Minnesota, the name comes from a combination of Native American words that mean "sky-tinted water or cloudy water". I know Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. I learned that from playing license plate bingo during my youth. After you get past those facts and the memory of the Vikings choking in four Super Bowls my knowledge of Minnesota really tails off a lot. I bet yours does too. So, let's learn a little more about Minnesota.

Minnesota is further north than Shreveport or even Little Rock. A lot of Saints fans will be traveling north this weekend for the NFL Playoff game between the Saints and the Vikings. Here are some tips, tidbits, and inconsequential knowledge that might help you enjoy your visit if you happen to travel there.

Hot Dish and Juicy Lucy are not proper terms for drunk female Vikings fans. Those terms actually apply to things that you'd want to be seen with and aren't known to spread disease.

Hot Dish is the unofficial official meal of Minnesota. It's a hearty blend of meat, veggies, a starch like potatoes or wallpaper paste, and canned soup. Think of it as a northern form of Jambalaya without really good ingredients or flavor.

The Juicy Lucy is actually a burger with a surprise inside. It's a cheese stuffed burger and in Minnesota, they take it seriously. There are a lot of places to get a Juicy Lucy in the Twin Cities and since it's meat, cheese, bread, and condiments even the Vikings couldn't mess this one up.

It's going to be cold on game day. Forecasters believe temperatures will be in the single digits or colder at kickoff time on Sunday. In Minnesota they don't believe in bad weather, they believe in bad clothes. So, if you wear the appropriate clothing you'll be fine as long as it is colored Black and Gold.

The game will be played indoors, thank God the Vikings no longer play outside like those Neanderthals in Green Bay and Chicago. U.S. Bank Stadium is basically brand new and will not only host the Saints and Vikings this weekend but it will host the Super Bowl about the time baseball's spring training starts.

Okay enough with the tongue in cheek comments. I think you will find the good people of Minnesota and the Twin Cities to be very welcoming. Almost everyone I have met while traveling in Minnesota or who is from Minnesota seems to be "good people". I think you will find a lot of Louisiana in their friendly smiles, hearty food, helpful attitude, and overall gracious approach to life.

So, come for the football game. Stay because your plane can't take off in sub-zero weather or there is too much snow on the ground. Just remember to bundle up because if you don't  your skin could start to turn blue and that could be confused with Vikings purple and we wouldn't want you to be mistaken for a Vikings fan.

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