Hetalia: The Fifty Stars

Chapter 32: Lutefisk - An Exotic Delicacy

Minnesota. The 32nd state is often seen as the very definition of a Midwestern state. Winter coats, snow, thick accents, Fargo, and nice attitudes, the state can be weird to anyone unaware of its culture.

One part of Minnesota's culture people find baffling is her food, particularly lutefisk. Known to be eaten in parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, lutefisk consists of whitefish soaked in lye. To those who don't know what lye is, it's a chemical where one of its uses is curing foods (other applications include drain cleaners and soap making). Lye is a dangerous chemical when handled incorrectly can burn through human tissue if spilled onto flesh. Surely it's a good idea to marinate fish with this stuff!

The famous dish is not only dangerous to make, but its taste is also very peculiar. It's the reason the other States regard Minnesota like a lutefisk. Unique and bizarre.

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Christmas for the States of America is a special holiday full of winter delight and heartwarming celebration. Unlike Thanksgiving, the gatherings are much smaller, usually grouped by region where one State among group becomes the host of their respective gathering. The reason for this is mainly to spare everyone from buying over fifty gifts to spend time and money on, much to the relief of States with low incomes. Also, it gives the States much more freedom to celebrate their own version of the winter holiday, allowing their creativity and culture to flourish in preparation for this time of year.

During one year, it was Minnesota's turn to host the Christmas celebration. She usually hangs out with Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, North Dakota, and South Dakota; sometimes a State or two from the Midwest may decide to celebrate with them. However, Minnie is having a special guest who's not from the Midwest, leaving her quite nervous on how they're going to react to her traditional Christmas feast.

For Texas, this was her first time visiting Minnesota for the holiday season. Her visit isn't that unusual considering some States like New York travel to warmer climates to escape the harsh winter. But considering the Texan isn't a fan of cold weather, her visit comes as a rare surprise. Still, she couldn't refuse Minnie's invitation to her Christmas feast, especially after she attended her outdoor barbecue earlier that year. Thus, Tex arrived in the Midwest on a freezing morning, defrosting herself in the warm family room while Minnie and the Dakotas prepare the food in the kitchen. Altogether, they waited for the rest of the guests to come over.

"Game! The Winner is...Meta Knight!" the announcer on the widescreen TV declared as the screen panned to Meta Knight striking an impressive pose in front of Ice Climbers.

Sitting underneath two layers of beige, faux fur blankets on the brown, leather sofa, Texas, wearing a light-up sweater in the colors of her state flag and a pair of navy blue jeans, gave off loud hoots while North Dakota, wearing a Christmas tree sweater and brown cargo pants, sat adjacent to her, groaning to another loss.

"I don't feel like playing anymore..." he grumbled.

"Aw, come on, Forest! Let's go again!" she laughed.

"Nuh-uh! I'll only play if you don't pick Meta Knight."

Tex rolled her eyes. "Right," she scoffed.

"I'm serious! Meta Knight is OP. At least pick a new character instead of Meta Knight every time."

Tex sighed. "Fine, loser. I'll pick," Tex scrolled through the character screen, "... Solid Snake for this next game. Happy now?"

Although iffy about Tex's choice, North Dakota picked up his controller and chose his own character. He picked Ice Climbers again, earning Tex's stink eye. He was quick to notice.