In the upper Midwest, the fall season is the favorite of a majority of natives. It’s my favorite time of year and it always has been. I think that’s because growing up on the farm, the hard work of picking rock, walking soybean fields to pull weeds, baling hay and straw, plus other hot work in 90 degree plus heat is now done. This time of year the weather finally cools down and with the cooler weather it also brought the baking season. My mom was a great cook but she refused to use the oven in the summer. Many people did the same. It just didn’t make sense to make a hot house hotter. But with the coolness of fall came some apple pies and some wonderful hot dishes. This time of year also brought about the lefse making season. I’ve written about this before and I’ve regaled this story to anyone who would listen, how lefse was not a favorite of mine. And you call yourself a Norwegian, people would say. I thought it was one of those things that maybe a generation skips but all my siblings loved lefse. And my parents’ generation and my kid’s generation all love the potato tortilla so I guess it’s just me.
As a kid, lutefisk was totally revolting. This was something I had in common with some of my siblings and many others of Scandinavian heritage. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to tolerate lutefisk to where once a year I can enjoy a food that came about because way back when, it was how you kept fish good without refrigeration. When I met my father in law in Norway, Lisbeth’s dad Knut, I asked him if they still eat lutefisk in Norway. He said ‘No, we have refrigerators now.’
This always makes me think back to how certain customs and things came about. Who was it that decided if you soak the good cod fish in lye for 3 weeks and then dry it, it’ll keep until you’re ready to eat it. Or how about the people who decided rutabaga was edible or that rhubarb was edible but cocklebur was not even though they look the same. I believe some people went through some awful taste tests to figure out what was edible.
So now you know, I now like lutefisk or should I say I tolerate lutefisk, and I still don’t like lefse. Once on Facebook, there was one of these questionnaires that asks you to tell things about yourself that others may or may not know.
Here’s how I answered the question of things you may not know about me.
•Favorite Childhood Game: Duck, Duck Grey Duck. I never played Duck, Duck Goose.
•Things that drive you crazy: Drivers who don’t have their headlights on when it’s raining or when it’s dark outside. Drivers who can’t park between the lines. Drivers who think turning signals are optional.
•Do you talk to yourself? Yes, I need the expert advice
•Favorite color: Sky Blue Purple
•Favorite number: 5,281
•A job in your younger days: Depallitizer operator at the Kenyon Canning Company
•Dream job: Skittle taste tester
•All-Time Favorite Movie: The Sting
•If you could, would you go back to school? Yes but only for the Bumstead sandwiches. (Only grads from West Concord will get that)
•All-Time Favorite TV Show: M*A*S*H.
•I hold the Wasioja Conference basketball record for scoring for 3 different schools while yet attending only one my whole career. It seems I shot at the wrong end of the court two different times. But in my defense, I was open and I shot 100%. Byron and Pine Island were the other high schools that have me listed in their scoring annals. Fortunately most of my points were for West Concord. Coach Lorry Gunhus was appreciative of that.
•First Car: 1971 Ford Maverick Grabber. My second car, after the Grabber was totaled in a collision with the Mobil gas delivery truck driven by Hank Freerksen, was a 1973 Blue Mercury Comet.
•Guilty Pleasure? Watching the Brazilian Women’s Volleyball Team.
I told the story to my son recently that in 8th grade, I wanted to be 6’4” tall and weigh 210 pounds. Well, I reached 6’4” tall by the end of my junior year in high school but did not reach the weight of 210 until about 5 or 6 years after high school. After that, I was over 210 pounds for many years until September of 2025. So now I’m back to my goal I set back in 8th grade.
