Lutefisk
Definition of Lutefisk: A piece of cod which passeth all understand.Garrison Keillor wrote in Lake Wobegon Days:
"Every Advent we entered the purgatory of lutefisk, a repulsive gelatinous fishlike dish that tasted of soap and gave off an odor that would gag a goat. We did this in honor of Norwegian ancestors, much as if survivors of a famine might celebrate their deliverance by feasting on elm bark. I always felt the cold creeps as Advent approached, knowing that this dread delicacy would be put before me and I’d be told, "Just have a little." Eating a little was like vomiting a little, just as bad as a lot."
"Lutefisk is not food" noted Jeff Steingarten, "it is a weapon of mass destruction."
Ode to Lutefisk...
ReplyDelete(sung to the tune of O' Christmas Tree)
O' Lutefisk, O' Lutefisk
How lovely is your aroma
O' Lutefisk, O' Lutefisk
You put me in a coma
You taste just like an overshoe
I hold my breath until I'm blue
O' Lutefisk, O' Lutefisk
How lovely is your aroma
My cousin Chrissy and I wrote this many years ago. We then attached a story to the song... The Lutefisk Zone (with Twilight Zone Music). I don't remember much of it other than my grandma wearing a gas mask to prepare the Lutefisk!
Lutefisk was at the table every Christmas, without fail. The odor overpowered anything that was decent coming from the kitchen. This is one tradition I do not plan on keeping!
Now I have a better understanding of how crystal meth is made! :-)
ReplyDeleteTim
How many people with non-northwoods or non-Norwegian roots have ever even HEARD of lutefisk?
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up in the NW, I've heard of it many a time, but have never once opened my mouth to allow it to pass my lips!!!!