eG Foodblog : yunnermeier - Hungry in Holland,Oberhausen & Budapes

[markemorse]

Next: A spacecake and a joint or two at one of Amsterdam's famous coffeeshops

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You mean you're not going to make homemade spacecake? That would instantly propel this foodblog into the annals of eGullet legend!

mem

Edited October 30, 2006 by markemorse (log)

[yunnermeier]

How much do you cook in that lovely kitchen?  Do you typically help with the meals?  The apple pie looks very nice... I also have to comment on the adorable photo of your little charge!

Also looking forward to your travels later in the week.  I hope you get to try some nice pastries and cakes in Budapest.  We recently were discussing Hungarian Chestnut Cream torte on this thread and it has whetted my appetite for Hungarian/Austrian desserts.

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Cooking is not one of my duties but I do ocassionally cook. And yes, I do help prepare meals; nothing significant mind you- just potato-peeling or chopping onions that kind of thing.

Sebas is absolutely adorable, good natured but also high maintenance (in the good natured way)sometimes. He's the best!

Hiya Abra ! Did you try making anything at all? I remember that the instant ayam masak merah is not bad at all.

Markemorse , that is a very good idea I may just try it when I go to Arnhem later this week (baby+ marijuana = not a good idea). I am not a stoner and only tried weed twice in Amsterdam, more for the experience than anything else. I dislike smoking but I'm in Amsterdam, aren't I?! Now that Ju is here on a visit, it's time to do my duty as temporary Dutchie and take her (she requested it btw!) for a taste of some herbs

[mizducky]

Thank you, mizducky, for helping me with the pictures

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You're welcome! You're off to a great start.

Next : A spacecake and a joint or two at one of Amsterdam's famous coffeeshops

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Aha! I tried to persuade previous Dutch bloggers to give us a tour of this kind of establishment, but without success.

[Daniel]

Havent been to Amsterdam in 6 years or so but the 4 times I have gone, Grey Area and Amnesia where my favorites..

[KatieLoeb]

Awesome!! More peeks into our fellow Dutch Egullet compatriots lives and a tour of one of those infamous coffeeshops with spacecakes! Woo-hoo, this is going to be fun. Last time I had a spacecake (1985-ish) I woofed it down on a train beacause I'd forgotten I had it in my backpack and was crossing the border into Belgium. In my idiotic little mind, my bag was going to be searched and I was going to be thrown in jail. I simply had to destroy the evidence! Yeah! I was a mess for half a day afterward. What can I say? I was young and stupid...

Your little charge is criminally cute. What a great smile! I could almost hear him giggling...

[Abra]

Oh sure, I made a lot of the things you sent, but that was a really full package! What I have left is tom yam paste, ginseng root and yok chuk soup, campuran herba & rempah untuk ayam taipan, nasi goreng belachan mix, and tepung cucur ikan bilis. I'm not even mentioning the pak chan soup, since you said it's "the most vile thing ever." For some reason, I haven't gotten around to trying that one yet!

So, are you craving any of those dishes? I'll make it for you, just say the word.

[SMW]

I'm really loving the modern feel to this blog - people all over the world reading about a Malaysian take on Dutch food and living. Only in the 21st century! Thanks for sharing!

[yunnermeier]

Good morning! I'm up at the unearthly hour of 6.15 because I'm always 'too alert' after a few glasses of wine and in this case, some 'erbs .

Amsterdam's Red Light District was dirty, weedy and sexy (as usual) We'd planned to go to 2 coffeeshops namely The Greenhouse Effect (pretty, tourist crowd) and the Funny People coffeeshop (strong joints). We only ended up going to Funny People because we both had enough!

Here's what was ingested:

That was the most disgusting cake I've ever tasted. It was dry but considering that it was a spacecake, it wasn't that bad. I think I sort of expected it to taste like a joint but it didn't (just a tiny bit!). Still, I don't think I could've eaten the whole slice or even half of it because of how it tasted. The back of the wrapping said "This is not less strong than a joint! Do not eat the whole thing. Effects will appear in 30 minutes-1 hour" or something similar.

We also ordered a bottle of water and a joint. In total, the bill was only 9 euro.

I want to stress that while coffeeshops and soft drugs are decriminilised here, not every Dutchie is a stoner. I read somewhere that only 5% of the population smoke regularly. In my opinion, the coffeeshops in Amsterdam are mostly for tourists.

Up Next : Tuesday is Market Day in Weesp. I love markets! The market is very small but it has everything (fresh) you need . I'm going to make ikan bakar (Malaysian grilled fish) with sambal belacan tonight

Laters!

[yunnermeier]

Oh sure, I made a lot of the things you sent, but that was a really full package!  What I have left is tom yam paste, ginseng root and yok chuk soup, campuran herba  & rempah untuk ayam taipan, nasi goreng belachan mix, and tepung cucur ikan bilis.  I'm not even mentioning the pak chan soup, since you said it's "the most vile thing ever."  For some reason, I haven't gotten around to trying that one yet!

So, are you craving any of those dishes?  I'll make it for you, just say the word.

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Haha, I really feel like getting you to make the 'pak chan' soup but I'll be nice What is this ayam taipan thing, I don't recall myself ever having ayam taipan! Would be nice if you could make that and post a picture

ETA : Happy Halloween!

Edited again to add: Just made Korova cookies because I'm bored. In the freezer now and I should be able to put it in the oven in 15 minutes!

Edited October 31, 2006 by yunnermeier (log)

[mizducky]

That was the most disgusting cake I've ever tasted. It was dry but considering that it was a spacecake, it wasn't that bad. I think I sort of expected it to taste like a joint but it didn't (just a tiny bit!). Still, I don't think I could've eaten the whole slice or even half of it because of how it tasted. The back of the wrapping said "This is not less strong than a joint! Do not eat the whole thing. Effects will appear in 30 minutes-1 hour" or something similar.

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Oh dear. I hope that's a blue M&M decorating that cake and not some interesting pill...

I am reminded of an acquaintance from my college days--the costume designer for an undergrad theater production I was in, she was deputized to make "special" brownies for the cast party. Said she: "There's not a lot of flour in this recipe." (And, yes, I "inhaled;" and no, I have no memory of what the darned things wound up tasting like; and yeah, I think the taste in that case was sort of besides the point.)

I'm guessing there are no photos of the interior of the coffee house because its patrons and staff, even in that more tolerant environment, would not be too thrilled about being captured in images...

[markemorse]

According to my team of Field Tasting Agents, it's not easy to find a spacecake with the appropriate mix of, well..."space ingredient" and, um..."not tasting like ass".

However, it can be done. Homegrown Fantasy (Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 87a) has a walnut cake that you might willingly eat regardless of its astral properties: moist, chock full o' non-stale walnuts, a little vanilla sugar on top, and just barely reminiscent of doobage. Taste-wise. According to my field agents.

mem

Edited October 31, 2006 by markemorse (log)

[yunnermeier]

I actually DID take pictures of the joint and of the surroundings with my mobile phone camera but my stupid Nokia 6111 is officially dead for the 2nd time in 10 months (I only used it for 4 months because when it died the last time, I could only afford to get it repaired in June. My warranty isn't valid here ). I am no longer a loyal Nokia customer.

Markemorse, thank you for your recommendations. Your Field Tasting Agents , you say? I just checked the internet for recipes and apparently all I have to do is melt hash in the butter so I'm going to get one of those instant brownie mixes from Dr. Oetker and make special brownies this weekend (I can't make them from scratch because the bf has NOTHING, no pan, no bowl, no mixer, no SPOON for that matter).

Anyway, this is breakfast (I'm horrible at photography):

I am a sissy coffee drinker. Back in Malaysia, I was a loyal fan of CoffeeBean's ice-blended coffee (and if Coffeebean wasn't available, I'd have Starbucks) but there are no coffee chains here (yep, not a single one!) . I buy these from the supermarket about 3-4 times a week.

The Korova cookies are fresh from the oven. I chopped some macademias and put them on top of the 2nd tray (which are in the oven now).

mizducky , that is indeed a blue m&m (my favourite part of the cake!)

[Tepee]

Haha, I really feel like getting you to make the 'pak chan' soup but I'll be nice    What is this ayam taipan thing, I don't recall myself ever having ayam taipan! Would be nice if you could make that and post a picture 

Pak Chan...eeewww! I don't know how some women faithfully drink this every month...erm...after they're 'clean'. I love chinese herbs, I revel in the smell of a chinese medicine hall......but Pak Chan is UGH. Abra, this is definitely something served from Fear Factor.

Have fun!

BTW, don't know what is Ayam Taipan either.

[yunnermeier]

Today is a miserable day. Cold, rainy and wet. I did my marketing armed with Sebas (in his buggy) and shopped in English (I only recently started this because I noticed that I get treated better when I don't speak accented or broken Dutch!). My host mum gave me 20euro for tonight's meal because 'fish is expensive'.

Surprisingly, I only spent 4.55 on fish (just over 1 kilo of mackeral). There were of course much more expensive fish (I was too embarassed to take pictures of individual stores) but the only one I was familiar with (for ikan bakar) was mackeral.

The market is only 10 metres from my house (or even less depending on which part of the market I want to go to!).

I love Weesp. It's so quaint!

[yunnermeier]

Lunch was yet again more boring bread!

Toasties with ketchup and curry sauce

Weesp is known for a number of things. It's very popular with the boating crowd during the summer (simply because it's pretty, I suppose). What most people do is moor their boats and go to Nelis Ijssalon (Nelis Ice Cream Parlor) . Nelis actually won an award a few years ago - it won 2nd price for best ice cream in The Netherlands. It is ALWAYS crowded -even on cold ,windy days like today. (I was again too chicken to take a proper picture).

Besides that, Weesp is also home to Van Houten chocolates! I bet you didn't know that! I didn't too. I don't know if the Van Houtens still live here but the church the Van Houtens opened still stands til this day.

The townhall opens once a year on National Monument Day (sometime in September) . It hosts a number of Van Houten paraphernalia .

I think this is a chocolate tempering machine. If I'm wrong, please correct me!

Other random pictures:

Edited to correct spelling of toasties from 'toaties' and the p -word and please read Kerry's post about that chocolate thingmajig (it's not a tempering machine)

Edited October 31, 2006 by yunnermeier (log)

[petite tête de chou]

Not sure how to put this, but I really love the fact that this blog includes marijuana-laced foodstuffs. How neat. How...European. Jealous!!

What are "toaties?" Do you mean toasties? I love toasted bread dipped in tangy, sweet ketchup! Bread is absolutely not boring. Folks from nearly all the continents can recognize and love it. "Staff of Life" and all that.

[Kerry Beal]

paraphenelia (will someone please help me spell this word!) .

I think this is a chocolate tempering machine. If I'm wrong, please correct me!

I'm enjoying your blog very much.

Tell us more about the au pair program in Holland. Is it strictly a one year thing? Is it set up to encourage travel, or immigration?

Paraphernalia. (when I'm on the computer and I can't recall the spelling of a word I just open another window and google the word, an approximate spelling usually returns - "do you mean paraphernalia?" - mission accomplished!)

I think what the model in the picture shows is the chocolate production floor with the crusher/winnower for the cocoa beans on the right and a conch on the left. I think top right might be another conch of some sort.

[yunnermeier]

Tell us more about the au pair program in Holland.  Is it strictly a one year thing?  Is it set up to encourage travel, or immigration?

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Thanks for telling me what that chocolate 'machine' is!

No, it's definitely not set up to encourage immigration The Dutch government is getting more and more strict each year regarding immigration (ie. you don't automatically receive the right to stay here if you're married a Dutch person or if you're born here. Or even if your husband AND your child is Dutch! ).

Most au pairs stay for one year. However, plenty of au pairs from the EU usually stay longer; especially if they're from 'poorer' EU countries such as Poland. There are also summer au pairs but not many because it's illegal. Au pairs are popular because childcare here is extremely expensive (at least 1000euro per child but the government sponsors 1/3rd of this ,as does your employer so you only pay 1/3rd) and because having an au pair is so convenient! . An au pair is only legally allowed to work 30 hours a week and do only light housework.

I suppose my experience as an au pair is probably slightly different from an au pair from a first world country. I get very ,very iritated when people say "Wow, is life back home so horrible?" when in actual I lead a much better quality life back home in Malaysia than I am leading now (now= no shopping, no dining out ) while a first world au pair often get reactions such as "Wow, you're so adventurous!". Still, I am enjoying my year a lot and I did meet a lovely farmboy from Zutphen

petite tête de chou I like bread, I really do but not when I have to eat the same kind every day! My host mum buys half a loaf from the local bakery everyday and granted, they aren't always exactly the same but really, I swear they do taste the same, except perhaps with different grains sprinkled

Edited October 31, 2006 by yunnermeier (log)

[yunnermeier]

We had this with tea :

Borstplaat (literally breast plate,)

It's mostly sugar with just a little bit butter. It melts in your mouth and is available only from October- December (traditionally eaten to celebrate Sinterklaas on December 5th).

[Chufi]

Mei, thanks for the picture of Nelis' ijsssalon, I used to go there all the time when I was young , Weesp is a nice bikeride away from the Amsterdam suburb where I grew up.

and mmmm, borstplaat... I'll be posting a recipe for that in the Dutch cooking thread soon!

[yunnermeier]

I had quite a fright because I thought I had a lump of belacan (shrimp paste) in my room which I bought from Amsterdam about 6 months ago but I forgot that I threw it away when I cleaned my room just before my best friend arrived! I panicked because I'd bought the fish, the red chilli, everything and without belacan, my chilli is nothing which means my Malaysian grilled fish is also nothing I'd all about given up with today's food experiment but SURPRISE SURPRISE, a visit to the supermarket made me very happy. Not only did this tiny town (Weesp has only 15 000 residents)'s c1000 (supermarket) have belacan in the Asian section, the box also proclaimed "MADE IN MALAYSIA" . I'm a very happy woman

The sambal is finished and the fish is in the fridge (also marinated it at 1p.m.) ready to be grilled at 6.

Because I'm in such a good mood, I will offer one Chocolate Letter (a Sinterklaas tradition!) of your choice (traditionally the first letter of your first name)to the first eGullet-er who answers this very easy question correctly

What is patat speciaal ?

Good luck!

p/s: Feel free to PM Chufi or Markemorse

Edited October 31, 2006 by yunnermeier (log)

[rooftop1000]

French fries with ketchup, mayo, and onions?

Tracey

[nakji]

French fries with mayo and curry ketchup?

(er...what's curry ketchup?)

[Abra]

Ok, now I have to make the pak chan just to see what it's about. I promise to pour it out without remorse if it's as bad as you say. And how the heck do I know what ayam taipan is? I mean, I know it's chicken, I'm guessing "Taipan style" whatever that is, but beyond that, well, you sent it to me! I'll make it so we can find out.

[yunnermeier]

I am so happy with the ikan bakar results It reminded me so much of home. The fish was very fresh and the sambal belacan was sublime. Ikan bakar (usually stingray) is usually eaten as a snack or a side dish in Malaysia but I decided to pair it with potatoes and a salad here.

Before going into the grill-oven:

After:

My host family really liked it too!

ETA: Dessert was stoofpeertjes vla (stoofpeer are braised pears and vla is something I've only seen in Holland. It's like custard but is in a liquid form? )

The box it comes in

Edited October 31, 2006 by yunnermeier (log)