The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/19934
Casual Chit Chat Each week, we have a casual conversation with a member of the community. This week, Danish math assistant professor Toke Knudsen of SUNY Oneonta and Cassandra Miller chit chat, casually. 1. What wouldn’t you want to carry a long distance? Resentment that I have to walk a long distance. 2. Speaking of long distances, your hometown is far away, in Denmark: In general, what about life in Denmark do you wish was more a part of life in the U.S.? Maybe because Denmark is a small country, people in Denmark are generally very inter- ested in the world around them and generally speak at least two languages (I grew up with four). Danes travel more than Americans, so there’s more talk about the world and world events in Denmark, and that’s a thing that I miss. I also miss good pastries, European bread, universal health care and my family. 3. How many Thanksgivings have you been a part of, and what has been your most memorable Thanksgiving in the States? Only two (not counting the times when a bunch of international grad students hung out on Thanksgiving), one in Oneonta and one in Wayland, Mass. The latter is certainly the most memorable, featuring, as it did, a trip to Walden Pond, mountains of Chinese food and many hours of playing poker. 4. What is your favorite meal (of any type of cuisine)? Oh, that’s got to be shahi paneer from the cuisine of India. Throw in a naan bread, pick- les and a Taj Mahal beer and I’m a happy camper. 5. What do most Americans misun- derstand or misinterpret about fancy Europeans like yourself? Not that I’m a fancy person, but two things stand out. One is that my humor is sometimes misunderstood (I’m really funnier than most people around here think), the other that people often perceive me as being formal even when I’m really relaxed and informal. The two are connected, of course _ it’s a cultural thing. 6. You teach the history of math: What’s a fact or lesson that gets non-math fans excited? That thousands of years ago ancient Mesopotamia had a fully developed economic system, which included the use interest rates. Also, the English word “sine” comes from the Latin mistranslation of an Arabic transliteration of a Sanskrit word. 7. What quirks do you find interesting about American culture? The belief that Santa Claus lives on the North Pole (everybody knows that he lives in Greenland). Saying that a place that’s a three-hour drive away is “close.” Not liking to watch movies with subtitles. Anyway, in general, I enjoy the American spirit, which is always friendly and welcom- ing. 8. You’re a board-game man: What are your favorite games and how would you describe them to people unfamiliar with them? Since moving to Oneonta, I’ve been playing two games now and then: Settlers of Catan and Titan. Settlers of Catan takes place on an imaginary island, where the players, taking the role of settlers, develop their hold on the island and extracting resources, in turn trading with each other. Titan is a complex game involving a lot of strategy. Each player commands armies of monsters on a board with the goal of eliminating the other players through battle. A game might take more than 10 hours, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. 9. What are three of your favorite/ most played on your iPod songs? “My Home Ghost” by Husky Rescue “Cinder and Smoke” by Iron and Wine “Everybody Knows” by Leonard Cohen 10. What is the best part about living in Oneonta? The Wilber Park pool on a beautiful summer day. Nov. 18, 2010 O-Town Scene 9