Smakelijk!

Well, fancy meeting you here, darling reader!

I'm saddened by the fact that I haven't posted lately. I bet you are too. Well, I hope you are too. Wait, no. I don't hope that you're sad. That's awful. I... er... hope that you know that I am sad that I haven't posted lately because it means I haven't been in contact with you lately... and that makes me sad... yeah, that's it. I chose a rather indirect route to that conclusion, but my brain is utterly fried from two intense exams.

(See previous post for an in-depth explication of those experiences as well as emotional responses.)

So, Monday was my Statistics exam (can you hear me whimpering still?) and I just finished up with my European Studies exam. In an hour, I have my Lyric Poetry exam, then a break, then an International Relations Theory exam on Friday. Woo...hoo.

Have I mentioned how much I dislike classes here? I find that they lack structure and efficiency. Then again, so do a lot of things in Belgium. In everyday life, it's fine. It's exciting and mentally-stimulating to be kept on one's toes by neat-o surprises. But in the academic atmosphere, it's frustrating as all hell. I miss Montclair and it's normalities. More on that in a later post.

This post is about my super cool Dutch vegetarian cuisine Monday-night experience!

Kathleen (host mum), considerate as always, signed the two of us up for a promising Veggie Cooking Workshop at VUB (VeCo's Dutch-speaking "parent" University just across the road). After a long day of studying and classes, it was a lovely way to unwind.

Everything was in Dutch- the speeches, the recipes, the menu, the food labels, etc. When we got to the workshop, we were debriefed on the cultural awareness group which was hosting the event. Kathleen brilliantly translated everything for me as people spoke. She's got an incredible talent with language. We went around and said a bit about ourselves. When it came to be my turn, I said, "Hi, I'm Lauren, I speak English, I'm a vegetarian from New Jersey." Classy.

So what was on the menu? A fantastic combination of vegetarian dishes from soup to Chinese cabbage salad, a delicious tofu-esque/lentil medley, turnip crisps, and cauliflower in a light cheese sauce. Wow! Oh yeah and some weird tofu waffle. Mine was burnt. I did not enjoy that.

We split up into small groups and assigned a specific dish to prepare. Kathleen and I worked on the tofu-esque/lentil dish. I was the only American there, but everyone was so friendly and willing to converse with me in English. I spoke with one Belgian girl who is traveling to America for the first time over Spring break; she's going to Naples and Philadelphia, so I spoke to her about my times visiting my sister and my aunt and how lovely those cities are.

I also spoke to a fellow vegetarian; we both agreed on how obnoxious is it to be a vegetarian living on a college campus-- selections can be very limited at times (hence, at M.S.U., my diet consisted of cereal and salad...).

We all sat down to eat at a long banquet table. Smakelijk! (Smakelijk is like the Dutch equivalent to "bon appetite!"... it's one of the only Dutch phrases I know so I say it all the time... even when it's far from applicable.)

Soup was first. It was absolutely delicious. A very sweet broth that tasted a little like honey, and chunks of fresh carrots, celery, zucchini, and onions. Fantastic! Next was a huge plate with a generous sample of each dish we prepared. (Enter stage right: my awkward burnt waffle. It's the only thing I didn't enjoy. Oh well.)

Of course, at the dinner table, all 30-something of the workshop attendants spoke in Dutch. I just sat back and chowed down and listened to them joking and laughing and discussing things in a foreign language. It felt so nice to absorb the authenticity of the culture and the experience but really have no idea what was going on.

Okay, all of this talk has made my stomach grumble... for some pictures! (?)

Laziness has not waned whatsoever, so I still am without working batteries/camera/photos to share. But here are some I stole from my friends. They're a bit old, but they'll suffice for now.

Me, hanging out in the playground. This was one of the warmer days from a few weeks ago. (Yesterday the weather was so wacky... it poured, then the skies were blue, then it hailed, then the skies were blue... lather rinse repeat...)

Tom and I on a canal tour in Amsterdam. I know. The word you're looking for to describe our facial expressions is : ENTHRALLED. (Note: I'm drawing in my notebook, not sleeping with my mouth open.)

When the host family is away the children will play... dress up!

Ashley, Myself, Morgan, and Priya. The word you're searching for to describe our behavior is : MATURE.

Lastly, the first Wednesday of every month, some museums in Brussels are free. As soon as I'm out of class today I'm heading up to the Museum of Fine Arts to wander around. I wish you could come with me. My treat! (Because it's free... get it? Ha...ha...)

But for now I'm off to review some notes for EXAM FEST 2008 ROUND 3! Trust me, it's not as exciting as the caps lock suggests.

I hope all is well with you, reader!

Love,
Lauren