Tilstede Mat og Mer

    I initially came to Norway under the impression that I was going to STUDY abroad.  However, three weeks in and I have had approximately four classes, two of which were 45 minutes long and one of which was an all-day hike and thus went in my books under "fun" and not "studious."  While I had been warned previously that Norwegians take a much more hands-off approach when it comes to school and expect you to do most of the work on your own, I was somehow still envisioning having classes.  Looking ahead, my schedule does fill up a bit more as the weeks go on, but for the past few weeks the lack of actual class time has felt surprisingly odd - and has simultaneously afforded me and my fellow students time to be a little, well, adventurous.  This week, as the only class I had was on Friday, I ended up going on a four-day trip with two of my friends to Kristiansand, during which time I did two things I had never expected to do in Norway, one of which I had never expected to do ever.      

Yes, this is me.  Hitchhiking.

Firstly, when I say "we went to Kristiansand," what I mean was "we hitchhiked to Kristiansand."  Now, normally I'm the type of person who likes to have things planned out in advance and not leave my fate in the hands of total strangers, but somehow I was convinced that this was a good idea.  And it honestly turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip.  Who knew standing on the side of the road with your thumb out could be so much fun!?

But we had no trouble getting picked up and making it all the way to Kristiansand on the coast (it probably didn't hurt that we had friendly hand-made signs and blew bubbles at passing cars).  And in Kristiansand, aside from visiting a fortress, a cathedral, swimming in the ocean, and walking around both downtown and the "old town," we found something else I had never expected to see in Norway - a restaurant serving vegan food!!  

For any vegan traveling around Norway (or any person, for that matter), I can now wholeheartedly recommend Tilstede Mat og Mer, the incredibly charming raw food restaurant in Kristiansand that has a full menu of labelled vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous food options.  

The restaurant itself, right on the main drag Markensgate, is not only incredibly cute, but had some very friendly servers who were happy to explain the all-Norwegian menu to us.  We even ate on the rooftop garden overlooking downtown Kristiansand.  So, you know, it was tolerable.

I had a filling (and huge!) chickpea burger with lots of raw veggies, focaccia bread, and some delicious spicy chili sauce.  And the price wasn't too bad either - 130 kroner ($20ish), which for Norway is practically free!

Focaccia bred, brie cheese, and veggies for Katie!

The food was also presented beautifully, and you know I love some good food porn.
 

And see - shrimp open-face sanwich

To really finish off a great experience, though, they had zucchini growing on the roof.  Yeah.  How cool is this restaurant??  

I was very strongly considering stealing a zucchini, but I figured when the universe presents you with a cute, yummy, vegan-friendly restaurant you probably shouldn't spit on it.  Getting a zucchini out of the deal would have just been too much.

Overall, we liked Tilstede Mat og Mer so much that we came back again two days later for lunch before we headed back to Bø.  I had a nori wrap and a soy milkshake.  Mmmhmmm.  

So, if you're ever in Kristiansand and looking for some delicious, healthful food, Tilstede Mat og Mer is definitely your place.  They have a website: http://www.tilstedematogmer.no/ and a link to their blog, which just appears to be a forum for them to talk a lot about vegetables (guess who'll be following that blog!!)