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When I was seven, my folks moved our family to Holland where we lived for the next five years. A big motivator for this trip has been my longstanding desire to make that return to wooded Wassenaar with my wife and kids -- a little journey back to Narnia, to smell old smells and eat old treats.
Because I was a kid back in those days, almost all of my key food memories are snacks, and ever since we entered Belgium, I've been knocking items off my list like some revenge-driven dude in a Clint Eastwood flick.
Frites met (fries with mayonnaise): check.
Meat croquettes ("What's in them? What's in them? We don't know!" laughed our waitress who confessed she never ate the stuff): check.
Cassis soda: check. (OK, seven Cassis sodas: check)
Poffertjes (micro-pancakes with powerdered sugar): check.
Pankoeken (crepes-like macro-pancakes): check. Stropwaffles (molasses 'n waffel/cookie treat): check. No photos for either of these, unfortunately -- they went too fast to capture.
Just about all that's left is jonge (young) Gouda -- you can get Gouda cheese in the States but it's almost always smoked, with all the Gouda (pronounced with a Yiddish-esque "chhhh"-ouda)-ness blown out. Jonge Gouda's a whole different taste sensation. If heaven was made of cheese, it would be thin-sliced jonge Gouda.
Jonge Gouda, I'm coming for ya....
Addendum....
Jonge Gouda: check.
Addendum to addendum...
A slower-moving stropwaffle.
Likewise, this pankoeken with kiwi was eaten in 14 seconds rather than the usual 10, giving us just enough time to snap a quick pic.
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Jonge Gouda-I'll have to ask my Dutch friend here where to get it. I've certainly found non-smoked here. I'll ask the cheese mongers at Piedmont Grocery & at the Rockridge public market. (Had some amazing Beemster XO at the latter on Monday.)
I knew the Belgies had mayo on fries. I never realized it was half a jar. I can feel my stomach turning.
BTW, I'm writing this after being woken up by an earthquake. 4.2, and apparently under our house. (Well, technically the Persian family 3 houses away's house, and 4 miles down, but close enough to claim credit.) Everyone here's fine. See y'all soon.
re the mayonaisse (and the cheese) (and the powerded sugar) (and the seven sodas) all I'm saying is, at customs I'll be declaring that I'm bring back out about 10% more of me than I brought in.
Crazy re the quake -- those close ones can be rough and scary I know -- glad all's well.
-Cecil
Boy, you've really gone native. You'll find that American attitudes about consorting with young cheeses are far less permissive than those on the pervert-ridden Continent. Marsupial's going to end up on one of those TV sting shows--he walks into an ordinary-looking house expecting to pick up a shipment of Young Gouda, and out of the shadows appears John Gibson to ask him uncomfortable questions about his proclivities.
He's right about one thing, though: the quantity of mayonnaise on those fries is sickening. Death by Mayonnaise, indeed.
Also, we have a word in this country for pictures like that one of the mini-pancakes with powdered sugar. That word is pornography. Between that and the photo of the underage cheese, I wouldn't be surprised if you were arrested at the border and never heard from again.
I love that you are adding pictures now! And if you bring back some cheese for a Death March prize, I just might march for it! You can keep the mayo...
love the walk down food sensory lane. as you know, i grew up in jersey, and i long for the day when i can bring my wife and two little ones home, to taste the rare jersey treats that only my mind's eye (mouth) recall: friendly's ice cream, bagels, chinese food, pizza, and a 7-11 big gulp*.
authentic gouda in san jose:
http://www.hollandsbest.com/cheese/geitenkaas.php
*i really can't recall others. fellow jersians, unite and help me!
Those little sugar-powdered microdonuts sure look an awful lot lke beignets
and I'm having pankoeken flashbacks! You can put *anything* in crepe!
Hi!
Just a tip: It's called friet (or patat!), kroket, stroopwafel, and pannenkoek :)
And you should really try the older Gouda cheese too!