At the moment, I'm having a hard time typing because I'm listening to a great song, and so am more preoccupied in listening than in typing! Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfp5x1IDm_8&feature=related If it works you should be jamming to the fun sound of Moxy Fruvous and the King of Spain. Enjoy!
Okay, so we've been living here a few years now, so I'd forgotten these two food items that had me a little buffaloed when we first arrived, but as I've made them both this past weekend, I was reminded. Naturally, when we moved to a new country, we expected things to be different; however, I guess a few things seemed so natural and part of life, that it didn't occur to me that I would have to find alternatives. I'm talking about food here.
I have a vivid memory of deciding to treat Mike to some macaroni and cheese for dinner, a classic comfort food and one of his favourite things (he once famously asked that his Birthday Meal be mac and cheese, fried chicken, and pork chops. I denied him this, not only for his own good, but because he was in his late 20s and just should have known better!). So I made my list for the grocery store and headed out to shop. When I arrived at the cheese section, I found the cheddar I needed to make the dish, but was horrified to see that the tiniest piece cost a LOT. I simply could not countenance paying that much for making a simple recipe. So I imagine I must have stood there, looking dumbfounded, confused, and a bit lost for a good half a minute before my brain clicked back on. I blinked, I looked again at the CHEESE SECTION and realized that I now lived in one of the cheese capitals of the world! Duh, why did it have to be cheddar?
I felt a huge lightening of spirit as I cast aside an unspoken 'rule' that mac and cheese must be made with only one kind of cheese and embraced the idea of using something else. It turned out great, and did again on Saturday when I made it last. In fact, I hope I never am faced with only cheddar as my option for making this, it would now be a little weird to have orange cheese, when in fact, it's normally not.
The second time-honoured, Mike-loved food item are Chocolate Chip Cookies. I haven't been making these lately because I know that if I do, I tend to eat too many of them and that's not good for me. However, Mike loves, loves, LOVES CCC and so I decided to make them for him and see how strong I can be on a personal denial level. Now the middle part of this famous recipe is "Chip" and it is possible to buy chocolate chips here, but they are imported from North America and cost a lot (though not as much as cheddar cheese).
So there I was again, sometime during that first year here, standing in front of the chocolate section of the grocery store - yes, there is a Chocolate Section - when the penny dropped and I realized that Dutch Chocolate is arguably the best chocolate in the world, maybe second only to Belgian and they are neighbours! What was I thinking? Honestly. Then it got fun, as I prowled the section, looking for a semi-sweet chocolate chip alternative among so many choices. I end up buying "Extra Bitter Chocolate" which is darker, about 70% cocoa mass, and sooooo good and then I simply get out the butcher knife and chop it up into smallish pieces. Result? Fan-stinkin-tastic!! When you bite into a cookie now, you never know whether you will get a big chunk of delicious chocolate or maybe an even bigger one, and that works for me! Of course, I'm not eating any since they aren't good for me...
This blog finishes with another great song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU1stt0okdM The Clash, Rudie Can't Fail. Enjoy the music and may you also have the opportunity to challenge some established ideas about food in your lives!
About Us
- Monica and Mike
- We are Americans living in the Netherlands since July 2004. Mike works at the American School of The Hague teaching high school social studies. Monica is busy doing things that don't make money, but make her happy.
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4 comments:
I've been waiting for a food commentary! I agree with Mike -- macaroni and cheese and CC cookies are great-tasting comfort foods, and at the height of winter, just the ticket. The beyond-Cheddar thinking was clever, Monica. (Why did they ever start dying cheddar orange? Quite strange.)
The chocolate chunk cookies are way-better than the chips, I think. The chips are too sweet; the 70% chocolate is deeper in essential chocolate flavor (maybe kids wouldn't like it). My willpower crumbles in the face of well-made chocolate chunk cookies. "Of course, I'm not eating any since they aren't good for me..." Don't tell me you didn't have at least three!
I was thinking that since you two are from the Northwest, you'd be natural-food types, but I'm getting the feeling, not. But a question for Monica, anyhow: would a Whole Foods-type shopper (me) be able to make it in your neck of the woods? I know they grow practically everything, produce-wise, in the Netherlands, yet I read that organic produce isn't easy to get. I'm thinking organic Italian parsley, organic red cabbage, organic cilantro, that kind of stuff. Am I going to be runnin' around, or will it be no problem? If you know.
(P.S. Mike should do The Visitor review, being a teacher and all. Did you see Richard Jenkins received an Academy Award nomination for his role? He was great, I think.)
Take care,
Scott
Hi Scott, was it the comment about Mike's birthday request that made you think we aren't "natural food types"? Actually, we do try to be sensible about our food choices, especially with what is sustainable, and region appropriate. It isn't possible to be perfect on all fronts, but in a country that does not recycle cans, I buy glass containers (not a big fan of plastic if I can help it), and also shop for many food staples at our local Reformhuis (health food store).
Which leads to your question. Yes, there are available outlets for natural food choices, more even since we've moved here, though I don't think we're the reason. In fact, a large-ish health food store recently opened in the centre of The Hague and carries a decent selection of fresh produce, meat, dairy, etc. Organic is written on products here as "Biologisch". Cabbage is certainly available, it's a major staple of the Dutch diet. I'm not a big fan of it, and in the past, we've gotten a weekly "grab bag" of organic veg from our reformhuis, in the Fall, there is almost always a cabbage of some sort, including red. I don't think you'll have a problem, or have to run around for it all.
I've passed your comment on to Mike, we'll see if he posts something on the PostVis blog.
Cheers, Monica
"was it the comment about Mike's birthday request that made you think we aren't "natural food types"?"
Funny you should mention that up front. The moment I posted my comments, I thought the same thing, and I wish I hadn't said it. I don't think I paid enough attention to the birthday part, which means an indulgence from the day-to-day. So I don't know what got into my head; sorry about that!
The organics with respect to red cabbage, Italian parsley, and cilantro inquiry is because I eat a lot of salads and raw food (not exclusively), and prepare a good deal of Asian cooking. I'm constantly loading up on those three ingredients, and would be at something of a loss without them. I figured the cabbage would be easy, but the Italian parsley and cilantro have me worried (although I know Indonesian is big in the Netherlands, and I can't imagine Indonesian without cilantro). Thanks for the heads-up on the new health food store. I'll bee-line them when I get there.
In fact, right next to the new health food store in The Hague is a large Asian market. There is also a Chinatown sector in The Hague, just east of the centre, so there is plenty of opportunity for finding Asian ingreds, fresh or otherwise. Can't guarantee they'll be organic, but you find everything. I bought Thai lime leaves the other day, for example. You'll be fine!
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