Posts from January 2010

Photos of Amsterdam

Posted by sarah 2 Comments
Jan 21 2010

Ok, first I would like to offer my sincere apologies that sometimes my posts are a little “Amsterdam-centric.” The thing is, I live in Amsterdam, so a lot of my information, photos, etc. are derived from my Amsterdam experience. Add to this the fact that the weather has been cold and snowy, which means I just don’t get out of town as much as I do during the rest of the year. But! There is a great big world outside of Amsterdam, and I have seen a lot of it. This country has a lot to offer!

A little about Amsterdam. One stereotype about people from Amsterdam is actually pretty similar to stereotypes about people living in most large cities. As the stereotype goes, Amsterdammers think the world ends if you go outside the ring of highway that closes in Amsterdam proper and they think that the world certainly must revolve around Amsterdam. Of course, this isn’t entirely true. And by “this” I mean that the world does not end outside the ring and it does not revolve around this city. As far as the stereotype is concerned…well…it is a stereotype, so take it with a grain of salt and a particle of truth.

That all being said, there is this great little website that offers 360 degree views of Amsterdam from all over the city. This might be a little out of date now, what with Google Street View, but it’s still pretty cool to see.  If you are interested in taking a tour of Amsterdam from the comfort and luxury of your own home, without fear of being run over by a tram or cyclist, have a look at:

http://www.panoramsterdam.com/ (Link opens in separate window)

A few places to have a peek at include Vondelpark, Prinsengracht, Herengracht, Amstel, Plantage Middenlaan and the Noordermarkt. Just to name a very very few spots.

Hopefully as the weather changes I’ll start venturing out of town again and have information that is just a little less Amsterdam-centric.  In the meantime, Google Street View does offer some great photos of many other cities in the Netherlands, including some of the smaller more tucked away places. I think it’s a great way to see a city in motion, since the photos aren’t the usual canned windmill/tulips/clogs/guy holding cheese type, they are from a random moment in real life.

Nevertheless, here is a picture of some orange tulips I took last year.

Miep Gies is overleden

Posted by sarah 2 Comments
Jan 18 2010

Miep Gies, the last survivor from a small group of people who helped the Frank family during World War II, passed away last week. She would have turned 101 years old next month.

One of the more important icons in Dutch history is Anne Frank. I really won’t go into the greater details of the story for you here, since I always and without fail start crying. But you’ve probably heard of Anne Frank’s diary, and the family that stayed for two years hidden in a house on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. You can go visit it nowadays; it has been preserved as a monument and the house is kept just as it was when the Frank family resided there during the war. It is a very intense experience.

In Dutch, Anne Frank’s diary is called “Het Achterhuis,” and I highly recommend giving it a shot in Dutch. It’s been translated into many languages, but there is something particularly moving about reading it in the language it was originally written in. It’s also beautifully written and truly is a work of literature written by such a young woman. Through her writing you can see Anne Frank’s insight, kindness, and intelligence shine through, despite all the horrible things happening around her.

Miep Gies is the reason we are so lucky to have Anne Frank’s diary at all. After the war, Miep found the diary hidden in the house. She handed it over to Anne Frank’s father Otto, who survived the war. Without her discovery, the world may never have known the story of the little girl who grew into a woman hidden away behind a canal with her family during the most awful of times. Furthermore, Miep Gies helped the family a great deal while they lived in that house, and without her help they may never have survived as long as they did. Due to her kindness and strength during those difficult years, a small family managed to hold out hope for as long as possible.

If you are interested in Miep Gies, there is a website with plenty more information here:

http://www.miepgies.nl/miepgies.html (Link opens in a separate window)

available in Dutch, English and German.

The Netherlands has lost an amazing woman in Miep Gies, but thanks to that woman the story can continue to be told. No one will forget what has happened and maybe we can all learn just a little more from the little girl who grew into a woman while hidden away from the world.

Strange Dutch Food

Posted by noortje 5 Comments
Jan 16 2010

Like every country, Holland has a cuisine of its own. We’ll introduce some snacks and candy you can get in the Netherlands that are particularly weird for people not familiar with Holland.

Frikadel Speciaal:
The frikadel is a kind of snack sausage. The ingredients are all sorts of left over meat, from intestines to brain. Eaten together with mayonnaise, ketchup and onions, you can get this in every snackbar. Even though it might not sound that tasty, it is really popular among the Dutch!

Herring with onions:
This is raw herring that is fermented in chopped onions. Fresh from the sea, you can usually buy it in stalls outside in different places in the city, or in fish stores. The tradition of how to eat it is holding the fish by its tail between your middle finger and thumb, lean back and let it slide in your mouth.

Drop:
This candy is often bought by the kilo. It’s a sweet that is available in different tastes. It can be really salty, so if you are not used to this type of candy it is a good idea to start with the sweet ones!

Poffertjes:
These are tiny pancakes, with a diameter nearby one inch. It’s served with a lot of butter and powdered sugar. It is a good snack when it’s cold outside, sometimes sold in stalls on the street or in pancake restaurants.

Speculaas:
These cookies are sold in different shapes, but the most  traditionally Dutch one is speculaas in the shape of a windmill, sold in every supermarket. They have an unusual taste, that comes from a combination of the multiple spices used. Dutch people have made a habit out of dipping the cookie in their coffee.

How to Turn One Cookie into Two Cookies: Plurals in Dutch

Posted by sarah 2 Comments
Jan 14 2010

Making words plural in Dutch is usually straightforward.  I’m a stickler for grammar rules and straightforward makes me a little happier. Here are some rules for turning one cookie into two cookies, or one euro into 100 euros.

The rules for making a word plural are this simple: just add -en, -s, or -es to the end of a word.  But of course, you would love to know when to add -en, -s, or -es. Here are some rules to follow and keep an eye out for how the other letters in the word change in order to keep the vowel sounds short or long.

1. The basic way to make a plural in Dutch is to add -en. So….

de boom : de bomen [the tree(s)]

de man : de mannen [the man / the men]

de taal : de talen [the language(s)]

de kat : de katten [the cat(s)]

het spel : de spellen [the game(s)]

2. When to add -s:

If the word ends in an unstressed -el, -en, or -er…add -s.  In the following examples, the underlined sections represent the syllable where the stress falls when you say the word out loud.

de winkel : de winkels [the shop(s)]

de tafel : de tafels [the table(s)]

de vogel : vogels [the bird(s)]

het leger : de legers [the army / the armies)

3. When to add an apostrophe + -s:

If a word ends in a vowel, add an apostrophe +-s.

de radio = de radio's [the radio(s)]

de auto = de auto‘s [the car(s)]

de taxi = de taxi‘s [the taxi(s)]

de video = de video‘s [the video(s)]

And wouldn’t it be nice if these rules worked all the time? But of course, there are exceptions. Here are a few examples of common words that break the rules.

de stad : de steden  [the city / the cities]

het kind : de kinderen  [the child / the childeren]

het ei : de eieren  [the egg(s)]

het lid : de leden  [the member(s)]

de weg : de wegen  [the road(s)]

Snert. It is called Snert.

Posted by sarah 2 Comments
Jan 12 2010

It is called snert, or erwtensoep, and I have yet to actually try it myself. Two reasons. 1. The word “snert” sounds like something that comes out of my nose or should be scraped off my shoe. 2. Until now, I hadn’t found a vegetarian version of it.  That is, until now.

I’ve heard that snert is actually quite good, and I have nothing against it really, but for the name. Actually, I’m rather fond of pea soup, especially on a cold winter day. The non-vegetarian version is usually made with ham, I believe. There are many recipes available that include meat, but since a vegetarian version appears to be difficult to come by, I figure I’ll give you all this one. If anyone gets around to cooking it before I do, be sure to let me know how it turns out. I’m genuinely curious.

De Volkskrant has so graciously published this “vegetarische erwtensoep voor 4 personen”. The recipe, from De Volkskrant, maandag 4 januari 2010, is as follows:

  • 300 g. spliterwten
  • 3/4 a 1 liter groentebouillon
  • 1/2 selderijknol
  • 1 winterwortel
  • 1ui
  • 1 prei (alleen het wit)
  • 1 moesappel
  • 2 a 3 aardappelen (eventueel)
  • 2 teentjes knoflook
  • bouquet garni van: tijm, rozemarijn, salie, basilicum, laurier (2 takjes elk) en peterselie en selderijblad (van elk een 1/2 bosje)
  • zout, peper

Spoel de erwten en week ze een nacht in 1 liter water. Zet ze op met het weekwater, laat aan de kook komen, schep het schuim af en laat ze een half uurtje zacht koken. Doe daarna de andere groenten (gewassen en gesneden), de kruiden en de bouillon erbij, breng het geheel weer aan de kook en laat het dan een uurtje of anderhalf a twee zachtjes koken. Haal de kruiden eruit, pureer de soep en breng op smaak. Laat eventueel nog een minuut of tien op het vuur staan met vega-worsten of -ballen erin.

And of course, your translation. It’s not a word for word translation in all spots, mostly because some of these things just don’t translate directly that well.

  • 300 g. split peas
  • 3/4 to 1 liter vegetable bouillon
  • 1/2 celery root
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1onion
  • 1 leek (only the white)
  • 1 sweet apple (grainy variety)
  • 2 to 3 potatoes (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • bouquet of herbs including: thyme, rosemary, sage, basil, 2 bay leaves and parsley and celery leaf (from each 1/2 bundle)
  • salt, pepper

Rinse the peas and soak them for one night in 1 liter water. Set them in a pan with the water from soaking, let them come to a boil, scoop off the foam and let them cook softly for a half hour. Next put the other vegetables in (washed and cut), the herbs and the bouillon as well, bring the whole thing to a boil again and then let it cook softly for an hour and a half to two hours. Take the herbs out of it, puree the soup and add salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, let it sit for one to ten minutes on the burner with vegetarian worsts or balls in it.

Eet smakelijk!

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