Stop in for a cup of coffee
That mid-day meal, was the large meal of the day,or am i mistaken?
No, you are not mistaken. That was the main meal of the day, the dinner or supper. And after that people usually took a little nap, an hour or two. And then in Norway they went back out to work until 4 or 5, when they had something they called "Nonsmat" (mat means food), it was usually coffee and a snack of some kind. Then it was out again to work, until "kveldsmat" (evening meal) Which was around 8, and was a lighter meal, not as light as the "nonsmat". But not warm, unless maybe those families who had a little more income and had maybe a little warm leftovers for eveningmeal on saturdays, and then it was leftover from thursday or friday. Dinner on saturdays was usually rice porridge, which is made of small round rice grain, not the long grain rice you most often find here in the US.
Rice Porridge (risgrynsgrøt) recipe -- www.matoppskrift.no
As shown in the picture, the porridge is poured in a bowl, then a bit of butter it put in the middle, and pushed a little down, that was very important, and then granulated sugar sprinkled over, and finally cinnamon. This was tradition for Saturday dinner. I like rice porridge, and have that kind of rice here so I make it from time to time, but I do not use the cinnamon. Only the butter and sugar.
Rice porridge was considered a poor mans meal, but it was cheap to make, and it has become a saying in Norway that if you don't have enough money to have that little salt in the porridge when cooking it, as you see in the recipe, then you are really poor. It is also turned around and said about people who are rich, well, at least they have money for the salt in the porridge.
Bill