The teacher in me can’t pass up an opportunity to assign grades to nearly everything I come in contact with, so this week I thought it would be fun to assess the one tradition that makes our state unique among all others.
When speaking about all things Minnesotan, one surely has to start with the renowned, time honored tradition known affectionately as the meat raffle. That’s right, step aside Tater Tot Hotdish and all the other North Star state legends and customs, there’s just no way any other ritual comes close to comparing to the act of gathering in an establishment and spending a small fortune for a chance to win something you could drive six miles down the road and purchase yourself.
Rumor has it, meat raffles actually started in Britain during WW2, but if you have been a resident of our fine state for more than a few months, there’s a better than average chance you’ve been to, and participated in, spending a dollar on a chance to win a fine package of meat. You see, Minnesotans have taken this tradition to a whole new level. Just for fun, we reached out to some relatives in Florida about their meat raffle traditions and not surprisingly, their response was something akin to “what’s a meat raffle?”
Simply stated, a meat raffle combines lotteries, beverages, shopping, hunting (if you win), competition, heckling, and the chance to donate some funds to a local, worthy charity. It can also be a good form of exercise if you happen to pick the lucky number (think doing bicep curls with a tube of hamburger).
Then there’s the added bonus of the opportunity to do a little bragging. Nothing beats the feeling of hoisting a slab of ham over your head in a moment of triumph.
Nothing can turn neighbors against each other faster than a “meat hog” who wins multiple raffles in one night. In fact, several years ago my wife and I showed up at a meat raffle with our own wheelie cooler filled with ice and I boldly announced that I was there to “clean up” on the night’s activities. True story, we won five times and filled our cooler with a plethora of pork packages while some of our friends were casting aspersions on us and accusing us of cheating and “rigging” the whole thing. Some of the other people were giving us death stares and I seriously considered sneaking out the back door. I don’t have the statistics to prove it, but I sometimes think perhaps ten percent of the unsolved homicides on record could be traced back to meat raffles gone awry.
I’ve lost track of all the places we’ve been across the land of 10,000 meat raffles to try out the different versions of this community celebration. We’ve even witnessed places that will make you wear a paper “pig nose” if you win multiple times. And yes, I have seen people fear for their well-being (yes, meaning me) if they happen to be an “out-of-towner” who wins a couple rounds. If you want to really live on the wild side, try throwing $20 in a pull tab box and pulling a $100 winner during the down time between meat raffles. This is guaranteed to produce at least one death stare and most likely a few loud, boisterous objections and threats that may or may not necessitate armed security for a person to get out of town. The really passive-aggressive people will come and ask you where you’re from. At this point, it is imperative that you never reveal where you are really from, but instead pick a town not too far away and mention that you are “up for the night” visiting your grandma. No one wants to harm someone who is visiting their grandma.
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the meat raffle gets an A+ for a grade. It’s fun, exciting (in a sort of weird way) and potentially dangerous all at the same time.
Not to mention, it’s uniquely Minnesotan. Florida might have warmer weather, beaches, and many other great amenities, but most of those in the Sunshine State have never heard of a meat raffle. They just don’t know what they’re missing.
