A Restaurant in Kragerø Refused to Let Me Pay

A summer evening in Norway, an unexpected act of hospitality and the story of how the first print from a new GaffGaff series found its home.

At the beginning of June, I flew from Bangkok to Norway to take part in an art exhibition on Jomfruland, just outside Kragerø.

It had been many years since I had last visited the town, and several of my old friends I had not seen for well over forty years.

The reunion could hardly have been warmer. Old friendships seemed to pick up where they had left off, the weather was beautiful, and Kragerø showed itself from its very best side.

Just when I thought the stay could not get any better, a friend and I went out for dinner.

We chose Smauet, an intimate restaurant with outdoor seating tucked into one of the narrow passages in the centre of Kragerø.

Every table was occupied when we arrived, but a friendly young waitress immediately noticed our predicament. She improvised a solution, found us somewhere to sit, and before long two cold beers appeared on our table.

It was a beautiful Norwegian summer evening. We had more than forty years to catch up on, so waiting for dinner was hardly a problem.

Eventually, the food arrived. It was hot, good and thoroughly enjoyed.

Full and satisfied, we asked for the bill.

But no bill came.

Instead, our waitress smiled and told us that dinner was on the house.

They felt we had waited longer than we should have, she explained, and my friend's lasagna had been a little more well done than they intended.

I was almost speechless.

I have eaten in restaurants in many parts of the world throughout my life, but I had never experienced anything quite like it.

If restaurants had compensated me every time I had waited a little too long for dinner over the years, I could probably have financed a first-class voyage around the world by now.

What impressed me most was not the value of the meal. It was the gesture.

It was a small demonstration of generosity and pride in what they were doing, offered without us asking for anything.

I wanted to return the gesture somehow.

So I promised that Smauet would receive the very first print from my new series, Horses, Mules, Donkeys and Wine.

The print has now arrived safely in the hands of Martin and his wonderful team in Kragerø.

For me, that makes it more than simply the first print in a new series. It has become part of a story about friendship, art, generosity and a Norwegian summer evening I will not forget.

Thank you, Martin and everyone at Smauet, for an extraordinary welcome.

 

- Eldar Einarson