When I was seven, my folks moved our family to Holland where we lived for the next five years. A big motivator for this trip has been my longstanding desire to make that return to wooded Wassenaar with my wife and kids — a little journey back to Narnia, to smell old smells and eat old treats.
Because I was a kid back in those days, almost all of my key food memories are snacks, and ever since we entered Belgium, I’ve been knocking items off my list like some revenge-driven dude in a Clint Eastwood flick.
Frites met (fries with mayonnaise): check.
Meat croquettes (“What’s in them? What’s in them? We don’t know!” laughed our waitress who confessed she never ate the stuff): check.
Cassis soda: check. (OK, seven Cassis sodas: check)
Poffertjes (micro-pancakes with powerdered sugar): check.
Pankoeken (crepes-like macro-pancakes): check. Stropwaffles (molasses ‘n waffel/cookie treat): check. No photos for either of these, unfortunately — they went too fast to capture.
Just about all that’s left is jonge (young) Gouda — you can get Gouda cheese in the States but it’s almost always smoked, with all the Gouda (pronounced with a Yiddish-esque “chhhh”-ouda)-ness blown out. Jonge Gouda’s a whole different taste sensation. If heaven was made of cheese, it would be thin-sliced jonge Gouda.
Jonge Gouda, I’m coming for ya….
Addendum….
Jonge Gouda: check.
Addendum to addendum…
A slower-moving stropwaffle.
Likewise, this pankoeken with kiwi was eaten in 14 seconds rather than the usual 10, giving us just enough time to snap a quick pic.
Young Gouda, I’m coming for ya….
Comments
7 responses to “Young Gouda, I’m coming for ya….”
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Jonge Gouda-I’ll have to ask my Dutch friend here where to get it. I’ve certainly found non-smoked here. I’ll ask the cheese mongers at Piedmont Grocery & at the Rockridge public market. (Had some amazing Beemster XO at the latter on Monday.)
I knew the Belgies had mayo on fries. I never realized it was half a jar. I can feel my stomach turning.
BTW, I’m writing this after being woken up by an earthquake. 4.2, and apparently under our house. (Well, technically the Persian family 3 houses away’s house, and 4 miles down, but close enough to claim credit.) Everyone here’s fine. See y’all soon. -
re the mayonaisse (and the cheese) (and the powerded sugar) (and the seven sodas) all I’m saying is, at customs I’ll be declaring that I’m bring back out about 10% more of me than I brought in.
Crazy re the quake — those close ones can be rough and scary I know — glad all’s well.
-Cecil -
Boy, you’ve really gone native. You’ll find that American attitudes about consorting with young cheeses are far less permissive than those on the pervert-ridden Continent. Marsupial’s going to end up on one of those TV sting shows–he walks into an ordinary-looking house expecting to pick up a shipment of Young Gouda, and out of the shadows appears John Gibson to ask him uncomfortable questions about his proclivities.
He’s right about one thing, though: the quantity of mayonnaise on those fries is sickening. Death by Mayonnaise, indeed.
Also, we have a word in this country for pictures like that one of the mini-pancakes with powdered sugar. That word is pornography. Between that and the photo of the underage cheese, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were arrested at the border and never heard from again. -
I love that you are adding pictures now! And if you bring back some cheese for a Death March prize, I just might march for it! You can keep the mayo…
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love the walk down food sensory lane. as you know, i grew up in jersey, and i long for the day when i can bring my wife and two little ones home, to taste the rare jersey treats that only my mind’s eye (mouth) recall: friendly’s ice cream, bagels, chinese food, pizza, and a 7-11 big gulp*.
authentic gouda in san jose:
http://www.hollandsbest.com/cheese/geitenkaas.php
*i really can’t recall others. fellow jersians, unite and help me! -
Those little sugar-powdered microdonuts sure look an awful lot lke beignets
and I’m having pankoeken flashbacks! You can put *anything* in crepe! -
Hi!
Just a tip: It’s called friet (or patat!), kroket, stroopwafel, and pannenkoek 🙂
And you should really try the older Gouda cheese too!
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