Dutch Scenes: Haring

Eating fish is a very Dutchy thing. Specially herring, here called haring. The traditional way of eating it is raw, with onions, either alone or in a bun. When alone, there is no way to eat it but by doing the same as the Dutch soccer fan is doing: you hold the tail and bite it. Quite good, actually. A Dutch sushi? Or is it sushi Dutch?



I was told that today there was freshly arrived herring. Then I went to the market to had some. Then I started to ponder: what does "freshly arrived" mean? Does it mean that the herring I had last month was not fresh?

Well, in the market, there are also other type of fish: cod, shrimp, even fish eggs (not caviar), etc.

"Scientific Research" (part 21, 22, 23 of many) - UPDATE

The saga continues.

I enjoyed Wieckse Witte in an Argentinian restaurant in Amsterdam (during my last visit). It was a hot day, so the lemon helped to enjoy this light beer.

La Trappe Tripel is another excellent Belgium beer. UPDATE: A correction. As pointed out by Paul, La Trappe is Dutch!

And, finally, Wieckse Rose, which is a fruit beer, something really awful! I wasted 3 Euros with that. Darn!

Dutch Scenes: boat tours in the canals

What is the result of breeding tourists with canals?

Boat tours.

"Scientific Research" (part 20 or many) - UPDATE

Luciana! Emilio! I found it! Delirium Tremens, a Belgium beer with a very original name and an excellent taste. It is part of the selection offered at Locus Publicus. Now, I quite do not understand the reason why the glass has elephants on it. Never mind. The contents is what really matter.

UPDATE: Luciana told me the meaning of the red elephants. The idea is that if you drink enough, you will eventually see red elephants. Do you see them, you sober?

Dutch Scenes: bike thrown into the canal

A more common thing to happen is to see bikes, instead of cars, thrown into canals. I was even told, jokingly, that the most economical way to "purchase" a bike is to look for them inside the canals. Well, I finally saw one. Actually, my wife saw the whole affair. A person, angry for whatever reason, simply threw his bike into the canal just in front of our house. We can just see the wheels out of the water in the picture.

Dutch scenes: boat houses

I was told that at one point there was a shortage of housing in Holland, what left the government to allow boat houses. They are essentially floating trailers, some quite long and nice. They are docked and connected to the land by means of pipes and wires for water and sewage and electricity. I am not sure if there is still shortage of housing today, but the fact is that there are boat houses everywhere. In the upper picture, a boat house in Amsterdam. In the bottom, boat houses in Leiden.

A hideout in Delft

Locus Publicus is like the geodetic datum of Delft. Indeed, there are lots of stories that connect geodesy, TU Delft and the pub, all surrounded by mystery.

Locus Publicus offers a very large selection of Belgium and Dutch beer.