Saturated

One thing which can definitively be said about the Dutch: They like their deep fried food. From the kaas souffle, to the loempia, and onward to the borrowed Belgian snack--frites with mayonnaise, there is very little that the Dutch won't fry in fat. The snack shops and kiosks and train station automats are a celebration of all things hot and dripping with grease. This is serious comfort food at its finest.

Tonight after work I saddled the bike to make a quick run to the grocery store, hoping for inspiration in the what-to-make-for-dinner department. It didn't arrive timely. I walked out of the store with only apples and laundry detergent in my basket.

And then a plan presented itself.

Our Elise--nanny, savior, freedom-from-diapers-deliverer, and friend--is spending her last night on Dutch soil. Tomorrow morning she will finish packing her bags and the two of us will then schlep them together to Schipol airport. Unbelievably, the three months of her allotted tourist visa stay have flown by, and it is now time for her to return to the sunny skies of Arizona. But I realized tonight I just may have been remiss in her education and culturization of Dutch life. Yes, I had failed to feed her a frikandel.

A sausage of sorts, perhaps better described as a minced meat concoction in tube shape, this mass of mystery meat is dropped into the friteur and cooked to gross greased perfection. Personally, I like my frikandel slapped onto a bun and smothered in peanut sauce, but you can eat them plain too. And how can you leave Holland without such a treat?

Without hesitation tonight, I rode my bike down the street to the corner snack shop, stepped in and placed my order. Upon arriving home I plopped the feast upon the table for the kids and their au pair.

I have to admit, it was all pretty much finger likin' good. I only hope that given the grease consumed it will serve to stop up my tear ducts and allow me to say tot ziens to the princess in the morning, with some sort of dignity.

I am going to miss her company something fierce. We all are. And while I attempt to adjust to life without my Elise, I will most assuredly be looking for some comfort.

Hey! Will someone please pass the ketchup?

Breakfast of Champions

15 Dutch Foods I Have Eaten

Eaten them all. Most of them more than once. Several could indeed be called favorites.

1. Kroket
a deep fried concoction of beef or potato or vegetables. always available at the automat slots in the train station or at the snack stands.

2. Frikandel
a minced meat sausagey thing. like a hot dog, but not at all.

3. Patat or Frites
technically Belgian. thick cut fries served in a paper cone or box. dipping sauces include mayonnaise, curry ketchup, or pinda saus (peanut sauce).

4. Appletaart
dutch apple pie. crust is more cake like than the american version. also has raisins. served with fresh cream.

5. Sausage broodje
sausage inside a pastry. served warm or cold.

6. Nasi Goreng
indonesian fried rice. also must haves at a rijstafel: Bami Goreng, Satay, Babi Pangang...

7. Shoarma
another food not necessarily Dutch in origin, but totally Dutch by adoption. a spicy shaved meat served with pita bread, garlic sauce and hot chili sauce.

8. Stroopwafel
waffle type cookies with caramel filling pressed between. best hot off the grill at a market stand.

9. Cheese
nothing better than this. any flavor, any time.

10. Loempia
vietnamese egg roll. fresh off the loempia trucks with hot sauce or sweet sauce. my 13-year old can't keep money in his pocket if there is a loempia stand nearby.

11. Erwtensoep
split pea soup. i have learned to make a killer pot of my own. very yummy when it's very cold outside.

12. Kibbeling
chunks of white fish, deep fried. served with a choice of dipping sauce. perfect market shopping day treat.

13. Hutspot
potatoes, onions, carrots. mashed together.

14. Poffertjes
little poofy pancakes. best when served fresh off the grill with dripping butter and powdered sugar.

15. Koffie
you may think it's a drink, but here in holland coffee is a form of sustenance. the Dutch run on the stuff. it is always served hot and strong. a cup of coffee is available anywhere from the cafes to the snack bars and you can find a free cup at the grocery store. but don't wander into a Coffeeshop and ask for a cup. you won't find koffie there.


Friday Fifteen