flavour. It’s remi-
niscent of the pre-workout
drink Amino—but more
overwhelming, with small
carbonated bubbles that
ensure you can just lightly
sip it lest your mouth sizzle.
I don’t like it. I want Red Bull.
The first flavour is pear.
We have no idea if this is a
popular one or not because
we are all over the age of
20. Anyway, it tastes like
Guaraná, a Brazilian soda,
but that’s a pretty bougie
reference. There’s no other
way to explain the flavour
though. It’s vaguely apple-
y, but more like if someone
tried to make an apple
flavour after only reading
about it online. It’s just
wrong. Also, the aftertaste
is really long-lasting, as in
you can still kind of feel it
15 minutes later. We are all
upset.
“It’s like someone
tried to make
an apple flavour
after only reading
about it online.”
The second flavour is called
Caribbean. It’s horrifically
offensive and I hate it. I
assume it is supposed to
evoke thoughts of sun-
kissed beaches and Piña Co-
ladas, but it tastes more like
if someone left an artificial
pineapple in the sun until
it rotted. The aftertaste is
rancid and the carbonation
combined with the vague
coconut flavour is just wildly
confusing. Who thought this
was a good idea?
That said, there’s some-
thing about the drink, and I
find myself absentmindedly
sipping it throughout the
day and then immediately
hating myself. I look at the
label, and am horrified to
find out it is made in Stock-
holm. Oh no. Clearly I have
become attached to my
liquid captor. Save me. No,
don’t. HJC
If you’re a politics nerd, municipal
elections are probably like the World
Cup for you. While lacking the prestige
of Parliament or the President, local
elections across the country have more
drama, intrigue and excitement than
either of these institutions combined.
In Reykjavík, yes, the same two
parties who always
w i n b i g g e s t — t h e
Social Democrats and
t h e I n d e p e n d e n c e
Party - won big again.
However, there are also
now 23 seats instead of
15 on City Council, and
that left room for three
parliamentary parties
—the Reform Party,
the Centre Party and
the People’s Party—to have local repre-
sentation. Even better, a complete
newcomer to campaigning —the
Socialist Party—fought hard and well,
securing themselves a seat at the table.
Iceland is more than
Reykjavík
There is, of course, more to the munic-
ipal elections than just Reykjavík, and
we would be remiss to ignore this.
Out east, the big winners in
Egilsstaðir - arguably the capital of
East Iceland - was Héraðslistinn, a left-
ist party, who secured a whopping 30%
of the vote, up significantly from 2014.
Their environmentalist message was
apparently very appealing to voters,
carrying them to victory.
Independence Party
everywhere
Up in North Iceland’s “capital”,
Akureyri, the Independence Party
got the most votes, but the Akureyri-
focused L-list followed close behind
them. Meanwhile, way down south in
the Westmann Islands, Eyjalistinn won
a seat, putting them in a very power-
ful position; the Independence Party
and For Heimaey won three seats each,
giving Eyjalistinn all the power to
decide who will run affairs on the tiny
island for the next four years.
While the Independence Party and
the Progressives are in formal talks in
Ísafjörður (surprise!), in West Iceland’s
Borgarbyggð they will
b e co unt ing v o t es
again, as the difference
between victory for the
Independence Party
or the Progressives
was exactly nine votes.
What a nail biter!
Still, we are the
Reykjavík Grapevine;
not the Iceland Grape-
vine. More analysis of
Reykjavík’s City Council elections can
be found on Page 12.
Let The Good
Times Roll!
Municipal election results
have a few bright sides
Are You
Nocco
Enough?
Words:
Paul Fontaine
Photo:
Art Bicknick
First
T EMPL A R A SUND 3 , 101 RE Y K JAV ÍK , T EL : 5711822, W W W.BERGSSON. IS
BREAKFAST FROM 7
LUNCH FROM 12
Akureyri, one of many municipalities to hold elections last week Words: Alice Demurtas
Photo: From archives
While driving through the Icelandic
countryside amongst waterfalls
and eerie landscapes, you might
notice something peculiar about
the farmed land, where horses roam
free and bales of hay are stacked
against each other. A series of
small bumps cover the earth quite
inexplicably, each one covered in
grass like a little hidden pimple.
We asked geographer Emilía Dag-
ný Sveinbjörnsdóttir, who works for
an Icelandic science website, what
they are and how they’re formed.
“These small bumps, which
are called ‘Þúfur’ in Icelandic,
are the result of frost heaving on
vegetated land. During the win-
ter the soil freezes gradually to
a certain depth, forming blocks
of ice which eventually collapse,
forming some sort of ice cave.
When the water freezes, it ex-
pands in the soil. With this pro-
cess the vegetation rises slightly,
but it does not fall back when the
ice thaws because of fine-grained
materials that cover the cavity.
The process of frost heav-
ing doesn’t only cause the soil to
rise but it also exercises pressure
sideways so that small bulges are
eventually formed. The repeated
process of freezing and thawing of
the ice eventually causes the forma-
tion of bigger bumps, or þúfur.”
ASK A
Geographer
Q: Why is the
Icelandic
countryside
dotted with
small bumps
on the ground?
6 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 09 — 2018
FOOD OF ICELAND
“There is, of
course, more to
the municipal
elections than just
Reykjavík, and we
would be remiss
to ignore this.”