Swedish Christmas in Chicago Neighborhood

AP ^ | December 20, 2003

[Charles Henrickson]

Lutfisk: The piece of cod that passes all understanding.

(BTW, lutfisk is the Swedish spelling, lutefisk is the Norwegian spelling.)

[litehaus]

Loved it! Brings back days from my youth.....Father was from Nyhammar............

[Charles Henrickson]

Did somebody mention . . .

. . . ..Glögg

Hot mulled fruit wine, with raisins, almonds, cinnamon sticks. . . . Just the thing to warm you from the inside out on a cold winter's night!

Skål!

[Charles Henrickson]

I was born and raised in Chicago, but now am living in St. Louis. We actually have a nice Swedish group here, and one of our events is an annual Santa Lucia/Swedish Christmas program, attended by several hundred people. These last two years my daughter (Anna, 8) has been one of the Lucia maidens and I have been in the choir. This is a great way to pass on the traditions.

[jnarcus]

Yeah my mom always use to say that to my dad to needle him...and it was oh so true wasn't it...10,000 to 1 that's about right

[Charles Henrickson]

Growing up in Chicago, every Christmas Eve we went next door to Grandpa & Grandma Henrickson's for dinner. Grandma made lutfisk--she did the whole days-long soaking process with the fish--served with cream sauce and/or mustard sauce. I actually liked it! Of course, we also had meatballs (hers were the best I've ever had), limpa, pickled herring, boiled potatoes, rice pudding, etc. Then we'd go to the living room and listen to Swedish Christmas music on the record player while we opened gifts. What memories!

[Charles Henrickson]

This was the Swedish Christmas album we used to listen to on the record player at Grandma & Grandpa Henrickson's some 40+ years ago:

I had such fond memories of that music, but hadn't heard it in decades.

Then a couple of years ago, I was at the gift shop in the Swedish-American Museum Center (the place mentioned in the above article and captions), and I ran across a Swedish Christmas CD with a different title--En riktig svensk jul--but it's the same album! Needless to say, I bought it, and we are playing it and enjoying it these days!

[VOA]

Swedish Christmas in Chicago Neighborhood

I suspect that there is probably another decent Swedish Christman in "the heartland"
http://www.lindsborg.org/

I'm not Swedish, but spent a number of summer vacations at Lake Kanapolis near Lindsborg.

[Charles Henrickson]

Lindsborg, Kansas, is the most "Swedish" town in America I've been to. Swedish-related tourism (along with Bethany College) is the engine that drives the town's economy.

[GRRRRR]

It was in this neighborhood that the PigInAPantSuit---HILLARY!----came to on her book tour. Hundreds and hundreds of the sheeple came to stand in line and HOORAY'd Hilliary when she made her Queenly appearance...they loved her...

I hope they have a Merry Christmas...at least the children...

[VOA]

If you make it back to Lindsborg (and didn't catch it before) go to the Birger Sandzen gallery.

His work is some really nice American landscapes (mostly middle/south-western).
I first saw his work at my hometown library in Ponca City, OK...my understanding is that there is
"no love lost" between the library and the gallery in Lindsborg
over the possession/showing of his works.

Here's a visual break...link to some of Sandzen's work at Google Images

http://images.google.com/images?q=Birger+Sandz%C3%A9n&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search

[Charles Henrickson]

It was in this neighborhood that the PigInAPantSuit---HILLARY!----came to on her book tour. Hundreds and hundreds of the sheeple came to stand in line and HOORAY'd Hillary when she made her Queenly appearance...they loved her...

Well, now you've hit upon a sore subject. The Andersonville neighborhood of my youth is not the same Andersonville any longer. Yes, there still are many Swedish businesses. However, the shopping district now also has a large number of businesses run by and catering to . . .

LESBIANS !!!

Maybe that explains the enthusiastic welcome for Hillary.

That, along with the fact that the Rodham was reared in the nearby suburb of Park Ridge.

[LauraJean]

I agree with you on Wikstrom's. I know the people who own the deli. Very lovely people and great food. They have an Internet site and a lot of their sales are now through the Internet. If I can remember their address I will come back and post it on this thread.

[Diver Dave]

God Jul to you as well.

By yumpin' yiminy, you've re-kindled memories of the Skandinavian style holiday meals around our house.

I'll still pass on the lutefisk but will accept another serving of pickeled herring (aka Norwegian Candy).

[jnarcus]

Ah yes,,,,the long soak to get the darned curing lye out of the fish before Grammy boiled it and thhen baked it into a wonderfully gelatinous dinner....white fish with white sauce, white potatoes with white sauce...thankfully there was always korv and meatballs and beans and fruit soup and ligonberries...Just so you can smile, the cat always left home as soon as the lutefisk came into the house and would not return until after New Year's....But the church dinner was the best because you always had turkey and ham and roast beast and then the dinner would start....and of course green jello with a dollop of mayonaise...too many memeories

[BurbankKarl]

http://swedishfoods.com/aboutus.html

[Charles Henrickson]

That works. The web address I use, though, is this:

http://www.wikstromsgourmet.com

I've even ordered what I call "Swedish care packages" sent down here to Swede-deficient St. Louis, when the craving becomes too strong.

[Charles Henrickson]

Here are a couple more links related to the article:

Swedish American Museum Center

Andersonville