One of the traditional Christmas activities for the Dutch is gourmetten, where a grill is placed in the middle of the table and small pieces of meat, potatoes, and extras such as mushrooms are cooked. The meal is very social in nature — it can take a few hours for enough meat to be cooked so expect to get a lot of talking done!
The top of the grill is shared. Below are individual grilling areas for each person, where the food is placed on a little spatula. You can also share brood (bread) and knofloofkboter (garlic butter – yum!).
A typical dutch gourmetten meal
Within the Netherlands, it is possible to visit grocery stores (for example: Albert Heijn) to purchase special gourmetten sets which include pre-cut meats. Of course, you will pay a few more euros for this convenience…
Life in the Hague 
Ah, so this is what you were talking about! What street is it off of? Everything is so new to me! I appreciate every help I can get (I was panicked when I went to the grocery store and not one thing was in English). I can’t get over the fact that marijuana here is no big deal. One of my student helpers who was giving us a tour just lit up a joint as we were walking down the streets. It was so surreal.
Marijuana is no big deal but it’s still technically illegal. They just look the other way really. Be careful of coffee shops which are really just places to light up.
Oh, and if you’re a Starbucks drinker, there is one at Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol, and one in the train station at the Hague – so far.
According to Google Maps there is an AH in the center of Leiden at Hooigracht 85. Not sure what part of Leiden you are staying in (though you don’t need to say).
I for one LOVE gourmetten. I like the fact that it takes a while, so indeed a nice opportunity to spend with friends and family and chitchat while preparing your own meat at your own pace. yum!
Another great installment of the blog Niki!!