The Endive Chronicles

Most of you know I am originally from the Puget Sound region of Washington State and that I am very (some might say overly) proud of that fact. I used to think I knew all there was to know about my region, but in moving home and reacquainting myself with the city, I have realised how little I really know. I have always know that Seattle or more specifically Ballard has historically been a haven for Scandinavian immigrants to the Pacific Northwest. But, beyond laughing at Ballard jokes, eating gravlax and wondering what “uff da“  means I really don’t have a clue about the culture of these people who have done so much to shape the city I love.

I decided to do some research on the subject and found out some very interesting things. Like so many others, Scandinavians were drawn here by opportunities in the logging and fishing industries as well as a more alluring opportunity; The Klondike Goldrush. I also learned that many famous locals are of Scandinavian descent such as department store magnate Nordstrom, restaurateur/character Ivar Haglund and most recently famous; the Hansen brothers from Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch“. When I opened my eyes, I realised that Scandinavia is all around me with Scan Design, Hotel Andra, Nielsen’s Authentic Danish Pastries, and even Swedish Medical Center. Now that I had a small, but decent grasp on the history of this wonderful community I decided it was time to get to the heart of the matter; I needed to sample the food. So I headed to Ballard or more importantly to Olsen’s Scandinavian Foods on Market Street.

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For the last two weeks Phil and I have been sleeping on an air mattress, cooking with one pan, using paper plates and plastic utensils. Yesterday nearly a month after they left New York, our things arrived filling our tiny apartment to the rafters. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to you all for the lack of pictures from the road as my computer has just been located after a long tedious excavation and my Internet has yet to be established*. I am posting this from my parents computer and she does not have the programs I need to get the job done. I promise that in the coming weeks I will have full reports on everything from my mother in-laws amazing Lithuanian cooking, fiddle-head ferns, saussion d’Avignon, watermelon radishes and the elderly Frenchman who is my new wine merchant. After two weeks of having nothing to do but poke my head into neighborhood shops I am starting to get my bearings and am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you.

 See you next week!

Thank you for visiting!

Erin

*Note to self: Quit screwing around and get a laptop already!

As you are reading this I am in Pennsylvania breaking the first leg of our journey. My mother in-law is taking every opportunity to take me shopping and to stuff us full of wonderful Lithuanian foods. It’s a nice rest between packing up and before the other 2,735 miles of our 2,934 mile Westhampton Beach, NY to Seattle, WA, my new old home. Not to worry, I will be back and posting all about life in Seattle by Friday the 13th of June and I can’t wait to share with you all of the reasons I love the Pacific Northwest. For now I would like to focus on the place I have lived for the last four years, Westhampton Beach and so I leave you with this letter.

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