Friday, March 29, 2013

Still Trying to Cook

In an attempt to improve my cooking skills and expand my diet from boxed soup, I decided to prepare stir fry for myself. I had made it at home before, and I remembered it being fairly simple and quite delicious! After a trip to the grocery store that almost cost me my arms because I was carrying so much home in my two little reusable bags, and a pep talk from my mom via FaceTime, I set out to cook a meal. I had purchased some meat that was already cut into bite size slices, broccoli, carrots, teriyaki sauce and Uncle Ben's 10 minute rice. I started by marinating the meat in the teriyaki sauce for about 45 minutes. Then I cooked it on the stove. It looked a little funny because of the teriyaki sauce... more grey than the white I am used to from chicken, but I continued by cooking the vegetables and starting the rice. I was most worried about the rice while it cooked, but everything seemed to turn out fine! I was very proud of myself! I took a picture of my meal and sent it to my mom and friends and turned on an episode of Tintin to watch while I ate. The broccoli and rice were delicious, and I was extremely excited to share with my roommates how much my cooking had improved! As I continued to eat I started to question the meat... it was a little bit hard and dry, and didn't have much flavor... and the coloring was still grey and didn't seem like chicken to me. I had a flashback to when Philippe told me that Belgians often eat horse meat and sprinted to the garbage can to look at the label on the packaging of the meat. It was in Dutch... of course! I started feeling nauseous immediately and thought back to all of the ponies I had throughout my life. Barney, Lizzy... quite possibly the devil, but I still wouldn't want to eat her, good old Star, my chunky little Arriba. No no no no this was awful. I thought I was for sure going to vomit. I started texting my mom on repeat like Sheldon knocks on Penny's door. Mom, mom, mom. I ate a horse. A HORSE! I am going to puke. Help. Do you speak Dutch. Vomit. Mom, MOM! Of course she didn't have her phone on her, so I gave up, threw away all the food I had prepared and drank a big glass of water. I sat on the couch feeling incredibly sick. When Philippe got home, I asked him what the label said because he speaks Dutch. He said that he wasn't sure, but that it probably wasn't horse. Everyone I asked said that it wasn't horse meat, but no one is for sure! I am convinced it was horse!! For a few days afterwards I had nothing but jelly beans and fruit to eat because I was terrified of cooking. I soon returned to making box soups which just seem to be the safest option for me.

Now I have eaten a bunny and a horse. Ahhhh the torture of being a carnivore.

Eating... and Drinking My Way Through Brussels

Beer, fries and waffles are definitely the most well known foods of Belgium. All of those things are out of the world fabulous here, but there is so much more to try! I have always been a picky eater, but since I have arrived I have tried so many new things and I am finally realizing how much I have been missing out on my whole life.

Let's start with the waffles. There are typically two different types, Brussels waffles and Liege waffles. The main difference that I have noticed is the shape. The Liege waffles are round with uneven edges and the Brussels waffles are perfectly rectangular. I have heard that there are supposed to be a certain number of holes in each, but I always forget to count because once I smell them all I can think about is eating! Personally, I suggest the Liege waffles. Without a topping they are golden brown with a light sugar glaze. You can choose from tons of toppings, but my favorites are the Liege syrup and good old chocolate. If you can't go to Liege to get the waffles with the bars of chocolate stuffed inside instead of having chocolate syrup poured on top, you can get them at the W shopping center in Woluwe Saint Lambert, metro line one stop Roodebeek (my neighborhood)! I also like the waffles right off of the Grand Place. There are waffles for one euro near Mannekin Pis!


Next are the fries. Yummmmm the fries are so wonderful. Definitely stop by a street stand selling fries or by any of the snack shops around the city. There are hundreds of sauces to choose from to go on top. My absolute favorite it andalouse, but the mayonnaise is fabulous too! I have always been super freaked out by white sauces. Sour cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, mayonnaise... all of them freak me out and I refuse to eat them! However, the mayonnaise in Belgium is a completely different story. It is so creamy and fluffy and is slightly yellow. It looks more like buttercream frosting than the globby hellmans in a jar. It is a must try--even if you don't like white sauces! My favorite part about getting frites is the tiny little fork that they give you to eat them with! I just love it!
Frites with mayonnaise from Frit Flagey
Beer. I'm not even sure where to start when it comes to Belgian beer. I am by no means an expert, but I can tell you that Belgian beer is better than any other beer I have ever tasted. My favorite is Chimay Bleu... it's amaaaazing. Others that are fabulous are Leffe, Duvel, St. Feuillen, Westmalle, La Guillotine, Cuvee des Trolls, Geuze, Kriek, and I could go on. I have been doing my best to try a new kind every time I go out. I take pictures of all the new kinds so that I can remember the names. I haven't tasted a bad beer yet!





If you haven't already heard... the other drink I am absolutely obsessed with is the Moroccan tea. It is just Lipton tea, but it is so so good! I have been drinking three or four cups a day! It is caffeine free and my roommate Philippe likes it too, so often times when we are watching movies together we share a pot of tea! It is definitely my favorite down time activity!

Thanks to Delirium and my friends here in Belgium, I have also been sampling absinthe. Across from Delirium Cafe, which holds the world record for the most beers on the menu, there is the Floris Bar (opened by Delirium) they are known for their selections of absinthe, whiskey and tequilla. I had never tried absinthe before coming to Belgium, but it is quite fun and I have enjoyed sharing the experience with my friends and family! It is green and is served in a shot glass with a little tool and a sugar cube. You take the sugar cube and put it in the alcohol, then use the tool to pull it out. You light the sugar cube on fire, then once the flame is out, place it back inside the alcohol. Next, you take the little tool and mash up the sugar and stir it up so that it is mixed in with the shot. Then down it goes! It tastes like licorice, it's not my favorite, but it isn't the worse thing ever either. I think the flaming sugar cube is where the fun really lies, but I think it is worth it! 






Other things that are absolutely fabulous are the crêpes. The moroccan crêpes at Flagey Market on Saturdays and Sundays are so unique and crazy good. They are thick crêpes, more like a type of bread filled with so many flavors from the sun dried tomatoes, olives, ricotta cheese, honey, and meat if you want it. You always leave covered in honey that has dripped out the bottom--but it's so worth it! My friends Fatema and Allison took me to a tiny little tea room in their neighborhood, Schaerbeek. Their crêpes are out of this world too! I had a four cheese crêpe, and ate it within seconds! I can't wait to go back and try more. My favorite dessert crêpe is the crêpe dame blanche. It is a crêpe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream inside. It is served with hot melted chocolate to pour on top! The heat from the chocolate melts the ice cream and it becomes a perfectly messy and fabulous dessert! 
Moroccan crêpe
Four cheese crêpe
Crêpe dame blanche
The typically Belgian dishes that I have tried are Carbonnade Flammand, Lapin a la Geuze and crevettes. Carbonnade Flammand is a flemmish beef stew. There are huge chunks of tender beef cooked in a beer sauce served with frites! I love dipping my fries in the sauce. It is a rich and heavy meal, but it is out of this world. Lapin a la Geuze is BUNNY cooked in a beer sauce. I can't believe I actually ate it... I am still super freaked out, but it was so good. Again it was so tender and delicious, but at the same time it is a cute little baby bunny and I can't stand the thought! Crevettes are cheese or often times shrimp in a thick creamy sauce that is breaded and fried. They aren't my favorite things in the world, but they are Belgian so a must try!
Carbonnade Flammand
Foods they don't have here are macaroni and cheese and ranch dressing! As much as I miss those two favorites, I don't think I am going to starve while I'm here. :)

Friday, March 8, 2013

Lilian

While studying at ULB, I am taking a course called a Linguistics Tandem. It is the opportunity for students to find a partner with whom they can exchange languages. We meet with our partners fifteen times for two hours each time. We speak for one hour in each of the languages we are exchanging. Throughout the process we note our struggles and improvements and put together a journal about the experience at the end of the semester. It is a great way for me to practice French, to help someone learn English and to get course credit at the same time! There is an online forum where you begin your search for a partner. Posts are something like "Anglophone Seeking Francophone." I wanted to find a partner early so I could get someone who I would get along well with and because I have a strong type A personality and wanted to get started on the project right away so we would have a sufficient amount of time to complete the work. I emailed a few people who had posted on the forum and I also created an advertisement on the forum myself. After a day or two of searching I came across Lilian. I have always loved the name and so I was immediately drawn to the advertisement. Lilian is from France, studies architecture and is looking for someone to speak English with! I responded right away saying that I was interested in partnering, that I had been to France a few times and loved it, and asked if we could meet up for coffee later in the week. I searched for her on Facebook without any luck, but that just left all the more to my imagination. Immediately I began day dreaming of how Lilian and I would become best friends, she and I would travel all over France together, I would visit her home, she would visit me in the U.S., we would discuss fashion and go shopping, we would go out for delicious French meals, and after many years of staying in touch as friends across the globe I would name my own daughter Lilian after my beloved French friend. When we finally set a date and time for our coffee date I was on cloud nine. I got there a few minutes early (type A personality) and anxiously waited. I received a text from Lilian saying that she was running a few minutes late because of problems with her tram (typical Brussels) and I giggled as I pictured us laughing over the trams and all of the other interesting aspects of life in Belgium. I waited in between the doors to the building and the small entrance into the coffee shop so that there was no chance we could miss each other. After a few more minutes of waiting, a male came in and walked right up to me. He asked if I was Emily and introduced himself as Lilian my Tandem partner. I cannot even begin to imagine the look of surprise on my face. I was so thankful for the Belgian way of greeting someone with one kiss on the cheek in that moment so that I could take a second to myself to regain my composure and evaluate the situation I had gotten myself into. Lilian is a HE! I couldn't believe it. We ended up finding lots of things to chat about over coffee, and even though he isn't the beautiful French girl I imagined naming my daughter after he is very nice and I think we will get along well for the project. Instead of a new best friend I am left with only a funny story of how I was completely confused about the gender of Lilian.

Lilian and Me at Delirium Cafe