Eating Traditional Finnish Food (in a restaurant)

So, after a bit of pestering, the elder Finn said that she would take the Baker and the non-baker out for a traditional Finnish meal. Neither the Baker nor the non-baker is particularly familiar with Finnish food and so they did not know what to expect. But the elder Finn had read an article in The Helsinki Times on this very subject and so had picked out a restaurant to go to. They were all willing to share food and so the Baker and the non-baker let the elder Finn order appetizers and main dishes for them in Finnish and were ready to be surprised. It was a wonderful decision on their part because the food was delicious.
The Elder Finn had ordered a trio of appetizers. (From right to left): First there was a dark rye bread with a sort of mushroom potato salad on top and then some very thinly sliced reindeer, which the Finn insisted that the Baker and the non-baker try since they had never eaten reindeer before.
Then there was a Finnish sausage of venison with a bourbon mustard sauce and reduced vinegar on the plate.
And lastly there was a flat white bread with whitefish, sour cream and dill. After that they had their main dishes, which they also decided to serve in small portions so that everyone would get to try some of everything that the Finn had decided to order.
(From right to left): The first dish was sort of complicated. It was a light rye bread with a salad underneath, shrimp, whitefish and salmon on top with baby tomatoes and slices of cucumber. There was also a cream sauce on the side as well as a wonderful (though unexpected, as it did not show up in the description) poached egg.
Next there were cabbage rolls. These were pieces of cabbage stuffed with mushrooms. And they were served on top of a bed of boiled, sliced beets served with a cream beet sauce.
And, last, but certainly not least there were traditional Finnish spiced beef meatballs. They were served with a brandy cream gravy, mashed potatoes, more sliced preserved (pickled) beets, and pickles.
Then they were all full with the warm food. And so they got the check. However, unlike in America, where the Baker and the non-baker reside, chocolates are provided with the bill instead of mints. The Baker very much approves of this way of ending a meal.

Eating Abroad

So when the Baker and the non-baker were little, their parents wanted them to see the world. As a result, their parents decided that the best way to do this was to switch homes with other families with somewhat similarly aged children- usually, for around three weeks at a time. So the Baker and the non-baker have wonderful memories of living in other people's homes over the summers. And, this summer, when they decided to take a vacation together, the Baker and the non-Baker decided to re-visit some of those families- specifically the ones in Finland and the Netherlands. Once they arrived they ended up doing a bunch of what they consider to be traditional Finnish activities- going in a sauna, walking around Helsinki, and enjoying the company of the two Finnish sisters whose home they had lived in so many years before.

And this morning, the elder Finnish sister treated them to some fun traditional Finnish breakfast foods (though they ate them after they woke up at 1pm or 13 hours.) They had toasted dark rye bread, with margarine, cheese, turkey and tomato.
They also ate some Karelian pies (a traditional Finnish treat that is made with rolled out rye dough, rice porridge, and a little bit of beaten egg on the top to make it brown nicely in the oven, though theirs were store-bought and warmed at home.)
However, they didn't have them plain. Instead, they went all-out Finnish and had them with chopped up hard boiled egg and lox on top. They also tried some Finnish sweet egg bread (which to the Baker and non-baker tasted like a Rosh Hashanah challah.) Yum. Along with breakfast the Baker had coffee and the non-baker tea, both of which were served in Moomin troll cups.