Cover photo: Anne Valeur
Is there anyone else as hungry as Norwegian-born Anders Husa? Well, maybe his partner Kaitlin, but that is likely one of the very few. Anders have the recent years travelled the world, creating food and travel content – which is also how he met his foodie-in-crime along the way.
So how hungry is he? Well, Anders have managed to eat in more countries (40) than his age of 37, which is a pretty solid achievement. While in those countries he have been eating at hundreds, if not thousands, of restaurants in hundreds of different cities. So if someone knows where to eat in the world – the answer starts with an A and is six characters long.
How did you get an interest in food and food content creation?
My passion for food started when I was cooking at home with my parents. The content creation started when I wrote my master thesis about social media. Frustration eating bad meals when traveling led me to combine the two. I started doing more research and became a source of recommendations for my friends, and later on a wider audience.
What is the earliest memory of food you can remember?
Probably the taste of bread (cut up in small pieces) with liver paté (Stabburet Leverpostei – a kids’ brand in Norway). I can still taste it if I close my eyes, but I probably haven’t eaten that in 30 years. My favorite food when I was a kid, and still one of my favorites, is the Norwegian potato dumpling we call “komle,” topped with butter and lamb fat. My grandmother made the best version (of course) and my mother continues to make her recipe.
How has food and restaurants affected you as a person?
It’s pretty much dominating my entire life today, especially since I also work together with my partner, Kaitlin Orr. My passion for food has given me the opportunity to travel and experience the world. Despite that it’s a job, few things excite me as much as a meal at a new restaurant or returning to a favorite place.
What is your favorite restaurant in Sweden?
Frantzén in Stockholm!
And your all time favorite?
Still Frantzén.
What is the best food experience you have had at a restaurant?
Every single bite at Frantzén is a perfectly balanced flavor explosion. But I also love going to Noma every season and experiencing their new, innovative, creations.
And the most crazy one?
Every other dish at Alchemist in Copenhagen… butterflies, jellyfish, lamb brain and lungs, pig’s blood, cow’s udder, cod eyes, and the list goes on. All are tasty, by the way, but it’s still a crazy experience.
What is the best dish you have ever eaten – and why?
The gently fried langoustine with koshihikari rice at Frantzén. It tickles all the tastebuds, it’s subtle and complex at the same time, and so, so juicy. And, of course, my dad’s côte de boeuf with béarnaise.
What is your ultimate go-to comfort food?
Tacos and dumplings. When we travel to cities with a diverse food scene, we love to go on food crawls, sampling the best tacos or the best dumplings in each city or neighborhood.
Recently you moved to Copenhagen with Kaitlin. How come you two chose that city as a base?
It’s one of my favorite cities in the world and we saw it as the main hub of the Scandinavian food scene.
Do you enjoy to cook food yourself – and If so, where do you get your inspiration from?
Yes, very much. I’m mainly inspired by my dad. Other than that, I’ll read cookbooks we have laying around, or check food bloggers I like. I also get a lot of inspiration from other members of our food community, The Hungries.
What is your favourite type of kitchen in food?
Mexican and Cantonese.
What do you think is missing in the food scene today?
In Copenhagen we miss more diversity, more Latin American and southeast Asian food. Clearly, we need more immigrants!
What is the trend in the Food business you see coming in 2022?
I think and hope we’ll see even more focus on sustainability when it comes to workers/employees in the hospitality industry. The quality of the ingredients and waste reduction are both important, but we can’t forget the human health aspect – being able to work more normal hours, getting enough sleep, having a life outside work, earning a decent living, and having a good work environment.
What kind of Food are you missing the most from Norway?
The pure mountain water! I’m tired of filtering the hard Copenhagen water for every damn cup of coffee.
Do you have any crazy/fun food travel story?
I almost had to throw up while seated at the table of a sweet, old grandmother on The Faroe Island, when she served us fermented whale blubber – a local specialty. Bless her heart, she was such an amazing host, but I don’t need that food tradition in my life.
What is your biggest challenge as a food content creator?
Probably finding a good work/life balance. But also being respected for the work we do, the content we create, and the information we provide people every day. Companies that want to advertise on our channels need to understand that we can’t work for free (and to be clear, I’m not talking about restaurants – we never work with restaurants in any way).
Luckily, more and more brands and organizations get it! A lot of people also need to understand that our photos and videos are not free to just download and use as you please, and that includes other media companies – some seem to have no understanding of basic copyright law.
5 quick ones
Kebab or falafel?
Falafel.
Pour-over or espresso?
Pour-over.
Meat or vegetables?
Meat, but good chefs can convince me that I don’t need it.
Wine or cocktails?
Wine, but love myself a good cocktail too.
A la carte or tasting menu?
A la carte.
