My LINKcat AccountHere it is, the second week of May and, as any Norwegian will tell you, we're getting very close to Syttende Mai. The 17th of May (Syttende = 17, Mai =May) is the day Norwegians celebrate their independence from 500 years of being ruled by Denmark. In 1814, on that date, the Norwegian Constitution was signed and gave Norway its independence. This day is celebrated in many Norwegian homes by eating Norwegian foods (lefse, lutefisk, solte, rollepulse, rommegrot, pickled herring, open-faced sandwiches, frikadeller, fiskboller, and other delicacies.) and drinking traditional adult beverages such as beer and akavit. Sometimes the high spirits of the celebration lead to disrespecting the Danes. Except when I was growing, because in our house my father and uncle were Norwegian (on both sides)while my mother and grandmother were Danish (on both sides). So the men could have their adult beverages and toast the King of Norway, but if they wanted to ingest any Norwegian delicacies, the Danes in the house had to be shown some respect. It's funny how national battles are sometimes fought and sometimes worked out in the smaller arena of the home. Our home front on the 17th of May always had a touch of tension in the air but the 17th of May is only 24 hours long so it was over before it got much traction. Speaking of traction - how's that for an awful segue? - there a lot of new books listed below. Enjoy!
