My Bride who is a descendant of King Harald Hardrada, and who speaks Norwegian and has relatives there, would never let me forget this day. She has certainly enhanced my love of Norway, although even she can’t make me love lutefisk!
Bonus:
Probably the best propaganda film not named Casablanca made by Hollywood during World War II:
“Every dawn German volleys crack. Czechs, Poles, Dutchmen, Norwegians, Yugoslavs and Greeks, Frenchmen, Belgians, Luxembourgers make the great sacrifice for faith and country. A vile race of Quislings—to use a new word which will carry the scorn of mankind down the centuries—is hired to fawn upon the conqueror, to collaborate in his designs, and to enforce his rule upon their fellow countrymen, while groveling low themselves. Such is the plight of once-glorious Europe, and such are the atrocities against which we are in arms.”
June 12, 1941
After the conquest of Norway in 1940, its vast merchant marine fleet, fourth largest in the world at that time, sailed for Great Britain and made a major contribution to Allied victory. During the War the Norwegian resistance effectively sabotaged the heavy water plants established by the Germans in Norway and materially aided in the effort to prevent a Nazi atomic bomb. To hold down Noway the Germans maintained an army of 300,000 men there. Norway throughout the War punched well above its weight.
Andrew Zimmern–a chef from some time ago and a personality on the Food Network made a living eating strange and disgusting things. He comes from Minnesota and he went to an annual get-together of a bunch of folks of Scandinavian heritage and they had lutefisk on the buffet. He found it extremely challenging! As I recall he didn’t finish it.