Going Dutch...

[therese]

So, from Amsterdam I train to Antwerp, where I have to spend quite a bit of time working, and the time I do spend eating is in the company of my colleagues (who are nice enough, but generally not too picky about food).

I do manage to take a few pictures, though. This one is of a tiny kitchen that's not presently in service. Anybody know where it might be?

[therese]

The grim and tiny kitchen pictured above may be visited by anybody who's willing to board (in the face of a dire warning that you do so at your own risk) one of the boats at the Antwerp Maritime Park adjacent to the Nationaal scheepvaartmuseum. Said boat was a patrol boat on the river for many decades. Lots of other cool boats as well, but this was the only one you could board.

Food in Antwerp was of the meeting variety, with only one meal in a restaurant. It's the building with the bright red window frames at bottom left, and it's called something like Captain Zepp's. A set menu for our group featured very salty zucchini soup and very salty chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, and fries, but a the vibe was nice and the food is probably decent if you order it yourself:

I'd not planned on buying chocolate while I was in Antwerp, but one rainy afternoon I'd gotten myself quite thoroughly lost (despite having a not very good tourist map at hand) and asked a passer-by to help me orient myself on said map. She was an older lady, and in the course of our conversation (in English---almost everybody in Antwerp offered the choice between English and French chose the former, with a few very definite exceptions) pointed out that there was simply no way that I could visit Belgium and not try the chocolate. And she proceeded to point out to me that there was a really great shop on my route, Sweertvaegher. I got my favorites, chocolate-covered orange peel and marzipan.

There are, I'm afraid, none left to show you.

Oh, and speaking of sweets, Chufi brought me some lovely little stroopwaffels. They were excellent, and in the interest of my waistline I shared some of them with colleagues. So, again, none to show here.

[therese]

Next stop, Rotterdam.

I stayed in a great hotel called Grand Hotel Philadelphia, not far from the waterfront, and a twenty minute walk or three minute tram ride to the train station and/or conference center. PM me if you want info about the hotel, but I'll go ahead and point out the breakfast is very nice: orange juice squeezed just for you by the friendly staff (a couple of whom I ran into clubbing one night), the usual meats and cheeses, and (particularly cool for me) buttermilk, known as karnemelk to the Dutch. Oh, and hagelslag: any culture that endorses consumption of chocolate jimmies (sprinkled onto bread and butter) for breakfast is okay with me. The coffee sort of sucks, but if you ask the staff will make you an espresso. It's still not great, but at least it's hot and a bit stronger.

Lunch at the conference center also included karnemelk. I've yet to figure out (because I don't read Dutch, though I can figure out simple stuff) whether or not karnemelk is real buttermilk or just cultured milk. This Dutch Wikipedia entry may give the answer, but I can't figure out enough of it to say for sure. If it really is buttermilk the Dutch are eating a commensurately huge amount of butter.

[therese]

Another Dutch dairy reference:

This guy clearly enjoys his job as a streetsweeper. He is reaching down to activate the "mooing" mechanism on his bike/trashcan combo. I came up a large group of them that were apparently just starting their shift, so there was a great deal of mooing and jollity.

[therese]

Okay, time for some Rotterdam history. But first let's see if anybody else knows the significance of this establishment:

It's in Rotterdam. Do you know where? Do you know anything else about it?

[paulbrussel]

This must be a picture taken from your hotel room, facing MacDonald's and in the background the Post Office, one of the few builidngs that survived the Second Wold War bombardments on May 10th 1940. On the right side you see the Stock Exchange / World Trade Centre. A bit further down the street, there is a good restaurant: Amarone - worth trying, chef as well as maître coming from starred restaurants, the latter from the first three starred restaurant ever in the Netherlands, Parkheuvel in Rotterdam (now one star of a former two starred chef). Just around the corner you will also find the Asian, good restaurant Asian Glories and a bit further down you have the well known palace called Dudok, after a famous Dutch architect and the place being famous for its apple pies.

[therese]

This must be a picture taken from your hotel room, facing MacDonald's and in the background the Post Office, one of the few builidngs that survived the Second Wold War bombardments on May 10th 1940. On the right side you see the Stock Exchange / World Trade Centre. A bit further down the street, there is a good restaurant: Amarone - worth trying, chef as well as maître coming from starred restaurants, the latter from the first three starred restaurant ever in the Netherlands, Parkheuvel in Rotterdam (now one star of a former two starred chef). Just around the corner you will also find the Asian, good restaurant Asian Glories and a bit further down you have the well known palace called Dudok, after a famous Dutch architect and the place being famous for its apple pies.

←

Correct, the location of this McDonald's is very nearly smack dab in front of City Hall (had I swiveled to the left this would have been of City Hall). As part of this meeting I ate at several locations quite close to his location, including Cafe Floor and Staal. There was also a reception at the City Hall, with a brief address by the mayor:

My hotel was actually much closer to the waterfront, near Erasmus (link upthread), in a neighborhood that was at once both groovier and quieter. Here's the view from my room. You can see the rails for the number 7 tram that runs right in front:

But back to the McDonald's. Was it always a McDonald's? Or was it something before it was McDonald's?

[markemorse]

But back to the McDonald's. Was it always a McDonald's? Or was it something before it was McDonald's?

←

It looks like a bus station or post office....some kind of government building.

[therese]

But back to the McDonald's. Was it always a McDonald's? Or was it something before it was McDonald's?

←

It looks like a bus station or post office....some kind of government building.

←

According to my source, it was a privately owned business that had been in Rotterdam before the war, and relocated to this site after the war (as of course the original building had been bombed). According to this same source, the business owner had originally asked to build his establishment directly in front of City Hall, but was instead given permission to build on the corner.

The original establishment actually sold something that is even worse for you than McDonald's.

[therese]

Far and away my best meal in Rotterdam was the last evening's at De Harmonie. Well-executed fancy food served in a really lovely setting, a private room on the second floor (Sofie if you want to check it out on the web site). Something like five courses, of which I recall only the barest details: an amuse of gazpacho with tiny shrimp, and dessert featuring blackberries. Scallops, veal, and some sort of poulty were all in there somewhere.

Large windows open to the park-like area in front of the restaurant, and nobody was smoking, so a really lovely respite.

Afterwards some of us went for a walk on Witte de Withstraat, which had been turned into a sort of street festival (as this was Saturday) with lots of music and drinking. Packed.

Wound up the evening at Westelijk Handelsterrein, apparently an old warehouse or factory that's been converted to a center for nice restaurants and bars. Conveniently located across the street from my hotel, so I didn't have far to go for my final night's sleep.

[therese]

Okay, back to the mystery:

Does anybody know any history behind this building? I was told it by a relative of somebody involved with it, but I'd like to be able to confirm it independently, as I'm not sure how much of it was filtered through family lore.

[paulbrussel]

According to my source, it was a privately owned business that had been in Rotterdam before the war, and relocated to this site after the war (as of course the original building had been bombed). According to this same source, the business owner had originally asked to build his establishment directly in front of City Hall, but was instead given permission to build on the corner.

The original establishment actually sold something that is even worse for you than McDonald's.

It seems to have been a cigar shop before, newly built in 1970 (of Felix Heijnen), replacing an adjacent older building of the cigar shop built indeed after the bombings in 1940. Right after the bombings, temporary shops were built in front of the post office. Later the cigar shop became the first and oldest MacDonald's in Rotterdam. Edited September 26, 2007 by paulbrussel (log)

[therese]

According to my source, it was a privately owned business that had been in Rotterdam before the war, and relocated to this site after the war (as of course the original building had been bombed). According to this same source, the business owner had originally asked to build his establishment directly in front of City Hall, but was instead given permission to build on the corner.

The original establishment actually sold something that is even worse for you than McDonald's.

It seems to have been a cigar shop before, newly built in 1970 (of Felix Heijnen), replacing an adjacent older building of the cigar shop built indeed after the bombings in 1940. Right after the bombings, temporary shops were built in front of the post office. Later the cigar shop became the first and oldest MacDonald's in Rotterdam.

←

Wow. So the story is true (confirmed in every detail here). As per family lore, Mr. Heijnen actually designed this building himself, though it's probably been altered quite a bit.

[therese]

A coda to my visit, including this glamour shot of Klary (posted with her permission):

as well as a shopping tip for those of you visiting the low countries who might be interested in some not-too-expensive kitchen accessories: HEMA. I buy tea towels when I travel (as they are very useful souvenirs) and this chain of stores (very much like Target in the U.S.) has some very nice ones. Lots of other cool stuff that I didn't consider due to concerns of weight or volume.