I feel Swedish, But I'm Taking Pills for it!



Mom (Bernice Eklund) in 1948

 

Swedish flag



My mother was a first generation Swedish-American. Her parents came from  Sweden. This makes me second generation Swedish-American.

I know, you are asking, "Hey Jim, why don't you have blue eyes and blonde hair?"  That is a stereotype of folks who think we all look like that, but in reality, we Swedes take several different forms. We come in all shapes and sizes, and some of us have the Nordic blue eyes, blonde hair, but some are known as dark Swedes. Mom and Mor Mor (grandma) were dark Swedes with chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes. Her Dad, was a dark blonde with blue eyes. 

We are proud, hearty, intelligent, long-lived, peoples who make a difference in the world, if we can. We give out the Pulitzer Price each year to people who do good things. 



Pippi Longstocking is Swedish


 

nice, sexy Ann-Margret is Swedish!



Being a  Swede is fun. We have strange customs like eating cod fish that has been soaked in lye, which we call Lutefisk. And, we are famous for Swedish meatballs, IKEA, Swedish Fish candy, Nordstrom, Ann-Margret, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Pippi Longstocking, Bjorn Berg, Ingersol-Rand equipment, Tina Nordstrom  on PBS, singing group ABBA, Mrs. Olson of Folger's Coffee, the Swedish Chef from the Muppets, and a slew of other people and things. 



IKEA stores are from Sweden





Lutefisk!  It's Gute fer Yew!



Smorgasbord at Christmas (God Jul)

Did you know we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve? True. A Swedish family will have dinner, then open up presents on Christmas Eve. We eat a smorgasbord, or a formal dinner with shrimp, lutefisk, Swedish meatballs, lefse, lingonberries, potatoes, potato sausage, and desserts with Spritz or Peppakokor cookies. We drink mulled wine with spices and brandy called "Glog" which will get you higher than the space shuttle and make you feel like you love the world.  Many families then go to late night services at either a Lutheran, Ev. Covenant,  Methodist or Baptist church. (There are some Catholics who are Swedish too, but the majority of us are Lutheran of some form because the official church in Sweden is the Lutheran Church.) Ann-Margret is the only Lutheran to have dated Elvis Presley!

 

Midsommar Festival



Swedes long for summer!  It is in our genes!  In Sweden, and in the USA, we dance around a decorated cross called a Stang and sing songs during Midsommar, which is June 21 during the solstice.

 

Jimmy the Swede driving a boat at Green Lake in Minnesota last year.

 

We Swedes do love water. It is in our blood dating from before the Vikings. I long for lakes in the summer, go boating, fishing and swimming.



Swedes in America settled in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Chicago, California and pockets all over the USA. Minnesota has the largest percentage of people with Swedish blood. This is where the Swedish American Institute is located in Minneapolis.  



Some Swedes celebrate our heritage by carrying on the traditions our Swedish parents gave us, and it falls into the trend of being "multi-ethnic."  If I go to Chicago (or anywhere there is one) I stop at IKEA and pig out on a plate of Swedish meatballs every time. And, you can still find Swedish churches that celebrate their heritage across the country here with high mass and communion. Some celebrate Julotta, a Christmas Day service at 5 am, before the sun rises!  I took in Julotta at First Lutheran in Longmont, Colorado once at 5 am.. We sang "Nar Juldasmorgon Glimmar" which translates into "Christmas Day is Dawning."

 

Swedish pancakes with lingonberries



Al Johnson's Swedish restaurant in Sister Bay, Wisconsin, (located in Door county) is a great place to eat Swedish pancakes with lingonberries with Swedish meatballs. They have goats on the roof, which is a tourist thing to attract tourists, but the food and gift shop there are wonderful.  Georgetown, Colorado, named after King George of Sweden, is a good place for finding Swedish stuff at the International Shoppe. 

  

Greta Garbo was Swedish



Yes, some people have asked me on the spot to say something in Swedish: I give them Greta Garbo's "I VANT TO BE ALONE!"



Some people know she is famous for saying that, and get a laugh, because it's not spoken in Swedish, but English. But I do know how to say some things in Svensk. Like, for instance, I say "tak sa mycket" which means "thanks so much." Or, I will say, "var sa gud" which means "you're welcome." in Swedish. My Mom used to say my hair "looks like Scrut!" which means junkyard in Swedish, I hope. For years I thought she meant the "S" word. LOL

Swedish Dala horse

Being Swedish is fun, cultural, fun to share with others, and we get along with so many people! 



Yah, sure yew betcha heh! 



Kom Igen!  (Come Again!)

Chicago is My Kind of Town!

I had to leave Green Bay to get back into civilization. I had to get back my confidence of feeling like I can fly in the real world. Living in the North for two years in the near outback of Wisconsin can be isolating. I made my reservation at a new hotel, Hyatt Place in Schaumburg, near Woodfield Mall and the new IKEA.  I left the dog with the neighbors and roared out of town down I-43 toward Chicago.

Once I hit Russell road on I-94, I knew it would not be long I would be at my destination. The Illinois trees are different once you hit the border compared to Wisconsin's trees, my Mom always said. Would you believe Illinois raised the rate on the tolls?  It was almost $3.00 for the first one near Zion, and then $1.50 near O'Hare. They upped the anty by a buck. But you get a smooth road to drive on, and those Moasis rest stops that span the freeways! Cool!

I settled into my room at Hyatt Place. The $58 room featured a L shaped couch, wet bar, and desk as you walked in. Then with wall partitions, the King size bed was back by the window, and the sink, and separate toilet and bath on the back wall. A neat design which made it feel like a nice small apartment. The pool and hot tub was nice.

I ventured out on the sunny warm day in January and caught a inbound Metra commuter train to Union Station at Schaumburg to head downtown Chicago. I chose my seat in the upper part of the gallery car, which is double decker. The ride was smooth, and was a milk run, stopping at every train station into downtown.

Union Station was all a glow with Amtrak passengers, and people riding commuter trains in and out. I walked into the huge vaulted waiting room, and stared at the ceiling. My Mom used to eat lunch here at the Fred Harvey Restaurant next to the huge waiting room in the 1940's when she worked in an office nearby downtown. And, my Dad came home from World War 2 in this very train station too in 1946 on a troop train. I have taken many trains out of here myself on Amtrak. 

Then came the ride back to Schaumburg on the $7 unlimited weekend pass I bought from the conductor on the inbound train. Time for dinner at IKEA, yes IKEA, the massive Swedish design store. Up I went on the elevator to the third floor and ordered me a huge plate of Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, and lingonberries.

 Got a glass of milk to wash it down. Being a Swede, it is natural to eat Swedish meatballs. Dey are Gute for Yew! I walked around the store a little bit, and then settled into the pool and then bed at the hotel across the street with a glass of wine. The huge flatscreen TV had interesting programming on it to relax to - one called REST, which I really enjoyed seeing to unwind.

I retired to a nice King size Sealy bed, made for Hyatt, which gave me a good night sleep.  

I woke up too late for complimentary breakfast, so I ate a cheap breakfast at IKEA. Then, I headed down the backroads to downtown Chicago. Through nice neighborhoods, and across on Touhy Ave, I found Lake Shore Drive! 

Nice!  Sunny morning, nice drive on Lake Michigan.  Cruised through the Miracle mile on Michigan Avenue, and was hoping to catch a glimpse of Oprah. No luck. Hoardes of people shopping on Sunday morning on Michigan Ave I found!

Ended up near the Chicago Skyway in a not so nice neighborhood, and then drove I-94 back up to the Skokie Highway, which is Hwy 41. Stopped in on relatives in Zion, IL before I came back to Wisconsin.

Yes, it is nice to be able to be within reach of a city like Chicago when you live in the outback of Wisconsin. Chicago is a nice getaway, and my kind of town!