I had never heard about Garrison Keillor, until you mentioned him. Tried looking him up to listen to his stories and see if anything connected. To me he seems to describe American midwestern life, which still feels very American to me. In many ways the Midwest is the quintessential America to me.

What is funny about Fargo, is that I thought North Dakotans would be like that, but I was disappointed to discover that such mannerism and accents were rare to non-existent in the early 2000s when I was in ND. Ironically the locals were convinced that me coming from Norway would be exactly like that. I guess they were disappointed as well.

There is certainly something Scandinavianish about Fargo. We also have that kind of low-key way of being. Not too chatty etc. But it is still very different. People don’t have that kind of chirpy upbeat “you sure betcha Norm!” You hear in Fargo at times.

I also feel the “farmer” cultural imprint there and in Norway farming does not have that same significance in society and in society and in the sense it does it is very different. With the mid west ai think huge grain fields. Norwegian farming is much more about sheep, goats, cows, forest. Much more about dealing with the wild nature. So much land utilized by farmers historically is what we call “ utmark” in Norway. A concept that does not exist in the US. It is areas you cannot really grow crops on but which you send in animals to eat the vegitation.