The false rose

After reading an enchanting review in Dagens Nyheter, I felt compelled to order the latest instalment of the Sally Jones saga. Opening in the port of Lisbon where the Hudson Queen is slowly being repaired after spending four years on the bottom of the Zêzere River, the book throws the reader into a forgotten world of Lusophone maritime adventures before heading north to Scotland and Glasgow, all obviously very topical for Rawls & Me, at least as I imagined what this year would be like before the pandemic struck.

Making roasted sweet potatoes with coconut fried halloumi and pomegranate salsa for dinner, I am clearly determined to bringing back the pre-pandemic world, at least on a culinary level. There is currently a lot of talk in Sweden about what good things that we can take with us from this experience, as in greater opportunities to work from home and new forms of digital collaboration replacing unnecessary travelling. Personally, I have definitely appreciated taking things slower and reflecting more but I also think it would be a tremendous loss if the global flow of people would come to a permanent halt. On the other hand, if the economic crisis becomes a catalyst for making Sweden’s economy less export-obsessed it would be a very good thing, at least as long as it is paired with broad salary increases and accelerated structural change. My fear is of course that the very opposite will happen, that there will be a renewed push towards low-paying jobs and precarisation.