Every vacation needs a vacation from the vacation…
So I rented a car to get out of Copenhagen for a day and went to a remote lake - Lake Hallasjön - in the Swedish countryside.
Stedsans in the Woods, the resort and restaurant I stayed during my visit, is an up-and-coming hotel-restaurant hybrid.
They believe in linking people with the surrounding environment to the food they eat in a sustainable way.
The vegetables, including carrots, cucumbers and zucchini available for dinner were all harvested from the local property.
During the week they offer a casual cook-your-own dinner around a bonfire before a stay in one of the cabins or tents. The dinner is included in the price.
The forest restaurant is open on Fridays and Saturdays with a 6 course dinner included with a night stay.
So during the week, travelers cook their own food in a community-type setting. On the weekends, they are served a 6 course meal.
My recommendation is to go for the 6 course meal.
I did the community-type setting where they give the entire group fresh supplies ranging from vegetables to meat and everyone cooks and eats together.
It seems ideal... all the "togetherness" like something conceived by free-spirited hippies in San Francisco. But I quickly realized I was being judged by how many carrots I cooked for everyone and how many carrots I put in my mouth!! We all watched and judged because we were all hangry. My usability to complete strangers became a factor in my own vacation. And it wasn't like San Francisco where geeks and nerds are king. In this social experiment, it was mouthy Baby Boomers with the ability to make others feel bad about themselves so they cook the food for everyone. So the "togetherness" or "collective experiment," Stedsans' terms, was symbolic of the world. BUT for this mouthy boy, I never was a socialist loving bitch.
And I'm quite the little piggy these days:
Now nothing beats taking naked selfies in a Swedish forest in a custom made all natural and sustainable toilet. Gotta find new mirrors to showcase the goods for all those Snap followers. And this toilet biodegrades with the wood, leaving the planet a bit more healthier. The simple pleasures in life!
In all seriousness, I was on a search for the next Noma.
Stedsans in the Woods can be the next Noma, but they need to make improvements. The atmosphere, including cabins, lake, property, open wilderness, barn, chickens, sauna, and available boats are all positives. The social "togetherness" with the community cooking was a bit unsettling for me.
Sometimes I want to be left alone.
And sometimes what's sustainable is also rugged individualism.
