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As we do every year, on the August long weekend we headed up to Gimli for Íslendingadagurinn, the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba. We usually go on the Saturday so my partner can watch the Magnús Classic, the annual strongman competition and qualifier for the Magnús Ver Magnússon Strongman Classic in Iceland. (For more on the competition and strongmen, check out Eva’s great piece).
So while she watched large men lift heavy rocks and other things, I picked up some vinarterta from Sugar Me Cookie Boutique, stopped at H.P. Tergesen & Sons (my favourite store on Earth) and then meandered through the myriad of food trucks and kiosks to the Vingólf Beverage Gardens… where I proceeded to get properly Dinged.
No, “getting dinged” doesn’t refer to slugging back copious macro brews, fruity coolers or boxed wine available at the beverage gardens — rather, it’s a fun rite of passage for those (grown ups) attending the festival who want to be christened an “honorary Icelander.”
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Getting Dinged at Íslendingadagurinn entails donning a viking helmet, eating a piece of hardfiskur (dried fish), chasing it with a shot of Brennivin (an Icelandic aquavit/shnapps), chanting “Íslendingadagurinn” three times and then roaring like a viking.
(I imagine the equivalent in Canada would be putting on a hockey helmet, eating a Timbit, chasing it with some Crown Royal and then yelling “beauty eh” three times while hoisting a curling broom. Boom — honorary Canadian.)
Volunteers prepare the hardfiskur and Brennivin shots for those about to get Dinged. (Ben Sigurdson / Free Press)
Before I knew it, a too-small plastic viking helmet teetered atop my head as I choked back a piece of hardfiskur, which was thankfully small and only moderately fishy but incredibly dry.
Despite my dad’s side of the family being Icelandic, hardfiskur was (thankfully) never really around when I was a kid visiting my Amma and Afi (my dad’s parents).
Then came the Brennivin, which for many would be about as appealing as hardfiskur. Brennivin is distilled from fermented grain and infused with caraway, and is considered Iceland’s national spirit. It’s an acquired taste — and for me this part of getting Dinged was a pleasure, as I love the stuff.
So down the hatch it went, and you know what? As the delightfully spicy drink warmed my insides, maybe it did awaken a modest bit of viking in me, as I enthusiastically chanted “Íslendingadagurinn” thrice before letting out a modest (and certainly not even slightly scary) roar.
Properly Dinged. (Random stranger / Free Press)
Anyway, with Folklorama in full swing, getting Dinged got me thinking about exploring food and drink from a range of cultures.
What pavilions do you like for food and drink — and what other fun food/drink rituals are out there that are akin to getting Dinged?
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