Comments | snurri: This Post Talks Too Much

snurri

This Post Talks Too Much

May 12, 2009 13:22

Those of you who have never met me in person may not realize that I have a pronounced Minnesota accent. It is not as pronounced as say, Marge Gunderson's, but it's there. To a certain extent I can dial it down, but when I'm among family (particularly my mom's extended family) it gets pretty thick. The long Os, the low almost-chant when the topic ( Read more... )

midwesterner

Comments 22

anonymous May 12 2009, 20:53:05 UTC

My late Uncle Warren (a Norwegian from Green Bay) had the best definition for "uff da" that I've ever heard: "It's the sort of thing you say after getting swished in the face with a horse's wet tail."

Pete (www.petelit.com)

snurri May 13 2009, 00:58:09 UTC

Ha! I like that.

10yroldwhizkid May 12 2009, 22:25:31 UTC

Oh man, you just solved a great mystery for me. There was a horse named Uff Da at the stables where I rode as a kid. He was a little chestnut Arabian. My mom and I never understood his name and the stable people were just like "I don't know, he's Scandinavian or something," like it was some sort of family name. All this time I was wondering how a Scandinavian Arabian got to the middle of Missouri. I mean I guess I'm still wondering but now I know what it means!

Also Andrew Zimmern, Bobby's mom on Bobby's World, and now you have contributed to belief of mine that Minnesota is this magical place with strange voices and magical folk food and a giant octopus. I want to go to there.

snurri May 13 2009, 01:00:15 UTC

Wow, I totally had to look up who Andrew Zimmern was. BUT YES WE ARE MAGIC. Sometimes evil magic (see: lutefisk), but magic nonetheless.

Zimmern rules kristintoday May 16 2009, 02:35:42 UTC

You really should try to catch the Zimmern Minnesota episode. It was fun, especially the part about lutefisk, but I got the feeling that throughout the episode he was really selling Minnesota and felt the need to justify living here to his old New York friends. It was geeky but sweet.

bootsinrain May 15 2009, 06:55:12 UTC

Sounds like a need for a voice post.

While I've never heard anybody say it, all the people of Norwegian descent I know in New York, my family not excluded, will throw it in now and again, but only in a sort of topical way, as after discussing the wonders of being descended from Viking raiders.

snurri May 16 2009, 23:00:58 UTC

It is most definitely a signifier, even for people who have no idea what it means.