89 Comments:
The Scandinavian influence gets stronger the further north you go, where you'll suddenly happen on giant Dala horses. Southern Minnesota was heavily settled by Germans, and I actually feel their influence is stronger in Minneapolis.
There is a Swedish museum on Park though, and it's darn good.
»» Submitted by »»» msparber at 11:34 AM on September 26
My neighbors are Swedish and they sit in the back yard speaking Swedish. It's kinda cool.
I miss Aquavit.
»» Submitted by »»» moe at 11:57 AM on September 26
Demographically MN was and still is mostly of German origin...
Check out the state demographer's site for the 1990 ancestry map.
»» Submitted by Hermann O'Toole at 11:56 AM on September 26
Agreed that the German influence seems stronger. Maybe we seem heavily Scandinavian because we go outside in the winter, sit in saunas and love us a smorgasbord.
»» Submitted by »»» durk at 11:59 AM on September 26
I think the Scandinavian influence has more to do with the way people act than with accents or languages spoken. Remember that most of the Scandinavian immigration to Minnesota took place several generations ago.
However, you will continually hear complaints from recent transplants to the Twin Cities about how hard it is to make friends, and about how even 10-15 years after they moved to town they still feel/are treated like outsiders. That is the typical 'Scandinavian reserve'. Sure if you head north you'll hear the funny accents, but where else in the world would you have millions of people who can pronounce both Gustavus Adolphus and St. Olaf correctly?
»» Submitted by JC65 at 11:54 AM on September 26
I think part of it is the generally repressed and passive-aggressive nature of many of the natives. People who have lived in other parts of the country tell me that's the most noticeable difference between this place and other areas. People here are reluctant to come right out and say things, especially when they could be viewed as "negative" or causing a fuss. They don't want to seem like they're complaining. They have that Midwestern "work ethic." I think, right or wrong, these characteristics are often traced back to the image of the somewhat stoic Scandinavian.
»» Submitted by Dylan at 12:05 PM on September 26
Stoic is cool.
»» Submitted by The Rat at 12:11 PM on September 26
The top ethnicities are German followed by Norsk then Irish. The Irish only really seem to be an influence in Saint Paul though there is no Irish cultural center.
»» Submitted by Hermann O'Toole at 12:02 PM on September 26
People around here are sooo passive agressive it is painful. If you want something, ask. If you don't like something, say so. It is so tiresome to have to decode. That is not communication it is spinsterism. On the other hand I would not like to deal with some of the pushy people that the East is supposidly filled.
One place we really see the German influence is in the dangling preposition.
»» Submitted by Hermann O'Toole at 12:15 PM on September 26
I would prefer that you not look at my dangling preposition.
»» Submitted by »»» msparber at 12:24 PM on September 26
... though there is no Irish cultural center.
Sure there is. It's called the cathedral.
»» Submitted by »»» mazasapa at 12:24 PM on September 26
If you don't like something, say so.
So what if they call you a troll.
»» Submitted by »»» mazasapa at 12:26 PM on September 26
Sure there is. It's called the cathedral.
Not all Irish are Catholic.
»» Submitted by Hermann O'Toole at 12:27 PM on September 26
My father was an Irish protestant. Even he wore green on st. patty's day.
»» Submitted by »»» mazasapa at 12:28 PM on September 26
People around here are sooo passive aggressive it is painful. If you want something, ask. If you don't like something, say so. It is so tiresome to have to decode. That is not communication it is spinsterism
That's Minnesotan for f*ck off.
»» Submitted by swandog at 12:28 PM on September 26
So what if they call you a troll.
How do you usually respond?
Seriously though, tact has its place in communication. As folks say, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
»» Submitted by Hermann O'Toole at 12:28 PM on September 26
Germans in the house! w00t! *raises the roof*
»» Submitted by »»» ericam at 12:31 PM on September 26
That's Minnesotan for f*ck off.
Oh, that's different.
»» Submitted by Hermann O'Toole at 12:32 PM on September 26
People around here are sooo passive aggressive it is painful.
Oh dear, we're not going down this well-worn path again are we?
»» Submitted by »»» ranty at 12:33 PM on September 26
We may be passive-aggressive, but dammit, we're polite.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 12:38 PM on September 26
"Oh dear, we're not going down this well-worn path again are we?"
"That's Minnesotan for fuck off."
"So what if they call you a troll."
Good work.
»» Submitted by Thanks for proving their point! at 12:37 PM on September 26
Oh dear, we're not going down this well-worn path again are we?
Is it that well worn? Who knew? If it is such a common complaint, where are the resources for dealing with it...
»» Submitted by Herman at 12:37 PM on September 26
The Eklund bros. are the last of the lineage to be 100% Swedish. Andy married a German and I married a Swedish/French-Canadian.
A few weeks ago I posed the idea of getting a tattoo. I think I've chosen my image: a galloping Dala horse. So far, I seem to be the only one who sees how funny that would be. But what beats a permanently inked bad joke?
Since we've had Kosherfest, perhaps a Nordicfest is in order during the winter - meatballs, korv, lingenberries, Swedish pudding, etc.
»» Submitted by »»» nateek at 12:34 PM on September 26
Someone decode for me please. What did I say to provoke this ire anyway?
»» Submitted by Hermann at 12:40 PM on September 26
pretty scandinavian. where else do,
people say "uff da" and not mean it in a joking way?
people learn norwegian and swedish? i have a bunch of friends who've done this ... it's weird.
people routinely say hotdish and eat lefse? (i mean, the firefox spell checker didn't even know what it was)
but i'd agree that "i think the Scandinavian influence has more to do with the way people act."
i think the area's more defined by the tension between shunning pretension/lake wobegon small town-ness, and the secret yearning to be the "minneapple"/epicenter of "critical cool"
it makes the area interesting.
»» Submitted by yep at 12:32 PM on September 26
So now I find out both Erica and I are afro-German? I mean, I guess I like to say that I'm half black, half German, and a quarter Polish -- partly as a joke, partly because one of my grandparents' ancestors were ethnic Polish immigrants from Prussia.
»» Submitted by »»» champs at 12:35 PM on September 26
The resources are hidden in the deep recesses of the psyche, ready to lash out in way that is as reserved as it is unexpected.
By the way, Nateek, those Dala horses? They're just pinatas without candy. Which, if you think about it, is a very Scandinavian concept. Blindfolded and fumbling, child-like we lash out, only to smash open an expensive family heirloom shaped like a horse from which only existential emptiness and wintry gloom pours forth. Plus, your grandmother gets very angry and purses her lips.
Honestly though, I think the MN reputation for passive aggressiveness is way overrated. I think a lot of people mistake politeness and a preference for avoiding confrontation as passive-aggressiveness.
»» Submitted by »»» teucer at 12:42 PM on September 26
I can think of some examples:
People who aren't from here notice that in pronouncing something like "Minnesota" we hit the 'o' unusually hard. But us natives aren't able to notice that.
Scandinavians have been a lot more dominant than Germans in Minnesota politics. A little Googling reveals a late-1990s article in The Scandinavian Review that says that 21 of the 25 Minnesota governors from 1893 to the the 1990s were all or part Scandinavian: "7 Norwegians, 8 Swedes, 4 Swedish/ Norwegian or partly Norwegian, 1 Dane, and 1 Swede-Finn".
(But our current and former governors are non-Scandinavian: Pawlenty is Polish and German; Jesse Ventura -- born: James Janos -- is Slovak. (See here for the Minnesota Historical Society's bio-blurbs about every Minnesota governor.)
It is well-established that in local political races, when the voters are unfamiliar with the candidates, a candidate having a Scandinavian name stands a much better chance of getting elected. In at least one case there was controversy over a candidate changing her name back to her Scandinavian maiden name for an election.
The main place in Minneapolis where Scandinavians used to predominte was from the Cedar-Riverside area on down, southward and southeastward. The Ingebretsen's store on Lake St. is a vestige of that.
The region a little north of the Twin Cities (especially Chisago, Isanti, and Kanabec counties) has the highest concentration of Swedish ancestry in the nation. I think Norwegian ancestry outnumbers Swedish ancestry overall in Minnesota, but it's spread out much widely, not narrowly concentrated like with the Swedes.
German (and mostly Catholic) heritage is strongest in and around St. Cloud.
»» Submitted by ethnic historian at 12:52 PM on September 26
We've had many threads addressing the so-called passive-aggressive tendencies of Minnesotans. A goodly portion of them have devolved into "I'm from outta town and I think you all are jerks!" vs. "if you don't like it, go home wanker!"
That's what I meant by going down the well-worn path...
»» Submitted by »»» ranty at 12:52 PM on September 26
Are Scandinavians actually passive-aggressive? I've never been to Scandinavia, and all the actual Swedes and Danes I've ever met were indeed polite, but I don't know if that instantly qualifies them as "passive-aggressive."
»» Submitted by »»» andyst at 12:50 PM on September 26
We even have a black football star named Peterson!
»» Submitted by »»» mazasapa at 12:56 PM on September 26
Yeah, I don't really get the passive-aggressive label, because to me being passive aggressive is, say, being sugar and sunshine to someone's face and then talking shit about them as soon as they leave the room.
I'd say instead that Minnesotans can be very reserved, especially upon first meeting. However, we definitely warm up quickly, and are genuinely friendly and nice, provided you are genuinely friendly and nice as well. We hate the idea of "making a scene," mostly because we're pretty polite and we don't want to inflict that on anyone else. It gets cold here. We can't waste energy on drama that would be better used keeping us warm.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 12:55 PM on September 26
Back in the '90s the Star Tribune ran a fun contest about coming up with a new design and new slogan for Minnesota's license plate.
My favorite entry was:
"Minnesota - Land of 10,000 Petersons"
»» Submitted by ethnic historian at 1:00 PM on September 26
Ranty: ""if you don't like it, go home wanker!"
You mean "Well, maybe you're not as happy here as you might be, although we're certainly very happy you're here. For now, at least."
»» Submitted by »»» teucer at 12:59 PM on September 26
My 93 year-old norwegian mother-in-law says that when the swedes and the norwegians were forced to attend school together in the rural, one-room school houses, their norwegian mothers told them that the swedes were immoral and to not to talk to them, and the swedish mothers told their kids that the norwegians were terrible people and not to get too friendly with them. Hence, a quiet standoffishness that extends to this day.
»» Submitted by »»» mazasapa at 1:00 PM on September 26
Do you think they have similar discussions about passive-aggressiveness and recent urban transplants on OsloSpeak, BergenNet and CopenhagenWeb ("I just relocated here from Skoghall six months ago, and people in Stockholm are the biggest bunch of unfriendly jerks I've ever met.")?
Max, we need a cultural liasion to get to the bottom of this.
»» Submitted by »»» andyst at 12:59 PM on September 26
LOL @ Teucer!
Exactly.
»» Submitted by »»» ranty at 1:05 PM on September 26
Well, you know what they say about those swedes ...
»» Submitted by »»» mazasapa at 1:05 PM on September 26
BTW, ethnic historian, I always enjoy your posts. They're very informative and knowledgeable.
»» Submitted by »»» teucer at 1:04 PM on September 26
My father was an Irish protestant. Even he wore green on st. patty's day.
Well of course. Because if he'd instead worn orange, the color of the Northern-Ireland Protestants, he would've gotten beaten up by St. Paul's overwhelming majority of Catholic Irish.
»» Submitted by ethnic historian at 1:08 PM on September 26
Yeah, I don't really get the passive-aggressive label, because to me being passive aggressive is, say, being sugar and sunshine to someone's face and then talking shit about them as soon as they leave the room.
Oh, you guys do that all the time. It took me all of 9 semesters in college to get used to it and really I'm still not. At first I was like, "Wow, how do they make nice with someone and then ten seconds later totally bad mouth them, out loud, to the rest of us?" You can see it coming, too, even before a person leaves the room. Some people are even really brazen and start exchanging looks with each other in the person's presence. Balls out!
In Iowa, we confine such talk to the privacy of the family dinner table (we still practice gathering the family around a table for the evening meal).
But, j-dog, my dame, you know your sunshine and sugar is welcome up in my face anytime and I'll never say anything bad about it. :)
General tip: Ham sandwiches don't hold up well after two days in the fridge. Ick!
»» Submitted by kevinfeelslikehewillpukesoon at 1:00 PM on September 26
Maz: "Well, you know what they say about those swedes ..."
That they're very good for you and you should finish your plate?
But your mother-in-law's story might have an element of truth to it. After all, you never hear anyone talking about Norwegian porn...
Andyst: "Do you think they have similar discussions about passive-aggressiveness and recent urban transplants on OsloSpeak, BergenNet and CopenhagenWeb"
That is a really good question. I wish I had thought to ask the last (and only) Norwegians I ever met. They were from the University of Tromso, they all had very impressive beards, and they all had these awesome Viking-raider names, despite the fact that they were computer scientists.
»» Submitted by »»» teucer at 1:08 PM on September 26
But...doesn't everyone do that? That's the part I don't get when Minnesotans are so roundly accused of being passive aggressive. People talk shit about each other all over. It's human nature, not an exclusively Minnesotan trait.
Kevin: a) that's nice. b) you seem pukey a lot lately. What's up with your bottom system?
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 1:12 PM on September 26
How does Minneapolis reflect this supposed "heavy Scandinavian influence" on a day-to-day level?
everyone is white. well, almost everyone
»» Submitted by Haakon Rasmussen at 1:10 PM on September 26
"However, you will continually hear complaints from recent transplants to the Twin Cities about how hard it is to make friends, and about how even 10-15 years after they moved to town they still feel/are treated like outsiders. That is the typical 'Scandinavian reserve'."
We're over-the-top friendly if we like you, and we like most people. We're only cool to people we think are complete asshats.
»» Submitted by »»» bobby_b at 1:13 PM on September 26
Also, we are over-the-top friendly when we meet other Minnesotans while not in Minnesota.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 1:22 PM on September 26
That is SOOO true Josie! I get ridiculously excited when I am in another part of the country or world and meet someone from Minnesota. Rather sickeningly so ...
»» Submitted by lazy at 1:24 PM on September 26
Not nice.
»» Submitted by kevin at 1:26 PM on September 26
I'll admit it. I say "uff da" on an almost daily basis.
My great Aunt used to have a necklace that spelled out "Uff Da." When I was younger I thought it was kind of dumb, but now I think it would be really funny to wear.
Why doesn't everyone just come over to my Grandma's. We'll have kompon (the best food in the world) and lefse. Although my Grandma will only make it when it's cold and/or cloudy.
»» Submitted by »»» Ingrid at 1:19 PM on September 26
Since we've had Kosherfest, perhaps a Nordicfest is in order during the winter - meatballs, korv, lingenberries, Swedish pudding, etc
Totally on board for that. I actually had a crossover dinner Saturday night. We were breaking the fast of Yom Kippur and my wife's cousin, just off the plane from Norway (where she's resided for ~9 years), arrived with a huge brick of Gjetost and 2 types of cured salmon (The Best Lox Ever and Some Crazy Delicious Peppered Salmon). The Gjetost was caramelly/cheesy/salty (a perfect compliment to the noodle kugel), and I think I ate a pound of the lox.
»» Submitted by grote at 1:24 PM on September 26
Mmm, gravlax.
I am up for Nordicfest and will bring the lutefjisk - it's a sort of dessert pudding, right?
»» Submitted by »»» teucer at 1:33 PM on September 26
Someone decode for me please. What did I say to provoke this ire anyway?
You're 11:15 post was a little, "here's what's wrong with you and here's how you should change."
We don't like that. But, being Swedish, it pains me to tell you.
»» Submitted by »»» miller at 1:08 PM on September 26
I am up for Nordicfest and will bring the lutefjisk - it's a sort of dessert pudding, right?
Fish flavored Jell-o.
»» Submitted by The Rat at 1:43 PM on September 26
Also, we are over-the-top friendly when we meet other Minnesotans while not in Minnesota.
That's the greatest! It's like running into a relative or an old buddy from school.
»» Submitted by The Rat at 1:44 PM on September 26
"General tip: Ham sandwiches don't hold up well after two days in the fridge. Ick!"
(Pssst. Is he gone? Okay, somebody sneak back in and plug his fridge back in. Stupid rube Iowan).
»» Submitted by »»» bobby_b at 1:48 PM on September 26
Just about every year for the past decade I've eaten a lutefisk dinner at my mom's retirement community. I'm about the only one of her many children who's willing to do that. I can't say that I like lutefisk, but it's really not terrible either. . . if you can get past the fact that, as Rat points out, it has a very un-fish-like texture.
The part about this annual ritual that bothers me is that the cooks at that place aren't Scandinavian, they're unfamiliar with how to properly prepare lutefisk, AND, worst of all, they aren't even willing to try a little taste of it.
I have a personal guideline about never eating anything that the person who cooked it isn't willing to eat. I have to break that rule once a year for lutefisk.
»» Submitted by ethnic historian at 1:57 PM on September 26
You like that law license, bobby? Well, do ya? Is it your livelihood? All that separates you from begging for change at the bus stop?
»» Submitted by kevin at 2:04 PM on September 26
...my grandparents still get upset if their grandkids date germans...
»» Submitted by f'real. at 2:09 PM on September 26
Yeah, I don't really get the passive-aggressive label, because to me being passive aggressive is, say, being sugar and sunshine to someone's face and then talking shit about them as soon as they leave the room.
Not from here, but love it here even though I've witnessed the passive-aggressiveness come out sideways in situations both at work and personally. More of a "I'm mad about a situation, but I'm not going to say anything and I'll let it fester until something you do and/or say bugs me again and then I'll blow up." Those situations.
And there is a lot of nice to your face, but talk shite about you behind your back stuff that goes on. Never really understood that, but the aggressive east coast stuff was a test of mettle so I'll take the PA over getting yelled a lot at any day.
But, I have lived here long enough to pick up the "draggin' of the O around" speak which is pretty funny when I travel as everyone brings up the Asian guy in Fargo with the heavy MN accent. Good Times.
»» Submitted by »»» Cat at 1:56 PM on September 26
I went to college at Augustana, started by Norwegians, mascot is the Mighty Viking, we have a "ya sure, ya bettcha" cheer, the little old Norwegian ladys that work at the commisary would make lefse every year for homecoming, and we had a healthy rivalry with the Gusties. It's fair to say that I'm spent on the whole scandinavian thing...
»» Submitted by »»» aliecat at 2:19 PM on September 26
"You like that law license, bobby? Well, do ya? Is it your livelihood? All that separates you from begging for change at the bus stop? "
It's gonna separate me from begging for change?
Cool!
When?
»» Submitted by »»» bobby_b at 2:44 PM on September 26
Only in Minnesota! There were two Minnesota governers within less than a decade who were both named "Elmer Anders(o/e)n" but weren't related to each other:
C. Elmer Anderson
in office 1951-55
Swedish
Publishing executive from Brainerd
Elmer L. Andersen
in office 1961-63
Norwegian and Swedish
Longtime head of the H.B. Fuller Co. (adhesives), in St. Paul
(He's the one for whom the Univeristy's new underground library is named.)
»» Submitted by ethnic historian at 3:12 PM on September 26
Saturday, Oct. 27 at Ingebretsen's: Lutefisk tasting!
(and don't forget Leif Erikson Day on Oct 9)
Somewhere in my lineage there was a long-bearded old farmer in Norway named Ole, and then there was Ole's son, now my name (Olsen). More on Norwegian names.
Lori is descended from Norwegian royalty, so therefore she is a princess.
»» Submitted by »»» chuck at 2:57 PM on September 26
we also have two constitutions due to intense partisan distrust.
»» Submitted by kevin at 3:22 PM on September 26
The article Chuck linked to, about Norwegian naming practices, is very good.
I would add that as a rule-of-thumb, the original, authentic, spellings for the suffix -son/-sen are:
"-sen" for Norwegians and Danes
"-sson" for Swedes
Most people consider Finland as part of Scandinavia. But the Finnish language is not closely related to Danish, Norwegian, Swedish. Some Finns have Swedified names though, dating from the era when Sweden ruled Finland, and some Finns in the urban/upper class went along with become more closely tied, culturally, to Sweden.
Part of the old rivalry between Norwegians and Swedes stems from Norway being under Swedish rule for a long time -- until around 1905. In America intermarriages between Norwegians and Swedes were generally frowned upon during the first couple of generations.
»» Submitted by ethnic historian at 3:43 PM on September 26
Take a fish. Not a nice tasty fish, but a scummy, smelly, stunted-growth fish like cod. Let it sit out on the deck of the boat for a few days after you catch it. Pile it and its relatives into a wagon, trundle it over to Yortis's house. Yortis will skin it and gut it and leave it outside in the sun for months, hoping it will dry before it rots. Then, separating the ones that dried from the ones that rotted, (and, remember, Yortis is half blind), take the dried ones in and store them for up to five years at a temperature well over freezing.
Years later, trying to figure out what to whip up for dinner, grab one of your six thousand dried fish carcasses and toss it into a big pot, like you did last night and the night before and . . . . Go find some lye (a/k/a caustic soda, a/k/a potash, the stuff you use to make soap and bleach, the chemical used in horror movies to leave faces "acid-scarred") and fill the pot with it.
Simmer it slowly for days and days. And then more days and days. The rock-hard cod carcass will slowly soften and gel as the caustic chemical leaches out proteins and turns connective tissues to fish-goo. Your house will take on that inviting rotten-fish-and-bleach smell that tells you that, by gawd, you're in a true Norwegian home. Your sinuses will first open cleanly, and then ache, and then completely seal off for the next three months as the highly corrosive lye steam attacks the mucous membranes. Your pets will begin running away, but carrion eaters will quickly replace them, drawn for miles around by the stench.
Now, using a fine-screened sieve, carefully lift the fish yogurt from the bottom of the simmering lye and place it on a plate. Accompany it with any very old unsalted crackers which have hardened to at least HRC30 on the Rockwell scale, pour a good measure of diluted wine vinegar into your "Proud to be a Norvegian - Skoal!" ceremonial mug, sit back, and think proudly to yourself "I've eaten this shite every day for twenty-two years and I want to effin' kill myself." Finally, dig in!
Gooood eatin'.
»» Submitted by »»» bobby_b at 3:15 PM on September 26
Every year at the lutefisk dinner at least one old-timer standing near me in the buffet line will tell me this old joke:
That traditionally what gave lutefisk its distinctive taste was that in most small towns the reconstituting slabs of cod would be soaking in a barrel kept outside. . . . and various dogs happening by would lift a leg and add their own special seasoning.
(Each time I hear that I make sure to smile and act like I'm hearing it for the first time.)
»» Submitted by ethnic historian at 4:06 PM on September 26
Alton Brown visited a lutefisk manufacturer somewhere in St Paul (I can't remember the name right now) in the last episode of Feasting on Asphalt 2. It was a really funny little bit to the episode, his increasing dread at having to eat rotting lye-soaked fish and his reaction to the flavor.
He also did a bit with my former boss, Soile Anderson of Taste of Scandinavia - my first job was at the North Oaks location. Now that's some good Swede food.
(Sidenote: I love Alton Brown. I was so bummed to find out he had been in the state, blocks from my house, at some point and I totally failed to stalk him.)
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 4:12 PM on September 26
The old-timers - the Norwegian Bachelor Farmers - have some great . . .
Wait . . . you took that as a joke?
Didn't you notice in your studies that the villages that had dog packs of a single species also sold what they called "single-malt cod"?
»» Submitted by »»» bobby_b at 4:16 PM on September 26
Why didn't the Norwegians just salt the cod like everyone else? I know English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portugese salted their cod. Is there a distinct lack of salt in Norway?
»» Submitted by Hermann at 4:59 PM on September 26
I'll bet it has something to do with being so passive-aggressive.
»» Submitted by »»» andyst at 5:11 PM on September 26
Anyone care to explain why Southerners are so darn friendly but really hate us Yanks? Isn't that the same thing essentially?
»» Submitted by »»» jtd at 5:37 PM on September 26
Why didn't the Norwegians just salt the cod like everyone else?
According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, they did/do.
Cod can be preserved by salting, drying, or both. Salted and dried cod is usually called salt cod; cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is called stockfish.
Salt cod is produced in Canada, Iceland, and Norway. It is sold whole or in portions, with or without bones.
»» Submitted by JC65 at 6:02 PM on September 26
Andrew Zimmern heads to the little town of Cyrus (by my hometown of Starbuck) to try lutefisk in an upcoming episode of Bizarre Foods. Also, for a heart-warming story at that site, read about my favorite grocery clerk Ann Berg. I loved her because she gave me tootsie rolls when I went shopping with my mom.
»» Submitted by »»» jpkuhn at 6:16 PM on September 26
The name "lutefisk" literally means "lye fish".
Here's an unappetizing sentence from the Wikipedia article on lutefisk:
"It is important not to incubate the fish too long in the lye, because saponification of the fish fats may occur, effectively rendering the fish fats into soap."
That article says that historically it's not clear how come the Scandinavians adopted the use of lye in the re-hydrating process.
I'm aware that Swedes and Norwegians enjoy disagreeing about the best topping for lutefisk: a white sauce vs. clarified butter. (I can't remember which side favors which of those options.)
It's interesting that nowadays per capita consumption of lutefisk is higher among Scandinavian-Americans than among people back in Scandinavia. Obviously a nostalgia/ethnic-pride thing.
»» Submitted by ethnic historian at 6:25 PM on September 26
Several years ago on Garrison Keillor's radio show there was an amusing segment where Keillor spoke on the phone with that year's winner of the annual lutefisk-eating contest at Madison, MN (one of a couple of MN towns billing itself as the state's "lutefisk capital").
As I recall, the guy's winning total was over 7 pounds; and the runner-up was somewhere around 5 pounds -- which deserved to have an asterisk beside it, because he wound up throwing up.
»» Submitted by Radiola at 6:36 PM on September 26
He also did a bit with my former boss, Soile Anderson of Taste of Scandinavia - my first job was at the North Oaks location. Now that's some good Swede food.
I went to a party last year that had a huge and mighty tasty Mexican buffet that was catered by Soile Anderson. She might be Finnish, but her Mexican food was spot on. She not only made a nopalito salad with queso fresca, she made the mole from scratch...which almost nobody takes the time and effort to do any more.
»» Submitted by grote at 6:44 PM on September 26
Passive aggressive tendencies are not imo unique to Minnesota.
Half of my family is from rural IL, they are German and Danish, and boy they sure can be passive aggressive. A very stoic bunch they are. Until I was older, I could never understand the polite iciness. As a kid I just saw lots of mixed signals.
The last company I worked for in Chicago was based in Iowa. The people that had moved from Iowa to Chicago for the company were very friendly, open, and sincere. I made some great friends. Interestingly, maybe only to me, is that the people from Iowa who visited the Chicago office were also friendly and open but when they were in Iowa most reverted back to being passive aggressive. I don't know what that all means, but it sure confused the hell out of me when I moved to Iowa.
»» Submitted by x chicago girl at 6:43 PM on September 26
Yeah, but x chicago girl, Minnesotans do it better than everyone else. What don't you understand about that? Oh, who cares. Get the fuck outta here.
»» Submitted by kwattwillhavesomewinesoon at 7:40 PM on September 26
My grandpa Lena taught me that Scandinavian passive-aggressive tendencies evolved in rhythm with the seasons, but modern shelters, heat, and broadband porn have conspired to unglue passive and aggressive from their appropriate seasons. They are supposed to toggle every 6 months, not every 30 seconds.
Its simple: In the winter, shovel a few feet of your neighbors walk. Push a strangers car out of a snowdrift and wave smilingly while they roar off splattering your lips with salt and sand. Overuse the conditional tense, and seethe.
In the spring, paint your garage Falu rödfärg, and make backyard campfires visible from space. Start your chainsaw in the garage and drink vodka in 130db of two-cycle smoke, then run out and leg-hump any passing christians. And I think theres something about castrating yourself in the spring too&Ill show you how the first time.
»» Submitted by Sven Doe at 10:05 AM on September 27
I don't think of Minnesotan passive-aggressiveness as bad-mouthing someone behind their back. I think of it as the inability to confront someone while letting the underlying resentment seethe. It comes out in strange ways. Case in point, neighbor #1 was letting his dog crap on neighbor #2's lawn. Rather than saying, "Would you please refrain from letting your dog crap on my lawn?", neighbor #2 scooped up the crap, put it in a paper bag, and left it on #1's doorstep until he curbed his dog. I, on the other hand, confronted neighbor #1 immediately. This was apparently a breach of Minnesota etiquette, because I was given the silent treatment for a month (not that I minded).
»» Submitted by Eastcoaster at 1:30 PM on September 27
This was apparently a breach of Minnesota etiquette, because I was given the silent treatment for a month (not that I minded).
Welcome, Eastcoaster! Doesn't sound like the neighbor involved in poopgate was someone with whom you wanted a friendship. But, it's the people you like who will throw you off when you disagree with him/her and you suddenly find yourself on the cold end of the friendship for a chosen time period (sometimes months) and then just as suddenly you are forgiven without a word of what happened. It's caught me off guard a few times. I have learned to temper my directness.
»» Submitted by »»» Cat at 1:42 PM on September 27
Hello! Haven't you noticed this this state has some many pure white people!
»» Submitted by Greggy at 10:05 AM on April 5
Please. The ingrained "way" of interacting here is all about seething with your anger, but not silently. When someone's mad at you here--they tell everyone but you. I'm so sick of people trying to defend that kind of behavior. It's unethical--period. Do that in NY or LA and you'd get your ass kicked as a snake/worm. And don't think the silent treatment is truly silent--they're silent to everyone but you about your dispute. Bet more than the neighborhood has heard their side of the story by now.
»» Submitted by Cali at 11:38 AM on May 10
Ya, they don't do that in Califonia ya know. Fer sure.
»» Submitted by heh at 11:59 AM on May 10
Oh yes, to what "Cat" said above. Don't disagree with anyone here...it's scary....for such a "progressive" place there are few truly open minds. That, and if you complain about bad service in a restaurant, watch out. You're supposed to sit silently and take it, and complain to friends once you leave. Creepy.
»» Submitted by Cali at 2:58 PM on May 10
Never lived in California or New York. Been there, and they're fine places. Wouldn't want to get my "ass kicked" for some slight of decorum so it's probably good that I haven't. Worked with a lotta relocated New Yorkers when I lived in Miami. They used to say to me "you're so calm." It's like they were damning me with faint praise.
»» Submitted by The Rat at 4:41 PM on May 10
Cali: Don't let a few keep you from discovering how really cool people are here. Sure, I've had a few run-ins with the MN circle - I think it comes from so many who are born and raised here or are born, leave, and come back and a lot of people have known each other since they were like, 3 or something.
Actually, it is my born and raised MN friend who barely let's me get a "ick, my food is cold" before he is waving the waitperson down.
I don't know what your experience(s) have been, but not everyone is like what you've described.
I feel like a MN cheerleader: M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A GOOOOO Minnesota *insert split jump*
*Cat limps away as pulled groin jumping*
»» Submitted by Cat_ at 4:58 PM on May 10
Hi Cat, well put. Hope your groin heals nicely.
»» Submitted by Cali at 8:28 PM on May 12
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