Food
Though it may at first seem a stodgy, unsophisticated cuisine, Finnish food is an interesting mix of Western and Eastern influences, with Scandinavian-style fish specialities and exotic meats like reindeer and elk alongside dishes that bear a Russian stamp - pastries, and casseroles strong on cabbage and pork. If you're staying in a hotel, breakfast ( aamiainen ) is a sumptuous affair, a buffet of herring, eggs, cereals, cheese, salami and bread. Later in the day you can lunch on the economical snacks sold in ubiquitous market halls ( kauppahalli ) or in their adjoining cafeterias, where you are charged by the weight of food on your plate. Most train stations and some bus stations and supermarkets also have cafeterias proffering a selection of snacks and light meals, and the Grilli and Nakkikioski street stands turn out burgers and hot dogs for ?2.50-3.50. Otherwise, campus cafeterias or mensas are the cheapest places to get a hot dish, with a choice of three menus, with bread and coffee, for ?2-3.40. Theoretically you have to be a student but you are unlikely to be asked for ID, though if you can prove you're a student, a discount is in order. In a regular restaurant, or ravintola , lunch ( lounas ) is the cheapest option, many places offering a lunchtime buffet table ( voileipapoyta or seisova poyta ) stacked with a choice of traditional goodies for a set price of around ?8.50-13. A baari , an unlicensed restaurant with a range of Finnish dishes and snacks, is another low-cost option, although most close early - at 5 or 6pm. Pizzerias, too, are widespread, serving "lunch specials" for ?6-9. For evening meals you'll always have a couple of options. In smaller towns there will no doubt be cheap pizzerias or grillis or bars and ravintolas often serve standard plates of meat and two veg. In Helsinki and the big towns there are usually a range of options from Chinese to reindeer steak. Prices will vary from ?6 for a cheap pizza to ?100 for a slap up meal in a top restaurant.
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