Lingonberries

Swedish-Americans can be annoying in their Swedish pride.  Depending on what part of the USA in which you reside, you may be painfully aware of this fact, or blissfully ignorant.  I know it well, being of this heritage myself.  And though I agree that it can be annoying, I contribute to it.  In fact, this is the coffee mug I drink from at work, inherited from my desperately Swede-centric Uncle Bryce:-)

But I am a black sheep in the Swedish-American community.  Is it because I married a Danish-American?  No.  I like to think the Scandinavian-Americans are past these silly divisions, though I'm probably wrong.

No, I am guilty of something far drastic, something that is personally and morally reprehensible in the eyes of many.  Are you ready for it?  

I don't put lingonberries on my Swedish pancakes.  There.  I said it.  True confession.

Now you may be thinking, "what's the big deal?  The man's entitled to his own taste, right?"

Wrong.

A bit of background: Lingonberries are tiny, red berries, probably most closely related to the cranberry.  When stewed into a jam-like sauce, it is a truly beautiful thing, and a unique contribution from the Scandinavians.  In the minds of most, this berry confection is a perfect complement to a heaping helping of Swedish pancakes, a wonderfully ethnocentric breakfast, hopefully served on a blue and white porcelain plate.

My refusal to put lingonberries on my Swedish pancakes is not because I dislike the magic red sauce.  I love lingonberries.  I repeat:

I love lingonberries.

But, I also love Swedish pancakes.  I mean, I love Swedish pancakes.  It's really not healthy.  I am a ruthless and irrational defender of the goodness of the greatest breakfast food on the planet.  And this is why I cannot bear to cover them in lingonberries.  Lingonberries are wonderful, but they are powerful, and when slathered upon the culinary perfection of a Swedish pancake, they overwhelm its scintillating flavors.  I find a simple coat of butter to draw out the natural goodness of the pancake better than lingonberries.  

Swedish pancakes need no savior, and so I eat them with butter only.  

And I save the lingonberries for those foods which are in need of redemption: whole wheat toast, rye toast, biscuits, and when I'm really in an international mood, an English muffin.  

So if you're ever in Rockford, IL, and find your taste buds craving the sort of salvation that only comes through Scandinavian cuisine, do yourself a favor and stop by the Stockholm Inn.  

And I suppose you can make your own decision about the lingonberries.  

Shared Pregnancy - Labor Of Love (LOL) 5K Walk/Run

Run with me, or walk if you prefer. Help set up, hand out water, or cheer for runners. It's for the kids, you know? No better way to spend the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Shared Pregnancy - Labor Of Love (LOL) 5K Walk/Run

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