Happy Tanksgiving

Happy Tanksgiving!  No, it's not a typo.   It is what happens when an American bar in the Netherlands tries to put together a dinner on Thanksgiving day for all those American expats or Dutch people who are just curious.

Our armband.  Tanksgiving!!!

Yes, we dared to go to an American bar on Thanksgiving day to eat what the Dutch consider a Thanksgiving meal.  What is a Dutch Thanksgiving, you ask?  The answer is drumsticks (chicken, not turkey), sausage, meatball, zucchini, macaroni and cheese, bread, and fries.  The closest they got to actual Thanksgiving food was corn on the cob (which, considering how rare corn is in Europe, is actually quite special).  Oh, and no Tanksgiving meal would be complete without the Tanksgiving burrito, filled with ground beef, tomato sauce, peas and carrots.

Who ever said the Dutch can't cook?

When I asked if there would be pie, the waitress said "Pie?  Why do you expect pie?"  

Sigh.

After our meal, we headed outside to watch a bunch of very drunk Dutch guys play football in the Grote Markt.  They had a real football, but clearly did not understand any of the rules (they would pick the ball up after it had bounced several times on the ground, throw the ball multiple times to whoever happened to be open, and instead of tackling, they would pick each other up and kick each other).

Needless to say, it was great fun to watch.  It was made even better by the random sorority girls who were crossing through the football game on their way to a party, dressed up in many strange costumes, from frogs to dinner tables to pink square cheerleaders.

Pizza Eating Sharks

Proof that sharks eat pizza:

Dutch food: The Ugly (and the Weird)

And then there is the stuff that's just plain weird.

Including Dutch sandwiches.

It doesn't sound weird on the outset, but it is common to see a plate of sandwiches at any (and every) Dutch function. These are not your typical American sandwiches, piled high with meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, bacon, olives, peppers, mayonnaise and mustard....  There is something very specific about these sandwiches.  They can have one slice of meat, or one slice of cheese.  Never both.  Sometimes you can get a sandwich with both meat and cheese, but it is carefully made so that the meat does not overlap any of the cheese.  I often wondered what would happen if a slice of meat and a slice of cheese did touch on a sandwich.  Would it signal the end of the world?  When I made a comment about this, a Dutch friend said to me, "Meat and cheese on a sandwich?  What do you want, anarchy? What would come next, people dancing naked in the streets?"

Equally strange is that it is very typical to serve cartons of milk along with these sandwiches, even at professional conferences and meetings.  Do you know how weird it is to see a businessman in a suit eating a cheese sandwich and drinking milk from a carton?

But if milk is too tame, there's also karnemelk - or buttermilk.  This is also drank straight from the carton.  Yummy.  *Cough cough*

Then there are bitterballen.

Bitterballen with spicy mustard.  So. Freaking. Good.

What are bitterballen, you ask?  No one really knows.  All we know is that it is some sort of creamed meat, coated in breadcrumbs, fried, and served with beer. The general consensus is that bitterballen are made of either horse or muskrat.  That being said, bitterballen are freaking delicious.

Pancakes are also popular, or pannenkoken.  But how about having two slices of bacon cooked into your pancake?  I love bacon just as much as the next person, but I for one think this is going too far.

Then there's the Dutch sushi.  Pickled herring.  It looks delightfully raw.  The typical method to eat this delicacy is to coat the fish in some raw onions, pick the fish up by the tail, and then gulp it down in one fell swoop.  You can buy these on the street corners - I have yet to work up the courage to try one.

Dutch food: The Bad

But of course, our tour of Dutch cuisine does not end there.  When I was preparing to move to the Netherlands, one of my friends who is Spanish (a culture that cares about food) who used to live in the Netherlands warned me: the Dutch do not eat for enjoyment.  They eat so they don't pass out.

After coming from France, where eating was an essential part of life and enjoyment, this is a shock for me.  Solely eating so you don't die?  Where's the fun in that?

Because of this, the Dutch have invented some interesting foodstuffs that lack on flavor, or have bizarre flavor, but keep you alive.  Maybe.

During a conference, they had some nice looking pastry things.  I decided to try one. Imagine my surprise when I found that inside it was filled with pasta and tomato sauce.

Then there is the Christmas "favorite" oliebollen - donut-like balls of dough soaked in oil, so much so that they are actually dripping in it.  Sometimes they are filled with creme or a fruit like concoction, but over-eating them (as in, more than one) can cause serious illness.

Friends Nico and Shasta taste oliebollen

Then there is the Dutch version of vending machine - a wall of doors that open to provide hot dishes such as sandwiches, hamburgers, croquettes (breaded tubes filled with some sort of meat).  I have been warned that the only appropriate time to eat from one of these vending machines is at 4 am when nothing else is open and alcohol has impaired your judgement to a level where you don't know any better.

Late-night Dutch dining

Then there are dropjes - dark black licorice candies... with one important difference - they are salty.  I remember the first time I tried one - a Dutch friend handed me the candy, smiling deviously as she said "try it", and then laughed manically as I spit it out.

Whale - It's What's for Dinner

The Reykjavik convention center and opera hall stands on the edge of the sea.  People either think of it as monumentally ugly (and hence, a waste of money) or really unique and beautiful. 

I'll just say that it did provide us some unique photos!  

And a unique selfie!

We walked along the shore of the city.  In the backdrop, windswept mountains enrobed in clouds testifies to the potential harshness of winter here.

Along the shore is this unique statue.  A point if you can guess what it symbolizes (no google).  (Hint: Take a look at my husband in this picture!)

The colorful buildings of the harbor, which will probably be much busier in the summertime, when whale and puffin watching tours depart from here.

One of the older boats.  Many fishing boats still depart from here. 

The lake in the center of Reykjavik was partially iced over - notice some of the birds swimming, while others stand on the ice. 

Near the center of the lake, many people ice skate.

An interesting statue...

This street is named Burgerjoint, after the Burger joint that is on it.  Talk about good publicity.

Nearby is a very famous hot dog stand.  Their menu is very simple: hot dogs and soda.  That's it.  We ordered some hotdogs.  They came with crispy french onions on the bottom and two types of sauce - one like a mayo, and one that was brown - and sort of indescribable when it comes to taste.  But the combination of the dog, the onions, and the sauces were truly yummy, and made us understand why this understated hot dog stand could stay in business, even with it's slim menu!

There are some other weird things on the menu in Iceland - namely, whale and puffin.  Most countries actually ban eating whale, and puffins, while not endangered, are not exactly thriving either.  

Bram tries some puffin....

Just kidding!!!  We love puffins!

Neither puffin or whale are a traditional Icelandic dish, and mostly tourists eat these animals just to say that they have eaten something new and weird.  Kind of sad, considering there are lots of other, environmentally conscious choices when it comes to meat.  (Puffin doesn't even taste that good, from what I hear.)  So if you go to Iceland, don't eat the puffin or the whale!  Let them live for another generation! :-)  

Sharing Dutch Food Adventures

Over the Christmas holidays, we had our friends Nico and Shasta, who are temporarily living in Scotland, come visit us.  Their visit coincided with Sinterklaas day, so they woke up to all sorts of goodies and chocolate in their shoes the next morning.

Of course, a big part of every visit to a new country is to try the food.  On their visit, we had an opportunity to show them the local specialties.  For breakfast, we had hagelslag, a very popular Dutch breakfast food.  Most of the time, it consists of mostly chocolate sprinkles, but it can come in many different varieties - vanilla, blue or pink anise flavored (typically used to celebrate the birth of a boy or girl), or thick, ribbon like sprinkles.  This particular one is green and chocolate ribbon sprinkles, with some alligator heads thrown in for good measure.  Shasta was also treated to a mega-hagel!

Stopping by the Grote Markt, we also shared with them the popular dish of french fries, accompanied with garlic mayonnaise.  

Fries and garlic.  Yum!

Since it was the Christmas season, they also got a chance to try oliebollen.  Oliebollen are balls of dough (sort of like donuts) left to soak in .... oil.  Not the healthiest thing on the planet, but very yummy, and very Dutch.

Sampling the oliebollen

Oliebollen can also be filled with all sorts of yummy things, like cream or fruit.  Nico got one filled with cherries. 

Another popular thing that we showed them, but did not try, are the popular vending machines that you can find all over the Netherlands.  These vending machines consists of rows of shelves, each with their own little door.  These vending machines sell things such as hamburgers or chicken sandwiches, but also the very Dutch creations such as croquettes (breaded things containing some sort of meat look-alike) or deep fried Scotch eggs.  My Dutch colleagues told me to steer clear of these vending machines, stressing that they are only to be used at 3 am after a long night of bar-hopping when there is no other option. 

The Art of Basketweaving and Other Stories from Old Turku

In 1827, there was a great fire in Turku that destroyed much of the city.  There was one small region that was spared, however.  But after the fire, many viewed these wooden houses as just another fire waiting to happen, so they were condemned to be demolished.  But years later, they still stood, and finally, someone had the idea to repair them and turn them into a museum.  Now, these homes, over 200 years old, give a glimpse into life in Turku two centuries ago.

Inside the homes, various crafts are displayed.  Here's a clock maker. 

On the table, the outline of a leather glove is cut out.

Here's the inside of a book-maker.  Notice the spines on the wall that you can choose for your book!

Basketweavers - back then, they really did offer a degree in this (but, it's not underwater).

A glimpse into some of the homes. 

Note how the bed can be shortened to make more room in the small apartment.

I meet one of the locals. 

The different ways to make a roof.  This one is covered in rocks.

For other roofs, they take sod and turn it upside down, laying it on the roof.  This creates a nice layer of protection against water.  The next spring, the grass grows through the roof and emerges on the top, offering more protection.  Sometimes people even bring a goat up there to trim it!

Inside the printing press.

A woman works at her loom.

Walking around the yards and through the streets of the old houses.

Who needs a sign?  You can just mount whatever you make on the outside of your house!  Want a teapot!  You're in the right place!

How 'bout a violin?

The shoemaker.

And what better place than Finland to get a nice warm homemade hat!

Going back even further in time, we visit the Turku castle, whose construction began in the 13th century.

Paintings in the castle, faded, but still there.

Down in the dungeon.  There are still rats!

Window seats.

And nice furniture.

Even wall shelves!

The chapel displayed an upright organ. 

The chapel.

Again with boat.

Bram admires the vast dining room.

Overlooking the courtyard of the castle.

A point if you can guess why there is an indentation in the wood here.

Finally, the best part of our visit is where we get to become royalty!  Of course, my dear husband immediately wants to become a princess.

But in reality, he knows who really reigns. 

Next up: the dungeon!

Now, only headless people live in the castle.

This was lunch.  I was not to happy about it.

Eiiiii!

I brought it back to the kitchen right away.

Calmer rooms in the castle.

Finally, we wander though the courtyard.

These old houses are from the 1500s.  They are related to the aforementioned dent in the wood.  (Now you're really confused, huh?)

Finally, we visit a museum.  It was supposed to be an art museum, but as they were digging the foundations, they discover all sorts of ruins of an ancient city street!  So now, it's half art museum, half archeological museum.

Old keys.

You can't tell me that key cards are an improvement from these awesome keys.

An ancient ice skate!

And ancient beer taps.  Priorities haven't changed much.

Tiny little instruments.

And chess pieces.

In the art museum, they had a beautiful wall-sized painting.

The museum is actually in a mansion where the dad of my Finnish friend used to play.  His childhood friend's family owned this mansion. 

The beautiful gardens of the mansion.

A piece of art I thought was neat: each panel was done in black and white (more realistic) and color (more fantastical).  Very neat.