 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
>>Return
How Do You Like Them (Lingon) Berries?
Daily Press Sept. 9, 2003
By Eric Bradley
You could tell from their accents and penchant for lingonberries that these weren't the average Harley riders, fresh from rockin' 100th birthday bash.
These Swedes, 22 of them riding 13 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, made an unexpected stop in downtown Escanaba Tuesday. They were lured by a billboard promising their kind of home-style cooking.
"We saw the sign of the Swedish Pantry on the highway and had to stop," said Dan Wallin, a hardware merchandiser from Tumba, Sweden, a suburb of Stockholm.
The Food? "Excellent, Very good," he said.The group made national news at the festivities in Milwaukee by wearing blue plastic hats with yellow horns sticking out of them. The tongue-in-cheek reference to the Viking past did remind people that Sweden boasts the world's highest number of Harley-Davidson owners — per capita — than any other nation.
The group started the trip to Milwaukee on Aug. 21 after they shipped their bikes to New York in a 40-foot container. Traveling the eastern seaboard, the group went sightseeing on their way to the party.
After the stint in Milwaukee the trip continued through the Upper Peninsula and eventually to Toronto, Cape Cod and a return to New York scheduled for Sept. 12, Wallin said.
"We planned for this trip for three years and now we are here," said Wallin before leaving Escanaba at 10:30 a.m. and bound for Sault St. Marie.
Swedish Pantry owner Phyllis LaBranche and manager Lori Cosette were flattered the visitors liked their cooking. The menu wasn't decided by the time of day, either LaBranche said.
"Swedish meatballs, hamstuffed potato dumplings and Swedish pancakes — we made whatever they wanted, dinner or breakfast," she said.
A traditional dish made from lingonberries was popular as was an old Swedish standby — Limpa toast, she said.
The Midwest didn't seem too foreign to the Swedes, who recognized familiar Swedish names on mailboxes and from those they talked with. But highlighting the American tour was the 100th anniversary party Harley-Davidson threw for its customers and longtime fans.
The thousands of fans of the Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker spent Labor Day weekend taking in everything Harley - including motorcycle exhibits, memorabilia sales and a 10,000-motorcycle parade.
Annika Eklund, a member of the pack, called the event "totally crazy."
The travelers were surprised at the friendliness of Americans. Some Milwaukee residents helped them find their way through the city and others cheerfully guided them to other destinations.
"All along the way people have greeted us with open arms," biker Tomas Lindstrom said. "It makes America lovely to travel in with a lot of great people."
 |
819 Ludington Street • Escanaba, Michigan 49829 • 906.786.9606 |
 |
 |