Thursday, March 3, 2016

THE FOOD IN THE NETHERLANDS


Most people believe that surviving food anywhere is just a huge struggle. But having completely different kitchen back home takes the challenge a step further. The most challenging part of my stay in Netherlands has been dealing with the Dutch food.
Traditionally, Dutch cuisine is fairly modest. Dutch breakfast generally consists of tea and sliced bread, which is eaten with cheese, thinly sliced cold meat, or jam. Lunch is pretty much the same, with the possible addition of soup, salad or fruit; and for the evening meal, potatoes and other vegetables, together with meat or fish. Vegetables especially are plentiful, of high quality, and quite cheap if you buy those in season. Typical Dutch dishes are erwtensoep (pea soup served in winter), Hollandse Nieuwe (fresh salted herring) and stamppot (steamed dish of potatoes, vegetables and meat/sausage).
Listen to Audio: Do you eat Dutch food in Netherlands https://soundcloud.com/irfan-quraishi-292282225/dutch-food

“YOU SHOULD GET USED TO NOT HAVING A WARM LUNCH ANYMORE: THERE ARE ONLY SANDWICHES HERE!”

One of the biggest complaints I hear from fellows is that food in The Netherlands leaves you fed up.  Worthy to mention that every morning Dutch people consume some untoasted brown bread covered with butter or margarine and sprinkled with hagelslag (famous Dutch chocolate sprinkle). Although it tastes pretty nice, that is the weirdest combination of ingredients I have ever heard of.
The breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It must be nutritious and healthy. People mostly here consume scrambled eggs, cottage cheese with chives, tomatoes and onion, sandwiches with ham and cheese, hot milk with granola or sausages.
Watch Video : Dutch Food, Nice or Nasty https://youtu.be/BT1ra_b7nTg
I have noticed that the majority of Dutch teenagers, young people and sometimes even the whole families eat in a very unhealthy way. Locals often choose to grab a quick Subway sandwich, Mc Donald’s meal, kebab wraps or famous frozen pizza instead of having a healthy food.
The most surprising thing though is the fact that despite their unhealthy diet they still stay slim and look fit! Can anyone explain why? During my stay i never saw an overweight Dutch person in the street. Guys are well-built, they are muscled and tall and girls have very girly shapes. I guess the secret lies in Dutch bikes :).
There are two key places that you need to spot: Asian markets, like the Oriental market  and Turkish grocery stores. In these places you can find vegan staples in bulk, like rice and beans, and the vegetables are of a great quality and cost much less compared to the health food store prices.
So what do you do if you are in the Netherlands and your company’s cafeteria serves crappy food? Simple. You prepare an extra portion of dinner and take it with you at work. Trust me; this is the only way out. If you do not have time to cook every night, use a portion of your weekend to prepare food for the week.
Watch Photo Slides: "My' Dutch Food Journey: https://youtu.be/5EOaIVFk-s4


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