quote:
Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen
Welcome Barbara,
Sheesch, I thought I had made a cultural jump from the High Desert of SoCal to The Ohio River Valley...but you going from the oil/cotton fields of Bakersfield to the Low Countries is a major jump!!
A couple of questions, How do the Dutch food markets compare to the American Supermarket style of grocery shopping? and Do our Dutch Friends have a comparison custom of outdoor cooking that uses "BBQ" techniques?
Keep those posts coming.
AL- The former Mayor of Cajon Pass.[
Hi Al....Not sure how this thing works, so will try to answer this way. It may be all messed up, but hey, I tried! I moved from Ohio River Valley (Rayland, Ohio) to Bakersfield, Ca, and you went the other way. Small world.
As to your questions, there are the outdoor markets, which I go to the one on Monday mornings. There is a wide range of vegetables, etc. and also materials to make dresses, curtains and even craft things. They are held rain, snow, or sunshine year round.Usually, because Holland, and my town, is so small, I see a relative each time. My local market is on Fridays and it is smaller, for the usual mealtime items. I do not buy my produce there, because they tend to try to slip in the rotten ones with the good ones. I go to 3 different grocery stores, one for inexpensive items, one for meats, and one for the rest of the needs of the home. A few items are similar to the States, but there is not the variety, nor the quality.. I can buy one of a lot of things, but never comparision shop. Of course, the items are made for the taste of the culture, so things like tomato catsup, or lasagna and such are of a different taste.
As to BBQ's, yes, they have them but not like we do. They call the meat package "fondue, or gourmet" and it is usually 3 pieces of each: chicken, bit of pork, ground meat, and a bacon wrapped meat. None of it is good, according to my American tastes. Most meat is pork and very fatty. Beef is tough and so not suitable for BBQ's. There isn't the usual charcoal type BBQ, but more of the indoor electric type, and never do families get together as in America. Remember, all of the above is not a negative judgement; they have learned one way and we another. It works for them. And things are changing. Fast. In the 5 years I've been married and living here, I've seen major changes toward the Western way of doing things. It's exciting, but also sad, because what is here is Dutch, and should not be lost. It does take some getting used to, simply because it is a different culture, neither good nor bad. Flowers are cheap; I buy enough each market day for the whole house for 5 Euro.30-40 roses and other wonderful flowers. Barbara