Everyone has a lefse story, at least in Lefse Land, and I hear lots of them when I sell at events such as the recent Potato Days Festival in Barnesville, Minnesota. The following story was told to me by Sharon and Bob Hovland of Barnesville, pictured above.
It seems that Wilma Fredrichs (Meyer) once traveled from Iowa to visit the Hovlands. Wilma musta chuckled when she told of the time she made lefse for a dinner, and when she finished placed her stack of lefse rounds on the dining room table. It was a potluck, and one of the guests arrived with a casserole, warm and ready to serve. With Wilma prepping food in the kitchen, the guest saw this distinctly attractive hot pad with brown spots on the table and, thinking Wilma had meant the hot pad was for the casserole, placed the casserole dish on the hot pad.
Wilma emerged from the kitchen, and all appeared to be ready on the table for the dinner … except one thing. “Where’s the lefse?” said Wilma.
The guests who brought the casserole didn’t know what lefse was and were flummoxed. Wilma figured out PDQ that the lefse was under the casserole dish and removed the dish.
Guest were blown away with the lefse (no surprise) and how tasty and tender it was … especially served warm.
Reminds me of this poem I wrote for The Last Word on Lefse:
"Here's What You Do With Lefse" Use lefse as a shingle or As chaps if you're a cowpoke. You want a saddle blanket then? Try lefse ... just a small joke. What else? How 'bout as napkins or As tire patches, too? A bath mat made of lefse, though, Is soon to turn to goo. Lefse makes some nice diplomas. As sheepskins, they would do. If just Norwegians got them, though, Who would you give them to? It's just like toilet paper, but That's simply lacking taste. I say to those who make this claim: "Lefse surely ain't for waste!" Don't use it as a handkerchief No, lefse wouldn't do. To those who say that this is done Just say that that snot true. Alas, we've had some fun here You have to know it's so. The only use for lefse is For eating, don't ya know. From The Last Word on Lefse: Heartwarming Stories—and Recipes Too!