Another Stinky Fish Festival
Posted by Guano & Associates | Posted in | Posted on 10:44 PM
Last night, we went with the folks from church to experience surströmming for myself. Now, you may remember from previous posts, the Kathy has already experienced it (read it here!)
We arrived at the church, walked into the kitchen and were immediately met with a stench which reminded me of rotten food and feet. Eventually the party started and we sat at the end of the table with some other Swedes. Kathy, being the new expert, showed me how to take the flat bread, spread on LOTS of butter, then put sliced potatoes and onions, and finally add pieces of this fermented fish on top. Individual styles varied from person to person, most did it like the two Americans, kind of like the way you would put anchovies on a salad or something. Others, like Kamilla made a potato, onion, roe and fish flesh hash which they then spread on top of the cracker bread. Finally, Johan did it like us but then added coleslaw so that he could get the effect of the cream to even out of the saltiness of the fish. Several of the men mentioned that there was a standing bet for the American missionaries, if they drank the juice out of one of the bulging cans, they got $20. Another one of those things that is supposed to "put hair on your chest"!
I ate the fish and didn't have any problems getting it down (Daniel says he went outside and puked!) but the smell will live on. I stepped outside to get some more batteries for the camera, paid no attention to the fresh air until I walked back in... the wall of stink met me again. Here's hoping the church is properly aired out by tomorrow. After eating all the onions and fermented fish, I'm not sure anyone was kissing their spouses on the way home!
Nothing says spreading the word of God like drinking can's of nasty fish water remains. I hope Daniel was taking notes... At least he's got the discrete puking thing down (that's a necessary skill for some south American missions).
The question is who had the stinkier burps? ...and
Did Mandy make you sleep outside?
It was pretty even on the stinky burps... between the onions and the fish, the whole house was pretty rank the next day. Mandy was licking Kathy's fingers so much, she even started to chew on them a bit. I kept picturing the maggots they put on rotting flesh to clean up a wound.