Oh dear! Midsummer came and went, and I hardly noticed it. This is, as I am sure you are all aware, a deadly sin for any Swede -- exiled or not. Midsummer is, after all, the time of year when Herring must be eaten and Akvavit must be drunk, all to the merry laughter and singing that traditionally accompany both (not to say the traditional drunken fist fighting that often come afterwards -- we are a repressed people, you know).

There are no excuses; This Must Be. (Except for the fist fight.)

To our great fortune, I just had a private shipment of freshly canned and bottled replenishments from the Motherland and my landlord will be away for at least a fortnight. What does this mean? This means it's prime time for a Party! Last year, the police arrived around 11 pm after they neighbors had had enough of our feisty debauchery -- and our somewhat untuned but highly "lubricated" singing voices. Let's see if we can make a new record and have them over by 10 this time. ;-)

In Sweden, herring parties tend to start around lunch and continue throughout the night and it's no random coincidence that a lot of Scandinavian babies are born in the spring, like yours truly. We, however, plan to start at the somewhat more laid back time of:

6 pm, Saturday the 29th of June

The place is my tiny little back yard at:

207 High Street, Palo Alto
(near the corner of High and Hawthorne,
3 blocks north of University, 1 block east of Alma)

Everyone and their friends are welcome, but I will need RSVPs because space is a bit limited. Last year's event was a raging success, but I felt bad for the latecomers who missed out not only on the complete ingestion experience, but also had to sit up on the stairs because all available yard space had been consumed.

BTW: If you're new to this and want to know more, check out last year's party invite on http://www.vix.com/people/lennart/Sillphest-95.html or the FAQ below.

Väl mött!
--Lennart

*** Sillphest FAQ v1.0 ***

Q: What? You want me to eat raw herring?
A: No, not raw -- pickled! We're talking about fish that has been subjected to a bath of vinegar and spices for many weeks until they get tender and juicy and... Mmmmm, it's good -- trust me!

Q: Yuck. What else will you have to eat?
A: Sour cream, fresh chives, boiled potatoes with dill, knäckebröd with cheese.

Q: Bread? OK, that sounds safe. What about the drinks?
A: Ah yes, the drinks! To ease the digestion and raise the spirits, a wide variety of akvavits will be served (flavored vodkas). Examples include Skåne (fennel), Beska Droppar (wormwood), Hallands fläder (elderflower), and Aalborg (caraway? I forget) + one or two home made varieties.

Q: Home made? Uh-uh. Have you done this before?
A: No, but I make excellent beer.

Q: Ah yes, beer. OK, you've sold me.
A: (Except I ran out at the last party.)