Lutefisk

Lutefisk: n., lit. lye-fish, or the gelatinous, fish-like substance preserved in lye popular among Scandinavian populations of the upper Midwest; originally a cheap, heavily-preserved food used among Norwegian peasants, many Norwegians now wonder why American Lutherans still eat, and even enjoy, this disgusting "delicacy."

I'd been warned that this would happen: the annual lutefisk dinner fundraiser. You can't intern at a Lutheran church in this area without being expected to eat the fish of affliction.

Garrison Keilor once remarked that lutefisk is the Lutheran version of matzoh. Nobody actually likes it, but they eat it as a way of remembering the suffering of their ancestors. (Which, surprisingly, is untrue. There were many people who thoroughly enjoyed their dinners and went back for seconds.)

And of course, I tried it. If my mom can eat blood sausage in Germany and silkworm larva in South Korea, than I can suffer through lutefisk.

Or so I thought. My mistake, apparently, was chewing. I should have just swallowed, like the jello shot of lye-preserved fish.

Pictures later, but first, a video of my reaction:

For those wondering, it was less the taste than the consistency. You know those powdered "scrambled eggs" they serve in cafeterias, the dehydrated-then-reconstituted variety you've probably had at IKEA or in cheap restaurants? It's sort of like that, but with less flavor. It sort of falls apart when chewed and then refuses to be swallowed.

The rest of the dinner was great. Lefse (potato-based flat bread), Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, almond cake. Almost enough to make you forget you had eaten lutefisk.

Lutefisk: In All of Its Glory

Yum...?

Take Some Home, Dare Your Friends

Norwegian Pride

Lefse (with Butter and Brown Sugar)
Almond Cake
Wonderful

So, if you ever find yourself on internship in the Midwest and are faced with a plateful of lutefisk, here's some advice: you only need to eat two bites to satisfy everybody. And, when asked how you like it, here's your go-to response: "The lefse and the meatballs were great. And, as I understand it, if you're the type of person to enjoy lutefisk, this is about as good as it gets."

Where was Suzanne for all of this, you may ask? Conveniently absent.