We arrived by train/tram/car or something from the airport and were very hungry. Right away we were informed (actually mostly apologized too) that the family was vegetarian. I of course being a total food nerd was not upset by this but rather stoked to see how the other half lives, you understand. A small part of me has always wondered what kinds of creative things vegetarians eat, and I got my chance to be vegetarian for five days or so! Disclaimer: I'm not switching to the vegetarian lifestyle, I appreciate my meats too much. BUT it was an amazing experience.
One thing that was notable about the generosity of this family was this: knowing that the three of us weren't used to eating full vegetarian, they insisted that we take the majority of any meat-substitute they made during every meal. I'm sure that Dina intentionally prepared extra things just for us to ensure that we still maintained the levels of protein that we were used to and such. This noodle dish was no exception, and at first I had thought there actually was real meat in it because if I'm being honest, I could barely tell the difference.
We soon went to sleep, and the next morning we awoke to an offer: Dina would take us to see the Grand-Palais and leave us to explore while she did some shopping, and then we could accompany her to the market.
Here is a picture of the 19th edition in 2014 (believe me, I WISH I had a picture this beautiful to call my own):
Surprisingly enough this is not the actual Manneken Pis. The real one isn't eating a waffle sadly. In fact, the real one wouldn't have Hannah stealing his waffle from him. The REAL Manneken Pis is just down the street from this one. Even more surprising is that the statue that could be considered a pinnacle of Belgian culture (and humor) is exactly 61 cm tall. It's just located on a street corner seen peeing into a fountain. I was so confused by the fascination that I don't even have a picture of the actual statue. So, sorry about that. But seriously, people come from all over just to dress up this guy in little costumes. His wardrobe is made up of several hundred that are managed by a non-profit organization and represent the national dress of different tourists who have visited it, as well as the uniforms of different professions, associations, and different branches of civil and military service. When they change his costume there's a big colorful ceremony with a brass band and everything. The little peeing boy is basically cooler than you and me.
I think it's time to move on. Anyways, an even greater discovery was just down the street from all this hullabaloo. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you:
To finish off the night we wanted to head to Delirium Café, a bar just up the street. Delirium Café is world renowned and has held the world record since 2004 of having the most beers: a number to date which is 3,162! I sadly (of course) did not have the fortune of sampling three-thousand different types of beer from all over the world. However, here are a few I did get to try during my two nights at the legendary bar--which by the way also has AWESOME atmosphere and decor. Would definitely recommend.
Full Disclosure: These descriptions are adapted from the ones written in the Delirium Catalog:
- Palm - Amber colored and brewed via infusion method. The main ingredients are brewing water rich in minerals and maritime barely with soft aroma hops. Adding "top yeasts" results in a fruity, full beer with a fine bitter sweet balance.
- Floris Mango - A smooth single mango white beer, with exotic fruity flavors and a refreshing citric finish.
- La Divine - The top beer from Brasserie de Silly, this beer is an amber triple that is unique in taste and flavor. The use of the Brasserie's special yeast is evident in the beer as well as a balance of residual sugars and a clear and present hoppy taste.
- Floris Apple - This beer has a stable fruity taste that remains rich and warming with aromas and flavors of apple from the first sip to the last.
I think my favorites of these four have to be a tie between the Palm and the Floris Apple, just because they're both so different but both so delicious and satisfying depending on the mood. I will say that La Divine was certainly one of the most unique beers that I have ever tasted, but don't take my word on that because I haven't tasted that many and don't consider myself to be a expert by any means.
The next morning Hannah, Gonçalo, and I got a chance to see Brussels with Lukas, who took us up and down various different streets and to different important sights, like the Royal Palace of Brussels, the Justice Building, and to the European Commission. There wasn't much food involved in this particular escapade, but I will take the chance to tell you about the breakfasts I had while staying with Lukas' family.
A lot of the food we ate in the mornings consisted of fresh things that Dina had picked up from the market (LOVE!) including those awesome oranges I was telling you about. Usually we also had plenty of crêpes to go around, as well as some beautiful cheese panini-type creations and the most amazing tea. I drank so much of Dina's tea while we were staying, which was essentially some Chinese green tea that she brewed with fresh mint, sugar, and a few other spices. It was delicious and she gave it to me every meal. Can't complain, right?
The day included lots more sight seeing, some great discussion and some french movies, and for dinner we had a delicious squash and spinach soup with pizza:
Here is us with the Atomium:
Here is one of many picture I took in Bruges, I won't bore you with them all considering I think they're all breathtaking but this is the kind of architecture you can see here and elsewhere in Belgium:
And last but not least, I give you:
And, to clarify what is written on the caption underneath the fourth picture, Pierre Marcolini is a world-renowned chocolatier and alchemist who travels the world every year in search of the best cocoa beans, blending cocoa from all over and creating brand new flavors of chocolate. The chocolaterie in Brussels was his first, opened in 1995. It was beautiful, and very expensive, but SO worth it.
Sorry Dad, I didn't eat any Brussels Sprouts (yes everyone, apparently those are authentically from Brussels!). Maybe next time?
Here are a bunch of chickens made out of chocolate, because I can, they're really cool, and because this is the end of my post! Goodbye for now.