Evening star., 1936-11-01

that the American standard Of lean
berouged feminine beauty finds little |
favor here Even the young girls are
not contented with toasted sandwich |
and a drink to ease the monday
hunger while keeping of the pounds.
No indeed One goes into a res
taurant and sees them eating such
dishes as spare-ribS and Sauerkraut,
or huge portions of steaming knack-
wurst and richly buttered mashed
potatoes.
1--WE need the good substantial
food" laughingly challenged chubby
blue-eyed maiden who was enjoying a
hearty luncheon. 1T is too cold here
for dainty salads like you eat in the
East. Besides our men like women
who are more than just bones"
Watch them walk gayly along Mic
ollet avenue. the Fifth avenue of the
Northwest. husky. with lovely high
country color and spring in their
step. They are not clothed in tawdry
last-minute fashions. To many this
may appear to be because the drought
as kept hard times here. However, a
more careful scrutiny will reveal that
madame prefers something good in a
coat or dress so it will last long
time. Because OF this Minneapolis is
among the few remaining cities where
women buy quantities of yard goods
to sew themselves or must have their
clothes made to order. According to
the ladies ready-to-wear is not so
popular since good clothes are difficult
to buy at reasonable prices in the
larger sizes.
Nevertheless Minneapolis has first
class department stores and good
speciality shop district. But the pres
ident of one insisted that if he were
dependent upon the Minneapolis won-
en- only for custom. he would have
gone out of business long ago. 1t is
the women of the surrounding States
who come into the largest city of the
Northwest to do their buying from
whom he draws the largest trade.
THE longer one remains here the
more one feels that the strongest
underlying influence in Minneapolis life
is Scandinavian with its attendant
Lutheranism; this in spite Of the fact
that many women have carefully ex-
planned to me the city is supposedly
dominated socially and financially by
the old New England families who
first settled here. And certainly few
Scandinavians are found amid the
ostentatious Victorian dwellings that
crown Lowry Hill, or in the houses
which skirt the three lakes of the
silk stocking district. Yet madame
from New England is forced to admit
that while the Scans (aS they are
called here) we're brought in from the
old country to build the railroad and
settle the land. today it is the in
fiuence of the latter which permeates
| the city.
Take sports, for instance. They
form a part Of the daily city life
Skiing, tobogganing. skating-young
and old of both sexes enjoy them.
And in spite of the fact that the city
has won world renown from its !oca-
! ton along the deep gorge of the
Mississippi River and there are II
large lakes inside the city limits, even
the school Fairgrounds are flooded in
the Winter so the little children can
skate under supervision Of the teach
ers. In the Summer there is boating,
swimming and other out-of door
sports for rich and poor alike in the
l43 parks within the city limits.
While the "Scan" mother has
Americanized quickly at the same
time, there is a certain racial integ-
rity in her nature which makes her
cling to many of the old customs.
Take the Norwegian women. They
were always f1sh-eating people and
even here do not care for meat and
vegetables. And today in Minneapo-
lis with all the propaganda on child
feeding, you often find mothers rear
ing the tow-headed chubby young
sters primarily on fish. All Scans
are great coffee drinkers and even
in the poorest family there must al
ways be good heavy cream for the
coffee. It Is question Of losing face.
for among the Scandinavian ladies
conformity plays a strong part In her
life. A mother feels her husband is
not doing his duty if they do not
own their own little detached house
and live close to their friends.
WHILE she insists on having her
w home modern in every way in
side and out, yet she wants her chill
dren to remember the ''old ways. u
On Christmas eve there is not q
"Scan" in Minneapolis who is not
serving steaming ludefish (dried cod
fish), rich cookies and wine to her
guests. However, the Swede will serve
it with Q rich cream sauce, while the