Dette må være den beste boka jeg har lest mens jeg har vært her. Og etter mye fokus på amerikanere gjennom norske øyne her på bloggen, kan jeg jo gi dere litt innsikt i hvordan de ser på oss...
- Hvordan norsk-amerikanere vil oppdra barnet til å bli norsk:
"The goal for us is to marry off our daughter [Beret, vistnok en form av Berit] to a '100 percent Norsky.' (...) The hope is that the child will not be able to separate Norwegian and English, and will begin to assume the Norsk identity. This can be helpful later on, as you set books out for them to read - Ibsen plays in the original Norwegian, old Norweigan Synod pastors' sermons, etc. Play traditional folk music around the house and encourage the child to learn 'old time dancing.' This will also be helpful later on. As a change of pace, play Grieg. Teens will be particularly receptive to Grieg because of the uniquely Nordic angst inherent in his music. Teens like angst."
" Books have been written, records broken and days devoted to the praise of lefse. (...) Having spent a lifetime believing that some things were constant, the two things that come to mind are: God, and lefse."
"Norwegians can take a joke, but lutefisk deserved more respect. After all, lutefisk is the staple of staples in Norway. It could, if necessary, fill most of the basic human needs: food, love, shelter - all thos things." Sang til lutefisken, melodi; "o tannenbaum"
O lutefisk, o lutefisk, how fragrant your aroma!
O lutefisk, o lutefisk, you put me in a coma!
You smell so strong, you look like glue!
You taste yust like an overshoe!
But lutefisk, come saturday
I think I eat you anyway
O lutefisk, o lutefisk, now eveyone discovers
that lutefisk and lefse makes Norwegians better lovers.
Now alle the world can have a ball.
You're better that Geritol,
o lutefisk with brennevin,
you make me feel young again.
"'Leif landed first' is proudly proclaimed with full knowledge the Leif Erikson, Viking explorer, landed in North America in 1002, nearly 500 years before Columbus."
"Scandinavians have a great sense of humor. This is because they have been initiated through the old custom known as Julebukk. The term means "Christmas Goat" and dates back hundreds of years to pre-Christian times in Scandinavian countries. In those days, people had many unusual belief. People thought that the Julebukk lived in the forest during the year, and as the winter solstice nearned, the goat began creeping toward the house. Each day the goat came closer until it reached the house on the darkest day of the year. Now, people dress up to hide their identity, and go from door to door to spread the Christmas spirit. Warning: This custom does not do well in big cities. In Chicago, people with nylons over their heads who walk through front doors tend to get shot."
" ...Even from all of the other so-called Scandinavians. To begin with, it's the unmistakable accent. (...) Phrases like "ja" and "uuf-da" is ususally included in English. (...) A more reliable sign among younger Norwegians is food preference. Norskies eat things like lefse and lutefisk and krumkake, particularly around Christmas. (....) A real Norwegian listens to the incidental music from "Peer Gynt" the epic play written in 1867 by Norway's native son Henrik Ibsen. Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg wrote the music. (...) True Norwegians tend to be on the quiet and unexpressive side. The quietness combined with a strong constitution and the determined yet sad look of a true stoic leads one to suspect thet he has stumbled onto a Norwegian. All of this leads to a sure sign of a true Norskie - the infamous bridge bump. we are talking here about the unmistakable hump that the bridge of the Norwegian nose sports. This bridge bump pegs a Norwegian without a shadow of a doubt. Simply stand to the side of a person so you can get a look at the profile. The Norsk nose is a slope with a convex protrusion in the middle the even a Telemarker would hesitate to ski across. When all else fails, this simple "nose test," will tell you, "That's Norwegian!"
Hm... hvor mye av dette som faktisk er sant er noe annet. Men kul på nessa har jeg hvertfal! =D
I Food 'n Nut har vi ikke starta med å lage mat ennå, for vi må jo "bli kjent med hverandre" først. Greit for meg, selv om jeg egentlig kjenner de fleste. Det vi gjør er å lage sketsjer i grupper på 4, som må handle om mat. I min gruppe hadde jeg mann og barn som bestemte seg for å lage the famous norwegian "Fish in Soap," aka Lutefisk, med håndsåpe. Litt døvt, men...
