Norwegian-American
1

• O Lutefisk (Song)
• Some Norwegian Americans

O Lutefisk

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 tink I'll eat you anyvay.

(. . .)

O Lutefisk . . . O Lutefisk . . . now everyone discovers
Dat Lutefisk and lefse makes . . .
Norvegians better lovers

(the song goes on). [Rsn 157]

EXPLANATION. In the US, there are many time-honoured Norwegian dishes adapted to American kitchens, and lutefisk forms part of one such dish. Lutefisk is cod treated in a lye solution and served boiled Lefse is a thin pancake from rolled dough served buttered and folded.
These are quite cultural-iconic foods of Norwegian Americans in the "Lutefisk belt" across parts of the United States - and in other places too.

Lefse Joke

Some Norwegian Americans

A sample:

Christian Anfinsen (1916-95) - Chemist – 1972 Nobel Prize in chemistry.

James Arness (1923 - ) - Actor – For 20 years, he starred on television's "Gunsmoke" as Marshal Matt Dillon. The family name of James Arness and his brother Peter Graves is Aurness (from Sykkylven in West Norway).

Bernt Balchen (1899-1973) - Aviator/Explorer – Born in Norway, the first pilot to fly over both the north and south poles.

Jakob Bjerknes (1897-1975) - Meteorologist – Born in Norway, pioneer in weather forecasting, and the one who coined the terms "warm front" and "cold front." Professor at UCLA.

Robert Bly (1926 - ) - Poet, Author – .

Norman Borlaug (1914 - ) - Agronomist – Known as the "father of the Green Revolution" through development of a hearty, high-yield strain of wheat, resulting in the feeding of millions. The 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.

James Cagney (1899-1986) - Actor – Once one of Hollywood's top luminaries. His mother was Carolyn Nelson, daughter of a Norwegian river barge captain.

Peter Graves (1926 - ) - Actor – Best known for his role as Jim Phelps on "Mission Impossible," he was born Peter Graves Aurness. He starred in the 1950s in the family television series, "Fury," and most recently as host of A&E's "Biography." His father was Rolf Aurness, a Norwegian.

Conrad Hilton (1887-1979) - Hotel Owner – Starting out with a single hotel in a small town in Texas, he developed the worldwide Hilton Hotel chain. His father emigrated from Norway.

Hubert H. Humphrey (1911-78) - 38th Vice President of the United States – HHH served as vice president under Lyndon B. Johnson and was the Democratic Party's 1968 presidential nominee.

John A. ("Snowshoes") Thompson (1827-76) - Mail Carrier – Every winter from 1856 to 1876 he made 90-mile treks through the snow, on ski-skates, carrying mail between Placerville, Calif. and Mormon Station, Utah. Thompson, who was born in Norway, is described as the "Viking of the Sierra."

Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) - Economist, Social Commentator – The son of Norwegian immigrants, he taught at Stanford and other universities. He authored the book The Theory of the Leisure Class, in which he coined the term "conspicuous consumption."

Earl Warren (1891-1974) - Politician, Jurist – Imbued with the ambition of becoming president of the United States, he wound up heading a different branch of government, serving as chief justice from 1953-69. Prior to that, he was governor of California, and was the 1948 Republican nominee for vice president.

Others