KÄÄRIJÄ TRIES LITHUANIAN FOOD

This week, Käärijä (Finland 2023) paid a visit to Lithuania where he met some of his fans and media. In an exclusive interview with Eurodiena.lt, the Finnish representative revealed the story behind his entry ‘Cha Cha Cha’, spoke on his favourite Eurovision performances, and tasted some of the most iconic treasures of the Lithuanian cuisine: šaltibarščiai (a.k.a. ‘the pink soup’) and the spiky šakotis dessert, which is eerily similar to one of the outfits that Käärijä tried on recently.
Suomijos atstovas Käärijä šią savaitę lankėsi Lietuvoje ir susitiko su žiniasklaidos atstovais. Kalbėdamas su portalo Eurodiena.lt redaktoriumi Justu Buivydu vienas išankstinių šių metų „Eurovizijos“ favoritų papasakojo savo dainos atsiradimo istoriją, atskleidė labiausiai įsiminusius eurovizinius pasirodymus bei įvertino lietuviškos virtuvės įžymybes: šaltibarščius ir vieną savo kostiumų primenantį šakotį.
Interviu atlikėjas taip pat pasidalino įspūdžiais iš pasiruošimo konkursui užkulisių ir kodėl savo ikoniškam sceniniam įvaizdžiui pasirinko ryškiai žalią spalvą. Pokalbyje Suomijos atstovas papasakojo ir apie savo laisvalaikio hobius bei vieną mėgstamiausių grupių, į kurios koncertą vyks šią vasarą.
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#eurovision #finland #käärijä #eurovision2023 #chachacha #eurovizija #eurodiena

[@Eurodiena]

200k views, are y'all for real??? 😭🥹 THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Can we make it to 2000 subscribers? 🎉

[@smokacius]

nope

[@Shimanas527]

perhaps

[@user-jm8xx7vn8z]

LABAS

[@MaybeitsmeJulia]

You are a really good interviewer, kept a nice flow going throughout. ^_^ Love from Finland.

[@mirjamleesalu5188]

I'm so proud of Käärijä doing a podcast interview fully in English and so well! He just keeps improving his skills all the time! I love his personality so much!

[@Jaffacakemf]

and this was only a month ago and you can already see how hes improved now

[@MH-cj9dz]

He must really have been practising English, he is doing well. Such a nice guy. He needs to Win 👑

[@Mucrush]

He's probably doing better when he's not under pressure from interviewers

[@HelsinkiHelsingfors]

He is cute but I think most of people in FIN know that ”Polen” is not in ”Baltia” - sorre for that 😅

[@ristoravela652]

He's very active in using it, you learn fast that way.

[@Hairysteed]

His English has been improving crazy fast! That's because unlike most other Finns who are shy and avoid conversations when they don't feel confident in their language skills. Not Käärijä! He jumps in and engages in conversation even if it's in his clumsy rallienglanti so long as people still understand him. That's commendable!

[@SipuliSiili]

@@ristoravela652 This.

[@iwonthesitatebitch5315]

Human version of sunshine

[@00sali00]

He really is. It's so sweet...

[@Lala-cw7ez]

”Måneskin he is so sexy guy” hahaha love him

[@vulc1]

But Bojan is sexy too, I think he would say now 😄

[@abrielrobertsson4160]

Such a humble and nice guy. Fingers crossed he wins next month 🎉.

[@Eurodiena]

🤞🤞🤞

[@kurmyzas5516]

But he didn't 😹

[@abrielrobertsson4160]

@@kurmyzas5516 Yeah, yeah, because juries are corrupted crap.

[@bfg_pz2213]

@@kurmyzas5516 he won the audience by a mile tho

[@adazawislak]

In my heart he won ❤️😭

[@abic752]

This is his best interview. I couldn't help but smile through the whole video 💚🇫🇮

[@Eurodiena]

Us too 😭💚

[@saripirttikangas4206]

Same😊

[@ikkimi7745]

His laugh is adorable.

[@paulinamd5046]

i recommend you to watch interviews when he speak finnish! Right now are with english sub and are TOO much insightful. Jere it's so thoughtful and the last one before the gig in Black Box it's *chef kiss*

[@Sandii_LT]

He is so charismatic 🎉😅 funny and his song is absolutely insane. Possibly he will win 🎉🎉🎉🎉fainas interviu. Džiaugiuosi,kad dalyvavo. labai palaikau🎉🎉🎉

[@coolpersonwithcake98]

He didn't win 😢

[@urtebilotaite]

He won in our hearts

[@TheStillCake]

He came second 😢

[@AnnaFresa1]

@@coolpersonwithcake98 He didn’t win, but got millions of fans around the world 💚 The Eurovision system sucks, everyone saw it now

[@MaybeitsmeJulia]

Lithuanian is such a cool language!

[@Isi_Fiksaa]

He's such great role model to young people all over the world. Fuck it if you can't speak foreign language well, just try to find another way to express it. Cheers from Finland! And good luck to Käärijä and of course to Lithuania as well 🫂❤️👌

[@emmettcarlsson2739]

Käärijä is so precious, for every interview I watch I melt more and more 🥰 Great interview ❤

[@Eurodiena]

Imagine how melted we were after the interview 🫠 Thank you for watching!

[@claramartinez2852]

The way he said he wanted to play Fifa with the kids that found his bolero... SO LOVELY

[@vincenzo44]

Käärijä = Golden Retriever Great interview!

[@valkeakirahvi]

I think he's more like a hairless dog or something XD Looks a bit crazy but is lovely on the inside!

[@Eurodiena]

🦮💚

[@Jurij_vlasov]

This is the best Esc 2023 contestant interview I’ve seen so far! Great job Eurodiena and Justas! ❤️

[@Eurodiena]

Glad you enjoyed it! 💚

[@alexsulonen]

We do have actually kefir in Finland, its called "piimä"! Much love to Lithuania from Finland! 🟡🟢🔵 After this Käärijä will make Finnish people go to tourist in Lithuania!

[@Skraketti]

its not the same thing but close

[@SesseTheWolf]

we do have kefir but it is different from piimä, it is kefir in finnish as well. currently only a non-clumpy version is being sold (plain and raspberry flavour), very different from the kefir in lithuania (jossa siis on suuria melkeinpä kiinteitä klimppejä). but the pink soup turns out just fine when made from piimä

[@zingutis]

Was the best Eurovision song imo :)

[@Ozzy-yk1fq]

Piimä its not kefir. In Poland we have kefir and also piimä . Piimä polish name maślanka.

[@user-VedjMA]

In Estonia piim-milk)

[@AnnaFresa1]

The only interview I could sit and watch without a second of feeling bored. This guy is everything 🥰🔥💚

[@finn7208]

He’s amazing! We’re so proud of him💚

[@Eurodiena]

Protect him at all costs! 💚

[@MrDen-lv5uj]

I'm gonna vote for him. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 from Ukraine!

[@finn7208]

@@MrDen-lv5uj Thank you!💙💛

[@rozitahilasaplitzki6031]

I'm from Israel and my mom from Lithuania. She always makes me this cold pink soup and I love it very much ❤️🇱🇹 cepelini as well 🥰

[@rojusstulginskis3708]

Yea. Im lithuanian its so good when its cold

[@irynabondarenko610]

As a Ukrainian I appreciate his favourite Eurovision performance is our Verka Serdiuchka. I wish both Verka and Käärija had won.

[@heyymari_]

Thank you for this interview with Käärijä aka Mr. Worldwide! My number 1, my winner for this year.

[@LTRenne]

Lucky Justas XD love Käärija! fingers crossed we go to Finland for the Eurovision 2024 :P

[@Eurodiena]

Thank you! 💚🤞

[@majajaszewska7509]

he made me smiling through the whole video, i love him so so much🖤

[@Inzaghiesc5424]

1:17-1:34 this is literally the reason why he’s winning it, folks

[@mantailuaa]

In Finland is a salad made from beetroot, cream/yoghurt, onion and some spices and it is so similar to this soup but it is thicker. And there is kefir in stores too, it is usually a drink on its own. Käärijä is so cute, he has obviously learned english words a lot.

[@tommilaitinen5555]

Punajuurisalaatti, beetroot salad. I have not seen kefir in every store, but sometimes it is near sour milk (piimä). They are kind of the same, but not quite. Piimä tastes a bit softer. My favourite drink. So, I believe the taste of this Lithuanian food could remind of some of the Finnish stuff, but perhaps it is a little more bitter... Would like to taste that as well.

[@mantailuaa]

@@tommilaitinen5555 There is Valio Kefir in almost every bigger store in Finland, at least in CM and Prisma stores. And I’m not talking about piimä or kirnupiimä but a real Kefir.

[@tommilaitinen5555]

@@mantailuaa I only have smaller stores around me. Never go to bigger ones. Easy to find sour milk, but kefir in only rare cases. Guess it is not so popular in Finland that every store would buy it.

[@riittakeskikuru8172]

@@tommilaitinen5555 these productsc are are very near we have used. And EEC drink a bit thicker piimä. than kefiir. We are so much same with baltic countries.of course you know this

[@hightidemidafternoon]

This reminds me of our northern German red herring salad which I love. We also have Kefir so I am going to look up recipes and give all of this a go 🤩

[@fyrhunter_svk]

Šaltibarščiai, the best meal in the world. Love Lithuania from Slovakia!

[@manometras]

Yes, it is on the hot summer days. Some people fear to try it, and that's funny to me.

[@auraselements3327]

Why is this to wholesome 💚

[@alionele]

Such a wholesome interview. Thank you so much for this treat 😊❤.

[@hanomazom9670]

I can't help falling in looove with him...❤❤❤❤

[@dull_poet]

God, if Käärijä decides to go to Lithuania with a concert, I'll buy tickets Kyiv-whatever-Vilnius right away. I love this man, he deserves everything

[@Katzinbootz365]

Very good interview. You have a really natural way of communicating. He seems so comfortable in your company 🌵

[@Susan-zl5uk]

Käärijä you are such a cute guy!🤣🤣🤣 😂😍😍❤

[@Latexi_LMX]

Awesome interview, thanks! Käärijä for the win!

[@JustSaying001]

❤ Käärijä from Finland 🇫🇮

[@espotpod]

I started screaming when you brought out the soup! In Poland there is something similar called chlodnik and it's one of my favorite soups.

[@myownsister9033]

Yes, it's often called "Chlodnik litewski" :)

[@saripirttikangas4206]

Käärijä is so awesome, such a nice person. Very good interview❤️

[@AnnaFresa1]

His communication skills are amazing. Great listener and strong presence

[@marsh2741]

I've been to Latvia but not Lithuania and the food looks super delicious so I will definitely have to visit Lithuania some day now!!

[@joanxo666]

"Come to papa" 😂

[@JadedKate]

Wait when did he say that 🙈😆

[@edita_gla]

@@JadedKate 29:23 😂

[@mnjk1558]

This was so wholesome 💚

[@sagal8620]

I love him ❤

[@nea6488]

Remember to vote 💚

[@Eurodiena]

Let's hit 1000 subscribers🍹niinku cha cha cha💃

[@screamingteacup]

he is really the sweetest person ever, so humble and charismatic and incredibly cute

[@jaanaliko2294]

So cute and lovely person❤

[@britl4072]

LITHUANIA was my favourite for the last 3 years of Eurovision 2020-2022 !!!!!!!!!! Come on!!! But Käärija is awesome!!!! His charisma alone should really be the winner this year

[@jojobee42]

He's actually a really nice guy! Good manners, too. Very likable and not full of himself!

[@michael_batman]

i LOVE how he gestures to people behind the camera when he needs help to translate something 😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@sofiisoftt_]

Love to Käärijä from Spain, he is the best🥺💚💖

[@amandakadeyan]

I can’t deal with so much cuteness 🥹

[@DellVanity]

Time stamps for major questions, I didn't mark every single question in conversation, mostly just topic changes or particularly notable moments: 1:02 "How are you?" 1:35 "What is the story behind the name Käärijä?" 2:50 "Is this your first time in Lithuania? How do you like it so far?" 3:55 "What is your history with Eurovision? Did you watch before or is this recent?" 4:45 "Cha Cha Cha wasn't made specifically for Eurovision, correct?" 5:30 "Do any performances or songs come to mind from your childhood?" 6:03 "So Lordi would be your favorite Finnish Eurovision entry then?" 6:16 [Extremely Important Lordi intermission] 6:30 "Do you remember what was happening in life when Lordi won Eurovision?" 6:47 "Why did you give up hockey?" AKA talking about hobbies and time constraints 7:22 "Do you remember any songs from Lithuania in Eurovision?" 7:55 "How did it feel to see the crowd so excited for you in Madrid?" 9:15 "Did you meet any other contestants in Madrid?" 10:10 "When was Cha Cha Cha created?" AKA the story about making Cha Cha Cha 11:42 "What is Cha Cha Cha about?" 12:32 "Is Cha Cha Cha a personal story or a general story?" 12:52 "Are there any other Eurovision contestants from any year that you would want to collaborate with?" 13:59 "Why is Cha Cha Cha so green themed?" 15:01 "What do you call that top?" 15:22 "Is the story that you lost your green bolero true? How did it happen?" 17:33 "The dancers caught everyone by surprise, are they professionals?" 18:20 "The dancers are also very brightly coloured, was that to make a contrast with your outfit? Are the outfits staying the same for Eurovision?" 18:47 SNACK BREAK TIME!!!!!!! Discuss ion of the šaltibarščiai, Käärijä seems to like it a lot since he just keeps eating it lol 22:45 The Cursed Yellow Outfit's story and another snack given (šakotis) 25:01 "What else is Käärijä, separate from Eurovision? What do you do in your free time?" 25:33 "Are you planning to release new music?" 25:55 "What musicians outside of Eurovision inspires you?" 27:33 "If you had free time, what would you do?" 28:10 "You are a hockey fan, right?" 28:30 Host suggests Käärijä try the second snack, šakotis, he also seems to really like it. He's just so excited for the snacks I really like this interview a lot, Käärijä seems so sweet and chill to just sit and talk to

[@AniaVideoRmix]

Myös Latviassa on kylmäkeittoa ja sama Venäjällä

[@MaybeitsmeJulia]

WOW - thank you!!

[@kirsh2036]

Thanks for this! 💚Greetings to the Roop band, I love them.💛💚❤️

[@skygaki]

i can't believe how fast 32 minutes went by!! but thank you for the video! käärijä seems so sweet 🥹 hopefully he wins!! ❤️ // greetings from estonia!! 👋

[@riavandevelde443]

What a great interview❤❤I like Kaarja and his song very much and I will vote for him ❤❤❤. GOOD LUCK IN LIVERPOOL!!

[@nyscirre401]

People that want to go to Käärijä's gig are here indeed 😎i'm from Poland but i'd love to visit Lithuania for sightseeing and amazing concert! ačiū už puikų interviu!

[@edita_gla]

such an amazing interview!! when I saw that yellow outfit on his instagram, I thought of šakotis too 🤣🤣 it's awesome that you brought that up! and we seriously need him back to do a concert here in Lithuania! 💚

[@lauravision2791]

International king

[@XxKINGatLIFExX]

I am a Brit from North of UK (close to Liverpool) and I really enjoyed listening and watching these two. Great podcast, with great guest and great questions. How can you not love Kaarija he is one of a kind and I just wanna give this bloke a big hug and thank him for spreading so much joy to the world. God bless you Kaarija!

[@xxPenjoxx]

Incredible interview 👏 he is so adorable 😍 💚🩷💚🩷

[@paquig.cordoba3995]

Eurovisión 2023, Ganadora total Finlandia 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@hennaripatti6011]

Thank you for this nice interview. He seems so nice and humble. Definitely my favourite this year ❤

[@julijazileviciene8904]

Third time watching the video and I don’t think I’ll stop, the guy is amazing! ❤ ačiū, Eurodiena!

[@zemonsta]

Now I want Lithuanian food too. 🤤

[@Piia2023]

Thanks for this great and lovely interview with Käärijä....what a guy ❤ and his English is so adorable 😍

[@karolinavasili]

Such a fun interview! Best of luck to Kaarija in Liverpool

[@Kullimuna6699]

He clearly has been practising english, Go Käärijä!! greetings from Finland!🇫🇮

[@666Anthropophobe999]

Kȁȁrijȁ: When I say Cha-cha-cha... everybody can say that. Also Ka̋a̋rija̋: Tsa-tsa-tsa.

[@asasturesson5011]

Who is he … he is king Käärijä 👑💚

[@saarapollonen8138]

He's so cool, doing amazing job representing us Finnish people. We are humble and nice just like him, I'm happy that Europe gets to see him and perhaps more people will come and visit Finland. You all should, this place is crazy pretty in the summer 🌞

[@Lumperi65]

Yes we have Kefir in Finland too

[@eels3658]

Interesting, there's a Swedish version of šakotis called spettekaka, I recognized the shape. 😁 Käärijä is charming and cute as always.

[@UtamagUta]

it's a version from german baumkuchen

[@eels3658]

@@UtamagUta Makes sense

[@farmfarming2275]

people say that due to Napoleon wars Napoleon spread it across all of Europe through Lithuania

[@annettevonschloesser9031]

it cracks me up how he wears this outfit in every video or interview i see of him

[@HeyItsIne]

It's so sweet that he wants to go back to the boys house who found his jacket to properly hang out with them. What a humble and lovely guy!

[@ItsFabianBitch]

He seems like a very nice guy

[@balleriinakisu]

Käärijä is so symppis :3

[@heartxs1346]

HES SO CUTEEEEE

[@zenquad]

17:46 Interrogator: "And i think nobody expected that kind of dancers, like, the cha cha dancers they're quite professional dancers right?" Käärijä: "Yea we have some uh big train there... aand uhh, something like letkajenkka in in uhh Finland we have letkajenkka and then like, i don't know what is... s.. some sailor..... moves" Finnish articulation at it's finest 😂❤

[@fadinaim695]

I was so unfair to KÄÄRIJÄ at first, I wasn't fond of him or the song, but now he's the only one from the Eurovision contestants whose videos I check lol :P I've substantially grown to like Cha Cha CHa and him, he's such a nice n cool dude! I wasn't sayin this before, but now I do mean it when I say that he def should've won. It's enough to notice how beloved he is and how the crowd reacted to his Eurovision performance. That alone makes him a winner.

[@Hosigie]

What a beautiful person. Thank you for the lovely interview! Also I hope he was able to eat those foods and didn't have problems later hah

[@indreduobaite13]

What problems would he have?

[@Hosigie]

@@indreduobaite13 he has ulcerative colitis and had to have his colon removed. He should be careful with his diet.

[@turbo6780]

Käärijä's such a funny dude. Love his Rally English.

[@jounigames5876]

Thank you for this interview. =) You have a new subscriber. =) Love from Finland

[@youngThrashbarg]

High roller himself.

[@GleeTree92]

I love him such a cutie😭😭😭💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

[@katy2555]

What an absolute sweetheart, he just seems so genuine and happy

[@TerzitosWife]

Great interview. Käärijä is such a lovely guy. Also a big THANK YOU to Justas for mentioning Kalush, Verka and borscht❤

[@elijabronislovaityte390]

Käärijä is my favourite I love his song I wish he would win he is so funny

[@izinmohaibes6487]

I love you 😍 käärijä

[@SarahJigglypuff]

Jere saying "come to papa" changed my brain chemistry

[@anna-maria4590]

This guy he’s crazy like he’s song and i fall in love with him after Eurovision💚 Love youuu Kaarija from Greece🤘🤘

[@RoiLikesBlindchannel]

I love his english💚😂

[@vessley]

he's soooooo adorable

[@psy-lion]

My favorites!!! Support from Latvian side.

[@brooklynbaby4652]

he is so precious i can't

[@feitablackold2303]

Šakotis is most favorite Lithuanian food for me, I would be happy if somebody would make gluten-free Šakotis for those who can't eat gluten (as my daughter), because it is so delicious that it would be sad if she never will have opportunity to try it.

[@thespiritschild]

He is so adorable 😭😭

[@Lydia-vv6sr]

I love him so much he is so amazing and his song WAS PERFECT.

[@daivamis8587]

Geriausias interviu ever!! Labai smagus ir nuotaikingas pokalbis, labai įdomus pašnekovas ir nuotaikingas vedėjas. Labai smagu buvo pasiklausyti😄❤️

[@one_lattae_please]

I love the questions but i would prefer a translator to let him express his words more freely and not put him in a difficult situation trying to find his words. Either way, his energy is so cool and his personality is so bright, i love him as a person

[@kamilelukaseviciute8170]

This podcast was so good i love it❤❤😂😂😂

[@user-yo1iy3il4e]

I like your podcast. It's great that you invited this energetic performer. He is very funny and bright person . I have been learning English for years, but it's difficult for me to understand everything. I wish your video had subtitles. I am very grateful for your work.

[@esterelina]

I was in Lithuania during summer once when it was suuuper hot and I had some šaltibarščiai and I loved it! I've wanted to have it again ever since, maybe I need to travel to Lithuania this summer ☺

[@sha-fp7rj]

7:22 There was Indeed a good entry for Lithuania: The Roop - Fire 🔥