Posted on 12/12/2006 8:06:44 AM PST by cogitator
Sweet-toothed Swedes who have spent hours constructing edible Christmas gingerbread houses are seeing their creations collapse in the Scandinavian country's unusually damp winter, suppliers said on Monday.
"The damp weather spells immediate devastation for gingerbread houses. The problem is the mild winter," spokesman at Sweden's leading gingerbread wholesaler Anna's, Aake Mattsson, told Swedish news agency TT.
Gingerbread houses are a popular Christmas tradition in Sweden and across the Nordic countries, with many people buying slabs of pre-baked gingerbread from stores which they decorate and stick together using icing sugar and brightly coloured confectionery.
While much of Sweden is usually gripped by freezing temperatures and heavy snow in December, southern parts of the country have recorded their mildest start to the month for decades.
In recent days Anna's has received some 40 complaints from angry customers whose carefully crafted gingerbread houses have collapsed.
As a seasoned gingerbread expert with 41 years in the business, Mattsson urged hopeful gingerbread architects to heat the ready-baked slabs in the oven briefly prior to assembly to remove any remaining moisture.
The risk of subsidence was also reduced if builders overcame the temptation to smother their cookie houses in excessive amounts of icing sugar.
"Too much (icing sugar) can result in dampness ... . It's a common problem," Mattsson told TT.
ping... this should improve the malaise a bit.
Run run run as fast as you can....
The horror. The horror.
that has always been my problem in life..too much icing!
This is the actual headline! Unbelievable.
There's only one way to solve this: Small nuclear war could lead to cooldown. We have to do it for the gingerbread houses.
"much of Sweden is usually gripped by freezing temperatures and heavy snow in December"
Notice the word "usually". So the reason it has happened in the past, would be what? Was it global warming 500 yrs ago too when they had an unusally warm December?
How long until the Gingerbread caps at the poles are all but gone and the earth's creme filling is allowed to seep out and cover the planet????
Anyone have a recipe for some heavy, chewy gingerbread cookies?
And we will all be pelted by those cinnamon red-hot candy eyes and buttons!
These people are complaining about a milder-than-usual winter. Good grief.
This is funny. Especially the "global warming" twist. Gives it a little spice.
"southern parts of the country have recorded their mildest start to the month for decades."
"Hansel and Gretel are safer this year."
Global warming leaves wicked witch homeless!
Mmmmmmm...gingerbread!
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
I think it was 1952, based on an article from last week on Dec. 5th stating that this is the "warmest December since 1952". Of course, that statement was made with only 4 days of "this December".
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