By Shelton A. Gunaratne ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚©2010
Professor of mass communications emeritus, Minnesota State University Moorhead

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Three ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”CrocodileƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Dundees from Rockhampton, Qld., the home of the Gunaratnes for 10 years from 1976, landed in Fargo-Moorhead Thursday, 6 May 2004. They had hobnobbed with us during the days when we were trying to mould ourselves into fair dinkum Diggers and Sheilas. At the time, I was a lecturer at the local degree factory called CIAE.

Yoke-Sim went to FargoƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Hector International Airport to welcome our three matesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚Winnie Forday, Paul Khoo and his wife Dorothy. Forday, a well-to-do Australian-born Chinese woman who (with her late husband Albert) led the Chinese community in Rockhampton for many years, was on this tour because she wanted to explore the world now rather than never. Khoo, a Chinese gynecologist of Malaysian origin practicing in Rockhampton, wanted to go fishing in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes. Dorothy, a Kingaroy-born Queensland native who married Khoo after a doctor-nurse relationship, wanted to see and feel the land of Lake Wobegon, the fictional creation of author-humorist and story teller Garrison Keillor (b. 1942).

From the airport, Yoke-Sim accompanied the trio to the Holiday Inn in West Acres where they checked in and briefly relaxed. The arrival of the Aussies coincided with a workshop on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-building racially integrated communitiesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ organized by the Lutheran Social Services at the same hotel complex. In her capacity as the executive director of Cultural Diversity Resources, Yoke-Sim was an invited participant of the workshop. She, in turn, invited the three visiting aliens and me to see the cultural performances and displays at the workshop. (It was at the Holiday Inn that I met and greeted our visitors.)
Although we tasted a variety of ethnic food at the Holiday Inn, we decided to entertain the visiting trio with dinner at a local restaurant with an Aussie ambience. So we took them to the nearby Outback Steakhouse (401 38^th St. SW, Fargo), where our daughter Carmel served as a waitress. Any Bruce or Sheila would have had a tough time choosing from the range of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Aussie-tizersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the menu offered: Alice Springs chicken quesadilla, kookaburra wings, Gold Coast coconut shrimp, walkabout soup and so forth. (Outback Steakhouse is one of several chain restaurants operating in 21 countries with headquarters in Tampa, Fla.) Back at the Holiday Inn, Khoo treated all of us to ice cream and coffee. We chatted on until close to midnight.

Recalling memories of the dinner, Dorothy Khoo wrote me recently, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-When we met up with your daughter in the Outback restaurant, I was amused by the menu, especially the Toowoomba pasta and the Cyclone chicken!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

The visiting trio had ample time to explore the West Acres Mall and other attractions in Fargo-Moorhead most of the next day (Friday, 7 May). In the late afternoon, they stopped by at our home on Village Green Drive in Moorhead, Minn., to see us in our natural habitat. Then, we accompanied them to eat dinner at the Saffron (3003 32^nd Ave. SW, Fargo), our favorite Indian restaurant in Fargo known for its tasty tandoori chicken, tandoori shrimp, lamb vindalu, lamb biryani, etc. (Saffron ceased its Fargo operation in 2010. An Indian restaurant with the same name operates in Westmont, Ill.)

Khoos Meet Bowerses

Because Fargo-Moorhead (pop. 200,102) metro area had little to offer to match the interests of the visiting Dundees, we decided to make their visit memorable by introducing them to the Bowerses (Jim and Kathleen)ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚our long-time Yankee Doodle buddies who lived in a mansion by Lake Minnetonka in Excelsior. Besides, Bowers knew the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan Area (pop. 3.5 million) like the contours of his palms.

Khoo, like Bowers, did not hesitate to flaunt his wealth to the hoi polloi.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Their impulsive actions reflected a failure to distinguish between anatta (no-self) and atta (self).ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Thus, when Khoo volunteered to rent a van to transport five peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚the Khoos, the Gunaratnes and FordayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚for the trip from Fargo to Excelsior, one could not be certain whether his motive was dictated by ego (atta) or generosity (anatta).

Saturday (8 May) morning, we left Fargo-Moorhead on the 240-mile trip to Excelsior. Yoke-Sim was the driver. We stopped in Fergus Falls for breakfast. When Yoke-Sim revealed that she had left her purse at home, Khoo volunteered to pay for all of us.

We arrived in Excelsior about noon.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Bowerses welcomed the Khoos and Forday to the Twin Cities. Over lunch, they got to know one another relatively well in terms of socio-economic status, leisure interests and other proclivities.

The magnificent view of Lake Minnetonka from the BowersesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ home impressed the Khoos and Forday. It might be the Lake Wobegon that Dorothy Khoo was aspiring to see. It might well be the ideal spot for fishing and boating that Khoo was dreaming about. It might also be one of the scenic spots where Forday aspired to stay overnight now than never.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If it were any or all of the above, the Bowerses were ready to accommodate.

In the mid-afternoon, Bowers and I took Khoo on an orientation tour of the mega-metropolis. Bowers drove his four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser (a vehicle reputedly tested in the Australian Outback) all the way from Excelsior to Owatonna (pop. 24,533), 70 miles to the south on I-35. We stopped at CabelaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s StoreƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚a specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandiseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚so that Khoo would have access to high-quality merchandise if he were in the mood to splurge.

Meanwhile, Kathleen took Dorothy, Yoke-Sim and Winnie Forday on a metro tour of clothing and weaving shops because all of them had a common interest in quilting.

Back in Excelsior, the Bowerses treated us to a sumptuous dinner. DorothyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s sense of good humor and outback yarns kept the conversation going until late night.

[My hunch is that Bowers also took all of us on a boating tour of Lake Minnetonka the same afternoon. The Bowerses accommodated all of us at their home for two nights.]

Sunday (9 May 2004) turned out to be a day for all of us to remember.

To accommodate KhooƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s wish to eat fish, Bowers had planned a 112-mile (roundtrip) sightseeing tour of the Twin Cities metro area so that at lunchtime we could be at the Catfish Saloon and CafƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚© (3291 Saint Croix Trail S.) in Afton, Minn., on the Saint Croix River, 50 miles east of Excelsior.

Bowers preferred to drive his Land Cruiser, which could comfortably fit all of his five guests. (Kathleen had opted out to attend to her personal chores.) Bowers started the tour with a drive around Lake Minnetonka to show us the homes of the super rich in the BrackettƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Point/Wayzata Bay area: such as the Cargills house, the Dayton/Burnet house, the Pillsbury/Jundt house ($53.5 million), and the Ritz house. I heard the Oohs and Ahs of the Sheilas as they saw these mega mansions.

Then, driving east on I-394, Bowers took us to Minneapolis, where he drew our attention to the Guthrie Theater/Walker Art Museum complex, the IDS Tower, etc. Driving further east, he crossed the Mississippi to Saint Paul, where he wanted us to see the behemoth barges moving along the river carrying all kinds of cargo to and from New Orleans.

Continuing further east, Bowers turned south at the Saint Croix River, the boundary with Wisconsin. Soon, we disembarked in Afton, which is well known for Afton Alps, the largest ski and snowboard area in the Twin Cities metropolitan area (Wikipedia).

The Afton State Park, located further south along the Saint Croix, is also a popular camping spot.

Eating catfish in Afton, hobnobbing with local families on a sunny Sunday, was a delightful experience. We tried out lightly seasoned, breaded, deep-fried catfish fillets. They were served with cole slaw, waffle fries, dills and garlic bread stick. I remembered the previous occasion I ate catfish. That was three decades agoƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚in summer 1973ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚when my younger sister Kanthi and I were the guests of the Wigtons in Gadsden, Alabama. Catfish is a very popular food in the Deep South.

Because we came all the way to Afton to fulfill KhooƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s craving for fish, he (Khoo) insisted on footing the bill for all six of us! After eating lunch in Afton, Bowers drove us northward along the Saint Croix River to Stillwater (pop. 13,000), a charming city that attracts many weekend tourists who like to explore its historic downtown’s used bookstores, antique shops, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, historical sites and, of course, the scenic valley of the St. Croix River, a tributary of the Mississippi. Dorothy Khoo was unhappy that she did not run into Keillor in one the used bookshops. Forday marveled that I had friends like Bowers who would take such a personal interest in a bunch of visiting Dundees.

A Tornado Scare

Then, Bowers reckoned it was time for us to get back to Excelsior. He collected his passengers, got onto I-694, and drove the Land Cruiser westwards. As we were getting closer to Maple Grove (pop. 50,365), Dorothy Khoo was the first to notice the rapid formation of dark clouds in front of our very eyes. She wondered aloud whether it could be a tornado. Driving at high speed on the freeway, Bowers kept mum when pitched darkness set in accompanied by lightning, high winds and rain. We were some 17 miles north of Excelsior, when all of us realized that we were at the mercy of a tornado. Bowers turned south on I-494, calmly turned west on SR-7, and drove all the way to the garage in his Excelsior home.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I knew that the tornado was chasing us. I managed to beat it,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Bowers subsequently bragged. It was a memorable event that the Aussie trio is unlikely to forget.

However, Dorothy Khoo summed up our 2004 Minnesota mishap rather mildly: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I loved being there with you all. And when we were being followed by the tornado, I was quite worried!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

As Paul Khoo recalled: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The tornado was an unexpected surprise, exciting as it was our first experience.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

All of us enjoyed the hospitality of the Bowerses the night of the tornado.

Monday (10 May 2004), Yoke-Sim and I returned to MoorheadƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
(Part B: Kangaroos, Koalas and Kookaburras)

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Figure 1: Route of the Twin Cities Tour on Sunday, 9 May 2004. A=Excelsior; B=BrackettƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Point/Wayzata Bay; C=Minneapolis; D=Saint Paul; E=Afton; F=Stillwater; G=Maple Grove.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Picture 1: A view of the St. Croix River upstream of (and looking toward) Stillwater, Minn.

(Source: Wikimedia Commons. Originally from http://en.wikipedia.org)