Lutefisk, with silverware about to melt.
Posted on 12/13/2005 3:54:54 PM PST by SJackson
With the below average temperatures we have been having this past week there are a few fish houses starting to show up on the lakes. We must remind ourselves that although the air temperature is low there may be safety hazards because of the snow cover that we had on the ice before the below-average temperatures arrived.
Proceeding onto the newly formed ice with caution is a must.
Watching for pockets of thin ice hidden under a layer of snow is a good way to prevent a dangerous situation and keep you from being a statistic.
As we near the holiday season things always seem to be a little hectic. A little snow on the ground always feels right to me at this time of the year. There are some of us that could "Bah-Humbug" it all the way into spring and then proceed to find problems with the next season.
With the little bit of snow we have had I have been bonding with my old friend the snow scoop. It's getting a little tattered and doesn't work quite as well as it used to but still manages to get the job done (kind of like the person operating it). Every time I use that homemade snow scoop it reminds me of my Uncle Ben who had bought a new snowblower and in turn, sold the scoop to me for 20 bucks. It has paid dividends many times over.
This is the time of year when a lot us start to think ice-fishing but I am actually looking forward to trolling the local supermarket in search of the wiley lutefisk. Now all good Norwegians must at least be samplers of this Scandinavian delicacy.
When I was a young Norske still wet behind the ears and oblivious to the real family tradition of lutefisk eating I tried to avoid at all costs the ritual that my dad and uncles went through at the annual Christmas holiday feast. I have in past years, mentioned my introduction into this old family tradition.
One year as I sat at the table with the grown ups watching my dad and uncles indulging in the festivities with chunks of fish and butter dripping from their chins I was drawn into the mood of the moment. All the years of hearing “you're not Norwegian until you eat the fish” had suddenly caught up with me and in a moment of weakness I blurted out - “I'll try some fish this year!”
At that moment there was utter silence as they all stopped eating for a moment and just sat there with their sleeves rolled up, which you had to do so as not to stain your shirt as the butter from this delicacy trickled slowly down your arms. They nodded their heads in approval and in a flash I had more than enough help fixing my plate for my first taste of what has since been a tradition that was now being passed on the next generation.
They all watched, as I tasted the fish, which was rolled in lefse and was also accompanied by some potatoes and lots of melted butter and salt and pepper. I had acquired the knack of not breathing through my nose when eating something that had a smell I didn't quite cherish. I put this skill to use when opening my mouth for my first bite of the fish. I didn't overload on the fish that night but I did eat some and spent the rest of that Christmas Eve basking in the accolades of the family circle of fish eaters of which I was now a proud member.
I knew that from this moment on there would be no turning back. With the passing years I have actually grown to look forward to this time of the year and at times I think my mouth actually starts to water in anticipation of that first bite of fish. I have since tried to lure my sons into
the tradition in hopes of getting them "hooked" just like I did.
I do have a 50% success ratio and am still working on the other 50%.
I will have to soon begin working on my grandsons and this year, with any luck, I may be able to lure one of them into the net. That's when I will know that at least a couple more generations of my family will carry on the tradition and will at least pretend to be enjoying it as much as I do.
Until next time “play safe; keep off the thin ice and above all - Enjoy the outdoors.”
Remember to keep showing your support for the troops that are serving our country so that we may enjoy these many freedoms that we have.
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I got some interesting responses on our Web page (www.redwoodfallsgazette.com) guestbook in response to my last column entitled "Norway is next on Bush's hit list."
For those of you who didn't read it, it was a fun piece about how Norway has been stockpiling a weapon of mass destruction - a mysterious substance called lutefisk.
Dave Torgelson, a loyal subscriber to the Gazette, who now lives in Olivia, had this to say: "Just a quick note of thanks to you for the satiric article. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time (This from a guy of Norwegian ancestry that actually enjoys eating it once in a while)."
Lucie Lehmann-Barclay of Boston, Mass., writes: "Folk wisdom indicates that a mustard-based sauce will mitigate any deleterious effects. It is recommended therefore that the Centers for Disease Control begin stockpiling mustard sauce. Happy Thanksgiving!"
I think the next two may have come from Norway. Ola Kristiansen says: "The people of Norway have been fearing a preemptive attack due to our large production of the lethal Lutefisk. My contacts within the government tell me that we are doing all we can to consume the Lutefisk before it's too late. May God have mercy upon us!"
Petter Hellum apparently didn't catch the humor. He says: "Norway next on Bush's hit list??? You Americans have got to be crazy if this is what you think is realŠ Lutefisk is a fish to be eaten. Dummies."
Ufda, my apologies go out to my favorite Norwegian, John Larson of Echo, who I mistakenly misnamed "Nelson," and to another loyal reader, Thurman Knutson of Belview, who pointed this out to me. They both keep me informed about what is happening in Echo when I visit Lynae's Grill for some of the best food in the region. By the way, John Larson tells me there are only two nationalities - "Norwegian" and "Norwegian Wannabe's."
Here's a second helping for you lutefisk afficionados which will be my last word on lutefisk before I get into another favorite topic "Fruitcake" for my next column:
There's an old joke about skunks taking up residence under the porch. A neighbor tells the homeowner that the surest way to evict them is to pitch lutefisk under there. The homeowner does just that. The neighbor is glad to hear the skunks have cleared out, but is now stumped when the homeowner asks: "Now, how the heck do I get rid of the Norwegians under the porch?"
Did I mention in my last column that I actually do have Norwegian friends. I even made a trip to Norway one year. Great place - great people.
Roger Erickson, of WCCO radio fame, once told a story about the famous runestone. It seems lutefisk was responsible for the runestone discovered in northern Minnesota. When the Vikings arrived they leaned their lutefisk against this rock, which of course ruined the stone.
The subject of lutefisk has also been brought up by Garrison Keillor in his book "Lake Wobegon Days." He says: "And tubs of lutefisk appear at Ralph's meat counter, dried cod soaked in lye solution for weeks to make a pale gelatinous substance beloved by all Norwegians, who nonetheless eat it only once a year. The soaking is done in a shed behind the store, and Ralph has a separate set of lutefisk clothes he keeps in the trunk of his Ford Galaxie. No dogs chase his car, but if he forgets to change his lutefisk socks, his wife barks at him. (The same way Lois of Belview does to Clark) Ralph feels that the dish is a great delicacy. Nevertheless, he doesn't offer it to the carolers who come by his house be-cause he knows it could kill them. You have to be ready for lutefisk.
Corky Iverson of Fairfax submitted his mother's secret beauty tip: "Lutefisk juice restores youthful appearance to skin. But be careful, too much probably removes skin. It keeps hands soft and beautiful. Used by Venus de Milo for years." He also suggested using it to slick down unruly cowlicks and eliminate tobacco breath. Other quips taken from the 205-page book "The Last Word On Lutefisk," who's author Gary Leg-wold, was once named a finalist in the Minnesota Book Award (nonfiction category) and Midwest Book Achieve-ment Award (humor category) - ya shure, all boat of 'em at the same time, mind you.
Lena writes: "My ma used to fix it. She'd go out to the woods and bring back a nice, sticky slab of pine. It had to be plenty sticky, with sap oozing out. Ma put the lutefisk on the slab of wood and baked it for 20 minutes. Then, we'd throw out the lutefisk and eat the slab of wood."
In Viking times, you knew you were going to have a bad day if you woke up in your little village and smelled lutefisk. It meant the Viking ships were only about 10 miles away.
Quote for the Day:
"When lutefisk is outlawed, only outlaws will have lutefisk."
Lutefisk, with silverware about to melt.
Lutefisk melts silverware?!!
Turns it black. It's the lye. Use stainless.
Ping to the Swedish Ping List. Or should I say: Ling to the Swedish Ping List?
Lutefisk is indeed troll bait.
It does one hell of a lot worse than that!
A man complained to his Scandinavian neighbor that he had skunks living under his porch and he couldn't get rid of them. The neighbor said, "Put some lutefisk under the porch and the skunks will leave in a hurry." One week later the neighbor asked the man if the lutefisk had worked. The man replied, "Oh yeah, it worked on the skunks but now I've got a worse problem. Do you have any ideas on how to get rid of some Norwegians?"
Lutefisk, like haggis, is the product of famine. When there was nothing else to eat, our Scandahoovian ancestors were forced to eat lutefisk. It then became a beloved tradition. There can be no other explanation for the consumption of this vile concoction.
Having said that, I can report that I found a way for three years to avoid eating lutefisk. The smell would drive a maggot from a gut-wagon!
Ice covering a lake?? Yea sure ..... this must be a joke, it's 70 outside .......
Wrapping lutefisk in perfectly good lefse ought to be a crime.
The Power of Lutefisk
http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~atman/ic/lutefisk.html
(Not recommended for general audiences, due to one brief but pivotal crudity. Click at your own risk.)
ping
Ew!
Lutefiske is the dish served to guests we don't want to stay a long time.
We don't actually ~eat~ it.
If you've ever seen "So, I Married an Ax-Murderer" with Mike Meyers, there's a scene where he and his wife-to-be discuss haggis. His take on haggis was that it was "invented on a dare." LOL!
Lol. Third paragraph down?
As should all good Swedes. Only we call it, lutfisk.
After soaking the lutfisk for days on the back porch, Grandma Henrickson then made it and served it every Christmas Eve. And I liked it! She served it with a choice of a mustard sauce or a cream sauce. Of course, we had all the traditional side dishes: boiled potatoes, limpa bread, rice pudding, etc. The adults drank homemade glögg. Afterwards, we would listen to an album of Swedish Christmas songs. What good memories!
Lutfisk: The piece of cod that passes all understanding.
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