If you are going to show off by using a foreign word, why not go all the way and get
the sound right? The word is smögasbord. It sounds like smergasbord. I found a
Swedish pronunication site that said "ö" sounds like "i" in "bird".
Last time I had smörgasbord was at Ola's in Boston. I hoped to impress a pretty
girl by taking her there. She much later gave me the mitten, alas. But it wasn't
because she didn't like the smörgasbord.

Thanks, wwh, for the Swedish pronunciation.

It reminds me of learning that Thoreau hadn't pronounced his name "Thuh-ROH" the way most people pronounce it today, but, instead, "THAIR-roh."

What exactly does "giving the mitten" mean? It's not as harsh as a slap in the face, I hope. Could it be a gentle, cushioned slap?