Above: Meatballs, coleslaw, lefse, and mashed boiled potatoes (lutefisk not pictured).
I was invited by a group of friends Saturday to a Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner put on by the Bothell Sons of Norway. Apparently, they do this once a year. I never heard of it. I never heard of lutefisk either.
"Do you know what lutefisk is?" the person driving the car questioned.
"No, I don't. What is it?" I responded.
"It is like a fish with the consistency of jello. They soak it in lye first."
"What exactly is lye?" (I've heard of lye, just never really knew what it was).
"It's what they use to make soap."
"Ew! Fish jello that was soaked in soap? Do you like it?"
"It's not my favorite, but I'll eat it," he said.
The place was packed with a line out the door. We had a party of eight. Luckily, someone in our party got tickets before we arrived. We still had to wait awhile.
Once we were seated, the food started coming. We started with lefse, a tortilla made from potatoes, which then we spread with butter and sugar and cinnamon to our liking. It is served cold, unlike an Elephant Ear you would find at a fair.
More food came out. Swedish Meatballs (which were excellent and my favorite), boiled potatoes (that you can mash and pour melted butter on), coleslaw, and of course, the lutefisk.
As it was set on the table, I felt the gross texture of it. It feels more like the congealed fat juices of a roast beef after it has been refrigerated. The only difference in the texture is that it is hot.
Being the brave soul that I sometimes can be, I decided to try some. I took a couple of small pieces, the size of two nickels, put a little of the sauce on, that was made for it. That was enough for me. The texture was just too weird. Being the fact that it is cod that is soaked in lye and then boiled to a gelatin consistency didn't help much either.
Whenever we ran out of any of the food items, they brought more and more. I could have eaten a dozen or more of the Swedish Meatballs, but I decided to be good, and not regret it later. The guys in our group scarfed down the lutefisk by the pounds... yeah... I really don't get that. Apparently it was "really good this year."
We were served a cookie and some orange vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Afterwards, we walked down to the Country Village. They had roasted chestnuts there! I was so excited because I never had roasted chestnuts before. That one Christmas song makes them sound so great! The chestnuts were not great. They were bland, and the texture was horrible. Maybe if they were actually roasting on an open fire, instead of a barbecue grill? Maybe that would have helped the lutafisk too.
So, if you are looking for something different to do around the holidays next year, look up the Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner in Bothell, WA. You can try the lutefisk and tell me if you like it.
