Dutch Treats
One of the employees here in the Dutch office had a baby over the weekend, so today we were all treated to Beschuit met muisjes (little toast rounds slathered with licorice sprinkles) to celebrate: blue for boys, pink for girls. They tasted better than I thought they would, but I wouldn't make a habit out of eating them. I should also mention that my attempt to pronounce "Beschuit" came out very similar to the sound of a cat coughing up a hairball, but since it also sounds like that when pronounced by the locals, I didn't feel too bad.
I also discovered that the butter sammiches with chocolate sprinkles are called Hagelslag.
This is the best site I've found so far for explaining Dutch food and how and when it's eaten. I should mention that Stroopwafel are incredibly addictive. I'd buy a case of them to bring home if I could fit it into my luggage, but I'll have to content myself with a couple of small tins full.
I'm going to have dinner with my students tonight at the hotel restaurant; it looks pretty traditional, so expect further reports.
Comments
Looks like when they are not havin potatoes they are havin sweets and vice versa. I read somehwere that when the canals freeze over you can ice skate for miles , from town to town etc. is that so?
Posted by: Fritz | February 28, 2005 6:41 PM
It's been cold here, but definitely not cold enough to make skating on the canals feasible.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | March 1, 2005 3:24 AM
Trader Joe's out here has Stroopwaffeln. I must say, though, that they're more appetizing in theory than in practice. Perhaps they're better when they're freshly made. As they come here, they're flexible and gingery but without a trace of caramel beyond what binds the two sides of the cookie together. Essentially, they're cookie laminates.
Posted by: jkcohen | March 3, 2005 1:07 AM
yes we do have the 11 cities race for ice skating, but only when the ice is thick enough , every 10-20 years,
now eat a kroket and you finished the treats.
by the way good to see that someone actually likes
it
Groeten uit Holland,
Hemaworstje.
Posted by: Hemaworstje | March 3, 2005 3:14 AM
Jonathan, real Stroopwaffeln should be two crispy wafers filled with thick, carmelly goodness. What you're getting at Trader Joe's sounds equivalent to the export version of Heineken: weak, watery, and skunky.
Hemaworstje: I'm sure that Kroket tastes delicious, but unfortunately, it looks like a piece of dog shit in that picture on the Dutch food website.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | March 3, 2005 4:14 AM