Sign at MingleMush, the food hall I blogged about a few months back:
Loosely translated as: “Doe voorzichtig! Je gaat naar buiten waar iedereen gestrest is. Red jezelf en blijf met ons!”
Silly Mondays…
Food
Zuurkool (Or: A typical winter meal)
About once a year Marco and I ask his mom to bring over zuurkool, which is similar to the German sauerkraut. We can add this to the list of things I would have hated as a kid!
First, start with smoked sausage from Hema:
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Cook that in water for 15-20 minutes.
Then add the zuurkool, which literally translates to ‘sour cabbage’. In this case the zuurkool is combined with potatoes and smashed until there is nothing left to smash. Sounds delicious, right?
Then add gravy. Bonus points if you can show off your Dutch heritage by successfully building a dam so that the gravy doesn’t leak out.
it’s hard to describe the taste… sour. Slightly off. But exactly what I want, once a year on a cold winter’s day.
Categories: Culture, Food
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Fireworks! (Or: The Hague exploded last night)
I found a cool link on Youtube of last night’s fireworks, taken from above the city with a 4K drone. It lasts about 5 minutes and is not to be missed!
Here’s a look at our ‘Christmas table’ on the second day of Christmas:
Yes, we were streaming a fake fireplace through Hulu!
In the glass was a raspberry spoom (sorbet ice cream). Yum! The two bottles were purchased at The Hague’s Royal Christmas fair.
But seriously – go back and check out that video. It does a good job of showing how crazy the Netherlands can get at New Year’s Eve.
Chocolate Christmas decorations (Or: Hop & Stork)
Recent photos that I took of Hop & Stork in De Passage, a covered shopping area in the heart of The Hague. The creations they can make with chocolate are just insane…
Dressed up and on your way to a fancy Christmas soirée…
Tasty!
Categories: Dordrecht, Food, Holidays, The Hague
Tags: Chocolate, Christmas, De Passage
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5 years in the Netherlands (Or: Wow!)
Today marks five years to the day since I arrived in the Netherlands. It is amazing how time files… Yesterday was otherwise a very typical December day:
- We visited the Christmas Fair at the Lange Voorhout
- We went grocery shopping at the local Albert Heijn (this one being of the “XL” variety over on Elandstraat)
- We baked cookies (see below)
- We started working on Christmas cards… we are really behind on the international cards this year!
To mark the occasion of “five years in the Netherlands” I made lemon cookies. You can find the recipe in Dutch over at OhMyFoodness. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make. The cookies turn out very lemony and chewy – just the way I like it!
Five years! I couldn’t bake five years ago if my life depended on it…
MingleMush (Or: A food hall in The Hague)
MingleMush is an indoor food hall that opened behind The Hague’s Central Station in June of this year. Marco and I have been going for the last few months. It’s a very interesting concept – there are about 15 food stands in this indoor food hall, with centralized seating around them. Ideal when you go with a group of friends — each person can order from a different food stand.
Some of the choices include paninis (my favorite!), Thai, Lebanese, Mexican, Italian (pizza and gelato), burgers&fries and more. They also have a few drink stands for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
MingleMush has a website, but I do not find it that informative. The main thing to know is that you can’t use cash, you can only pin. Which is fine, cash is so last century…
During our visit to MingleMush yesterday, I took a picture of the Christmas tree that was recently added:
Yes, the lights twinkle. And check out the wall in the background.
Two of the food stalls – Don Brûlée and Pierogies.
Awesome cow at the panini stand!
I definitely love this place and hope it succeeds. It’s not perfect but the main complaint is that there are times when half of the stands can be closed. For instance, when Marco and I visited on Saturday around 1pm, half of the stands were closed. That is fine, but why don’t they put up a sign saying they are either closed for the day or the time when they do expect to open? Just give us a bit more information.
Upstairs they have a small arcade (free bathrooms as well)
Also, depending on when you go it can be very crowded and loud, but I think that is just a sign I am getting old!
A view of some of the stands from above. The brightly lit windows on the other side are where the trams 2, 3, 4 and 6 pass by on the way to and from Central Station.
Definitely give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
That time of year! (Or: Gourmet minis at Albert Heijn)
One of the best things about the upcoming holidays (besides finally having a few days off – the last public holiday was June 5th!) is breaking out the gourmet set for New Year’s Eve.
Gourmetten is awesome. You have a little grill that goes in the middle of the dinner table and you spend a few hours grilling meats, vegetables (onions, paprika), and other miscellaneous items like pineapple (yuuuum!).
To get a sense of what it is like, check out this blog post from 2015.
Dunkin’ Donuts in Amsterdam (Or: Mmmmmm, donuts)
“Doughnuts. Is there anything they can’t do?” — Homer Simpson (from “Marge vs. the Monorail“, season 4, episode 12). So much of my childhood was based around the Simpsons!
Here are a few more photos from Marco and I’s trip to Amsterdam a few weeks back – this time from the local Dunkin’ Donuts on Damstraat. Dunkin’ Donuts opened stores in the Netherlands at the beginning of this year. So far they have 5 locations across Amsterdam with plans to move into other cities by the end of the year, including nearby Zoetermeer.
And of course Dunkin’ Donuts is looking to open a location in The Hague in 2018 (article in Dutch).
It isn’t without controversy – Dutch political party PvdA was against Dunkin’ Donuts coming here due to the food being unhealthy (article also in Dutch). PvdA is Partij voor de Arbeid, or Labour party. Understandable, but I do not believe fast food should be banned purely for health reasons.
In an attempt to cater to local audience you also have locally inspired donuts like Dutch blue (far left), Tulip (middle) and a donut with the logo of Amsterdam (far right)…
and a stroopwafel inspired donut, with a piece of stroopwafel cookie on top and caramel filling. Sounds heavy!
Our six choices are above. Top row, left to right: apple crumble, toasted coconut and Dutch blue (Delft blauw pattern). Bottom row, left to right: chocolate rainbow, maple drizzle, and lemon.
I don’t like donuts with filling (I know – sacrilegious!), so the two donuts for me were the chocolate rainbow and the lemon donut. 🙂 Yum!
Wednesday evenings (Or: Food and fun by Milu)
Last Wednesday I went out for dinner and cocktails with a friend of mine. We went to Milu, a restaurant in the centre of The Hague near the Grote Kerk (literally “the big church”). It was my second time visiting – the first time was with coworkers. The restaurant’s premise is sharing dishes; we ended up having three “rounds” of food and drink.
Round #1:
Bruschetta bread and beef teriyaki with Chinese pancakes. With a green tea mojito for me.
Good eats (Or: Rrrollend Foodtruck festival returns)
Rrrollend Foodtruck festival returned to the Malieveld this weekend.
Last year I went with Roll or bowl, whereas this year I went Indian, having chicken curry with rice at Indian Roast.
Life in the Hague 