June 4, 2024 – Ann is here today in OurLittleCorner
Forty years ago today (June 4), Bruce Springsteen released his iconic album Born in the USA. I haven’t listened to the title song for years, but I know there is some controversy over its use by He Who Needs Not Be Named at political rallies, since right wing political groups have often considered it a “nationalist” anthem. Way back when it was released, both Ronald Reagan and George Will praised Springsteen for the song. They totally misunderstood – and clearly didn’t listen carefully to the lyrics.
“Born in the USA” is both anti-war (specifically, Vietnam) and pro-veteran, portraying the economic difficulties veterans were facing 10 years and more after returning from the war. Apparently, it was Springsteen’s enthusiastic fist-raising to the line “born in the USA” that got right-wingers wound up and confused about the true meaning.
Because we’re known for being a very “random” blog (thanks, Sara!), I’m not going to dwell on Springsteen’s message but instead focus on the title: Born in the USA – or maybe not? When Andy was telling me about his blog for today (a very unique spin on Slouching Towards Bethlehem), he asked me what it was my mother always used to say to me about slouching. She would say it in Swedish, probably because her parents were born in Sweden and spoke to their kids in Swedish as much as English. In my mind, she’d correct my posture with a stern “strect poda pitzen,” but there’s no Swedish translator online that recognizes anything like that. ” “Sträck” in Swedish is “stretch”, so I’m guessing that was one of the words. Maybe “stretch your back?” If there are Swedish speakers amongst our readership, please help me out here! 🙂
I can’t even comprehend how difficult it must be to emigrate and not speak the language of your new country. A new acquaintance of Sara’s (fyi -Sara is our daughter) just arrived here from Cuba with her two young school-age children – and none of them speak English. My Swedish grandmother arrived in the USA by herself at the age of 15, with hardships in Sweden forcing her to leave her home and family and try to find work here (she ended up In Minnesota as a housekeeper for the then-governor). My Swedish grandfather recounted how, upon arriving in NY, he boarded a train going west, and the only English word he knew to order food was “egg.” So he only ate eggs as he traveled across country.
It’s obvious. My recipe for today is a tribute to my Swedish grandparents and my mom. And I promise to stand up straight (at least most of the time) as a tribute to the three of them. Luckily, I’ve got another Swedish expression correct. My mother often used it. So “tusen takk,” Annie and Gus and Gladys…for everything.
Annie's Swedish Meatballs
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- 3/4 lb of ground beef
- 1/2 lb of ground veal
- 1/4 lb of ground pork
- 1 1/2 c soft white bread crumbs (mix the 1/4 c milk and the onion into the bread crumbs and let sit for a couple of minutes before adding to the meat)
- 1/4 c milk
- 1/2 c minced onion (or 1/4 c of grated onion)
- 1/2 c half & half (the original recipe calls for 1 c, but I’d start with 1/2 c and add gradually until the consistency seems good)
- 1/4 c chopped parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp Diamond kosher salt
- 1 tsp Accent (aka MSG)
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
Form the meatballs (I like a Swedish meatball made with about 1 oz of meat mixture) and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
Serve with milk sauce made by melting 1/4 c butter (or use 1/4 c of drippings from the cooked meatball pan) and stirring in 2 T flour. Let that bubble for a couple of minutes, then add 1 1/2 c of half & half, 3/4 tsp instant coffee (I use Starbucks), and 1/2 tsp salt; mix in. Bring back to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened.