Only in Minnesota...

Northeast artist Jeff Lohaus is on a mission to erect a $100,000 statue of a pierogi on Central Avenue. Yes...a pierogi. You know, the food? A nod to the Eastern European culture of Northeast Minneapolis, the "Pierogi Project" will involve Lohaus building and erecting a 17ft bronze monument formed in the likeness of the tasty dumpling, complete with a fork stuck in it.

When asked by the Strib how he plans on tying in the area's more recent Mexican and Asian immigrants, Lohaus says the answer is simple, "Filled and cooked pockets of dough are a nearly universal food. Mexicans call them empanadas. Tibetans call them momo. Nestlé calls them Hot Pockets."

To raise the whopping $100,000 he needs for the project, Lohaus is selling mini versions of the proposed sculpture. In other words, we may see the full size monument erected in 2045 or so. However, if you want to snag your very own hand-cast pierogi, you can visit the artist's website for more deets and contact info.

The comments on the Strib's online article are pretty LOL-worthy, as is the video clip in which a worker at Kramaczuk's Deli thinks James Lileks is giving her an award in the form of one of Lohaus's mini-pierogi statues.

photo by David Brewster for the Star Tribune