Sunday, March 18, 2012

Tea for two


10 puffs (eclairs) - filled with whipped cream.
We ate them all.
****

Grevelingenmeer - Zeeland


Den Osse is where we are.

On thursday.

On sunday
 

Saturday, March 17, 2012

inSANeTORUM



Please, first watch this report + interview with Dutch correspondent Erik Mouthaan.

Oh yes - I'm ready for euthanisia.
If I want to step out Peter will suffocate me with a pillow while asleep. We agreed on that.

Yes, my mom and dad didn't leave the hospital alive.

Yes, we use drugs daily and I sit in the windowsill next to a red light.

That's who we are - wacky, dirty, liberal Dutch.

Ironic?
Very!

There is no better way to express anger and anxiety than to bemock it..

Sarah Palin is stupid, but Rick Santorum (also see 02/20) exceeds all blunders.

By the way: Erik Mouthaan is gay. Yes he is!

If this religious obsessed, lunatic man - who has no idea of what's going on in the rest of the world - was my president, I immediately would give Peter the order.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Zeeland


I'm in Zeeland for a couple of days. link
It's only an hour drive from Rotterdam, so we're here quite often: especially in the off-season, when it's quiet.

In the summer the population almost triples. Zeeland is a very popular destination for our eastern neighbours - the Germans.
Our cottage is located just outside of beautiful historic Brouwershaven


Daffodils in my garden are ready to say: "It's spring!"
*******

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Choice

Naples: 30 minutes in a tropical storm
or
Rotterdam: 5 days in the fog

Unfortunately I have no choice.
****

Friday, March 2, 2012

Kroket

The Americans have their burgers.
We have our kroketten.

Kroket is a deep fried meat ragout coated with breadcrumbs. It's an unanswered question as to what the filling is made from. Take a guess - Offal? Butchering waste?

Kroket is an extremely popular fast food in Holland and it is sold in all snack bars. It's so popular that McDonald's in Holland has a kroket burger on their menu. Although meat ragout is the most common filling, you can also find noodles, potato, rice and goulash fillings.

Besides from snack bars, kroketten are also available from the frozen section of all supermarkets in Holland.

Ofcourse I deep-fry them myself, but you can also put a Euro into the famous "Hole in the Wall" (Febo) to pick a kroket.


Thursday, March 1, 2012

Dining in Naples


(picture: BLT salad at Cheesecake Fact.)

In the 20+ years that we come to Naples we built up a list with frequently visited restaurants.
Quite a lot went out of business.
Like Pippins - the place for filet mignon and the fantastic salad bar.

But since this year we crossed some former favourites off our list.
Coincidence?
They're all downtown. Fancy, upscaled downtown.

Here are the restaurants where we won't eat next year.
1. Pazzo's.
Advertises with cheap menu's. Lost quality since chef Dominique left two years ago.

2. Vergina.
Rush, rush, rush. Cold food.

3. Campiniello.
Too expensive for what you get.
€9,50 for five soft-brown leafs of Roman lettuce, with a drop of Ceasar dressing out of a bottle.
Shame on them.

Can you believe this? On Valentine's eve every single restaurant on Fifth had tables available?

We have eaten all over Europe - expensive, moderate and cheap.
We don't mind spending money on a good, expensive, fancy dinner - accompanied by different wines.
We do mind when the ingredients are not fresh. It has to be made from scratch.
Better simple of good quality than (so called) "haute cuisine" of bad quality.

We also mind bad services. Especially while it's a general rule in the US to leave a 15% tip.

Naples has too many "Italian" restaurants.
However - not many can provide the authentic Italian flavours, but that of course is a matter of taste.

And here's our YES-list:
1.Watermark Grill (corner Immokalee/US41): an oldtime favourite.
Good food, good service, good bar, nice ambience and fair prices.
No hurry, no rush.
-No reservations.

2.Cheesecake Factory (across from Coastland Mall): always a surprise.
Huge menu with a great variety for big and small eaters.
The appetizers are delicious and we shared this BLT-salad (starter for one!).
- Drinks are expensive!
Desserts are to die for.
Nice for lunch after shopping.

3.HB's on the Gulf (Naples Beach & Golf Hotel - Gulf Shore Blvd N): a place with a view. 
Wonderful location, right on the beach. Great food.
We had lunch there.
It all looks wonderful after the renovation. You have the choice of "fast food" in the bar area or the outside restaurant. 


-"We don't serve many desserts," is what our waitress said when she brought my key lime pie. And although it looked like a beautiful painting I could taste we don't serve many desserts.
****