Exchange by definition entails some give and take. I’ve only been an exchange student for two weeks but I’ve seen a fair share of give (but mostly take) when it comes to the food in the Netherlands. Eating out is expensive here especially when this is considered a student town. Most meals cost between 7€ and 11€, a far cry from the cheap and plentiful eats back home. Even Chinese food (which was invented to cheap, tasty and plentiful) commands a prohibitive price (unless I want to eat from the Dutch equivalent of Manchu Wok.) But all this aside, here’s what I have found so far.
Patat met fritesaus
Also called frites sometimes, this is the quintessential Dutch fast food. Here it is pictured with a disgusting amount of mayonnaise, the condiment of choice here. It’s a common sight to see people walking around holding a sno-cone of fries on the street, in the mall, in the train station. That’s about as Dutch as it gets. Walking around Maastricht last week, I saw someone eating fries with gravy and mayo, which I guess is Dutch version of poutine but it wasn’t nearly as appetizing as cheese curds.
Salmon Salad
I first felt the temptation when I saw it sold in containers in the supermarket. This is homemade salmon salad on a croissant for 3,20€ at a café in Amsterdam. I was slight disappointed because for some reason I thought that it was actually smoked salmon and it turned out to be just salmon mixed with mayonnaise. It wasn’t bad but I think this marks the end of my journey with salmon salad. Salmon is one of my major vices and raw/smoked is the only way I like to take it.
Andijvie
During orientation, we were given a Powerpoint presentation that included a slide about Dutch food. It included a blob of green-looking stuff with a sausage on top. The presenter made a sarcastic comment about how delicious it looked, which confused me because I did want try it. A few days ago I found the frozen food version and gave it a go. This is actually mashed potatos with something spinach like mixed in and bits of meat. It’s a bit bland but hearty.
Dürüm Döner
I’ve always thought doner and shwarma (or shoarma, as it’s commonly spelled here) were the same thing. This is not the case as the meat here is prepared by shaving it off the rotating skewer. The hot sauce here is actually hot sauce and not just the flavourful stuff. I bought this for 3€ at Döner Plaza at the train station. It’s about the same price it is at home but far inferior. Don’t worry shwarma fans, the search will go on.
Stroop-wafels
Prepare yourself friends, for what I’m about to say might be quite shocking. I would trade the entire Tim Horton’s “bakery” section (including my beloved honey crueller) for ready access to these back home. Stroop-wafels have a bit of a resemblance to cookie but are superior in every other way. It’s a generous layer of syrup sandwiched by two thin waffles. Looking at the cookie you think it would be light but it’s surprisingly heavy once you pick it up. The stroop-wafel is its own food group in my diet and I go through about 3 a day. Since this is one of the most Dutch things you can have, it only sets you back an affordable 1,40€ for a package of 10.
This is only the beginning of my gastronomical journey, conversion rate and God permitting.
