I Was Thinking... A Tradition Continues

Several weeks ago, you may have noticed more traffic than usual on 8th Ave. NW in Kasson on a Thursday as well as detecting an unusual odor coming from the area near St. John’s Lutheran Church.
The answer of course was their annual lutefisk dinner. Cars from Rochester, Pine Island, La Crosse, Wis., Austin, Albert Lea, Minneapolis, Owatonna, Decorah, Iowa, and many other cities far and near converged on the church to partake of a meal that has been served by the church since 1930. But it has changed considerably since then.
In 1932 the price for a ticket was 40 cents and only a hundred people could be served. Men and women would gather nights before the dinner to skin the fish and potatoes were mashed by hand.
After a 20-year absence, the dinner resumed in 1962 on the 4th Thursday of October. That year they purchased 160 pounds of fish and 28 pounds of ground beef for meat balls and served 268 people at $1.75 per person. Attendance continued to grow with more meals added.
Statistics in the 1970s included 900 pounds of fish and 200 pounds of ground meat. By 2019, 1,700 pounds of fish, 575 pounds of ground meat, and 950 pounds of rutabagas were needed to serve 1,830 meals.
After having no meals during the COVID era, the dinner was returned in 2023 with reserved tickets and five seatings. This year a 6th seating was added, and 1,338 meals were served. But preparations started long before the dinner. For nine weeks, volunteers met on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to peel, cook, and rice potatoes and then roll the 379 dozen lefse for the meal and the bake sale. But what brings people to a dinner where the main course is a fish that has a very questionable reputation?
Despite being the butt of many jokes for its taste or smell, lutefisk dinners in Minnesota still draw large crowds. To many attending, it is the draw of their Norwegian heritage. Many show up to the dinners attired in the Norwegian sweaters they proudly purchased in the homeland. But some may have gotten them at Decorah’s Nordic Fest or Hostfest in Minot, N.D. Several had shirts made of the Norwegian flag. But others simply remember that this was a traditional meal served by grandma, and they want to relive the experience.
For the most part, the clientele for many of these meals are older folks. That would explain the abundance of “handicap parking spaces” made available. But despite the fact that some are in a wheelchair, using a walker, or a cane, they appear eager to be a part of the annual fall traditional experience because it is more than just a meal. While the food is the draw, the fellowship and friendliness adds to the atmosphere. Greeters meet visitors as they get out of their cars. Inside more greeters direct them to the bake tables or the waiting areas in the church. Later, each group has their own waiter escort them to the dining room and serves them the meal. Some people come as groups, while others plan to meet friends or relatives at the dinner. Even after the eating portion is completed, many spend more time just visiting before they head back home.
Even though the church promotes lutefisk as the featured entr?e, not everyone is a devotee of the white fish. Some church members, including several pastors, tolerate the smell but do not partake of the flakey fish. It has never been accurately determined how many people that buy tickets really eat the lutefisk. However, there are just as many that eat their share and more. One waiter reported his table had five servings of fish. So maybe it is true, “lutefisk is the piece of cod that passeth all understanding.”
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