I also remember around the same time seeing Bear Wizz Beer, Dicken’s Cider, & co-ed naked “insert sport” t-shirts.
The first was really good. It was a new take on the magic school genre for me.
Another to add, Howard Mohr put together a great informative video on Minnesota cultural and linguistic practices that is really valuable.
Welcome! We appreciate having you here.
While housing prices everywhere are terrible, MN is generally more accessible than many other states. The current us income to housing cost ratio average a few years ago was 5.3 where the MN average is 4.0 and in some areas still lower at 2.5.
Source: https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/08/01/where-housing-is-most-and-least-affordable-in-minnesota/
It’s still super busy regularly. The amusement parks area in the middle is Nickelodeon now and not Camp Snoopy. There’s an IKEA across the street. Still fun to go if that’s your kind of thing.
I’m happy to help or answer questions if I can. I’m partial to Mankato, but I have traveled to a good portion of the state.
Salad doesn’t need to feature greens as a base. This is one of my favorites, but skip the pineapple.
I added a top level comment with the details.
The DFL party - In the 40’s, our state Democratic Party merged with our Farmer-Laborer Party.
Duck, Duck, Grey Duck - it may be closer to the original game imported from Sweden also, we like that you can have fun with fakeouts like “Green Duck”
Our pride in our confederate flag - MN was the first state to commit an infantry to the US Civil War. During Gettysburg we captured the 28th Virginia battle flag. We refuse to return it.
Lutheran sushi - it’s a delicious and ubiquitous snack here.
Hotdish - usually, the casserole is the dish, hotdish is the meal item itself. Tator Tot hotdish is a classic of the art.
Talking about the ‘91 Halloween blizzard - if they are Gen X or Elder Millennial it was a foundational moment growing up.
Ice fishing - drill a hole in the ice on a lake and bullshit with friends while waiting for fish to bite. Often alcohol is involved.
Any in particular or would you just like an explainer on each?
He had a replica Terra Cotta Warrior statue. It’s still at the school. He taught in a Chinese American experience school for a while after graduation and then would take students on a 2 week long trip to China at the end of the year when he taught in Mankato. (My wife was a student of his and we live in the community.)