Latest news with #Karolina
Euronews
4 days ago
- General
- Euronews
I learned how to forage a seaweed feast on Sweden's Vrångö island
'What we discard is often good for us, and ordinary things can be life-saving'. I am sitting cross-legged on a wooden bench, holding my notepad close to my heart. I've been to a few unusual philosophy classes, and this feels like one of them. There's sunshine, and an intense breeze coming from the sea just a few metres away. I'm on the island of Vrångö, a tiny but breathtaking fraction of the 30,000 islands scattered all around Sweden. The lukewarm May sun is about to set, and its rays are reflected on the calm sea, bouncing off millennia-old, smooth rocks in the shape of round hills. It's not a philosophy professor talking, and Plato is not the matter at hand. Holding a silver plate full of seaweed of all shapes and colours - from rubbery emerald green, to glossy deep purple, and ribbed matte black - is Karolina Martinson. She is also known by her company's alias 'Algblomman', meaning 'seaweed bloom' in Swedish. For islanders across Sweden, fish and seafood are embedded in their diet as much as in their culture. Midsummer celebrations take the shape of a crayfish boil enjoyed by family and friends around a bonfire. Pickled fish and salmon roe spread are synonymous with breakfast. But as the marine fish population dwindles due to climate change and water pollution (particularly felt across the Baltic and North Sea), people like Karolina have started looking for their next meal closer to shore. 'You put on a wetsuit, grab your clipping tools and your net, and go harvesting in a kayak', is how Karolina describes the 'seaweed safaris' she leads in Vrångö and neighbouring island Styrsö, where she lives. Guests are taught how to find and forage the best seaweed for their supper, and put together a delicious seaweed-based meal at the end. It's not the first time I've come across the concept. In my native Sicily, the jewel in the crown of the Italian peninsula, adapting to what the sea gives you has been commonplace for millennia. One of my fondest childhood memories is eating crunchy whitebait fritters, made with fish so tiny and useless that fishermen gave them away for free after finding them at the bottom of the valuable catch. About 2,300 km away from my Mediterranean home, Vrångö island soon becomes the unlikely link between my passion for food and the ancestral ways connected to island nourishment I have forgotten after so many years on dry, urbanised land. Karolina's devotion to interconnectedness is something the wider island reflects. Vrångö is home to 241 people and is defined by a strong sense of community. I learn this on day one, when the local restaurant owners, Jennie and Andreas Wijk, deliver a breakfast basket containing fresh fruit, cheese, and bread they baked just around the corner to my harbour-view room. But no seaweed (yet). Originally from mainland Sweden, Karolina remembers asking locals if they had any traditional ways to eat seaweed in the archipelago when she moved 25 years ago. 'Eating seaweed? It's never gotten that bad', was their response, to Karolina's amusement and disappointment. 'They considered seaweed garbage, something smelly and slimy that caused trouble to their boats, and had to be rid from the shore,' she explains. Just like in Sicily, islanders used seaweed for its nutrients, feeding it to cattle and enriching the soil with it. Eating it was a lost tradition that belonged to their prehistoric ancestors, as Karolina's decade-long research revealed. Sugar kelp, Irish moss, sea lettuce, and mermaid's necklace are only a few of the varieties she displays on the plate. Some are caught in the depths, some grow close to shore, she explains, but all make for delicious food, rich in nutrients - from dessert when candied, to salty, crisp-like snacks when deep-fried. No one was paying much attention to seaweed when Karolina started, and this spurred her on, something of a thread in her life, as she acknowledges. 'Before I got into cooking seaweed and researching it, I was an artist working with upcycled materials. Then, I worked with social enterprises, helping women in jail, and people with mental illnesses, among others'. 'So the connecting thread of my life has been looking at what gets thrown away - it can be food, it can be things, sadly, it can be people. And I want to lift them up, avenge them.' Memories of May Day celebrations at home slowly start to surface as Andreas Wijk drops crayfish after scarlet crayfish into a gurgling pot, letting off dill and beer-flavoured steam. Grilled, not steamed, may be my seafood cooking of choice, but though our methods may differ, the atmosphere surrounding the crayfish feast is something anchored strongly to memories of growing up watching my uncle cook fresh fish. Soon after the plates are set, a bottle of bubbly is popped, and everyone prepares to stack their silver trays with a bounty of seafood - freshly-cooked crayfish, smoked shrimps, and roe dips and dill aplenty. The bubbly flows, and conversation (and songs) come naturally. The backdrop to this festive occasion is the gorgeous harbour at Jennie and Andreas' restaurant, Hamnkrogen Lotsen. The name is a direct link to a pirate who was particularly prolific in the archipelago and happens to be related to the Wijks. My skin still glowing with a sun tan, and my mind pleasantly cast back to a floating sauna, I eventually go back to mainland Sweden. Sitting in the quaint town of Alingsås on a muggy afternoon, I already miss island life. But, to my surprise, the connections to my native home don't end in Vrångö. Alingsås has gotten Sweden talking since the 1800s, as the birthplace of fika. A quintessentially Swedish custom, the ingredients to fika are as follows: a hot drink, a small bite (preferably sweet), a companion for conversation, and sitting down. Once a coffee break enjoyed by women working at the mill, fika is now something every single household in the country does. 'It is very democratic', explains Fika tour guide Kersti Westin. 'From the Swedish Royals, to the lowest-earning worker, everyone does fika.' To other countries in which coffee culture doesn't come naturally, this may sound like a shocking custom, but I fully get it. The Italian way, knocking back espressos at the local bar, is also a similar excuse for a chat with a coworker, friend, or family member. 'It's time set aside during the day to check in with one another. No phone, no coffee on the go. You share the bitterness of life, but also the sweetness', Kersti smiles as we walk into Viola Cafe, about to savour their award-winning Silvia cake. Four stops later in the fika tour, I am more than just a hopeless romantic, reminiscing about my roots. I am a fika convert, and I can't wait to go back to my adopted home in the UK and mix a taste of Swedish fika tradition with Sicilian coffee - a last, sweet reminder of home. The writer was a guest of Intrepid, which offers a Taste of Scandinavia trip (7 days), or a 15-day Scandinavian Explorer covering Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
New York Times
28-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Emma Raducanu finds her tennis – and some levity – after fixated behavior ordeal in Dubai
Barely a month after one of the toughest experiences of her life, Emma Raducanu achieved the second-best result of her young career. The quarterfinals of the Miami Open, a WTA 1,000 event just below the Grand Slams, is the furthest Raducanu, 21 has gone at a big tournament since winning the U.S. Open aged 18 in 2021. Raducanu came within a set of reaching the semis in Florida, but ultimately succumbed 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 to America's world No. 4, Jessica Pegula. A doctor checked a faint-looking Raducanu's blood pressure and pulse towards the end of the second set, with the Brit having gone from 5-2 up to 5-4 before receiving medical attention. Advertisement When the WTA rankings are updated March 31, Raducanu will be in the world's top 50 for the first time since the summer of 2022. In Miami, she beat two top-20 players, including getting past the world No. 10 Emma Navarro for her third-ever top-10 win. Incredibly, it is the first time since that U.S. Open run that Raducanu has won four matches at the same event. This all seemed extremely unlikely a month ago, when Raducanu was still processing what happened at the Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates. On February 18, a man, who was later described as exhibiting 'fixated behaviour' toward Raducanu, sat courtside for the start of her match against Czech world No. 14 Karolina Muchová. Raducanu spotted him and approached the umpire in tears during the second game, retreating behind the official's chair. The man, who had approached Raducanu the previous day, and had given her a photo and his contact details, was escorted away by security. He was then banned from WTA Tour events and was given a restraining order, according to Dubai authorities. Raducanu finished the match and ultimately lost in two tight sets, but she had a huge amount to process afterwards. She was in two minds about whether to play her next event at Indian Wells, Calif., weighing up the possibility of taking a break from the sport. On February 26, she decided she would fly to the U.S. from London the following day, figuring that she'd be better off giving it a go at one of her favourite tournaments. A few days after arriving, and with two security guards in the room, she spoke to a small group of reporters about the incident in Dubai. 'I literally couldn't see the ball through the tears, I could barely breathe,' she said. 'I was playing Karolina, and I can't see the ball. Then the first four games kind of ran away from me because I was not on the court, to be honest. I'm not really sure how I regrouped. Advertisement 'I'm here because I feel a lot better now.' She added: 'It was a very emotional time and after the match I did completely break down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost. It was more because there was just so much emotion in the last few weeks of the events happening and I just needed that week off to take a breather.' The previous few weeks that Raducanu referenced were eventful in themselves. No sooner had she reached the third round at the Australian Open in January, posting impressive wins over Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova, than her trusted coach Nick Cavaday stepped down because of health concerns. Suddenly coachless, she promptly lost her next three matches, ending that run with the win over Greece's Maria Sakkari in Dubai that set up her match with Muchová. Raducanu's search for a new coach saw her joined in Indian Wells by the experienced Vladimir Platenik on a temporary basis. Platenik was available at late notice after splitting with Lulu Sun, who beat Raducanu on her way to last year's Wimbledon quarterfinals. They had one practice session before the Brit's first-round match against Moyuka Uchijima on March 6, in which Raducanu was well beaten 6-3, 6-2 by an opponent vastly more equipped to handle the windy, high-bouncing conditions. That loss was Raducanu's sixth in seven matches, but there was little sense of panic. One former British player, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships in tennis, said after the Australian Open that they felt Raducanu was playing at a top-30 level. 'Add in a serve,' they said, after Raducanu's reworked motion often misfired badly in Melbourne, 'and it's top 20.' Alexandrova and Anisimova both won the first event they played after losing to Raducanu at the Australian Open, while Muchová reached the Dubai semifinals after beating her. Advertisement Following her early exit in Indian Wells, Raducanu began preparations for the Miami Open with Platenik. A veteran coach who has worked previously with top-10 players like fellow Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova and Daria Kasatkina, Platenik had clear ideas about what he wanted to work on with his new charge. Raducanu's serve was a particular focus, a shot that she had struggled with all year since tweaking her back during the off-season. In her three matches at the Australian Open, Raducanu served 24 double faults and was broken 16 times in six sets. 'We improved the serve with a higher toss because she had some problems there and with the second serve, her toss was too high for a kick serve,' Platenik said in a phone interview last week. They watched a lot of video footage of other players, with Andy Murray a reference point for how to absorb opponents' power. Platenik name-checked Mirra Andreeva, the champion in Indian Wells and Dubai, as someone who is able to find the right balance between offense and defense. Footwork was also a big focus. 'Emma was getting this very, very quickly and is clearly super talented,' Platenik said. 'I never had a player improve so fast.' At a news conference in Miami, Raducanu said that their partnership had delivered 'some really good work,' adding that she has been 'getting some benefits on the match court right now.' But after two weeks of working together, Raducanu called Platenik to tell him his services were no longer required. Platenik said there were no hard feelings from his end, adding that Raducanu cited 'feeling stressed' when she called him to explain why she was making the change. A statement from a spokesperson for Raducanu said: 'Emma has utmost respect for Vlado and the work they started but it wasn't quite heading in the right direction.' Advertisement Raducanu has no compunction about moving on from a coach if they are not giving her what she needs. Previously, she has felt that some coaches have not been at the required technical level; in this case, it appeared to be more of a chemistry issue for a player who generally likes to work collaboratively rather than with someone more prescriptive. Chemistry matters a lot to Raducanu, who puts a huge amount of importance on having people around her she knows and can trust. She has gone back to working with people she knew when she was a junior on a few occasions, including Cavaday, who first coached her when she was 10. Platenik himself worked with her for an even briefer trial than this one, back in 2020. Platenik had also given an interview to Slovakian publication Dennik N the day after taking the job, which he admitted 'stressed' Raducanu. Platenik said in the interview that he had considered previous offers to coach Raducanu to be 'coaching suicide' and made the first public reference to the role of her father, Ian, in appointing her coaches. Feeling safe and comfortable was particularly important for Raducanu after what had happened in Dubai, and it proved to be an important factor in her impressive run in Miami. The day after parting ways with Platenik, Raducanu thrashed Japan's Sayaka Ishii 6-2, 6-1, in the first round of the Miami Open, dropping her serve just once and only hitting one double fault. Two days later, Raducanu picked up her first-ever hard-court win against a top-10 player by outlasting Navarro, a player with an outstanding three-set record. Given Raducanu's many physical issues over the last few years, it was a significant victory against a durable player, one that underlined the importance of fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, who joined the team at the back end of last year. The way Raducanu scrapped against Navarro stuck out to those watching. 'For me, the best bit about Emma's year is the way she's been out there competing,' Tim Henman, who mentored Raducanu during her U.S. Open win, said during a video interview this week confirming his appointment as a vice-captain for the Laver Cup, the international team event. 'She's getting stronger physically, and when you're that good if you keep doing the right things, keep working in the right areas, the results will come. I've never had any doubts about her ability.' Former British player Mark Petchey, who Raducanu has known for many years, and Jane O'Donoghue, a long-term friend and former LTA coach, were watching on from her box. 'This week I have amazing people who have known me for a very long time,' she said in a news conference. 'I feel very secure and happy and wanting to fight for them, as well.' The mood in the group was light, with Raducanu playing American football, football and cornhole during her warm-ups, and playing spikeball with her team just before going on court. In her on-court interview after beating an injured McCartney Kessler 6-1, 3-0 (retired) in the next round, Raducanu said: 'I'd say I'm a bit of a free spirit, so I don't need restrictions or being told what to do. Advertisement 'I think when I'm being really authentic, that's when I'm playing my best.' Having reached the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-3 win over world No. 17 Anisimova, who was also suffering physically with blisters, Raducanu returned to the theme. 'I've come a long way in the last week,' she told Sky Sports. 'I think since Indian Wells, I wasn't necessarily feeling great about my tennis, about everything. But this week, I have some very good people around me that I trust, and so I have had fun off the court as well. 'That's extremely important for me, who's just very expressive. When I play my best, I'm definitely authentic, true to myself and creative. And I feel when I'm boxed in into a regimented way, then I'm not able to kind of express myself in the same way.' Raducanu used her backhand slice to disrupt Anisimova's rhythm, with the American coming off a grueling three-set win over Mirra Andreeva. It offered a reminder of what Raducanu's statements about creativity and expression can translate to on court when she is feeling free, something that was on full display when she won the U.S. Open title and made elite players like Sakkari and Belinda Bencic look lost on court. It was on display again in her quarterfinal against Pegula, as Raducanu roared back against a player who hits flat and true when in flow but can be hustled into mistakes. Ultimately, the U.S. Open finalist was too strong, but given where she was a month ago, Raducanu will take a lot of positives from where she is now. She still needs a coach but at least has a platform to build on for the rest of the year. Raducanu will be No. 48 in the world on March 31, with a puncher's chance of moving up the 16 places she needs to be seeded for Wimbledon, her home Grand Slam. Raducanu's next event is the Billie Jean King Cup, where she'll be part of the Great Britain team up against Germany and then the Netherlands in The Hague on April 11 and 12. Her de facto coach for that weekend will be the British team captain, Anne Keothavong, who via the U.K. Lawn Tennis Association told reporters that Raducanu had shown a combination of competitiveness and freedom against Pegula that bodes well for the rest of her season. Advertisement After that, her team will at some point change again. Petchey and O'Donoghue have other commitments, so won't be able to join full-time. A British Tennis Center coach, Colin Beecher, has worked with her in the last few weeks, but is not expected to work with just one player at a time; Cavaday remains in touch. Even if they will not be in her box forever, Raducanu has learned what works for her from her short time with Petchey and O'Donoghue, which includes reining in some of the intensity in her preparation. 'The first section of this year, I would be so locked in,' Raducanu said in her news conference after beating Anisimova in Miami. 'Every warm-up would be an hour long. By the time I played the match, I was quite tired. That's something that we adjusted this week, bringing more fun elements into it, shortening certain things, and adding things that are outside the box. 'Playing a game, getting a good sweat on, laughing. Then you go onto the court feeling a lot more relaxed, and every part of you is just looser.' After what happened in Dubai, Raducanu had also deactivated her Instagram, which she would often use to update fans on her progress. Off the back of Miami, she brought it back, posting a photo of her sitting on some. Florida sand. The caption read, ' thank you miami.' Raducanu's relaxed demeanour there on and off the court, and what it might mean for her tennis, is as striking as her quarterfinal run.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lori Falce: America was built with a dollar and a dream, not $5 million gold cards
Feb. 28—My mother's grandmother Karolina was born in Austria in 1899. She came to Philadelphia in 1906 with her mother, an unmarried woman who had a romantic story about Karolina's unnamed father but who rewrote her life in America claiming to be a widow. Karolina was not wealthy. Neither was her mother. My father's great-grandfather was born in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland in 1826. Marcus Luchsinger, family legend tells us, was headed west when he arrived in New Orleans in 1845. Instead, he traveled up the Mississippi and settled in Minnesota. Grandpa Luchsinger was a bit better off than Karolina when he arrived. He was 19 instead of 7, but he was not rich. Of my husband's eight great-grandparents, all but one was born in Italy. They arrived in Pittsburgh through Canada or New York at different points somewhere around the 1890s. They brought their dreams, their hopes and their willingness to work. None of them brought $150,000. That's about what $5 million today would have equaled back then. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he wants to create a "gold card" that would cost $5 million. There is already a visa for investors. It is the EB-5. It is given to people who plan to do business in America, spending about $1 million and creating jobs. It makes sense to increase the amount of money for that investment. The program has been in place since 1990 and could probably benefit by updating. This program could be mutually beneficial, and there is no reason to think otherwise. Many countries offer a kind of express lane for immigrants with enough money to smooth the way. But what stings is looking at the family tree and knowing no one would have qualified. America has built its reputation as the refuge of the poor and tired and the wretched. My family fit in those categories. An unwed mother building a new life. A German-speaking boy barely older than my son. A whole table full of Italians who brought their language and culture to the neighborhoods and mills of Pittsburgh. The collective memory of America is filled with stories of the ancestor who got off the boat with a dollar to his name. We accept those as the remarkable accounts of accomplishment they are. The $5 million card has its place. However, it can't become the gold standard for immigration. We must spend as much time finding legal, viable, accomplishable routes to immigration and citizenship for the people with few dollars and big dreams. If we don't, we miss out on the way Karolina brought up her family and taught her granddaughters to make schnitzel. We don't have Grandpa Luchsinger raising a granddaughter who would found a town with her husband and their family name. I wouldn't have my son making his father's marinara sauce with all the right herbs and meats, just like his great-grandmother passed down. Because without all those immigrants who came here to find gold rather than pay it, America would be a lot less rich. Lori Falce is the Tribune-Review community engagement editor and an opinion columnist. For more than 30 years, she has covered Pennsylvania politics, Penn State, crime and communities. She joined the Trib in 2018. She can be reached at lfalce@
