the Inside this issue: Norwegian Visit ’s gallery of the cylindrical american story on page 10 Volume 127, #33 • 16, 2016 Est. May 17, 1889 • Formerly Norwegian American Weekly, Western Viking & Nordisk Tidende $3 USD GodGod Jul!Jul!

Prepare for C hristmas with traditions, What’s inside? « Julen svinger en tryllestav Nyheter / News 2-3 tales ... over denne verden, og se—alt Opinion 4-5 er mykere og vakrere. » Sports 6-7 – Norman Vincent Peale Business 8 Norwegian Heritage 9 Travel 10-11 Norway near you 12-13 Fiction 14 Arts & Entertainment 16 Books 17 Norsk Språk 18-19 Section C1-C12 Christmas C1-C6 Barneblad C7 & Taste of Norway C8-C11 $1 = NOK 8.427 seven types updated 12/12/2016 In comparison of cookies! recipes on pages C 8-C 11 11/12/2016 8.4075 06/12/2016 8.2742 12/12/2015 8.6860 Photo: Daytona Strong 2 • December 16, 2016 Nyheter fra Norge theNorwegianamerican Nyheter Oselvertradisjon på verdensarvliste Norske 15-åringer over OECD-snittet i alle fag Oselvertradisjonen 6. desember ble resultatene fra den siste fikk plass på Unescos PISA-undersøkelsen offentliggjort sam- tidig over hele verden. Og siden forrige verdensarvliste for offentliggjøring i 2013, er det fremgang å spore: Norske elever er i toppsjiktet­ immaterielle verdier i lesing og for første gang bedre enn OECD-snittet i alle fagene PISA måler— Ingvild Fjelltveit & Jan Børge Leirvik lesing, matte og naturfag. — Mye tyder NRK på at vi er på rett vei. Vi må takke lærere Det er første gang en nordisk tradisjon og rektorer for den jobben de gjør, sier får verdensarvstatus. kunnskapsminister Torbjørn Røe Isak- — Helt fantastisk, er Os-ordfører Terje sen (H). I matte er Norge blant landene Søviknes sin første reaksjon. som har hatt størst fremgang siden under­ — Dette er en anerkjennelsen av satsing­ søkelsen i 2012. De norske elevene ut- en vi har gjort for å bevare tradisjonen, sier merker seg likevel spesielt i lesing. Her Søviknes. Foto: Oselvarverkstaden / NRK er 15-åringene blant de beste i OECD. Avgjørelsen om oselvertradisjonen får På Oselvarverkstaden har båtbyggere siden 1997 byggert oselvere. Forskjellen i leseferdigheter mellom jen- verdensarvstatus skulle opprinnelig bli tatt 1. ter og gutter er ifølge PISA 2015 et helt desember formiddag, men først 1. desember skoleår. Det er også langt flere gutter på kveld ble det klart at den får plass på listen. Oselvertradisjonen får status som im- og sendt til Unesco på vegne av den norske de laveste nivåene i lesing. De 4700 elev- Avgjørelsen ble tatt i Addis Abeba i Etiopia. materiell kulturarv, som er blant annet stat. ene fra 198 skoler i Norge ble testet i opp­ Oselver er en båttype bygget av furu språk, utøvende kunst, sosiale skikker og — Vi håper dette vil kunne øke statu- gaver, blant annet med flere svaralterna- og eik, og lengden varierer mellom 4,5 og håndverks­ferdigheter. sen til båtbyggerfaget, men det er også fint tiver. Oppgavene var likelydende for alle 10 meter. Oselvernavnet stammer fra at båt­ Unescos konvensjon om vern av den om det vil kunne påvirke andre håndverks­ involverte. PISA-undersøkelsene tar ikke byggerne som først bygget båttypen, hadde immaterielle kulturarven ble vedtatt i 2003, tradisjoner som er i ferd med å dø ut, sier utgangspunkt i de enkelte landenes lære- verkstedet sitt ved utløpet av Oselven. med et formål om bedre beskyttelse for Berit Synnøve Osmundsen, daglig leder og planer, men tar sikte på å måle elevenes — Dette er en fantastisk mulighet til denne typen kulturarv. båtbygger ved Oselvarverkstaden. evne til aktivt å bruke kunnskaper og er- internasjonalt samarbeid om båtbygger­ På Oselvarverkstaden har de arbeidet i faringer i konkrete situasjoner. Elevgrup- tradisjonen, og ikke minst å sette Os på nesten tre år med søknaden om å få komme English Synopsis: The Oselvar boatbuilding tradition pen som testes er 15-åringer, ettersom de kartet med tanke på reiselivsnæringen, sier på Unescos prestisjetunge liste. Deretter ble was selected for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural er i slutten av skoleløpet på grunnskolen i Heritage register of good safeguarding practices. Søviknes. søknaden godkjent av Kulturdepartementet deltakerlandene. (Frank Ertesvåg, VG) Rekordvarm desember Temperaturrekordene for desember faller Verdens største marsipangris én etter én. Det er ny rekord for Vestfold, som noterte 13,3 varmegrader i Tønsberg To kunstnere i Kristian­ 800 kilo. Det skal visstnok være ny verdens­ andre juledag for fem år siden, melder rekord. Adresseavisen. Nå er altså den rekor- sand har fått i opp­ Ifølge kunstnerne, har jobben vært ut- den slått. I Bø i tangerte man fordrende. en 126 år gammel rekord da det ble målt drag å lage verdens — Det har vært noe gris, rett og slett. 13,5 grader. Den gamle rekorden fra 1. største marsipangris Marsipan er så klissete, sier Stian Pollestad. desember 1890 var det Dalen i Telemark Da de ble spurt om å lage julegrisen, som hadde ifølge Meteorologisk insti- Kari Løberg Skår & måtte de tenke seg litt om. tutt. I Østfold ble det 8. desember målt Siv Kristin Sællmann — Jeg spurte datteren min om hva hun 13 grader på Rygge—Huggenes, noe NRK syntes om å gjøre noe sånt. Det var hun som som er 0,3 grader mer enn de 12,7 målt ga meg lyst til å gjøre det. Det er jo mest for på Gullholmen andre juledag i 2011. I Marsipangrisen har i mange år vært et barna man lager jula, sier Pirolt. Aust-Agder ble det også satt en rekord da fast innslag i butikker og bakeri rundt jule­ Lidi har tatt grisen i øyesyn og liker det det ble målt 14 grader på Lyngør fyr, mot tider. Den som lages nå i Kristiansand, er hun har sett. Hun mener kunstnerne har gjort 13,8 grader i Landvik 2. desember 1967. imidlertid i en helt annen størrelse. en glimrende jobb. Ifølge værstatistiker Bernt Lie er det Grisen er et ledd i markedsføringen av 4. desember var grisen avduket og stilte fønvind vestafjells som har bidratt til de «Julebyen Kristiansand». ut slik at skuelystne kunne få se. Den skal nye varmerekordene. Nettstedet Vær og Ideen om å lage en slik marsipangris Foto: Siv Kristin Sællmann / NRK ikke spises. Vind melder at det i hovedstadsområdet kom fra Åkki Lidi, en av de mange nærings- Blir dette verdens største marsipangris? Det gjør ingen ting for Pollestad. har vært temperaturer opp i nærheten av drivende i byen. Ifølge henne kan dette bli — Å jobbe med noe sånt, gjør at man 13 grader og at det i Hordaland har blitt starten på noe nytt. ikke får lyst på marsipan en stund, sier han. målt opp mot 13,8 grader på Ullensvang — Vi har lyst til at dette skal bli en Erik Pirolt som fikk oppdraget. De begynte forsøksgård i Hardanger. tradisjon, hvor vi utfordrer nye kunstnere med 1,2 tonn marsipan, men etter hvert som English Synopsis: Kristiansand artists Stian Pollestad (Aftenposten) and Erik Pirolt have been commissioned to make the hvert år, sier hun. grisen har tatt form og noe av marsipanen world’s largest marzipan pig, weighing 800 kilograms. Det var kunstnerne Stian Pollestad og er skåret vekk, står de igjen med en gris på Scandinavian Language Institute We offer classroom instruction in the Puget Sound area with various levels of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish. New classes begin in January! Join us for Full class schedule, registration, and gift “The Best of Norway” certificates are available at our website. tour this summer! Vitalizing the Scandinavian heritage in the Pacific Northwest for Call for detailed brochure over 30 years through language learning and cultural experience.

Ed Egerdahl, Director • www.SLISeattle.com theNorwegianamerican News December 16, 2016 • 3 US approval for NAI Brende briefs This week in brief Government spending figure worrying sign Brexit Britain for Norway’s economy Norwegian Air’s Irish For the first time in 20 years, Norway’s subsidiary is at long Norwegian Minister of government spending exceeds 50 percent Foreign Affairs Børge of the nation’s gross domestic product last approved to (GDP). According to the latest figures Brende tells British from Statistics Norway, government ex- operate in the US politicians what being part penditures on public administration cost 1,550 billion kroner between October of a single market means 2015 and September 2016. The spending The Local figures also mark an increase of 4.9 per- cent from the previous year. After three years of battles with both Michael Sandelson & Charlotte Bryan “The strong increase can be explained labor unions and its competitors, Norwegian The Foreigner by the fact that government spending Air Shuttle has received final approval to has increased, while GDP has declined have its Irish subsidiary operate in the Unit- Børge Brende met with his UK coun- slightly in recent years, measured in cur- ed States. terpart Boris Johnson in London on Decem- rent prices. In the public sector, it is par- The U.S. Department of Transportation ber 5. British Conservative Party members, ticularly expenditure on investments, in- has granted Norwegian Air International Brexit Secretary David Davis, and Interna- cluding roads and railways, which have (NAI) permission to fly into and out of the tional Trade Secretary Liam Fox were also contributed to the growth in spending,” United States in a decision that took effect involved. according to Statistics Norway. on December 2. Previous to the meeting, Foreign Min- Photo: Aeroprints.com / Wikimedia Commons If oil and gas are excluded and one Norwegian has waited three years for ister Brende told BBC Radio 4’s Today pro- You may be seeing a lot more Norwegian faces on looks only at the so-called mainland GDP, the license, which was vehemently opposed planes in the coming years. gram that there is no “silver bullet” regarding the spending growth was more moderate, by American unions, politicians, and domes- Brexit that would allow for single market ac- the statistics bureau said. tic airlines who argue that Norwegian’s use cess without paying into the EU. (The Local) of NAI, an Irish subsidiary, was designed to proval for NAI to operate in the United States “Being a part of the single market, as we circumvent strict labor laws in Norway and back in April, but the proceedings hit numer- are, also means to implement all directives, Budget agreement saves government use crews from low-cost countries. ous road blocks as competitors, unions, and and we are not in the room when these di- Norwegian issued a statement calling politicians tried to block the deal. rectives are decided on. But there has been a On Saturday morning, December 4, coali- the DOT decision “a victory for millions Norwegian labor union Parat criticized consensus around this in Norway that it is in tion partners came to an agreement on the of passengers who will benefit from more the final DOT decision: “We know that Nor- our interest to be a part of the single market, government’s fiscal budget for 2017, just choice and lower fares.” in time for the financial debate in Parlia- The U.S. agency had given initial ap- See > approval, page 9 See > brexit, page 4 ment. The compromise included an extra six billion kroner for climate measures, family policy, education and research, and rail transport. “We believe we sub- Norway’s Skam gets US remake mitted the all-time greenest budget, but it has now become even greener,” said An American version Prime Minister Erna Solberg. Talks had been disrupted earlier in the of the wildly popular week when the withdrew its series Skam (Shame) support from negotiations, unhappy with a lack of anti-climate change measures. will go into production Without the last-minute compromise, the government would have had to call a vote in 2017, broadcaster of confidence in Parliament, with the pos- NRK reported sibility of triggering negotiations to form a new government, potentially led by the opposition Labor party. The Local (Norway Post / NRK / Aftenposten) The program, which follows the lives of exercise more than before teenagers in , is Norway’s biggest on- Four out of five Norwegians exercise line hit ever with around 200,000 viewers for at least once a week. This represents an each episode. increase of nearly 20 percentage points It has been such a massive hit in the oth- Photo: NRK over the past 15 years. er Nordic countries that it was recently given Norway’s teen hit is coming to America. The most common form of exercise the Norden Association’s annual language was fast walking (73 percent reported prize for popularizing Norwegian in neigh- fast walking in the past year), followed boring countries. chased by producer Simon Fuller’s XIX En- Haakon Moslet, NRK’s head of youth by strength training (40 percent), jogging There has also been a global clamoring tertainment production company. Fuller is programming, told The Guardian that Full- (39 percent) and other outdoor activities for the program to air with English subtitles, behind international successes like the Idol er’s version would be a full remake meant to such as cycling (36 percent) and cross- a gap that’s been filled by Norwegian fans franchise, So You Think You Can Dance, and appeal to the American market. country skiing (35 percent). Strength taking it upon themselves to provide transla- the pop group Spice Girls. Norwegians who may feel queasy about training is the activity that has increased tions on unofficial YouTube rips of the series. “Skam has the potential to be a very in- what an Americanized version of Skam the most over time, along with jogging. The show has received praise for its fluential series in North America where we might look like could take solace in another Although cycling and cross-country ski- modern delivery method. Skam clips are don’t have anything like it. It shows that bit of news announced on Friday. ing are popular forms of exercise, par- published online every day and then put to- Norway and are at the fore- A fourth season of Skam will be coming ticipation in these activities has decreased gether into a full episode that airs every Fri- front of innovation and creativity and I am in the spring, NRK said. compared to previous surveys. Differenc- day both online and on the youth-oriented proud to be part of making Skam available es in weather conditions from one year to channel NRK3. to a much bigger audience than it is today,” You can catch up on the series at skam.p3.no the next may be a factor. The U.S. rights for the show were pur- Fuller told NRK. (if you understand Norwegian). There is an evident relationship be- tween education and physical activity This week’s news from Norway is brought to you through partnerships with: level. While 90 percent of persons with a university education exercise weekly, the corresponding percentage is 75 among persons with only a primary or lower sec- ondary education. (SSB) www.thelocal.no & theforeigner.no 4 • December 16, 2016 Opinion theNorwegianamerican An opinion column about current issues in Norway and the United States < brexit Join the conversation! From page 3 On the EDGE and that is what we have to contribute.” Norway, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Are we Vikings or Scandinavians? and Iceland have access to the single mar- ket through membership of the Economic Area (EEA). These countries are also mem- Dr. Elisabeth I. Ward bers of the European Free Trade Association PLU Scandinavian Cultural Center (EFTA). Brende also referred to the single mar- What do we mean when we talk ket’s principles of free movement of goods, about things like the “Viking spirit” and people, services, and capital across borders “Scandinavian identity”? What does it on his visit to the UK capital. mean to be “Norwegian American”? “We have also implemented all the four These are questions I deal with all the freedoms,” he stated, adding that Norway time in my work at the Scandinavian has no formal say, but that is the price to pay. Cultural Center at Pacific Lutheran Uni- Seventy percent of Norway’s exports go to versity, a college started by a Lutheran the EU and it “had served our country well.” Norwegian pastor in 1890 and attended The Norwegian Foreign Minister also by many Norwegians and Norwegian raised trade as an issue. Prime Minister of Americans through its 125-year history. Norway Erna Solberg has previously stated It is also a question I used to deal with that she is concerned about how an ex-EU when I worked at the Smithsonian Insti- Britain might affect EFTA, should it become tution on an exhibition about the Vikings a member after Brexit. called Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Photo courtesy of Olavs Menn It has been reported that Norway may These days, with the election bringing to Vikings were more than raiders, as reenactment groups like Olavs Menn are making known. Mod- block the UK’s return to the organization, as the surface so much about the deep, bit- ern-day Scandinavians must also take care of our image. there are concerns that it may shift the bal- ter racial divides in the United States, I ance of power in the organization. She has am reminded of some of the controversy declared that there “won’t be any bilateral around our use of the term Viking when I art, and fashion come to mind. To the im- Trump. There is a sense that it was the agreements between Norway and Britain be- worked in Washington, D.C. migrants that founded PLU, it was obvious: Scandinavian Americans in the Midwest fore a solution is in place with the EU.” When people hear the word Vikings, it meant to be pioneering, industrious, god- who swung the election away from Hill- According to Brende, Norway will wait they think of lots of things. Maybe they fearing farmers and fisherman. But some ary towards Donald: white, Christian, to firm up its trading relations with Britain think of a huge hulking man dressed in people today think of Anders Breivik and a rural voters. That is a difficult thing for until after the UK’s future relationship with fur with long hair and wearing a horned homogenous, white society so upset about some people to process, because it chal- the European Union has been clarified. helmet. Or maybe they think of seafar- the influx of migrants into their countries lenges the idea of what it means to be He told Bloomberg in an interview in ers setting off across the horizon on that they closed their borders. Scandinavian and Scandinavian Ameri- London that he hoped to see “great coopera- open-decked boats. Or maybe they think I used to be worried about managing the can. The students at this university want tion between Britain and Norway and trade of farmers and blacksmiths in the val- reputation of the Vikings, and I worked hard to know why people voted the way they arrangements that are as good as possible.” leys of Scandinavia, calling on the Old to make people think of Vikings more as did, and they want to know if they did it “It’s premature to discuss this in a for- Norse gods of Thor and to help craftsmen and seafarers than as superstitious out of malice. In other words, they want mal way. It has to be informal dialogues be- them through their day. For some people, or violent heathens. To me it was important to know if Scandinavian Americans are fore the formalities between the UK and the though, Viking is a code word for strong to depict them as real, well-rounded people, the aggressive descendants of ruthless Vi- EU are decided on,” Brende said. white culture, for Aryan superiority; that not because I am of Viking heritage myself, king warriors, ready to sack and destroy Last month saw a meeting between Nor- is the way it was used by the Nazis and but because the past was as complicated and whatever is different from themselves. wegian Trade and Industry Minister Monica that meaning still exists in the popular messy, non-stereotypical, and disorderly as Mæland and Britain’s Minister for Trade imagination. life is today. In my mind, since the people we See > identity, page 5 Policy Lord Price in Oslo, where they agreed It is the same with the word Scan- call Vikings actually lived once upon a time, to discuss a new bilateral trade dialogue. dinavians. When some people hear that they deserve to be treated like real, complex Dr. Elisabeth I. Ward term, they think of beautiful, tall blond- human beings. Not stereotypes. is the Director of the Now I feel a similar sort of urgency haired and blue-eyed women. Others Scandinavian Cultural think of the Nobel Peace Prize and the about managing the reputation of Scandi- Center at Pacific Lu- merry steadfast diplomats that keep world order navians. I am the director of a center dedi- theran University. or social innovators that have created an cated to celebrating Scandinavian and Nor- god jul! equitable society. Or the ground-break- wegian heritage on a college campus that is ing icons of Scandinavian design, music, very concerned about the election of Donald

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Letters to the Editor theNorwegianamerican Published since May 17, 1889 Do you have something to say? 17713 15th Ave NE, #205, Shoreline, WA 98155 Tel: (206) 784-4617 • Email: [email protected] Write to us at The Norwegian American, Letter to the Editor, 17713 15th Ave NE, #205, Shoreline, WA 98155, or email us at [email protected], subject line Publisher Ragnar Meyer-Knutsen Letter to the Editor. Letters may be edited for style, clarity, or length. Editor-in-chief Emily C. Skaftun [email protected] Assistant Editor / Nyheter, Business, A childhood skiing challenge Sports, Travel Molly Jones [email protected] Dear Editor, Opinion Editor I have with interest read your NA of Linn Chloe Hagstrøm [email protected] WinterNorwegian Americanfrom leaving multiple notes messages. October 21, 2016, about Norway and winter sports. Taste of Norway Editor Winter is no longer coming; it’s We wish you all a happy and Daytona Strong [email protected] here. The days here in the northern “koselig” holiday! I will predict that most of your reader- ship have not been born in Norway. For them Advertising hemisphere will finally stop shrinking Ryan Pearson [email protected] next week and light will return. Stay A note on politics (uff da!) the following information regarding the rou- tine ceremony for Norwegian children is Subscriptions warm, everyone! We at this newspaper are really [email protected] trying to stay out of American poli- explained. This so they can understand the Christmas break tics. But readers? It’s not easy! We Norwegian ski dominance. Contributors We will be out of the office from ask that you bear with us as we make I was told that when I was about two Larrie Wanberg Grand Forks, N.D. December 23 through January 2 in the occasional foray into the morass. years old and after the first snow had fallen, Julia Andersen New York, N,Y. the family gathered at Frognerseteren out- Tove Andersson Oslo, Norway honor of the holidays. Because we’re I want to reiterate that we re- Patricia Barry Hopewell Junction, N.Y. now biweekly, we can do this without spect all points of view around here, side of Oslo. We took the Holmenkollbanen. Melinda Bargreen Everett, Wash. missing an issue (yay!), but we will except for hate speech. Here was a little hill where Tomm Murstad Terje Birkedal Anchorage, Alaska had his famous ski school for children. (Yes, M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway not be answering phones or emails We welcome debate. Have an David Burke Skoppum, Norway during that period. opinion? Send us a letter! I can’t his first name was Tomm). Carla Danziger McLean, Va. / Albany, Calif. We will listen to all voicemails promise we’ll print it, be we will defi- This was to be my first time with skis on Daughters of Norway Members Various my feet. I was not given any poles. The fam- Gary G. Erickson Sunburg, Minn. and return calls as soon as we are nitely read it. Your comments and Rasmus Falck Oslo, Norway able. Ditto for emails. Please refrain concerns are always appreciated. ily lined up on both sides of the hill. I was Christy Olsen Field Seattle, Wash. told to bend my knees and lean forward. A Sunny Gandara Beacon, N.Y. gentle push launched me down the precipice. Heidi Håvan Grosch Sparbu, Norway Rosalie Grangaard Grosch Arden Hills, Minn. Three things can now happen to you: Kari Heistad Edina, Minn. < identity 1. You fall forward. All applaud as this Victoria Hofmo Brooklyn, N.Y. means that you will be a good Norwegian. Leslee Lane Hoyum Rockford, Minn. From page 4 Roy Jorgensen Hopewell Junction, N.Y 2. You fall sideways. This implies that Ilan Kelman Agder, Norway They want to know if they should be scared. way we voted. To explain the values and there is hope that you may do well. Michael Kleiner Philadelphia, Penn. I have spent years attempting to define the ideas that motivated that decision, and 3. You fall backwards. Everyone goes Scott Larsen New Westminster, B.C. Thor A. Larsen Fishkill, N.Y. the Vikings in a more favorable and realistic to make sure the term “Scandinavian” is home and leaves you there... Lexi Seattle, Wash. light, and I will spend the foreseeable future a term we all can still embrace and cel- I don’t remember much about the event, Solveig M. Lee Seattle, Wash. trying to show the best side of Scandinavians ebrate. Because it represents fairness, but I was told that I fell sideways. Richard Londgren Thousand Oaks, Calif. Cathrine Løvaas , Norway and Scandinavian Americans. We all have kindness, honesty, creativity, and hospi- Donald V. Mehus New York, N.Y. that duty and responsibility, no matter which tality. At least that’s what I will be telling Sincerely, Christine Foster Meloni Washington, D.C. my students. John Brock-Utne David Moe Sun City, Calif. Maria Stordahl Nelson Seattle, Wash. Stanford, Calif. David Nikel Trondheim, Norway Ken Nordan Batavia, Ill. Barbara K. Rostad Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho John Erik Stacy Seattle, Wash. 20. desember 25. desember Rolf Kristian Stang New York, N.Y. Dave Bordson St. Paul MN Melvin Bellerud Auburn WA Judith Vinje Los Angeles, Calif. Tore Haugeto Maidens VA Hans Olaf Hanson Irene SD Dianna Walla Tromsø, Norway Chris Rowland Vancouver WA Terje Lande Westfield NJ Linda Warren Washington, D.C. Carl Sather Oakland CA Ruth Straume Federal Way WA Jo Christian Weldingh Oslo, Norway The Norwegian American strives to make 21. desember 26. desember its news report fair and accurate. 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Want to see your birthday in The Norwegian American? Email [email protected] or call (206) 784-4617. Must be submitted one month in advance. NB: Has someone on our birthday list passed away? Please notify us! 6 • December 16, 2016 Sports theNorwegianamerican Rosenborg secures Cup-League Double For the first time in Norwegian soccer, a team has won both Tippeligaen and the Cup in two consecutive seasons

Photo: Bjørn S. Delebekk / VG Rosenborg celebrating winning “The Double” in 2015.

Jo Christian Weldingh Oslo, Norway

Rosenborg has been crowned Cup 63rd and 65th minute, both clinical finishes Champions after defeating Kongsvinger from a distance. 4-0 on Nov. 20, and Pål André Helland was Helland’s hat trick was the first in a named Man of the Match after three goals cup final for twelve years. “This is typical and one assist. With this victory, Rosenborg of him,” Kåre Ingebrigtsen said. “Pål André Nyt ferien din med has won the Cup-League Double two years likes big games like this!” he added before in a row, something that has never been done he continued to praise his team. before in the history of Norwegian soccer. Helland, deservedly named Man of “It feels fantastic!” Rosenborg coach Kåre the Match, told the press afterwards that he Ingebrigtsen said when confronted with his had been struggling with an injury the week team’s new record. prior and wasn’t sure until the day before if Kongsvinger, playing in Norway’s sec- he could play or not. Four days before the ond-highest level of soccer, has had a fai- match, he wasn’t even able to use stairs. After rytale of a season. They advanced to the cup his 1-0 goal, he ran to the Rosenborg bench final against all odds and almost secured a to thank the team doctor and physio. “I have promotion to Tippeligaen for the 2017 sea- been bothering them a lot the last week,” he son. They have exceeded all expectations told the press. “I have been with them all day this year and were hoping for another mira- and even at their houses at night. They are cle when they faced off against league cham- fantastic and I owe them a lot for fixing my pions Rosenborg. injury.” I think the whole city of Trondheim Rosenborg controlled the match from agrees because Helland won the match al- start to finish but had only a 1-0 lead at half- most by himself. time. The goal came after 25 minutes of play; Kongsvinger got their first and only Pål André Helland curled a free kick into the chance after 77 minutes of play, but Martin left corner, just out of keeper Otto Fredriks- Ellingsen’s finish was saved easily by Rosen- son’s reach. Some members of the press crit- borg’s goalkeeper, André Hansen. “This isn’t icized Fredriksson’s positioning and said he a big loss for us,” Kongsvinger coach Luis should have been able to prevent the goal. Pimenta said after the match. “We have had With only a 1-0 lead at the half, the a great season and we are still competing for game was still very much alive. Kongsvinger a spot in Tippeligaen 2017.” played good defense and had a few half- Rosenborg has now won the cup final chances on counter attacks, but five min- ten times, which is more than any other team. familie og venner! utes into the second half, Rosenborg scored Lillestrøm and Strømsgodset are number two again—and once more Helland was involved. with five titles each. He curled a corner kick onto the head of Tore Reginiussen, who couldn’t miss. 2-0. Jo Christian Weldingh grew up in Lilleham- Áegis of Shoreline After goal number two, there was never mer, Norway, but is currently living in Oslo. 14900 1st Avenue NE any doubt. Kongsvinger lost all faith, and He has a BA in Archaeology from The Univer- Shoreline, WA 98152 Helland continued to dominate. He scored sity of Oslo and a BA in Business Administra- 206-367-6700 3-0 and 4-0 only two minutes apart, in the tion from BI Norwegian Business School. AegisofShoreline.com god jul og godt nyttår til alle venner! theNorwegianamerican Sports December 16, 2016 • 7 Carlsen defends World Champion title The Norwegian defeated Sergey Karjakin in a series of tiebreakers on his 26th birthday at the end of the regulation games. The tiebreaker was held on Nov. 30, Molly Jones the final day of the competition and also The Norwegian American Carlsen’s 26th birthday. It started with four rapid games, where each player gets 25 min- For the first time in over two decades, utes per game with 10 seconds added after New York City hosted the World Chess each move. If they were to remain tied at the Championship, and it should be no surprise end of the four games, Carlsen and Karjakin that Norway’s Magnus Carlsen was invit- would have to move on to blitz games and ed, determined to defend his title as World eventually an Armageddon game. Champion. Both Games 1 and 2 ended in a draw, but The Norwegian chess grandmaster first Karjakin struggled in Game 3 and Carlsen earned the title in 2013 when he defeated was able to take advantage to win. Now the Viswanathan Anand of India; in the 2014 Norwegian needed only a draw in Game 4 championships, Carlsen once again beat to win the championship. He had no trouble Anand. taking control of the final game, however, From November 11 to 30, Carlsen easily overcoming his opponent and earning battled 26-year-old opponent Sergey Karja- the World Chess Champion title once again. kin of Russia in Manhattan’s South Street “I would like to thank my opponent Seaport district. Karjakin, who became the again, for a very good fight. It wasn’t easy youngest ever grandmaster at the age of 12 at any moment and if a couple of crucial mo- years and 7 months, was ranked No. 9 at the ments had gone another way, we’d have a start of the competition. At 25 and 26 years, different champion,” said a humble Carlsen. the pair was the youngest ever to compete in While Karjakin was satisfied with his performance in the best-of-12 series, he the World Championship. Photo: Mads Nyborg Støstad / NRK “This is the first time that two players A great birthday present: Magnus Carlsen hoists the championship trophy high. admits that he struggled in the tiebreaker: who have come of age in the computer era “somehow after we played 12 classical are fighting for the title and represent a gen- games, I was completely not ready to play erational shift in chess,” claimed worldchess. an easy task. kin won Game 8 to take the lead. rapid games,” he said. “In the three games com, the official site for the championships. In order to win the championship, one Carlsen was visibly distressed at this out of four I was lost. Of course Magnus As a result of this generational shift and must win 6.5 points, with one point awarded point but managed to level the score in Game took advantage of my mistakes and he de- an increasingly digital society, worldchess. for a win and half a point for a draw. The 10, taking advantage of a missed opportunity served to win. My congratulations to him.” com introduced a new level of chess broad- competition kicked off with a best-of-12 by his opponent. Now with eight draws, one A cheerful Carlsen was met at the press casting for the championships, developing series, which would progress to a set of tie- loss, and one win each, the score was tied conference to the sounds of the Norwegian an app and interactive website with 360-de- breakers in the case of a tie. 5-5. press singing him the birthday song and con- gree video, commentary, game evaluation, Carlsen did not have the best start, lead- Game 11 once again ended in a draw. gratulating him. and even a virtual reality broadcast. ing to a series of draws. In Games 3 and 4, he In the final game of the series, Carlsen was “A World Championship title is some- As the defending World Champion and was outsmarted by Karjakin’s defense, and clearly ready to move on to the tiebreaker thing you fight for over a long time, so it is holder of the No. 1 world ranking since then he went on to make a mistake in Game games and opted to work towards a quick not fun to lose it. I am very, very relieved 2010, Carlsen was widely considered the fa- 5, although Karjakin didn’t take advantage draw; the game ended after only 30 moves to have retained it,” said the World Chess vorite. But defeating Karjakin would not be of it. After seven consecutive draws, Karja- and 35 minutes. The score was therefore 6-6 Champion to NRK. Sports News & Notes The Scandinavian Hour Handball: Norwegian victory over fourth in Russia on Dec. 11. The 22-year-old Celebrating over 50 years on the air! Denmark jumped 93 meters and 91.5 meters in the first Norway won 22-20 against Denmark in the and second rounds, respectively. The Japa- KKNW – 1150 AM first match of the main round in the Euro- nese star Sara Takanashi won the contest. pean Women’s Handball Championship on (NRK) Saturdays 9 – 10 a.m. PST Dec. 11. Norway led 6-0 early in the game, Streaming live on the internet at: but in the end their lead was reduced to one Swimming: Fifth place for Christiansen goal. Nonetheless, the handball girls man- Henrik Christiansen swam into fifth place in www.1150kknw.com aged to achieve a victory. Nora Mørk was the 1500-meter freestyle race at the World the top scorer with five goals. Championships in Canada on Dec. 12. He (NRK) completed the distance in 14:33.56, 18 sec- onds behind the winner, Park Tae-hwan of Athletics: Bronze to Grøvdal Korea, and just over eight seconds from the podium. Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal earned a bronze at (NRK) the European Cross-Country Championships on Dec. 11. Yasemin Can of Turkey won 10 seconds ahead of Meryem Akda and 40 sec- Freestyle Skiing: Bråten takes second onds ahead of Grøvdal. The Norwegian set a Øystein Bråten skied into second place in the pace at the end that no one else in the group Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colo., on Dec. behind the leading two could keep up with. 11. He took second place behind Swedish (NRK) Henrik Harlaut. (NRK) Ski Jumping: Hilde second in Vikersund Tom Hilde finished second in the COC com- Speed Skating: Lorentzen best petition in Vikersund on Dec. 9. Cene Prevc Norwegian in Heerenveen of Slovenia won, 2.1 points ahead of the Håvard Lorentzen was the best Norwegian Asker ski jumper. with his 10th place finish in the 1000-meter (NRK) race on the closing day of the World Cup event in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on Dec. Ski Jumping: Lundby in fourth place 11. The 24-year-old clocked in at 1:09.24 in Maren Lundby fought for her second consec- the A group, 1.04 seconds behind the winner utive World Cup victory in ski jumping but Nuis Kjeld from the Netherlands. disappointed in the final round and finished (NRK) thank you for reading our paper! tusen takk 8 • December 16, 2016 Business theNorwegianamerican Business News & Notes Hydro partners with Austin AI Inc. will gradually advance its processes and fea- SkySkopes welcomes The aluminum company Hydro has tures with AAI. The aim is to increase the ef- signed a cooperation with Austin AI Inc. fectiveness of the sorting system and ensure (AAI), Texas, on joint development of ad- high quality sorting results for the required Robot Aviation to US vanced technology to sort automotive alu- throughput. Then the technology can be ex- minum alloys. New developments can bring panded for full-scale industrial use. a step change to efficient, robust recycling of “By developing robust processes, based Norway’s leading UAS manufacturer manufacturing scraps and later on used cars. on LIBS technology, Hydro can accommo- collaborates with growing industry in N.D. The automotive industry boosts the use date the needs of our automotive industry of aluminum to build lighter cars that emit customers for converting their production less CO2. Their press shops are stamping scrap today—and help to master future different sheet components mostly made of challenges in end-of-life recycling for cars, 5xxx or 6xxx aluminum alloys, requiring with more aluminum in them,” says Klaus separation of production scrap that makes Vieregge, Head of Hydro’s R&D Center in recycling complex already for production Bonn. remains, as well as at the end-of-life phase. Austin AI, Inc. (AAI), builds on 15 The persistent gap in clean fractioning successful years of providing unique sen- of 5xxx and 6xxx alloys for recycling can sor-based sorting equipment to recycling soon be solved: AAI’s technology, based industry clients around the globe. Its LIBS on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technology has tested success in several oth- (LIBS), brings advantages compared to er scrap aluminum sorting challenges, such other LIBS configurations and has already as separating wrought from cast scrap and shown good test results in sorting these al- removing scrap magnesium from a fraction loys for clear separation and clean recycling. shredded light metals. AAI will install a pilot scale sorting fa- The cooperation with Hydro is rooted cility at Hydro’s research and development in R&D trials back in Aug. 2015 and now center in Bonn, Germany. Hydro scientists structured by a comprehensive work plan. (Norsk Hydro ASA) Photo courtesy of Robot Aviation Drones can be used for a lot of jobs, including inspecting hard-to-reach infrastructure. Exchange Rates Oslo Børs: Week at a Glance (Dec. 12, 2016) Winners Losers Rasmus Falck Norsk Kr. 8.4268 Name NOK Change Name NOK Change Oslo, Norway Dansk Kr. 6.9877 Questerre Energy Corp. 7.03 33.90% Wilson 6.16 -13.24% Archer 8.56 22.29% I.M. Skaugen 1.82 -7.14% Svensk Kr. 9.1605 Fred. Olsen Energy 23.20 20.21% Zalaris 29.90 -6.27% Robot Aviation is the most impressive American marketplace. Islandsk Kr. 111.75 Wentworth Resources 2.64 13.79% TTS Group 4.21 -5.82% unmanned aircraft system (UAS) manufac- “Looking at USA we searched through Canadian $ 1.3130 Oceanteam 1.27 13.39% Bionor Pharma 0.17 -5.56% turer in Norway, a country which is expe- the six test sites to see which one that was the Euro 0.9397 For detailed information about the Oslo Børs, visit www.dn.no. riencing fantastic growth in the drone mar- most promising. It is no doubt that the Grand ket with an expected 90,000 jobs by 2021, Sky project, located at Grand Forks, North according to CEO of UAS Norway Anders Dakota, was the best place for us. In addi- Martinsen. The company delivers complete, tion to all the other UAS companies there, integrated commercial drone systems in- we found great support from Bruce Gjovik, cluding onboard payloads, operating soft- President at the Center for Innovation. He ware, and cloud-based planning, as well as has been instrumental along with Donavon processing and reporting. They strive to de- Johnsen at North Dakota Trade Office, Terry liver systems with lower cost and with high- Sando at Grand Forks Region Economic De- God Jul og Godt Nyttår! er performance than comparable systems in velopment, and Bill Paulin at the Center for the market today. Innovation. The positive environment of do- Ole Vidar Funnemark Homleid and ing business in North Dakota has accelerated Per Kristian Haga founded Robot Aviation our plans significantly,” said Bjorn Forsdal, in Gjøvik in 2008. While the company as- President of Robot Aviation USA. sembles their planes in Notodden, Telemark, According to Gjovig, the Center for In- it works primarily in the American market. novation already hosts more UAS entrepre- In February, the founders attended North neurs than any other accelerator, incubator, Dakota’s UAS Industry Day. They also pre- or entrepreneur center in the nation, and they sented the company at 1 Million Cups in are open to helping more UAS entrepreneurs Fargo, N.D. One of the founders said they as Grand Forks becomes a national leader first found interest in North Dakota’s drone hotspot for this new industry, especially in industry after meeting Donavon Johnsen, conjunction with the nation’s first drone Scandinavian Director of North Dakota Trade Office’s Re- business park, Grand Sky. source Management Group. In August the center was the state’s first Language Institute The product that will likely spur collab- winner of the Small Business Administra- oration with others is its autopilot computer tion Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. We offer classroom instruction in the program, which can be adopted to numerous This was a great opportunity for the center Puget Sound area with various levels of aircraft systems. The company’s goal is to to launch Autonomous Alley, the first UAS/ Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish. become the preferred provider of remotely drone accelerator program in the nation. piloted aircraft systems products and servic- Autonomous Alley will help drone startups New classes begin in January! es. For the last few years, they have worked accelerate their commercialization journey, Join us for towards this goal by releasing a variety of thus creating new jobs and opportunities. Full class schedule, registration, and gift unmanned aircraft systems. A delegation of twelve from North Da- “The Best of Norway” certificates are available at our website. During the annual Norsk Høstfest, the kota attended the UAS Nordic Conference in tour this summer! Vitalizing the Scandinavian heritage in the Pacific Northwest for Norwegian heritage festival held in Minot, Oslo in November. The future looks bright! Call for detailed brochure over 30 years through language learning and cultural experience. N.D., Robot Aviation announced its part- nership with SkySkopes, one of the top un- Rasmus Falck is a strong manned aircraft systems flight operators in Ed Egerdahl, Director • www.SLISeattle.com innovation and entrepre- the U.S. Both companies’ U.S. operations neurship advocate. The au- are headquartered in Grand Forks, N.D. thor of “What do the best Funeral Home It’s no surprise that Robot Aviation came do better” and “The board to Grand Forks. The University of North Da- of directors as a resource SOlie and Crematory kota’s Center for Innovation is home to 25 in SME,” he received his Honoring • Caring • Serving UAS-related companies, mostly drone start- masters degree from the ups or international UAS companies work- University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently 3301 Colby Ave. Everett, WA 98201 (425) 252-5159 ing to establish themselves in the emerging lives in Oslo, Norway. theNorwegianamerican Norwegian Heritage December 16, 2016 • 9

< approval From page 3 wegian has used Asian labor and that they “The men and women of SWAPA call In Loving Memory want to open routes and fly to other parts upon President-elect Trump to intervene of the world. We fear that American and in the NAI decision and undo yet another European workers will not have the chance trade blunder by President Obama,” the to compete with wages and working con- union wrote in a press release. Lorraine Ellen Straw ditions from other continents,” spokesman The U.S. Travel Association, however, Vegard Einan told broadcaster NRK. praised the decision. November 22, 1943 – Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos called the “The American travel community is December 3, 2016 approval “long overdue” and said it would ecstatic at the decision by the Obama ad- now pave the way for the airline’s expan- ministration to allow new service to U.S. sion plans. cities by Norwegian Air International,” Lorraine Ellen Straw, née Meland, age “This means that Norwegian can con- CEO Roger Dow said. 73 of Oregon, Ill., died Sat., Dec. 3, 2016, tinue its global expansion with full force “There is zero downside to allowing at Serenity Hospice, following an 11-month and open new routes to exciting destina- more low-cost carriers into U.S. airports: battle with brain cancer. tions worldwide,” he said. it’s a policy that’s good for consumers, stu- Lorraine was born Nov. 22, 1943, in American labor unions, however, may pendous for U.S. economic and job growth, Chicago, Ill., the daughter of Thomas and keep up the fight. SWAPA, the trade asso- and even good for U.S. airlines because it Annabelle, née Adamson; beloved wife of 51 ciation for pilots of U.S. carrier Southwest, broadens the market for domestic connec- years to Perry Clark Straw Jr.; loving moth- said it “strongly condemns the short-sight- tor flights. A rising tide lifts all planes, so to er of Naomi (Peter) Dhuse and Perry Clark ed, under-cover-of-darkness decision.” speak,” Dow added. III (Pamela) Straw; dearest grandmother of Zachary, Zoe, and Zayla Dhuse; dear sister of Carol Hoidahl. Lorraine enjoyed time Ole and Lena were sitting down to their usual cup of morning coffee listening to the weather with family, neighbors, pursuing art, serv- Museum, Tall Ships/Chicago, FOVS, Lake­ report coming over the radio. “There will be 3 to 5 inches of snow today and a snow emergency ing others in the Norwegian community, and view High School Local School Counsel, has been declared. You must park your cars on the odd numbered side of the streets.” Ole got up saving the 1893 Viking Ship. Eagle’s Nest Art Group—Oregon, Ill. from his coffee and replied, “Jeez, okay.” Schooling: Thomas A. Edison Office holder: Norwegian National Two days later, again they both were sitting down with their cups School—1956, Taft Highschool—1962, League, Illinois Norsk Rosemalers Associa- of morning coffee and the weather forecast was, “There will be 2 to Moody Bible Institute—1965, The Art In- tion, Grieg Ladies Singing Society, Found- 4 inches of snow today and a snow emergency has been declared. stitute—1968, Kellogg School of Manage- ing President of Friends of the Viking Ship You must park your cars on the even numbered side of the ment—1987 streets.” Ole got up from his coffee and replied, “Jeez, okay.” Three days later, again they both are sitting down with their Supporter of: The Moody Church, Visitation and funeral service was held cups of coffee and the weather forecast was, “There will be 6 to Moody Bible Institute, Minnekirken—Nor- at Nelson Funeral Home, Park Ridge, Ill. In 8 inches of snow today and a snow emergency has been declared. wegian Lutheran Memorial Church, Evan- lieu of flowers, memorials to Friends of the You must park your cars on the...” and then the power went out gelical Free Church of Mt. Morris, Viking Ship NFP, P.O. Box 3571, St. Charles, and Ole didn’t get the rest of the instructions. He said to Video/CRU, Family Life Ministries IL 60174, www.vikingship.us, or Serenity Lena, “Jeez, what am I going to do now, Lena?” Lena Serving/member: Vesterheim—Nor- Hospice, Oregon, Ill., would be appreciated. replied, “Aw, Ole, just leave the car in the garage.” Ole and Lena wegian-American Museum, Sons of Nor- For information call (847) 823-5122 or visit America’s favorite Norwegians! way/Skjold Lodge #100, MSI, CHM, Field www.nelsonfunerals.com.

Anders Beer Wilse Photography: Life of a Young Norwegian Pioneer En Emigrants Ungdomserindringer Volume 1 Written and photographed by Anders Beer Wilse Bilingual English Norwegian, translated into English by Odd-Steinar Dybvad Raneng. Edited by Deb Nelson Gourley and Christian Wilse. Copyright © 2015 Anders Beer Wilse Family

Anders Beer Wilse, 1865-1949, is one of Norway’s most famous photographers. He worked in the USA from 1884-1900 before returning to Norway, and docu- mented all his adventures—and his homeland—in photography and writing. Wilse wrote En Emigrants Ungdomserin- dringer (1936) and Norsk Landskap og Norske Menn (1943). The first of these is serialized here. Public school in Kragerø, Telemark, Norway. — Borgerskolen i Kragerø.

My journeys were not only on shore. Indeed, quite the opposite—there were Men det var ikke bare til lands turene mine gikk. Nei tvert imot—det var på expeditions out to the furthest archipelago that the hunt for ducks and auks hap- tokter ute i ytterste skjærgården at jakten på ender og alker foregikk. Det kunde pened. It could occur that I after a day’s absence with my small, light-sailed hende at jeg efter et døgns fravær med den lille, lettseilte koggen min kom hjem rowboat came home with so many game birds that it had to be divided between med så meget fugl at den måtte fordeles til våre bekjente. our acquaintances. I 12-års alderen—da jeg hadde fått mitt haglgevær—fikk jeg også være At the age of twelve—when I had received my shotgun—I was allowed to med på harejakt. Mine jaktkamerater var voksne menn, ja, en av dem var sogar join a hunt for hares. My hunting companions were grown men, aye—even one byens politi. Det var en herlig jakt—syntes jeg—bare det ikke hadde vært det of them was in fact the town’s policeman. It was a wonderful hunt—I thought— med den akevitten. Vi måtte ro fra byen ved 3-tiden om morgenen, og da var det only if it had not been the thing with the aquavit. We had to row from town about å dra avsted på fastende hjerte, da jeg ikke vilde purre pikene for å lage i stand three o’clock in the morning, and then it was to go out on an empty stomach, as frokost til mig. Vi hadde ikke rodd lenge før akevittflasken kom frem, «for å få var- I did not wish to awaken the servant girls to prepare breakfast for me. We had men i skrotten», som politiet sa. Og jeg måtte være med—jeg var jo voksen jeg not rowed far before the bottle of aquavit came out, to put some heat into one’s også. Men du skrekk hvor jeg syntes den kvalmet og slet ned gjennem tarmene! body, as the policeman would say. And I had to join them—I was an adult too. Ja, det var dette med dram i båten og dram ved «toten» når haren skulde åpnes But horrors—how I felt that it screeched and tore down through my intestines! som gjorde at jeg i mange, mange år ikke orket lukten av akevitt. Og nu når jeg Aye, it was this thing about having a dram in the boat and a dram for the kill when skriver dette, står den ennu for mig den gruen det var å stikke ut drammen på the hare was to be gutted, which for many, many years made it so that I could not fastende hjerte i den råkalde morgen på fjorden. tolerate the smell of aquavit. And now when I am writing this, it is still before me the horror of having that dram on an empty stomach on that bitterly cold morning on the . Get the book! • Wilse Vol 1 • $11.95 + $4.95 shipping • www.astrimyastri.com 10 • December 16, 2016 Travel theNorwegianamerican Norway’s roads less traveled: Gallery Cylindra features the cylindrical

Christine Foster Meloni Washington, D.C.

This is the seventh article in our series “Norway’s roads less traveled.” The author is Inger-Torill Kirkeby, the immediate Past President of the Norwegian American Cham- ber of Commerce in Florida. She was invited to write this article by Mr. Trond Jensen, the Honorary Consul General in Miami. The previous articles in this series are “Spitsbergen: A place out of the ordinary” by Ambassador Aas (April 15, 2016), “Ul- vesund lighthouse is calm yet wild” by Elin Photos: Inger-Torill Kirkeby Bergithe Rognlie (May 20, 2016), “Halden, Above: Kjellbjørn Tusvik at work. an idyllic small border town” by Eivind Hei- Left: Mayoress, a set of cabinets in full-body size berg (July 1, 2016), “Tree-top adventures at placed outside the gallery next to the fjord. Høyt og Lavt” by Lise Kristiansen Falskow (July 29, 2016), “Hvaler highlights the sun and the sea” by Hilde Skorpen (September 23, 2016), and “Hiking between east and west” by Morten Paulsen (November 18, Inger-Torill Kirkeby was 2016). born in Akershus, Nor- way, and moved to Miami Kirkeby writes about a gallery in Norway in 2001. She is currently a with very special objects: Tour Manager and Guide Gallery Cylindra is a unique place, and I with Escape Travel in Nor- would strongly encourage American tourists way, touring the U.S. with to add it to their list of attractions when visit- Norwegian tourists. ing Norway. It is located along the in the small village of Ikornes in Møre og Christine Foster Meloni is professor emerita at The Romsdal County. George Washington Uni- Kjellbjørn Tusvik, the gallery’s owner, versity. She has degrees has worked closely with the acclaimed Nor- in Italian literature, lin- wegian industrial designer Peter Opsvik for guistics, and international almost 30 years. The gallery’s Cylindra ob- education. She was born in jects are first designed by Opsvik and then Minneapolis and currently handmade by Tusvik. lives in Washington, D.C. She values her Nor- The gallery was founded in 1989 to wegian heritage. produce objects inspired by wooden bar- rels. They are beautiful pieces of furniture and, at the same time, works of art. They tive elements clearly show inspiration from Tusvik has on several occasions said that recently added, and it is a place where one are sculptural objects in solid wood—chairs, human relationships. he is amazed to see so many people showing can enjoy listening to a jazz concert, for ex- tables, and cabinets of all sizes—and most While Gallery Cylindra is a sales gal- interest in his works. Visitors, however, are ample, while observing the stunning scenery have a cylindrical form. Initially, there were lery, many people come simply to admire not at all surprised that the gallery arouses so and the imposing cruise ships passing by. 20 different objects; now there are over 200. the beautiful objects and to admire the much interest. I would encourage visitors, after visiting As one walks around the gallery admiring and the mountains. When opening the doors He is in many ways a renaissance man, the gallery, to spend some time in the coastal the pieces, it is obvious that Opsvik draws into the spacious gallery, they enter a world and his interests go beyond art. He is well town of Ålesund with its magnificent Art inspiration from the landscape just outside of beauty and serenity as the objects enhance versed in both literature and music and en- Nouveau architecture, which is only an hour the windows of the gallery when designing the beauty of the nature seen through the joys hosting various cultural events at the away from Ikornes. them. At the same time, some of the decora- large windows of the gallery. gallery. A terrace of 120 square meters was The Little Viking Scandinavian GiftS Where in Norway? a touch of Scandinavia in southern California I’m not sure if you knew it or just worked with a map, JJ, but you are right, the midpoint of Norway’s coast (from north Wishing our great 28465 Old Town Front St. #104, Temecula, CA 92590 customers a God Jul! (951) 676-6800 | [email protected] to south) is, in fact:

June 24 - August 4, 2017 Photo: UiO, Mantas Grigaliunas

Photo: John Barry / submitted by Pat Barry Have a photo for “Where in Norway?” Submit it to [email protected]! uio.no/summerschool ∙ [email protected] ∙ (800) 639-0058 theNorwegianamerican Travel December 16, 2016 • 11 Dog sledding at Engholm Husky Lodge Glide out of the yard, through the woods, and onto the frozen river—pulled by huskies

Photos: André Fey Engholm Husky Lodge offers a magical day of dogsled- Katrin Konradt & André Fey ding through the quiet Norwegian woods. Oslo, Norway

The first time we traveled to northern ready to start. We were invited to help get on reindeer fur. After 20 minutes or so, the cuddling part was probably what my wife Norway was over Easter a few years back. the dogs ready for the ride, which was re- dogs get restless as they known the group liked most, and as there were 46 dogs at that During our research of what to do up there, ally special for us and also the moment when will soon start again, and the tour heads back time, you can imagine how long it took her we had come across a recommendation for Kati fell in love with all of them. home. to say thanks and goodbye to each of them staying at Engholm Husky Lodge, a husky “Don’t you want that?” they asked. Well Arriving at the lodge, you may or may (and how she smelled!). farm six kilometers outside . we are not shy, so we happily accepted that not want to help the dogs out of their har- The rest of the evening we just relaxed in Though the webpage is quite simple, in invitation with some played confidence, feel- nesses (we did!), cuddle a bit with them front of the fireplace, read a bit, and enjoyed reality it is an amazing place: a big farm in ing maybe a bit less brave on the inside. (they stink quite a lot, by the way), and then a good dinner prepared by the Engholm team the forest with around 10 small cottages, all The two minutes of instruction didn’t bring them back to one of the little huts. The in the main house with the other guests. self-built by the owner Sven, with a great help a lot to make us feel much more con- eye and love for details. fident, but we decided to give it a try and Everything is made from natural materi- off we went—out of the yard, through the als: carved wood, rough stone, forged iron, woods, and onto the frozen river! Katrin and André are two travel-happy Germans in their fur, etc.—but with all the amenities you The ride itself was just stunning, includ- early forties. After moving around a bit, they settled for hope to find in the wintry North. ing everything about the atmosphere and the good in Norway in 2011, exploring the beautiful country There is also a wood-heated sauna and sensation: being out in the wild in an un- ever since. They spend every free day traveling to famous sightseeing spots as well as discovering lesser-known stun- hot tub outside, a barbecue hut with a big touched winter landscape, riding quietly on ning places and unique traditions off the beaten tracks— fireplace where all can get together, and the sled, hearing the dogs breathing, gliding and meeting great people everywhere. What started as a of course, the doghouses behind the main through the forest, hills, valleys, and frozen simple homepage for family and friends, explore-norway. building. lakes—it was true magic! org has meanwhile grown into a blog with 25 tour descrip- We really were blown away by the at- So, is it difficult? Not really, but a bit tions covering all parts of Norway, an Oslo guide, and a mosphere of the place, the great hospitality challenging in terms of keeping your balance large picture gallery for Norway enthusiasts. of Christel, Sven, and their team, the lovely when going through deep snow or during dogs, and last but not least, the excellent turns. Once you find your position and get homemade food. used to steering and braking, you will feel We had never been on a dog sled tour more comfortable keeping balanced. God jul og godt nyttår before, and it sounded like just the perfect The dogs just follow the first sled—al- first adventure in our new country. So we ways a member of the Engholm team—so booked the dog sled ride daytrip in advance, there is not much steering to do, just occa- ønskes dere alle as well as a cozy hut for two days. sional braking by stepping onto a kind of Together with two other couples, we rubber mat for softer braking or some metal got dressed up with huge boots, two pairs of hooks for hard braking. fra Embla Losje #2! gloves, and leather capes (made by Sven and But be aware of trees; the dogs run very Christel) that would keep us warm, and we close around obstacles and under trees, and gathered at the dog yard. they do not really take into account that you Around 50 dogs live there, and they are a bit taller than them! are surprisingly quiet most of the time. Not, Kati got kicked off her sled when she however, when they know that soon some of was riding over some soft, deep snow, mak- them will be picked for a ride—then they get ing the sled tilt to one side. And the dogs really, really excited. And all want to join, were off, leaving her behind in the snow, of course, as they have a huge desire to run. head over heels. Luckily, the leader saw it And here we were in for a real surprise; and was able to grab the driverless sled and we had expected to be the only passengers, bring it to a stop. Otherwise the dogs would comfortably sitting on the sleds, while the have just kept on running! dogs would do the work and somebody from During the day ride, the group stops Engholm Husky would drive it. once for a nice break somewhere in the But that wasn’t the case; they assumed woods. Coffee is served and you can roast that we would like to drive a sled ourselves. the sandwiches you prepared in the morn- After about 30 minutes, everything was ing over the fire while sitting comfortably 12 • December 16, 2016 Norway near you theNorwegianamerican What’s going on in your neighborhood? Calendar of Events california Nordic Holidays: Celebrations of Light Traditional Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner Maps, Metafors & Manifestations Norwegian Christmas Service now—Jan. 8 Jan. 21 Jan. 6, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 24, 3:00 p.m. Minneapolis, Minn. Columbia Heights, Minn. Portland, Ore. San Pedro, Calif. Nordic Holidays: Celebrations of Light at the First Lutheran’s Annual Scandinavian Lutefisk and Professor Susan Carter will explore Sámi rock The Norwegian Seamen’s Church welcomes American Swedish Institute showcases Nordic Meatball dinner will have seatings at 12:00, 2:00, art, poetry, and joiks at this lecture at Port- you to a traditional Christmas service. and other holiday traditions through the decorat- 4:00, and 6:00 p.m. Dinner will include lutefisk, land State University. At Cramer Hall, Room ed rooms in the historic Turnblad Mansion. The meatballs, potatoes, lefse, julekake, rice pudding, 171. Free and open to the public. Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner rooms are designed by groups from Scandinavia and more! Tickets are $18 or 50 cents per year Jan. 21, 4:00 p.m. to reflect their own distinctive customs. This year, for children up to 10. Call (651) 633-0679 for tick- Cook and Eat: Pea Soup Santa Rosa, Calif. the ASI has partnered with the Jewish Commu- ets. Visit www.flcch.org for more info. Jan. 10, 6:30—8:30 p.m. The traditional Norwegian menu will include nity Relations Council of Minnesota and the Da- Portland, Ore. lutefisk, meatballs, lefse, almond cake, and kotas to honor Hanukkah as well. Barneløpet Learn to make a hearty pea soup! Cost is $20 coffee. Cost is $26 for members, $32 for non Jan. 22, 1:00 p.m. for NNW members and $25 for non-members. members, and $10 for children 6 to 14. Tick- Gingerbread Wonderland St. Cloud, Minn. Buy tickets at www.scanheritage.org/cook- ets available at www.brownpapertickets.com/ now—Jan. 9 Participants ages 3 to 13 are encouraged to come eat. event/2656997 or by calling 1 (800) 838-3006. Minneapolis, Minn. any time after 11:00 a.m. to use free skis (limited At Norway Hall. Enjoy holiday treats and surround yourself in all amounts available) and practice. Events are - or Pennsylvania things gingerbread. Free for members, children ganized based on age and ability levels. Cookies, Third District New Year’s Eve Celebration District of Columbia 12 and under, and contributors; $5 for all others. sandwiches, and hot chocolate will be served, Dec. 30—Jan. 1 In the Galleri at Norway House. along with demonstrations and sampling of Nor- Nordic Christmas Service Susquehanna, Penn. wegian treats. At Riverside Park. Dec. 24, 2:30 p.m. The Third District Cultural and Heritage Cen- Vonheim Washington D.C. ter is hosting a New Year’s Eve Celebration at Dec. 20, 6:30 p.m. Hear familiar texts from Isaiah and St. Luke, new york Land of the Vikings. Contact (570) 461-3500 Minneapolis, Minn. sing hymns and carols in Nordic languages, Nordic Book Club: I Refuse or [email protected] for more info. Celebrate Christmas with a traditional Julebord. and enjoy musicians from the local Nordic Dec. 20, 6:00 p.m. Vonheim will supply rice pudding, rømmegrøt, community. At Augustana Lutheran Church. New York, N.Y. fruit soup, herring, and lefse. We invite you to TExas For more info, contact Lasse Syversen at (301) I Refuse by Norwegian author Per Petterson is a bring your favorite Nordic treats to share. At Lu- Norwegian Seamen’s Church 641-7908 or [email protected]. spare but evocative tale of two men whose acci- theran Church of the Good Shepherd. dental meeting one morning churns up a fateful Dec. 24 Houston, Texas iowa moment from 35 years before. In the Halldór Lax- Christmas Eve Candlelight Service ness Library at Scandinavia House. Free. There will be services at 12:00 and 2:00 p.m., Skål! Scandinavian Spirits at Vesterheim Dec. 24, 4:00 p.m. followed by a celebration with a traditional now—Dec. 31 Minneapolis, Minn. Norwegian Seamen’s Church Christmas Eve Norwegian at 5:00 p.m. Decorah, Iowa Mindekirken, the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Dec. 24 Bring a (worth around $10) to This exciting traveling exhibition shares the Church, welcomes you to a candlelight service on New York, N.Y. exchange. The cost is $30 or $10 for children. history and traditions of drinking culture in Christmas Eve. There will be a service at 4:00 p.m., followed by Contact Åse Marie Braut at (832) 279-7990 or , Norway, and Denmark, and how a traditional dinner at 6:00 p.m. and a visit from [email protected] to RSVP. those traditions carried into the U.S. Julebord 2017 Julenissen. Cost is $50 for adults, $20 for children Jan. 6, 4:30—7:30 p.m. 3 to 15, and free for children under 3. RSVP to Virginia Massachusetts Minneapolis, Minn. [email protected] or (212) 319-0370. Love, Loss, and the Cycle of Life Opera is Cool: Famous Scandinavian Singers An evening with delicious food, fellowship, and now—Feb. 20 Jan. 14, 12:00—2:00 p.m. music for the benefit of Mindekirken Founda- The Princess & The Duck and Stallo the Giant Richmond, Va. West Newton, Mass. tion. This is the perfect opportunity to wear your Jan. 14, 11:00 a.m. Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Love, Loss, Enjoy an audiovisual potpourri of great sing- bunad or festive wear. Reservations required New York, N.Y. and the Cycle of Life assembles more than ers of the past and present at the Scandina- by Dec. 19. Cost is $100 per person; send your Laura Simms from the Hans Christian Andersen 120 paintings, drawings, and prints in once- vian Cultural Center. Cost is $15 or $7 for SCC check payable to Mindekirken Foundation (with Storytelling Center kicks off the New Year with in-a-lifetime combinations to trace the route members. Purchase tickets at scandicenter. Julebord in the memo) to 924 E 21st St, Minne- fun folktales from Norway and Lapland. At Scan- American artist Jasper Johns traveled in rela- org/event/opera-is-cool-famous-scandina- apolis MN 55404-2952 or pay via PayPal at www. dinavia House. Free. Ages 5 and up. tion to Munch’s work. At Altria Group Gallery, vian-singers/. minde­kirken.org. For further info, contact (612) NewMarket Gallery. 874-071 or email [email protected]. oregon minnesota The Troll with No Heart Washington A Don’t Hug Me Icelandic Saga Book Group now—Jan. 17 The Photography of Anders Beer Wilse now—Jan. 1 Jan. 14, 1:00—2:00 p.m. Portland, Ore. now—Feb. 28 Coon Rapids, Minn. Minneapolis, Minn. Explore the mythology of trolls at Nordia House Seattle, Wash. This Minnesota musical spoof of A Christmas Disciss “The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey’s Godi” (trans. at The Troll With No Heart: Woodcuts By Betsy This exhibition includes Wilse’s photographic Carol is back in Minneapolis for its 10th year! Terry Gunnell), a short saga in the Penguin an- Bowen and Stories by Lise Lunge Larsen. Beautiful images taken both in the Pacific Northwest, as At Bunker Hills Dinner Theater, Bunker Hills thology, The Sagas of the Icelanders. For useful woodcuts are paired with tales of trolls from up well as from select regions in Norway. At the Golf Club. Call (763) 951-7244 for tickets and background information, consult the intro to the and down Norway. Free and open to the public. Nordic Heritage Museum. use code for $5 off. Visit www.Dont­ anthology and sections of Jesse Byock’s Iceland. At Walker Library, Calhoun Room. HugMe.com. Send your event to [email protected] or call (206) 784-4617 Check www.norwegianamerican.com/events for complete listings to be added to The Norwegian American!

Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church Den Norske Lutherske Minnekirke The Mission ChurCh of ParaMus The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church offers the best venue in Chicago for Norwegians and 128 N Farview Avenue — Paramus, New Jersey 07652 Scandinavians to gather and celebrate Norwegian Tel: (201) 265-1156 — www.themissionchurch.org traditions. Along with Pastor David Schoenknecht, we welcome you to our warm and friendly family of members. Bible Study starts at 9:30am followed by worship service at 11am. Please visit us soon!

Christmas/January 2017 JuletrefestSaturday, January 7, 2017, at 5 p.m.

Dec. 25 Christmas Day Festival Worship Jan. 1 New Year’s Day “Juletrefest” follows the service Jan. 8 Holy Communion A special time of worship and music will be shared.

2614 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647 • (773) 252-7335 • www.minnekirken-chicago.org “O Magnify the Lord With Me and Let Us Exalt His Name Together” Psalm 34:3 theNorwegianamerican Norway near you December 16, 2016 • 13

Photos: (left) David Selleck, (below) Edvard “Mike” Wick Left: Sports and Recreation Director Herb Hoppe and St. Lucia participants at Maine Nordmenn’s annual Julefest at Sky-Hy Convention Center in Topsham, Maine. Below: On December 10, Nor-sota Lodge #1-602, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, held its annual Jule- bord dinner where everyone signs up to bake and bring their favorite Norwegian food and desserts. Entertainment this year was Art Bjorngjeld, a famous American midwest accordion player, ac- companied by lodge president Earl Evenstad also on accordion, playing songs and stories. You can view and hear the two of them playing music at a 2015 lodge meeting at youtu.be/X2Y2rEzXKko.

Photo: Coppersmith Photography Above: Norway House’s panel of gingerbread judges awarded nine Best in Show awards to en- tries in their Gingerbread Wonderland. Above is the winner of the People’s Choice award, Cathe- dral, by Colette Bartkowski. It also won the award for Best Gingerbread Creation Made by an Ama- teur Baker. There is still time to see the exhibit, which runs through January 8, 2017. For more info, visit www.norwayhouse.org.

SEALIFT Inc. 68 West Main Street, Oyster Bay, New York 11771 Tel: (516) 922-1000 – Fax: (516) 922-6526 www.sealiftinc.com – [email protected]

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God Jul og Godt Nytt År Fredd Hoff Isaksen & Ragnar Meyer-Knutsen

Independent ~ U.S. Flag Liner Service ~ Ship Owners Ship Operators & Project Managers 14 • December 16, 2016 Fiction theNorwegianamerican The Ghost Shirt & the Gold Medallion a fictionalized historical story by Larrie Wanberg

happened some time ago on the It day before Christmas. The days were short in that season and mornings came late. But on this evening in history, a pioneer Norwegian family of three were heading west in a covered wag- on to seek land in the opening of Dakota territory to homestead. They had ventured hours ahead of their wagon train in hopes of finding choice land for settlement. But in the darkness of this evening, there were others lurking in the shadows of darkness—Indians. Nine-year-old Lars peered out of an opening in the abandoned sod hut where they had sought refuge for the night. A small wood fire on the dirt floor in the center of the single-room hut gave them warmth. The mother became frightened, for she had heard stories of Indians from other pioneers from the wagon train. The father was concerned about the horses in an ad- jacent shelter. But Lars was excited, for he saw a young Indian boy of his age nearby, digging in the snow in search of firewood. The Indian boy was close enough so that Lars could see glimpses of the ceremonial shirt that he was wearing. “They’re freezing,” Lars whispered lands. He believed that do. He thought for “Where did you steal this?” He dragged to his father. “And they must be hungry wearing ceremonial a moment. Then he him by the lanyard into Captain Varnum’s too! It’s Christmas Eve. Can’t we do some- ghost shirts made reached for a leather tent for interrogation. thing?” one impervious to lanyard around his Moments later a shot rang out from The father reflected, for he had heard soldiers’ bullets. neck and pulled from an Indian warrior named Black Coyote that bands of Sioux Indians from Canada The father re- under his shirt a gold- who was holding a rifle that he had hid- were returning to their original homes on plied to Lars, “All tinted medallion. His den. While wrestling over it with a soldier, Pine Ridge Reservation and Wounded we have is flat bread grandfather in Norway had the gun fired. Knee spiritual grounds to pray. He heard and some dried beef given him a commemorative me- Then more shots, and a mounted stories at Wagon Trail campfires that Indi- jerky. We’ll bring a stack dallion, dated 1659, with the image of a hotchkiss gatling gun—a revolving can- an Chief Sitting Bull was killed two weeks of flatbread to the Indians!” cloud with an arm reaching upward for a non with exploding shells—began crank- ago while resisting arrest by soldiers and Lars grabbed a single round of flat- crown and another arm extended down- ing a barrage of bullets into the crowd of 350 Indians were being held as prisoners. bread and ventured into the snow to hand ward with sword in hand. The inscription Indians. An Indian prophet named Wavoka was it to the Indian boy. The boy spoke some read “Soli Deo Gloria”—a Latin phrase More than 250 Indians died that day; massing bands to return to their home- words of English. “Come in to the fire to meaning “Glory to God Alone.” many were woman and children. warm up,” Lars said, “Then, this is yours,” he said putting On that day, the “Battle of Wounded “and we’ll bring some the lanyard and medal over his head and Knee” officially closed the Indian Wars. Norwegian bread to around the boy’s neck. The Indian boy was returned to live out your people.” The boy The father gathered up a stack of flat- his life on the Pine Ridge Reservation. accepted. bread and the mother put an extra blan- Amidst this tragedy, this young Indian In the light of the ket over the shoulders of the Indian boy. boy survived as a result of a heartfelt ex- warming fire, the artful Lars and the boy led the way to the Indian change of gifts on Christmas Eve between brilliance of the ghost band that was setting up a tepee encamp- a Norwegian immigrant boy and a young shirt the Indian boy ment close by. The father and Lars were Indian boy. His name was never known was wearing dazzled invited to sit for a time in a tepee with the but his story lives on in oral history. Lars. In a Native tra- chief of the band where a few stories were Soli Deo Gloria dition among many exchanged. tribes with a sharing At daybreak the next morning, the culture, if someone Indian band was on its way south. The Larrie writes features that genuinely admired Norwegian family decided to homestead draw on eight decades of life experience in three something of yours, the land surrounding the sod hut, for they career fields. He served you were obliged to believed this was the spot meant for their 21 active-service years in give it to the admirer. new beginnings. U.S. Army Medical Service The Indian boy took A week later, on December 29, 1890, Corps, retiring as a Colo- off the shirt and hand- the band was at Wounded Knee, when at nel. He completed over two ed it to Lars. eight o’clock in the morning, soldiers sur- decades as a college professor in mid-west and eastern and western major universities, and “It’s yours,” he rounded the encampment band and be- currently is a digital storyteller in print and said. gan searching the tepees for weapons. A film media. This story combines fiction and his- Illustrations supplied by author from previous publications in Stunned, Lars sergeant spotted the medallion around the torical facts that give meaning and message to Stavanger Aftenbladet & Norges Jul in 1977 didn’t know what to Indian boy’s neck and grabbed it, saying, recorded events from the past. theNorwegianamerican From our Sponsors December 16, 2016 • 15

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CONSUMER: Coupon valid only on brand specified. Any other use constitutes fraud. Limit one coupon per purchase. Limit of 2 like coupons in the same shopping trip. Not valid if transferred or reproduced. Consumer must pay sales tax. RETAILER: This coupon will be redeemed for its face value plus $.08 handling, in accordance with the offer stated hereon. DO NOT DOUBLE. Invoices providing purchases of sufficient quantities of stock to cover the coupons must be shown on request. Coupon is void if taxed, prohibited, or restricted by law. Cash value .001 cent. Valid www.kingoscar.com in USA. This coupon not valid if assigned, transferred, or reproduced. Send coupons to King Oscar, P.O. Box 880037, El Paso, TX 88588-0037. ©2016 King Oscar, Inc. www.kingoscar.com ©2016 King Oscar, Inc. All rights reserved. 16 • December 16, 2016 Arts & Entertainment theNorwegianamerican Autumn Fall premieres in New York The largely ad-libbed film is a love letter to Oslo and an intimate portrait of two artists

IR: Did you know that twist in the film when you read the script? Victoria Hofmo Helge Jordal: Yes. It was like “wow!” Brooklyn, N.Y. JV: We did tell them [the actors] the plot ahead of time. Autumn Fall begins with a montage of warmly lit cozy scenes of Oslo, a visual love The discussion was then opened up to letter accompanied by a haunting jazz score. the audience. One member spoke about how This film had its North American premiere beautiful the cinematography was. Vardøen on the opening night of the Nordic Interna- responded, speaking about the popularity of tional Film Festival on October 28 at Scan- Scandinavian crime films with their “angst- dinavia House in New York. I was immedi- filled blue-gray, de-saturated” palette. “I ately delighted, as it pulled me into the city wanted to change it around,” to portray Oslo of my paternal grandparents, a place I love from its best sides in a warm light.” He also to explore and where I can always find unex- spoke about how they set out to pick the most pected surprises. beautiful places in Oslo as locations. We are quickly transported inside Os- lo’s lovely National Theatre, where a serious Audience: Could you speak about how im- production is being performed. An obviously provising was used? inebriated audience member is not impressed JV: The more I work with actors, the more I and decides to voice his disappointment, respect their craft. I suggested themes to let spewing his opinion from his seat. His vis- Photo courtesy of NFI.no them know what’s coming ... I let them find it is short lived and he stumbles into a lo- Helge Jordal and Ingeborg Sundrehagen Raustøl play an unlikely couple in Autumn Fall (Høst). true words. The delivery came from them; cal watering hole, where the bartender asks that’s why it feels so natural—basically they him to leave. But instead this lanky, craggy wrote the script. character cajoles him into allowing him to market on a crisp autumn day. Jeppe takes volves the relationship between these two stay in a corner and promises that he will not her back to his home to make her lunch. Af- flawed, quirky, lovable human beings. A red carpet experience drink. This sad, comical man is Jeppe (Helge ter she takes a shower she enters the room he In a generally beautiful movie, the scene The three-day Nordic International Film Jordal), an aging but well-respected actor. is in, dressed only in a robe, and invites him in Emanuel Vigeland’s (brother of Gustav) Festival began with a red carpet ceremony, In strolls the stage manager from the to the bedroom. It has taken that little time mausoleum is not to be missed for the star- where this year’s winners were announced. production, Ingvild (Ingeborg Sundrehagen for her—and us—to see Jeppe transformed tling beauty of this place. The audience’s re- Many of the films’ directors attended, as did Raustøl), and the shrewd Jeppe persuades from a stumbling drunk to an intriguing, action to the film? They were enamored. representatives from the Nordic consulates her to buy him a drink. They are soon evicted complex man. and celebrities like Björn Gustafsson (Swed- from their cozy spot when the bartender dis- The peeling back of each personality is Discussion ish comedian and actor). The event also had covers that Jeppe has not kept his word. delightful to watch, as is the true intimacy A discussion led by Ingrid Rudefors, virtual reality simulations that let people ex- Now, Ingvild is forced to do the right they share. The latter is so rare in our fast- Scandinavian Film Commissioner, followed perience the landscape of Greenland. thing and make sure Jeppe gets home safely. paced, hectic time of so-called social media, the premiere. She called the film “a beauti- “[The reception] is an ultimate way to While depositing him on his doorstep, a wait- when in reality we rarely have time to con- ful tribute to Oslo and Norway as a film allow for audience and filmmakers to meet ing (or so she thinks) taxi filled with her be- nect with another human being. Here the inti- location” and introduced the director, Jan and mingle,” creative director and co-found- longings drives off. So Jeppe offers to allow macy is seen in simple pleasures: the reading Vardøen, and two of the actors: Helge Jordal er of the festival Linnea Larsdotter told me. her to stay at his home, on the couch. She of separate books in the same room, sharing and Hege Schøyen, who plays the mother. “Our festival is always about the filmmakers agrees, with some trepidation. And this is how an experience they both love. A playful leaf Here are some highlights: and this way they can get contacts and infor- the relationship of Ingvild and Jeppe begins. brawl in Vigeland Park. mation and joy out of meeting other fellow As he sleeps she investigates his won- At some point Ingvild takes Jeppe to Ingrid Rudefors: What were the actors’ im- artists and filmmakers.” derful home, with its many wonderful ob- meet her mother, who owns a feminist book- pressions of the script? “The red carpet itself is a great way to jects d’art. She is especially captivated by shop, and things begin to unravel. Then a Jan Vardøen: We improvised. The script was temporarily isolate the filmmakers and actors his library. In the morning, Jeppe is clear and strange set of circumstances occurs that will very thin. You start at the top, let them go, for a minute or two to ask them questions, to charming, bringing her breakfast and a tooth- deliver a twist you will not expect, and I will and get out of the way. find out more about the film or their process brush. The two take a walk to an outdoor flea not spoil for you. Needless to say, it still in- towards making the film,” she concluded.

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Featuring great Nordic products Books • Candy and Chocolates • Canned goods • Condiments Vesterheim Cooking wares • Dry Goods • Gift items • Specialty meats the national Norwegian-American museum and heritage center and more! • The largest collection of Norwegian-American artifacts in the world • A national center for folk-art classes • Open all year in Decorah, Iowa Visit us online: www.nordichouse.com theNorwegianamerican Books December 16, 2016 • 17 Book review: Keeping Christmas Giving North Sea This book is the definitive reference for all civilization its due things jul, from lutefisk to feeding the nisser

Terje Birkedal M. Michael Brady Anchorage, Alaska Asker, Norway In my search for the practical origins The ancient Romans believed that civi- of making and preparing lutefisk, I was de- lization ended at the western end of the Med- lighted to run across a wonderful book that iterranean Sea. In a sense they were right to delves deep into Norwegian Christmas tra- so believe, as they took their civilization ditions, both as practiced here in the United with them, leaving traces of it in the British States as well as in Norway itself. isles and southern lands around the Mediter- The name of the book is Keeping Christ- ranean Sea in Europe, Asia, and Africa. But mas: Yuletide Traditions in Norway and the if journalist and author Michael Pye is right New Land. This handsomely designed book in The Edge of the World, the North Sea ri- is published by the Minnesota Historical So- vals the Mediterranean Sea as a cradle of Eu- ciety and it is chock full of interesting facts, ropean civilization. stories, and recipes that illustrate the long and Pye’s story spans the eras from the fall deep relationship Norwegians have had with of imperial Rome to the 17th century. In Christmas. The author is Kathleen Stokker, those centuries, ships with sails and oars in Professor Emeritus of Scandinavian Studies the water comprised a faster and more con- at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She is In the old days, Norwegians believed venient means of travel than walking or cart- one of the two kind scholars who helped me that ghosts and other types of strange beings riding people with their boots or the hooves find answers to the mysteries of lutefisk. wandered about on Christmas Eve looking to of their draft animals on the ground. The sea In the book she takes you back to the do mischief and eat everything on the jule- interconnected peoples, allowing them to ex- very beginnings of jul in Norway. She then bord (Christmas table). To counter their fear, change beliefs and ideas, as well as to trade means, who settled in Bergen. In Chapter 9 takes you on a fascinating journey through many would spread straw on the floor of the in goods from near and far. on Dealers rule, we learn that Bergen became past to the present. And she largest room in the farmhouse and all the The book classifies as a historical work. a Kontor (Office) of the Hanseatic league of gives attention not only to Norway’s tradi- residents of the farm—masters and servants, But it isn’t history in the conventional sense. traders, a function it fulfilled for 400 years. tions, but to those of the immigrant Norwe- men and women—would sleep together for Its 12 chapters are not arranged in a chro- One of the functions of the Bergen Kontor gians to the United States whose notions of their mutual protection. Related to this fear nology defined by the reigns of monarchs was to trade in fish, mostly cod packed in Christmas differed both by their region of of the supernatural on Christmas Eve is the and the outcomes of the battles they waged. brine in barrels, and exporting it throughout origin and by the era of their immigration. practice of julebukking, where adults and Instead, each chapter is dedicated to an as- Europe, an undertaking that led to branding Much of the book is about food and its children dress in masks and odd clothing and pect of life as experienced by the peoples of and market recognition. That, of course, en- importance to Norwegians. If you are inter- go around asking for good drink and good- the societies evolving around the North Sea. tailed the reinvention of money, which al- ested in lutefisk, then this is the book for you. ies, usually after Christmas Day. Professor Each of the themed chapters—The invention lowed the conduct of business to change ev- She explains not only its value and nutrition- Stokker points out that this custom made it to of money, The book trade, Making enemies, eryday life forever. In short, Pye shows that al benefits, but also the special place it holds America and it is still very popular in some Settling, Fashion, Writing the law, Oversee- the Vikings had a significant influence on the in the lives of Norwegian Americans. In ad- Norwegian-dominated communities. ing nature, Science and money, Dealers rule, evolution of European civilization. dition, she covers most of the other foods So, if you want to know anything at all Love and capital, The plague laws, and The Refreshingly, Pye writes without slang, that Norwegians and Norwegian Americans about Norwegian Christmas, get Kathleen city and the world—reads like a novelette, particularly not of the British variety that hold dear, from ribbe to fattigmann. Stokker’s book, Keeping Christmas: - yet is historical non-fiction, meticulously sometimes perplexes American readers, an Professor Stokker also addresses any tide Traditions in Norway and the New Land referenced, chapter-by-chapter, to 48 pages achievement honed in the 1980s and 1990s questions you may have about the origins of (Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. of references at the back of the book. as he shuttled across the Atlantic, writing for Norwegian Christmas customs like putting Paul, 2000, $22.95). Readers of this newspaper may enjoy British publications from America and con- out the bowl of risengrøt for julenissen. This knowing that Vikings are the most men- tributing to American periodicals based in practice, she explains, is probably a very old tioned people of the book, influencing the New York. He uses the techniques of lucid one that goes back to the Viking Age when happenings reported in all 12 chapters, start- description as well as those of good story- Jul was the time of year that the dead ances- Terje “Ted” Birkedal was born in Stavanger, Norway, ing in the Introduction with an account of a telling. The Edge of the World is an engross- tors came back to share the bounty of the liv- in 1946. He grew up in Col- raid in the year 832 on the town of Domberg, ing, sometimes demanding, yet unfailingly ing. The is a historic remnant of what orado and earned a Ph.D. was once called the haugbonde (farmer in now a seaside resort in the Dutch province of enjoyable read. in Anthropology from the Zeeland. In Chapter 4 on Settling, which the the grave mound), gardvord (farm protector), University of Colorado. He Vikings practiced wherever they went, it’s The book: The Edge of the World, origi- or tuftekall (the one who first established retired in 2012 but remains reported that in 866, Vikings then in Ireland nal UK edition published 2014 in London the farm site). He was the farm’s ancestral active in his field and has “broke into England and took Eoforwic... by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Books, founder and the belief was he remained its served as the President of Sons of Norway Bernt When they left, the town was Jorvik, which with the subtitle “How the North Sea Made supernatural protector. To ensure his contin- Balchen Lodge in Anchorage since 2012. He has became York: grown in less than a century to Us Who We Are”; U.S. edition published in ued protection, traditional Norwegian farm conducted archeological fieldwork in the Ameri- a thriving, stinking city...” In Chapter 5 on 2016 in New York by Pegasus Books with families honored him at Christmas with beer can South, the Great Plains, Norway, Canada, Fashion, we learn that “The great sagas from the subtitle “A Cultural History of the North or porridge, and to be on the safe side, often Guam, and Alaska. He has always been passion- Iceland have everything you expect: heroes, Sea and the Transformation of Europe”; with both. ate about Norwegian prehistory and history. killings, dragons, feuds, great voyages, and hardcover and paperback editions stocked great horrors. They also have something less by online and physical booksellers in the UK likely: they have dandies.” The chapter goes and the USA. on to describe the elegant dress of men of Newspaper ads never go out of style.

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Aquavit (Akevitt) Volume 2 The Christmas holidays (julesesongen) are quickly approaching With 21 classic folk tales, fairy tales, and trolls from Norway in Norwegian and English, “Tuss og Troll” is now (raskt nærmer seg), which means (som betyr) here in Norway (her i serialized in the Norwegian American Weekly’s Norwegian Language Corner. The stories are from the collections Norge) households (husholdninger) are stocking up (hamstrer opp) on of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, and retold by Øyvind Dybvad, Gard Espeland, Velle Espeland, Johannes Farestveit, and Nana Rise-Lynum. Translated by Alexander Knud Huntrods and Odd-Steinar Dybvad aquavit. It is a traditional partner (tradisjonell partner) to Christmas Raneng. Illustrated by Solveig Muren Sanden, Jens R. Nilssen, and Ralph A. Styker. “Tuss og Troll” was edited, dinner (julemiddag), and appears with Cognac and Baileys at gather- designed, and published by Deb Nelson Gourley of Astri My Astri publishing. Copyright © Norsk Barneblad. ings throughout the season (i løpet av sesong) for the non-drivers (de som ikke kjører) of the bunch. So what IS (hva ER) aquavit? There are many different varieties (mange forskjellige varianter), each with its own distinctive flavor(sin egen karakteristiske smak), but the basics (grunnleggende) are the same (er det samme). Aquavit is a strong distilled spirit (en sterk destillert sprit) or vodka, at least 35.5% alcohol (alkohol), clear (klar) or a pale yellow (blek gul) made from grain (korn) (Swedish and Danish aquavit) or potato (potet) (Norwe- gian). Flavored (smaksatt) with things like cardamom (kardemomme), caraway (karve), or fennel (fennikel), some are stronger (sterkere), some are more mild, but everyone has a favorite (alle har en favoritt). As early as (så tidlig som) the 1500s, this drink was used as a “medicine” (medisin) and was most often made by clergy (presteska- pet), called “aqua vitae,” meaning the water of life (livets vann). Today, it is a tradition (en tradisjon); some might even say a mark of being a true Scandinavian (et preg av å være en ekte skandinavisk person). So if you want (så hvis du ønsker) to stock up (å hamstre) to toast Oskeladden og den raude hesten The Ash-lad and the Red Horse in the New Year Norwegian style (for å skåle nyåret i en norsk stil), here del 3 av 3 part 3 of 3 is a quick primer (en rask intro). The first three are Norwegian. • Linie aquavit (linie.com) is famous (berømt) because each drop Så la trollet seg og ville sova. Straks The troll then lay down to sleep. As (hver dråpe) travels (reiser) across the equator (over ekvator) twice (to Oskeladden høyrde det snorka, smaug soon as the ash-lad heard him snore, he han fram or veggsprunga, og så rusla crept out from the crack in the wall, and både han og kongsdottera ut or berget. both he and the princess just strolled See > akevitt, page 19 Så riste han på bekslet, og raudehesten out of the mountain. Then he shook the kom. Dei sette seg opp på hesteryggen, bridle, and the red horse came. They båe to, og reid av stad. climbed onto the back of the horse, the Då dei var komne mest heim til two of them, and rode away. kongsgarden, møtte dei ein adelsmann When they were nearly at the pal- og følgjet hans. Dei kringsette raude- ace, they met a nobleman and his men. hesten. Adelsmannen tok sjølv kongs- They surrounded the red horse. The no- dottera på sin eigen hest, og så let han bleman himself took the princess and put mennene sine skuva Oskeladden ut i ei her on his horse, and then he let his men elv som rann tett framom. push the ash-lad into the river that was Adelsmannen gjekk til kongen og sa flowing close by. at han hadde frelst prinsessa. Kongen The nobleman went to the king and vart både glad og fegen, og tok til å laga til said that he had saved the princess. The bryllaups med ein gong. Men kongsdot- king was both happy and glad, and took tera var ikkje glad. Tidleg om morgonen to getting the wedding ready straight bryllaupsdagen gjekk ho ned til elva der away. But the princess was not happy. Oskeladden hadde kome ifrå henne. Early in the morning of the wedding day, Photo: Heidi Håvan Grosch Då Oskeladden vart kasta i elva, kom she went down to the river where the The selection of aquavit at Grosch’s local Vinmonopolet (state-run liquor store). det ei havfrue og tok han med seg. Dei ash-lad had been thrown in. Here in the U.S. you may have to look a bit harder for the stuff, but it’s out there! for langt til havs. Men Oskeladden laut When the ash-lad was thrown into pusta, så havfrua måtte lata han få koma the river, a mermaid came and took him opp ein og annan gongen. Fyrste dagen with her. They went far out to sea. But fekk han koma opp or vatnet berre med the ash-lad had to breathe, so the mer- hovudet. maid had to let him come up now and Andre dagen fekk han koma noko then. The first day he was only allowed to høgare, og då var han ikkje sein med å have just his head above the water. setja fjørstilken attom øyra. Så vart han til The second day he was allowed to ein fugl og fauk sin veg. Han kom til elve- come a little higher, and then he was not barden der han var kasta uti, og det var slow in putting the feather behind his ear. nett same morgonen som kongsdottera He became a bird and flew his way. He var der og gjekk. came to the river’s edge where he had No skunda dei seg båe til kongsgar- been thrown in, and it happened to be on den, og ho fortalde at det var Oskeladden the same day that the princess was there. som hadde frelst henne. Så vart adels- Now they both hurried to the pal- mannen kasta i fangeholet, og kongsdot- ace, and she let them know that it was tera og Oskeladden tura bryllaup i fire ve- the ash-lad who had saved her. So the no- ker—og er ikkje bryllaupet slutt, så varer bleman was thrown into prison, and the det enno. princess and the ash-lad held a wedding celebration that lasted for four weeks— and if they are not finished yet, then they are still celebrating.

Tuss og Troll 2-vol-set $35.95 with FREE shipping in USA. www.astrimyastri.com theNorwegianamerican Norsk Språk December 16, 2016 • 19

< akevitt « Christmas waves a magic wand From page 18 over this world, and behold, everything is ganger) on a 19-week voyage (19-ukers softer and more beautiful. » reise). The aquavit (60% alcohol content) is – Norman Vincent Peale stored (er lagret) in oak barrels (i eikefat) on deck (på dekk) where it is exposed (utsatt) to all types of weather (for all slags vær). Each Pondus by Frode Øverli bottle (hver flaske) lists the route (ruten) it has taken (det har tatt) as well as departure and arrival dates (avgang og ankomst datoer). Linie’s­ website has videos and a great deal more information (mye mer informasjon). • Gammel Opland aquavit is aged for two years in oak barrels before it’s bottled (er på flaske), and it some say it adds a hint of vanilla (det gir et hint av vanilje) to the traditional taste (tradisjonell smak). • Gilde aquavit is our family favorite (familien vår sin favoritt), and we always purchase (kjøper) the year’s vintage.

Both Gammel Opland and Gilde are I had an now produced (produsert) by Arcus (www. inkling! arcusbeverage.com), and their website has a great deal of history about Norway’s na- Lunch by Børge Lund tional drink (Norges nasjonaldrikk). This summer, our friends from Minne- sota (våre venner fra Minnesota) brought us some aquavit from Duluth called Øvrevann Didn’t hear! (www.vikredistillery.com/products), and Aquavit Week (aquavitweek.com/aquavits- in-the-us) clued me in (informerte meg) to producers across the United States (over hele USA). Believe it or not (tro det eller ikke), you can find (kan du finne) aquavit in: • Texas (www.griffinspirits.com), • Oregon (bullrundistillery.com), and • Wisconsin (www.gamleode.com). So wherever you find yourself(så uansett hvor du befinner deg) in the world (i verden) ...I said that a I said that a vuvuzela has no vuvuzela... this jul, find a bottle of aquavit (finn en flaske place in a meeti... akevitt) to toast your Norwegian heritage (din norsk kulturarv). Cheers! (Skål!)

Hjalmar by Nils Axle Kanten Quiet!

Status: Enjoying the morning with the world’s loveliest family. Life could not be better!

Han Ola og Han Per by Peter J. Rosendahl, with new translations by John Erik Stacy

I can’t come Good gracious! Now I have gotten right now, Are you sick, Per? my fox hounds, Ola. but I will Do you want to come come after. I—am—thoroughly—played—out— out hunting with me? I—can’t—bear—to—keep—up.

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God Jul Godt Nytt År Merry Christmas Happy New Year Doug Dixon Warren Aakervik,Jr Gunnar Ildhuso,Jr Debbie Duback Tom Harbin Leif Mannes Joseph Wabey Cherie Berg Jeremy McWhirter Lloyd Johannessen Cary Swasand Larry Ward Amy Myles Gordon Kristjanson Eric Pedersen Mark Taylor Carole Gamboa Mason Williams Arne Einmo Tyler Adams Josette McLoughlin Tor Langesater Kevin Kaldestad Lane Manley Ivar Reiten Tor Tollessen Nancy Ferkingstad Paul Hendricks Lance Farr Barbara Myers Konrad Uri Gladys Logan Kristian Jore Dewey Hostetler,111

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“The Great Lutefisk Mystery,” solved What practical reason could there be for eating a food as strange as lye-soaked fish?

Terje Birkedal Anchorage, Alaska

Though Norwegian Americans practi- What we did come up with were re- many made a point of eating more of the Tromsø, Norway, who work with lutefisk, and cally define who they are through the eating peated stories about the Irish putting lye in strangely prepared fish to show they were even they did not know the answer. I wrote a of lutefisk during the Christmas season, I the Vikings’ fish barrels to poison them and proud of their heritage. “I eat lutefisk be- half a dozen Scandinavian Studies professors have found to my surprise that the vast ma- how the Vikings found that lye-poisoned fish cause I am a Norwegian; and am a Norwe- in the U.S. I asked experts in the Norwegian jority of Norwegian Americans know noth- was to their liking. Then there was the com- gian because I eat lutefisk,” you might hear Folk Museums. I even wrote the Swedish ing about the practical reasons behind the mon story of the Lofoten fisherman whose Ole or Sven saying at the Christmas church Folk Museum in Stockholm promising them making and eating of lutefisk. When you ask fish shed burned down, and he found he liked dinner. This enthusiastic lutefisk-eating tra- credit over their Norwegian colleagues if they them why Norwegians prepare and eat this the ash-covered fish he retrieved after the fire dition was passed on to the children and the revealed the mystery. unusual dish, most just stare blankly back at burned out. The amazing thing is that these children’s children; and it is still very strong Most of my passionate inquiries were you with silly grins on their faces—it is clear bogus origin stories are often believed by today. Whether they love it or hate it; eating met with silence. Either they did not know they just eat it because that is what most Nor- Norwegian Americans to be true accounts of that white gelatinous fish brings back happy the answer and were too ashamed to admit wegian Americans do at Christmastime. Oth- the origin of lutefisk. memories and reaffirms the Norwegian heri- it, or they brushed me off as just another ers, slightly more informed, eagerly begin to We also learned why lutefisk is so im- tage of which they are so proud. Norwegian-American lutefisk nut. In the tell you tall tales and goofy stories about its portant to Norwegian Americans. Most of But why did this tradition of making and end, two kind and generous scholars sent origins that they heard when they were kids. the immigrants to America from Norway eating lutefisk begin in the first place? Nor- me answers to my persistent questions. One Last year, as President of Sons of Norway were from the inner valleys where fresh wegians are a practical people and would not was Kathleen Stokker, Professor Emeritus Bernt Balchen Lodge in Anchorage, Alaska, I ocean fish was not easily available. For them blindly start eating fish the Irish had alleg- of Scandinavian Studies at Luther College thought I would write something about lute- re-hydrated stockfish (wind-dried cod) was edly poisoned with lye or that they found in in Decorah, Iowa. The other was Kari-Anne fisk in our newsletter in advance of our annual a delicacy associated with Christmas feast- a burned-out fish shed. Norwegians are not Pedersen, Curator at the Norsk Folkemuse- lutefisk dinner at Viking Hall. The existence ing. Lutefisk was closely tied to happy times that stupid! There had to be practical benefits um, Oslo, Norway. And I also have to credit of lutefisk and the reverence that Norwegian with a full stomach and family. When large behind the making and eating of lutefisk. Pedersen’s boss, Morton Bing, leader of the Americans accord it sparked my fascination quantities of stockfish became commercially For the past year, I have searched for an Culture History section of the Norsk Folke- with (but not taste for) the food. available to Norwegian immigrants toward answer and, for the most part, run into count- museum, who took my query seriously and For a coastal Stavanger boy, lutefisk was the end of the nineteenth century, many of less dead ends. I consulted a book dedicated to referred my email to Kari-Anne Pedersen of mandags mat (Monday’s food), not some- them jumped at the chance to re-connect lutefisk, which I found in Ballard, called The his staff. Both Professor Stokker and Curator thing you celebrate as verdens beste fisk with their childhood memories and their be- Last Word on Lutefisk: True Tales of Cod and Pedersen independently gave me the same (the world’s best fish). So I delved into the loved homeland through the eating of lute- Tradition by Gary Legwold. But it wasn’t the answer as to the practical benefits of making mystery and was aided in my search by Eva fisk, especially during the Christmas season. last word; I just found more silly origin sto- and eating lutefisk. Bilet and Marit Kristiansen, two of our most When being a Norwegian American ries. I asked Norwegian friends and relatives So here is the answer to what I started informed members on all things Norwegian. wasn’t so popular in the xenophobic early in Norway, and this time I heard for the second calling in my frustration “The Great Lutefisk Well, we scoured the internet and learned a part of the twentieth century, lutefisk eating time the story about the Scotch, not the Irish, Mystery”: few things, but came up empty as to the prac- also became a way of fighting back against poisoning of the Vikings. I corresponded with tical benefits of preparing and eating lutefisk. the prejudice. Being stubborn Norwegians, some of Norway’s top fisheries scientists in See > lutefisk, page C2

A Finnish carved reindeer, at sunset, on Norwegian snow. Photo: Luca Venturi / Flickr C2 • December 16, 2016 Christmas theNorwegianamerican The nutritional reasoning behind Norway’s most famous (or infamous) food explained

ing and consumption of lutefisk was wide- spread by at least the late Medieval Period, < lutefisk and the practice continued to be popular well From page C1 into the nineteenth century. Unlike among Norwegian Americans in the United States, First, soaking dried, unsalted stockfish its popularly waned among Scandinavians (“tørrfisk”) in a lye solution (traditionally in the twentieth century, for it began to be wood ashes mixed in water) is a very effi- considered an old-fashioned peasant food, cient way to reconstitute the fish. The South- associated with poverty and want. In the ern European method of rehydrating dried last couple of decades, however, lutefisk fish is to beat it first with a hammer and then has been undergoing a revival as a worthy, soak it for days in water, a much more la- honored traditional food in Scandinavia, and bor-intensive and lengthy process compared more and more people are beginning to eat it to the Norwegian technique of soaking the again, but not quite with the worshipful ex- stockfish in a lye bath. citement of Norwegian Americans. The reason the fish is dried in the first According to Professor Stokker, there is place is to preserve it; tørrfisk, if kept dry, also another difference between Norwegians can be stored for years and yet keep its full and Norwegian Americans in their lutefisk nutrition. Before the days of refrigeration traditions. She says that unlike Norwegian and cheap salt, preserving fish required a Americans, Norwegians have not developed lot of ingenuity. By drying cod in the cold, the self-depreciating humor that is closely windy spring days of , the associated with the eating of lutefisk in the fish loses all the moisture that makes it at- United States. This humor includes many tractive to bacterial attack. Also, the dry- jokes about its terrible smell and taste. One ing process reduces the fish to one-fifth its of the most common of these jokes is that the original size, which makes it easy to store special taste of lutefisk comes from the ac- and transport. Yet, once the stockfish had fin- cidental or purposeful addition of dog urine. ished soaking in its lye bath, this hard, dried Many examples of this unique and plentiful fish would plump up to a size even greater lutefisk humor can be found in Gary Leg- than the original living fish. wold’s book The Last Word on Lutefisk: The second reason behind the lye treat- True Tales of Cod and Tradition. In Pro- ment is nutrition. The lye breaks down the fessor Stokker’s book, Keeping Christmas: protein in the fish into amino acids that are Yuletide Traditions in Norway and the New easily absorbed by the small intestine. Usu- Land, she suggests that this depreciatory ally ingested proteins need to be broken humor helped Norwegian Americans in the into amino acid molecules in the stomach. first half of the twentieth century cope with It’s because of this protein breakup that lu- Photo: Adam_d / Wikimedia Commons disapproval from the dominant Yankee soci- tefisk acquires its characteristic gelatinous, Lutefisk for sale in Norway in 2006. ety that surrounded them. She notes that the jelly-like texture. It is essentially predigested Norwegians in Norway, on the other hand, by the lye treatment and transformed into a did not have to contend with any hostility to highly edible, digestible, and nutritious food for ordinary people to make good food de- ing the stockfish in lye had nothing to do their eating customs and thus never devel- package that delivers nearly instant energy cisions that benefit their lives. For example, with preserving the reconstituted fish. This oped a similar body of humor over the con- to the eater. What is remarkable is that no indigenous peoples of the U.S. and Mexico practice would indeed inhibit bacterial sumption of lutefisk. nutrients are lost in this process and all the soaked their dry corn kernels in a solution growth in the lutefisk, but she stressed that In the end, I want to stress that I did not calories and vitamins are delivered intact and of lye (again wood ashes in water) or slaked the rehydrated lutefisk was not stored for any solve the “The Great Lutefisk Mystery”; I efficiently to the body (about 79 calories per lime to make hominy. Not only did this pro- length of time in old Norway. In the old days, just found the people who knew the answer 100 grams [3.5 oz.] of fish). cess bulk up the corn kernel, it also increased each family would store its bark-like stock- as to the practical benefits of making and So how did a bunch of Nordic farmer- the calcium in the corn, but most importantly fish in big bundles in a dry part of the house eating lutefisk. We will probably never know fishermen figure this all out? They were not it freed the niacin (Vitamin B-3) so that it or in a shed. When the time came to eat lu- when or how the practice actually began. chemists or food scientists, but they were could be absorbed by the intestines. People tefisk, they would begin the soaking process good observers and learners from experi- who base their diet on untreated corn are at and eat the fish right away when it was ready. If you want to learn more about lutefisk and ence. When they ate lutefisk, they felt good risk for the chronic and debilitating disease The making and consumption of lute- the history of Norwegian traditional foods, and full after the meal. The same people known as pellagra because untreated corn fisk is an old practice in Norway, and also please get hold of Professor Kathleen Stok- quickly adopted the very nutritious potato in does not release its niacin when it passes in neighboring Sweden and , and ker’s book, Keeping Christmas: Yuletide Tra- the early nineteenth century and made it their through the body. this method of preparing stockfish may even ditions in Norway and the New Land, Min- own within a very short span of time. Curator Kari-Anne Pedersen of the date to well before the Viking Age. We know nesota Historical Society Press, 2000 (see It is actually quite common in history Norsk Folkemuseum emphasized that soak- for certain from early writings that the mak- review on page 17).

God Jul og God Jul og Have a Happy & Godt Nyttår! Godt Nyttår Responsible Holiday! Martha & Ingrid From all of us at Old Ballard Liquor Co. med familie The Norwegian American Seattle, Wash. (206) 858-8010

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God Jul og Godt God Jul & Godt Nyttår Merry Christmas til alle venner Nyttår til alle Odd Vaarvik & Hilsen fra Linda Spencer Oliver H. Simonson daughter Helge GoNorland.com. Marysville, Wash. Chewelah, Wash. theNorwegianamerican Christmas December 16, 2016 • C3 From mythic memories to tree ornaments The ancient julebukk lives on in contemporary Norwegian celebrations

Judith Gabriel Vinje Los Angeles

One of the many time-honored ele- ments that are brought to life—or at least out of storage—at Christmas in Norway is the Christmas goat, the julebukk. Its origins have an ancient and somewhat mysterious history. And it’s not all about merriment and festivity. Norwegians have incorporated a goat into the winter holidays for centuries, in one form or another. It has been the bearer of gifts, an evil spy, a masquerade spoof, and, most recently, a plethora of straw ornaments on the . The goat has been the object of ritual sacrifice, it plays a role in Norse myth as well as the Old Testament, and it has been seen as a god and a devil. No matter which role it has played, it is a ubiquitous symbol of the yuletide, found everywhere in Norwegian homes, usually in the form of a straw miniature bedecked with red ribbons, bearing huge curling horns. Centuries of folklore surround the crea- ture. The goat is, after all, one of the first animals to be domesticated, and it thrives in desert as well as mountain climes. A com- mon figure in Western mythology, the goat is represented in the mischievous Pan, Greek god of nature, a human body with goat’s feet. In actual human history, goats played a major role in several cultures, often as the Photo: Judith Gabriel Vinje object of ritual sacrifice. In pre-Christian Today the julebukk is most often seen in the form of a straw ornament. Norway, a goat was sacrificed at jul. Even in the Old Testament, one goat is to be sacri- ficed, while another is to be cast into the des- participants visited neighbor’s homes, often hvetevefting—wheat weaving. At one time, Minneapolis-born Judith ert, thus carrying away the sins of the tribe. hoisting large goat heads and cloaked in goat these miniature figures were thought to ward Gabriel Vinje has been a Hence, the tragic role of the “scapegoat.” skins or other animal hides. off evil spirits that abound in history’s myth- journalist for nearly 50 And it can be no mere coincidence that In the old peasant society, it was the ical Northern skies. years, including a stint the jul period coincides with the astrological adults who “went julebukk.” Wearing vari- Now they hang suspended from pine as a war correspondent. sign of Capricorn—the goat—whose stellar ous costumes, they would traipse from house boughs and wreaths of holly, sometimes as Now a Los Angeles resi- reign just happens to begin on the Winter to house, challenging their surprised hosts to tiny as an earring, sometimes nearly gigan- dent, she started writing Solstice, marking the darkest, shortest day of recognize who was beneath the mask. They tic. They don’t bleat a word, but they hold for Norway Times in 1998, and has been with the paper through its merg- the year. would virtually demand they be given food centuries of history and the many dramas es and changes. An active member of Sons of and drink. Often this seasonal prank would that abound in the winter solstice setting. It Norway, Edvard Grieg Lodge, Glendale Calif., Thor’s goats result in being given leftovers from Christ- is a starring role that the goat has been play- she is also a member of of Raven, a Vi- Goats are very versatile creatures, even mas dinner. Even Norwegian immigrant ing for many centuries. king reenactment group on the West Coast, and in mythology. For the Old Norse Vikings, communities in the U.S. indulged in the sea- writes frequently about Viking Age subjects for two mighty goats pulled the sleigh of Thor, sonal masquerade. several publications. the thunder god, on his flight through the But the use of goat heads largely disap- heavens. Any resemblance there to Santa and peared in the 1950s, according to Kathleen his reindeer? Stokker, author of Keeping Christmas; Yule- Thor’s month started with jul, and the tide Traditions in Norway and the New Land, WOODEN SPOON jul feast was the red-headed deity’s favor- and Norwegians made other masks. SCANDINAVIAN SHOP ite. His goats—Tanngrisnir (teeth snarler) According to a 1997 newspaper article 1617 K Avenue, Plano, TX 75074 • (972) 424-6867 and Tanngjóstr (teeth grinder)—were quite from Bergen, contemporary Norwegian jule- magical in that they could be slaughtered and bukking has moved to New Year’s, and it’s eaten, only to return to life the next day. mainly the children who stage what is more Your complete stop for all At one time, during the 19th century, the and more like the American Halloween. Christmas gifts and food jul goat was the bearer of gifts. Long before , one of the men in the family Wheat woven herds Calendars, linens, pewter & wood would dress up as a goat to deliver the pres- But there’s little chance the goat will ornaments, straw jul bocks ents. disappear from the Nordic Christmas. Made Obviously, the goat’s role in the Nordic in varying sizes, from miniature to gigantic, Lutefisk, homemade lefse, herrings, jul has changed over the centuries. At one straw goats emerge throughout the land as Swedish hams, cheeses, candy, glogg, jul time, the goat was thought to be an invisible the jul festival approaches. They decorate must, marcipan and more spirit that would pop up to check on whether trees; they munch away in store windows [email protected] or not Christmas preparations were being and Christmas displays throughout the land. www.woodenspoon.ws CELEBRATING 28 YEARS properly made. It was often identified with Straw also plays a major role in the cen- Odin’s Wild Ride through the skies in mid- turies of Nordic jul traditions. The last sheaf winter. And it has some elements that were of grain bundled in the harvest was credited “inherited” by Santa Claus. with having magical properties as the spirit Subscribe to The Norwegian American! The shaggy creature was also emulated of the harvest and was saved for the jul cel- (206) 784-4617 • [email protected] in the staging of the often-terrifying ritual ebrations. known as going julebukk, å gå julebukk. Norwegians decorate their Christmas news • business • sports • opinion • recipes • & more (Julebukk is a male goat.) Costume-clad trees with small straw goats, a product of C4 • December 16, 2016 Christmas theNorwegianamerican A peaceful Norwegian jul—with pizza

and we all walked to Peppe’s Pizza. We pigged out on pizza with shrimp, fish, meat, veggies, etc. Pizza didn’t exist in Norway 20 Excerpt from Michael Kleiner’s Beyond the Cold: An American’s Warm Portrait of Norway. years before. Now, there were Peppe’s loca- His parents were in Oslo for seven months as his father helped to set up a community mental tions all over the country. The pizzas were health program at Ullevål Hospital. Debbie was an American who settled in Norway and huge and came in a rectangular shape rather lived with a colleague of his father’s. Kleiner visited with a friend, Seth. The book has been a than circular. They also cost about $20 each. “Great book to give and get” in The Norwegian American’s gift guide. For more info about After returning to Morris’s condo, Seth Kleiner and the book, see www.beyondthecold.com. and I left with Liv, Rachel, and Rebekka. My parents were staying at Morris’s and we were staying at Liv’s house. The four of us walked 19 December 1990 the barn every Christmas Eve (Trolls and their downhill along some cobblestone streets to a We were to leave for Oslo later in the Relatives, by Jan Bergh Eriksen, Dreyer Bok, bus stop carrying the luggage. They lived on morning. Debbie was rushing out of the Aase Grafiske, Stavanger, Norway). the outskirts of the city in Sandviken… house with (two-year-old) Ingrid. Debbie We walked into the day care center and pleaded, “You must come to the day care there were all these children dressed in red, 22 December 1990 center for the Christmas program before you wearing what looked like red crepe paper The evening was pleasant and special… leave and see Ingrid.” hats tied at the top in a cone shape. The beau- We enjoyed a good dinner. Liv was quite The prospect of experiencing a chil- tiful children, mostly blonde, sat at tables active in politics in the city and planned to dren’s Christmas in a small village in Nor- eating porridge, drinking juice, and listening run for the town council. Seth was quite im- way was hard to pass up. to the story of the julenisser. Most of the par- Photo courtesy of Michael Kleiner pressed by her commitment. After loading up the car, we took pic- ents and teachers also wore some red. Ingrid dressed up for the julenisse program in We retired to the living room, which had tures of my parents, Seth, Torbjørn, and my- Ingrid was shy and tried to avoid our Rauland in 1990. a decorated Christmas tree. We never ex- self in front of the house. It was snowing! looks and the camera. Everybody then went pected what happened next. Liv had bought Hooray! The first snowfall of the trip. into another room to sing, listen to music, and gifts for each one of us! I received a book, Torbjørn drove to the day care center, dance around the Christmas tree. One young 21 December 1990 Trolls and their Relatives, which had been located a short distance up a road from the boy, who we were told would be appear- It was early to rise again for the ride to translated into English. Seth received an “center” of town. Torbjørn explained that ing on national television later in the week, Bergen. I had wanted to take this trip be- audio cassette of Jan Garbarek... The mo- more than Santa Claus, the central figures sang a solo. One young girl in the audience cause it has always been advertised as one of ment was quite overwhelming for us. In ret- for Norwegian children are julenisser (pro- crouched for a long time with a blown-up the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful rospect, maybe more so now. If any of our nounced Yula neesa), Christmas elves. There balloon in her mouth. The British man who train ride in the world. It is worth doing both Norwegian friends fit the “stereotype” of the are good and bad elves. The good elves are had visited with us the night before played in the winter and summer. I was also inter- reserved, quiet Norwegians, it was Liv and dressed in red. Fairytale legends claim that the flute and performed magic and a puppet ested in seeing Bergen again… My parents her daughters. Underneath there was still the nisser descended from trolls, who moved show for the intensively attentive children. reported to me before I came that they had sociability, generosity, and graciousness. It from living underground to becoming “house Soon, Christmas in Rauland was over located Morris Gardner, an American we had was seen in Liv hosting Seth and me at her gods” in Norwegian homes. They took care of for us; it was time for us to say our goodbyes met during our year in Norway, and my fel- house 20 years after I had seen her and then the cattle. The Norwegians fed the nisser well and head back to Oslo... low potato chip aficionado. He was now di- giving us gifts. She would answer my later to keep them happy. Porridge was placed in vorced, but all the Gardners lived in Bergen. Norwegian letters, sending them back with Rachel, the oldest daughter, I was told re- corrections. So much for the so-called typi- membered me. How much she could remem- cal Norwegian, whatever that means… ber was debatable considering she was four years old at the time. The younger daughter, 24 December 1990 Rebekka, was about to be born when we left Christmas in Norway was upon us. Norway in 1970. We could look forward to Ragnhild Dalgard warned us that everything Season’s closes from 1:00 p.m. Christmas Eve through seeing the Gardners again… NEW GIFTS INSPIRED BY Finally, the train pulled into Bergen. We December 26. Everything meant everything:

OLD TRADITIONS Greetings disembarked and walked down the platform. stores, restaurants, museums… It meant that from the It was a small station. Somewhere near the any shopping for souvenirs or food would end of the platform, we recognized Morris. have to be squeezed into the early part of With him was an attractive blonde woman. Monday the 24th. JUL & CHRISTMAS This was Rebekka. I had succeeded in discovering some of ACCESSORIES | JEWELRY Seattle-Bergen “How are you for walking? I don’t have the Christmas food of Norway. A colleague HOME DECOR a car,” Morris said. The walk gave us an ex- of mine had read an article in a magazine that KITCHEN & TABLE cellent chance to look at the city. How differ- said there are seven different kinds of cake BATH & BODY Sister City ent Bergen is from Oslo. This is not a city of served on Christmas in Norway. My assign- skyscrapers dotting the skyline. The second ment was to bring the seven back. Our Nor- SCANDINAVIAN HERITAGE largest city in Norway is on the west coast wegian friends told me the tradition of the Association and therefore closer to the rest of Europe. seven “kaker” (cookies) wasn’t as common Bergen was founded by Olav Kyrre in 1070. as in the past. In the bakeries, however, I did It was an important port city in the Hanseatic notice the popular pyramid ringed cake with League in the 16th century, a trading collab- the finishing touch of a small Norwegian flag oration of European countries. It was also the on top (the flag was not edible). Most, if not capital of Norway at one time. They speak a all these cakes, were sugar coated. dialect of Norwegian and there has always Another concern was that the public been a rivalry between Oslo and Bergen transit would be reduced for the holidays. Fifty years of friendship about who are really Norwegian. Bergen has We had to be sure to get the revised sched- 1967 -2017 maintained the old historical look in some of ule. The holiday schedule was every 15 to 20 the buildings, stores, and homes around the minutes instead of every 10. Quite a setback, sentrum. We walked along some cobblestone when holiday schedules in Philadelphia roads past old churches, small stores, and old might be every hour or two! Annual Meeting buildings. If you looked left down alleyways …We spent a quiet evening in the apart- Sunday, January 22, 2:00 pm and streets you could see the harbor… ment as Christmas descended on Norway…. Nordic Heritage Museum Morris was well-prepared and well- stocked for my arrival. He had bought six 25 December 1990 different varieties of potet gull (potato …We found out Peppe’s Pizza was [email protected] chips). It wasn’t long before we were all open... Afterwards, we went home and grabbing at the bags—plain, paprika/barbe- watched Danny Kaye in The Secret Life of www.facebook.com/ cue, dill, sour cream, and onion (new from Walter Mitty on television. seattlebergensistercities America!). Rebekka had also followed in the It had been interesting to see the city so family tradition. peaceful and silent and so many stores and Eventually, Liv and Rachel joined us restaurants closed. theNorwegianamerican Christmas December 16, 2016 • C5 Traditions that endure: Christmas beer from an heirloom bowl

Larrie Wanberg Features Editor

A cherished family artifact of a Viking Beer Bowl dating back to 1769 became a centerpiece over decades on our living room table and became a symbol of how acknowl- edging one’s culture in changing times is a Photos courtesy of Lars Wanberg reason for celebration. These days, the beer bowl is mostly used at Having grown up in a Norwegian-Amer- family celebrations, like the wedding of Lar- rie Wanberg’s granddaughter Hanna Wan- ican parsonage in North Dakota, I thought I berg to Oliver Divljak in Marin County, Cali- knew about Norwegian . fornia. Yet I encountered a degree of “culture shock” Left: Meike Wanberg, mother of the bride, when I spent my first Christmas in Norway in partakes of the traditional toast with a wed- 1957. ding guest. As a young student, I attended Luther Bottom left: Richard Wanberg (son of Larrie College in Decorah, Iowa, in the 1940s, Wanberg), father of the bride, gives a toast in where the spirit of Norwegian and English. Christmas did not in- clude beer making, nor was dancing con- doned. As a Fulbright student to the Uni- versity of Oslo some years later, I learned that both beer making and dancing were part of my cultural ances- try. The shock first hit me when I was as- signed a dorm room in the “Studentbyen” in Oslo that grouped five private rooms in a cluster that shared a kitchen, a common shower and washroom, was different from any other and could be and a separate “water closet.” One of the preserved for use over hundreds of years. the private rooms was assigned to a charming Even today, Voss is a mecca for farm- young female student—a recognition of gen- home beer makers or connoisseurs of home Hearthstone der equality that seemed so natural. brew. At Christmas, the washroom floor was Over the generations to follow, our fam- lined with about 50 bottles of home-brewed, ily beer bowl took on a ceremonial role, corked jul beer that was fermenting, and oc- more so than the beer. The interior painting casionally a cork would explode and ricochet within the bowl was several hundred years around the room, which made shaving jittery. old, I’m told. The exterior was repainted Later, with in-laws of my Norwegian- with an inscription in Old Norse that reads, born wife in Voss, it was a tradition to gather “If you drink too much of me, I’ll make a in the basement of the family home with my fool of you.” brothers-in-law to brew Christmas beer. My The bowl today is used mostly at wed- assigned job was to syphon fermented beer dings, where the bride and groom share the via a plastic tube from a large vat into a fil- handles and sip champagne as a mutual tering process that ended up in glass bottles. toast at the gathering of an extended family My relatives sampled a few tastes to ensure around the wedding table. purity. On special occasions like dinner toasts Every so often, I’d lose the flow of syph- at major anniversaries, Viking beer is still Welcome to the Neighborhood! oning, so I’d put the plastic tube in my mouth served as a chaser to a swallow of Linie aqua- and suck to restart the flow. After a few times vit, which has been vintaged by the rocking of catching a mouthful, everything seemed so motion of ocean-going ships crossing the funny and our combined laughter celebrated equator—another tradition from times past. a success in reproducing beer made from the Christmas traditions are likely the most so-called everlasting yeast that was regener- memorable of times when families gather ated over generations from Viking times—a together to renew the full dimension of a tradition defying time. culture that includes specialty foods, carol- My relatives told me that the birthplace ing songs, dancing around a Christmas tree, of beer making was in Voss, dating back to a visit from the julenisse with gifts for the Viking times. In those days, the Vikings with children, for nostalgia around a festive table their long boats and shallow draft in water when amusing stories of heritage are told, could sail during high tide from the ocean in- and yes, a toast of ancestral spirits in a Vi- land to Voss to hide from enemy ships. The king tradition. yeast that they used, as a growing organism, the Hearthstone

Retirement Living 6720 E Green Lake Way N Subscribe to The Norwegian American Seattle, WA 98103 at Seattle’s Green Lake www.hearthstone.org (206) 784-4617 • [email protected] (206) 517-2213 C6 • December 16, 2016 Christmas theNorwegianamerican A tree decorated with flags and friendship Music, speeches, and Santa marked the 20th Norwegian Christmas tree to light up DC

Christine Foster Meloni Washington, D.C.

The Norwegian Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Union Station is a holiday tra- dition in Washington, D.C. Norway presents a tree to the people of Washington to show its gratitude for the assistance of the United States during and after World War II and to recognize the continuing strong friendship between the two countries. The ceremony celebrated its 20th anniversary on November 30 this year. The Master of Ceremonies was Robert Aubrey Davis, the popular creator and host of the radio program “Millennium of Mu- sic,” who has been the event’s enthusiastic Photos courtesy of the MC for several years. Royal Norwegian Embassy Music set the festive tone. The Carolers Above: Santa was present at the lighting cer- of Greater Washington alerted the audience emony, much to the delight of the many chil- that the ceremony was about to start by tak- dren who waited in line to meet him. ing the stage and singing several traditional Left: After five years of construction in Christmas songs. Union Station’s Great Hall, the impressive The ceremony officially began when tree is back where it belongs. Davis introduced lyric mezzosoprano Sis- sel Bakken, who movingly sang the Norwe- gian national anthem, and Norway’s Jardar Johansen, who passionately sang the Star- Spangled Banner. classics. His performance was streamed live Davis then introduced Kåre Aas, Nor- to the world on Facebook. way’s Ambassador to the United States, who The ceremony ended with the arrival of welcomed the assembled crowd and expressed Mr. and Mrs. Claus, who had gifts for all of his pleasure that the event had returned to the the children present. Great Hall inside the station. For the previous This popular annual event was attended five years, it had been held outside because of by hundreds of enthusiastic people, Norwe- the work going on to repair the damage to the gians and Americans, travelers and locals. ceiling from the 2011 earthquake. This year Surely everyone went away with very positive the scaffolding had disappeared and the Great for the spectacular tree that symbolizes the dar Johansen, who hails from Tromsø in the feelings toward Norway. Tusen takk, Norge! Hall was absolutely radiant, having been re- strong cultural and political bonds between northernmost part of Norway. He delighted stored to its former glory. the people of the two countries. She wished the crowd as he enthusiastically sang many The tree and exhibit will remain in the Great Ambassador Aas recognized the two everyone a season of peace and of love. popular Norwegian and American Christmas Hall until the end of December. dignitaries on the stage with him, Lauren C. Next Davis introduced Ambassador Vaughan, Secretary of the District of Colum- Verveer, who first thanked Norway for the bia, and Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ex- stately tree in the magnificent building. She ecutive Director of the Georgetown Institute said Union Station is an ideal place for this The Norwegian American for Women, Peace, and Security at George- tree because it is a crossroads for travelers town University. and a meeting place for Washingtonians. Photo of the Week He then went on to say that perhaps peo- She went on to thank Norway for its strong ple consider the United States and Norway an commitment to world peace, which puts it odd couple, one very large and the other tiny. in the forefront for peace around the globe. He emphasized, however, that both countries She also thanked Norway for its generosity are Nordic nations and called his listeners’ at- in supporting a range of causes including tention to the extensive poster exhibit on dis- humanitarian needs, the protection of the en- play near the stage. Entitled “Norway-USA: vironment, and the equality of women. She Partners in the Polar Regions,” this interesting ended by exclaiming, “Thank you, Norway!” exhibit from the Fram Museum in Oslo illus- Ambassador Verveer then had the honor trates the history of this partnership. of lighting the splendid 32-foot tree with its He concluded his remarks by declaring, beautiful snowflakes, small U.S. and- Nor “On behalf of the people of Norway, I give wegian flags, and 20,000 lights. When she you this tree! God Jul!” flipped the switch, oohs and ahs immediately Davis then introduced Secretary went up from the assembled crowd. Vaughan, who offered greetings from D.C. Then the major entertainment portion Mayor Muriel Bowser and the people of the of the evening began. The invited performer District of Columbia. She thanked Norway was the well-known Norwegian singer Jar-

Varmeste Julehilsener Photo: Al Benson Phoebe Bergh of Aurora, right, won a first krumkake-baking contest at the Juletrefest fra Den Norske Glee Club of Minneapolis holiday meeting of Sons of Norway Polar Star Lodge 5-427 at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Montgomery on Dec. 4. Left is Barb Johnson of Yorkville, Polar Star cultural director who Member Chorus of the Norwegian Singers Association of America awarded Bergh a Scandinavian Baking book as first prize. Bergh’s krumkake was rated top among four entries for taste, texture, appearance, and presentation by audience votes. Ballots were available for donations to Sons of Norway Foundation. For more information, contact Herb Nelson Phone: (651) 587-4819 | Email: [email protected] Want to be featured in our Photo of the Week? On the web: www.norwegiangleeclub.com Email [email protected] or mail your photo with photo credit and caption. theNorwegianamerican December 16, 2016 • C9 A monthly feature to share Brought to you by with kids and grandkids BarnebladBarneblad Heidi Håvan Grosch Build your own pepperkakehus! We are always learning something. If you are a grown-up, you might re- member when you learned to drive, started university, or got married. If you are a child, you might remember when you learned to ride a bike, started school, or were able to stay up past your bedtime. For me, I have now had my first time making a pepperkakehus () with students from all over Europe, and that is something I will always remember. It is very popular for families to make a pepperkakehus during the or Christmas season here in Norway. Sometimes you can buy thepepperkake (gingerbread) pieces in a box, with walls and roof and chimney already cut out and baked, so all you have to do is put it all together. You can also create your own design. Draw out your design on paper (wax paper or baking paper work well). You can practice making your house if you test your design with cardboard. Cut out the walls, roof, chimney etc… and glue them together to see if they fit. If they don’t, you can make adjustments before you begin with the pepperkakedeig (gingerbread dough). After you have made the dough, rolled it out, cut out all the pieces, and baked them, you need to put the pieces together. If you are older, or if you have a grown-up helping you, the best “glue” is melted sugar. You will need a pan that is large enough to dip the pieces in if possible; otherwise you can drizzle the melted sugar onto the gingerbread pieces with a wooden spoon. Here is how you do it: put a little sugar into the pan and melt it until it is liquid. Don’t let it boil too much. Be careful because the melted sugar is hot! If you don’t want to risk the hot sugar, you can make a mixture of powdered sugar and egg whites. There are many recipes online if you google “Making Gingerbread Houses.” At the end of this page are a few sites to get you started on your search both for recipes and ideas. Making a pepperkakehus is so popular that many cities have contests to see who can have the largest collection of gingerbread houses. Our town of Steinkjer is doing this. People make a pepperkakehus and deliver it to a local bakery where they are on display. Fingers crossed that we beat Bergen this year (pepperkakebyen.org)! Norway House in Minnesota also has an exhib- it of gingerbread houses looking like buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Tickets to Gingerbread Wonderland are $5 and children are free. Watch this newscast for more information: www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-JVPBh5X3I OR go to Norway House’s website: norwayhouse.org. So what do you DO with your pepperkakehus after it is finished? It is made of good things to eat, after all… What I learned this year is that for many Norwegians, it is traditional to save your pepperkakehus until New Year’s Eve, then smash it with a hammer and eat it! Others say they nib- ble on it (like mice) all through December. So if you make a pepperkakehus this December, can you take a picture of it and send it to The Norwegian American before you smash it and eat it? You can send your picture to Emily at [email protected]. Remember to include your first name and your city (and country) so we can give you credit!

The story of the Gingerbread Man Have you ever heard the story of the Gingerbread Man? An old woman makes him, a child wants to eat him, and the Gingerbread Man runs away crying, “you can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” If you want to read the story, here is a free downloadable version to get you started: www.en- chantedlearning.com/stories/folktale/gingerbreadman/story. You can also google “The Gingerbread Man” or look on YouTube for animated videos.

Gingerbread house websites for making your own • www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_a_gingerbread_house •allrecipes.com/recipe/9446/childrens-gingerbread-house/ •home-school-coach.com/easy-gingerbread-houses-for-kids-make/ (this Photos: Heidi Håvan Grosch one uses graham crackers and is great for the littlest ones) Above: In these two righthand photos you can see two different takes on decorating your •There are many good videos on YouTube as well. gingerbread house using icing and candy. For more ideas on how to design your house, visit www..no/trondelag/norges-fineste-pepperkakehus-1.7900575. You’re only limited by your imagination! History of the gingerbread house Left: If you’re not excited about designing the shape of your house, why not use a kit like this •www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-gingerbread one sold in Norway? C8 • December 16, 2016 Taste of Norway theNorwegianamerican Seven cookies for Christmas Daytona Strong Taste of Norway Editor

I grew up knowing the tradition of the syv slag kaker—or seven sorts of Norwegian Christmas cookies—by taste rather than by name. Krumkaker, sandkaker, spritz, and any number of other buttery cookies—these were the treats my grandmothers made year after year. My memories of Christmastime often take place in the kitchens of my mom and my grandmothers, the heart of the hos- pitality that pulses through my family. But it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized that my grandmothers’ propensity for holi- day baking had a long history. In my research for an article in Edible Seattle last year, I interviewed Dr. Kathleen Stokker, author of Keeping Christmas: Yule- tide Traditions in Norway and the New Land. She helped me put in context the special na- ture of the family tradition. Christmas has been extraordinarily spe- cial to Scandinavians, Stokker said, especially in Norway, which was the poorest of the Scan- dinavian countries. For those who weren’t of an upper class, cookies infused liberally with butter would have been very special indeed. Farmers would have sold their butter and used lard instead for daily use—except at Christ- Photos: Daytona Strong mastime, when they’d use the butter to cre- Above: With its curved shape and decorative design, krumkake is an iconic favorite cookie for Christmastime. ate cookies that reflected the celebratory time Below: Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger flavor these festive pepperkaker. that it was. While I can now whip up a batch of cookie dough on a whim, my ancestors’ experiences would have been much differ- ent. So the baking tradition that’s been passed Pepperkaker Krumkaker down from generation to generation is linked as much to the pleasure of eating something 2/3 cup butter (I use 1 1/2 tsps. freshly-ground 1 1/4 sticks of butter (10 3/4 cup sugar sweet as it is to hospitality. salted) cardamom tbsps.) (I use salted) 1 cup flour As an adult, I now keep the tradition of 2/3 cup sugar 1 1/2 tsps. ground cloves 1 tsp. freshly-ground up to 1/2 cup cold water, the syv slag kaker. A big question, though, 1/2 cup golden syrup 1 1/2 tsps. ground ginger cardamom seeds or as needed to thin batter is which cookies to include. Each family is 1/4 cup cream 3 cups flour 3 eggs to the right consistency likely to have its own list, but there are defi- 3 tsps. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. baking soda nite favorites. Back in 1992, Aftenposten— In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from Norway’s largest daily paper—surveyed In a medium saucepan, mix the butter, sugar, and golden the heat, stir in the cardamom, and let cool a bit. people and compiled a list of the most popu- syrup over medium-low heat until the butter melts and the sugar Beat eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the lar varieties. Smultringer and hjortetakk tied dissolves. Cool a few minutes, then stir in cream and spices. cooled butter, then stir in the flour until the batter is smooth. Mix in for first place. Krumkaker, sandkaker,- sir In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the bak- cold water, a little at a time as needed, to thin the batter almost to upsnipper, berlinerkranser, goro, and fattig- ing powder. Add the butter mixture and stir until incorporated the consistency of thick, heavy cream—it should pour well but still mann also made the top seven. and dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate coat the spoon. In this issue, we’re featuring recipes for overnight. Heat your krumkake iron and lightly grease it. To bake the some of those, but we’re incorporating some Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with cookies, drop a teaspoonful of batter into the center of the iron. other favorites into the mix. In the following parchment paper. On a very-lightly floured surface, roll out a lit- Bake until both sides are golden—this takes about a minute on my pages you’ll find my recipes for krumkaker, tle of the dough very thin, about 1/8-inch thick. (Keep the other iron. To remove, slip a metal spatula—some people use the tip of a berlinerkranser, fattigmann, and pepperkaker, portions chilled while you work.) Cut the dough into the shapes blunt knife—under the cookie and slide it off, then immediately roll along with other writers’ recipes for spritz, of your choice and transfer to the baking sheets. Bake 5-7 min- onto a cone and set aside to cool. snipp, and bordstabler. My own list for 2016 utes until the edges barely start to turn color. Cool on the baking Transfer to an airtight tin shortly after they’ve cooled, or serve also includes sandkaker, rosettes, and sirup­ sheets. Store in an airtight container. immediately. They can also be frozen. snipper, and you can find those recipes on my blog, Outside Oslo (www.outside-oslo.com). Tips: For me, the tradition isn’t so much about Today’s bakers have a choice: stovetop or electric irons. There the cookies themselves, rather the memories are benefits to either type, with tradition and romance associated and the love wrapped up in all those butter- with the former and convenience, speed, and ease of cleanup with the laden treats. I’ll keep baking these cookies latter. I personally use a dual-krumkaker electric iron that Grandma year after year in order to share the gift of my Adeline gave me years ago. Whichever model you choose, they’re heritage with those I love. available at many cookware and Scandinavian shops, as well as online. Don’t forget to pick up a couple of cone rollers, too. While everyone’s technique, timing, and workflow will differ, Daytona Strong is The Nor- I like to slide the cookies off the iron onto a piece of parchment wegian American’s Taste of Norway editor. She writes paper and immediately put more batter on the iron; by this time my about her family’s Norwe- krumkaker have cooled just enough to be workable (though still gian heritage through the hot), but not so much that they become brittle. By the time they’ve lens of food at her Scandi- set enough to transfer off the cone rollers and retain their shape, the navian food blog, www.out- next batch are just about ready to remove and roll. side-oslo.com. Find her on Be patient. It takes a little while to get the hang of the timing Facebook (www.facebook.com/OutsideOslo), and rolling. Some krumkaker won’t turn out just right, but that’s Twitter (@daytonastrong), Pinterest (@dayton- okay—part of the fun is sampling while you go, and the imperfect astrong), and Instagram (@daytonastrong). cookies provide a great excuse to do so. theNorwegianamerican Taste of Norway December 16, 2016 • C9

Perfect Spritz Cookies By Diane Olsen, adapted through the generations of Olsens and Gjerdes

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 tsps. almond extract 1 egg 3 1/2 cups flour dash of salt food coloring and sprinkles special equipment: cookie press Preheat oven to 350°F. With a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and almond extract, and mix. Add in flour slowly until com- bined. Tint with green or red food coloring, if desired. Put through a cookie press. We make Christmas trees, wreaths, stars, and hearts. Bake for 10 minutes, or until set. Cool on rack, and store in airtight container.

It isn’t Christmas without a plate of spritz cookies! It submitted by Christy Olsen Field is the favorite cookie on both sides of my family, and my mom bakes several dozen of them in December. They are buttery and not too sweet and keep well in Photo: Ann / Wikimedia Commons an airtight container. My paternal Buttery spritz dough can be made into many festive shapes and is a favorite for many families at Christmastime. grandma added baking soda to her recipe for a fluffier cookie, but I like how this recipe turns out. Berlinerkranser ~Christy

2 hard-cooked egg yolks 2 1/2 cups flour 2 raw egg yolks egg whites, lightly beaten 2/3 cup sugar (reserved from the raw 1 cup butter (I use salted), room eggs above) temp. 1/4 cup pearl sugar

In a mixing bowl, mash the hard-cooked egg yolks (you can do this with a fork, or you can do what Magnus Nilsson does in The Nordic Cookbook and press the yolks through a sieve). Mix in the two uncooked yolks. When smooth, add the sugar and whisk vigorously until smooth. Next you’ll add the flour and the softened butter, alternating, a little at a time, working as little as possible. It will still appear crumbly, but it will come together when you press it. Divide the dough into two thick logs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. When you’re getting ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375, line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and remove dough from the fridge (you want it to warm up slightly before you start shaping them—about a half an hour). Divide each piece of dough into 14 even pieces. Put half of the dough back in the fridge to stay cool while you work on the first half—the dough can be challenging to work with as it gets warm. Roll each piece into a log about 1/3-inch in diameter and about 4-4.5-inches long. Form each into a wreath with edges overlapping, and press together. Place the cookies on the baking sheets, about two inches apart. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so to help them keep their shape—if your baking sheets won’t fit, you can transfer them very carefully on the parchment onto a surface that will. Dip the tops of the chilled cookies into the beaten egg whites and then into the pearl sugar. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are very lightly golden. Cool a little on baking sheet, then transfer with care to a baking rack—perhaps just slid- ing the whole sheet of parchment on. Store in an airtight container. Freeze if you’re making them well in advance. Photo: Daytona Strong Makes about two dozen. Shaped as wreaths, these buttery cookies are as pretty as they are delicious.

from the Daughters of Norway

Uniting a sisterhood of women who wish to preserve Norwegian heritage.

join us at daughtersofnorway.org C10 • December 16, 2016 Taste of Norway theNorwegianamerican

Fattigmann

5 egg yolks 1/2 to 1 tsp. freshly-ground 1/3 cup sugar cardamom 1/3 cup whipping cream 1 tsp. baking powder 1-2 tbsps. Cognac or brandy 1/4 cup melted butter 1 3/4 cups flour Canola oil, for frying 1/4 tsp. salt Powdered sugar, for dusting

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar thoroughly. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in cream and brandy. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cardamom, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients a bit at a time, alternating with the melted butter, adding a little more flour if needed to make a dough that will roll well, but work the dough just as little as needed. Refrigerate overnight. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut using a fattigmann roller and separate the diamonds. Work one of the ends through the slit, repeating with each one. Heat about two inches of oil to 350-375 degrees in a heavy pan. Working in batches, fry the dough, flipping them with tongs when one side is golden, and removing as soon as the other side colors. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined surface to drain and cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar. Best the day they’re made.

Snipp Adapted from Mat Fra Numedal Cookbook 1/2 cup + 1/2 tbsp. butter 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp. cardamom 1 cup sugar cinnamon & sugar for the topping 1 cup + 1/2 tbsp. buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 200° C / 392° F. Melt the butter over low heat in a small sauce- pan. Let it cool. Blend the melted butter together with the buttermilk. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and cardamom together. Add in the butter and buttermilk mixture and mix until you get a firm and smooth dough. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a thickness of about 1 cm. Cut out diamond shapes and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops of each snipp with a good amount of cinnamon and sugar. Photos: (top & left) Daytona Strong, (above) Nevada Berg Bake for 10-12 minutes. Place on a cookie rack when finished to cool. Enjoy! Top & left: Fattigmann—these “poor man’s” cookies are a favorite Norwegian Christmas treat. Fla- Makes around 30 cookies. vored with cardamom and Cognac and dusted with confectioners sugar, these fried treats are anything submitted by Nevada Berg but poor. Above: It’s hard to beat cookies scented with cardamom and cinnamon, like these snipp. Stensland Books Books with a Norwegian Flair by Doris Stensland

Haul the Water, Ole’s Promise The Music Man Haul the Wood From Norway Norwegian sweethearts who pio- A sequel to Haul the Water, The life of a musician from Norway neered in South Dakota in the 1870s Haul the Wood who brought music to the Dakota prairies at the turn of the century. For ordering or information: view website www.stenslandbooks.com or order through Amazon.com theNorwegianamerican Taste of Norway December 16, 2016 • C11 The simple ingredients of tradition Most Norwegian cookies use the same few staples, but the possibilities are endless

Julie Logue-Riordan Cooking with Julie

When I look at Christmases past, one browned edges until you get to the chewy of my happiest memories is of eating the macaroon middle. beautiful and delicious Norwegian cookies My grandmother was an amazing baker. my grandmother made. Most of her cookies She would make hundreds of Norwegian were made of just sweet butter, flour, eggs, cookies every year and store them in old and almonds. The variety of cookies she metal tins decorated with Christmas themes, made from these ingredients is pure Norwe- and when they ran out she used pretzel tins. gian magic. I was mesmerized while sitting The aroma when you opened the tin was pure at her kitchen table as she rolled, shaped, and Christmas. Some years she’d make so many baked hundreds of cookies. they would last until Easter! She may have learned this recipe from Christmas at our home isn’t complete her grandmother. There is no telling how far without the Norwegian Christmas cookies back this goes. from the recipes my grandmother brought The recipe for bordstabler is unique; it is with her from Norway. Now I hope you will two cookies in one. The base is a rich tender create your own Christmas tradition. butter cookie. Then there is the macaroon- like topping of lightly toasted almonds finely chopped and gently folded into a meringue. Since I never seemed to get the topping just Julie is a farmers’ market right, I asked mom for advice. She is the groupie, seeker of local keeper of all things Norwegian in our fam- organic and sustainable ily. I knew I could count on her to help me foods, and Norwegian cookie addict. After many perfect the topping so it was just like my years living and working grandmother made. It turned out that I wasn't abroad, Julie opened her chopping the almonds finely enough. destination cooking school, Most bordstabler recipes call for shap- Cooking with Julie, in Napa in 2005. In addition ing the cookies into rectangles, hence the to teaching she’s testing recipes for her cook- name bordstabler (tables stacked). However, book of Norwegian sweets traditional and con- the tradition in my grandmother’s family temporary. Julie is a member of the Internation- Photos: Julie Logue-Riordan was to cut them into a diamond shape. I think al Association of Culinary Professionals and the The traditional shape for these is a rectangle, but Julie’s grandmother’s family has always used a dia- it’s the perfect shape; you can nibble on the San Francisco Professional Food Society. mond shape. Bordstabler Dough: Topping: 1 cup sugar 1/2 pound whole skin-on almonds, 2 sticks (4 ounces) unsalted butter blanched* 2 large eggs at room temperature 2 egg whites 2 tsps. heavy cream 1 cup sugar 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Heat the oven to 375°F with the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 baking sheet pans with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until they are fully incorporated, then add the cream. With the mixer on low, add the flour 1/4 at a time, mixing until just incorporated. Shape into 4 equal sized balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. In the meantime, bake the almonds in the oven for 4-5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Chop the almonds in the food processor until finely chopped. Any large pieces that remain chop by hand. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat on medium high speed until they have soft peaks, then increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar; mix for another 30 seconds, then fold in the almonds. Place an 18-inch piece of parchment paper on your counter. Working with 1 disk at a time, flatten into a disc on the parchment paper. Flour the top lightly and roll out dough until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut into diamond shapes: start by making parallel cuts in the dough about every 1 3/4-inches across using a ruler. Then make cuts on the diagonal every 1 3/4 inches. Remove the excess dough and any misshapen cook- ies and shape in a ball, cover and place the excess dough in the refrigerator to roll out and shape later. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Reroll and cut out the scraps. Top each diamond with about 3/4 tsp. of the almond topping. The topping should be a bit craggy and fluffy. They should be more flat than domed. (The almond topping will nearly double when baked.) Bake at 375°F, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until light brown: about 6-9 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then move to a cooling rack. NB: If the diamond shape is too difficult, then cut them into 3/4-inch by 2-inch cookies. To make them fancier, you could use a fluted pastry cutter. Makes 60 cookies.

*Blanching almonds: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the whole skin-on al- monds and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, drain away the water. When cool enough to handle, pinch each almond between your thumb and forefinger to pop the almond into your free hand. Place on a cotton towel to dry. It started with New Nordic cuisine and design. Now aquavit, the Spirit of the Nordics, has become the New Nordic drink of choice.

LINIE AQUAVIT AALBORG TAFFEL JUBILÆUM Norwegian icon Danish classic Danish classic

Try Linie mixed Try Taffel mixed Try Jubilæum with ginger ale in a Bloody Mary mixed with tonic

Finally Finally available available in USA in USA

Can’t you find Linie or Aalborg on the shelf? Ask your retailer to order it! US distributor: Sazerac Company, [email protected]