The other day a friend in my group made the comment that she had a very busy weekend and was very tired. She said to me, “I don’t know how you guys do it, you’re always doing something.” This is actually relatively true. “I couldn’t do it,” she continued. “I don’t have the energy.” This got me thinking, how do we keep up our relatively busy pace? The other day as I munched on some sort of sugar, the answer hit me: Sugar. I have never been someone with an iron-will against sugar and I also seem to be gifted with the talent of finding sugar wherever I go, often for free. Some people might call this mooching, but I know it’s not—I’m simply opportunistic.
I made it through college without becoming addicted to caffeine and I didn’t even drink that much soda. Looking back on these days (which are so far gone…) I realize that the same chemical compound kept me going through those days too. At Elon, I had Student Union Board to fuel my growing sugar addiction. The SUB office was a wonderful room full of distractions from homework, lack of productivity and most importantly, sweets or candy. Unfortunately, in Germany there are not as many opportunities for free sugar, but there sure are lots of delicious and inexpensive candy bars. And when a scoop of Italian gelato is only .80 Euros, how can I not want two or three? Additionally, I receive a food stipend from the PPP program, so really, all of it kind of is free.
Anyway, last Friday morning, a group of my friends and I took a train to Amsterdam, not knowing what amazing sugary treat was waiting for us there. When we arrived in Amsterdam Isabel met us at the train station (she left the day before) and introduced us to stroopwaffels. Stroopwaffels are two sugary flat waffle cookies held together by sticky syrup, honey and cinnamon. The result is one of the most flavorful cookies I have ever had. My grandfather had a saying for something you instantly want more of: “It has a more-ish taste.” Stroopwaffels define this expression. I had found my sugar supply.
Later that day we took a tour through Amsterdam. For the next three hours we were guided through Amsterdam’s narrow streets, canal system and Red Light District. Before we began our tour guide warned us about Amsterdam’s pick-pocketers and the even more foreboding bicyclists. For anyone that has been to Europe, you are probably familiar with the bike lanes that run parallel to the sidewalks. They may only be distinguished by a different pattern or color of stones, but crossing over that fine line is essentially risking your life. If you are in the way of a bicyclist, they do not do the logical thing and slow down. No, instead they ring their little bell as if it had some sort of mighty, magical power. These bells might be ordinary pieces of metal, but the Power of the Bell is real. When I hear a bell my heart beat spikes and I literally jump out of the bike lane. Bicyclists do not mess around and therefore I don’t either. Well, before we set off for the tour, our tour guide had one little piece of advice regarding bicyclists: Get out of their way; they have all the trump cards. No more than five minutes later we were walking through a street, I was looking up at a building, my view was obscured by the people in front of me and what happens? I’m hit by a bike. No fear, nothing too scary, but really, what better way to look like a tourist than ignore what your tour guide tells you not to do. Classic tourist behavior. Go me.
OK, moving on.
Amsterdam is one seriously cool city. Most people know it as a city that has legalized prostitution and decriminalized marijuana, but it goes without saying that there is so much more. Amsterdam was hardly physically damaged in the world wars and therefore its architecture is very well preserved. Looking down an Amsterdam street, one cannot help but notice that the buildings are either crooked, lopsided or leaning into the street. Of course the buildings weren’t built that way, but Amsterdam is below sea level, so the ground is very soft. While this might be a perpetual problem for the city, it’s pretty fun to feel like you’re in a Disney-created, Harry Potter-esque world. Adding to the mystique of the city is how high and narrow the buildings are. Historically, the city determined property tax by how wide, not tall, the buildings were. This instantly explains why all the buildings are only four windows wide at a maximum, but five or six stories high.
Another highlight of the weekend was becoming one of the thousands of people who take their picture with the “I AMsterdam” sign. This sign has not always been a part of the Amsterdam cityscape. Five or so years ago the city wanted to alter its image from a city of prostitution and pot to one of culture and history—both of which of course existed before the liberalization of the city in the 1950s and 60s. The result was the “I AMsterdam” concept as a spinoff of “I <3 New York.” After a relatively low-budget campaign, the concept took off. So much so that I first saw this sign in the Amstel Light commercials while watching the Red Sox on TV in New Hampshire. Another fun fact: The Netherlands once controlled New York City, but gave it to the English in exchange for the tiny country of Suriname in South America. Hindsight is always 20/20.
Since I know food is sometimes more interesting than history, I’ll share a little about Dutch food. There is not actually an overly large variety of exclusively Dutch food, but Amsterdam has tons of international food offerings. The Dutch are particularly fond of Indonesian food, which we had for dinner on Friday. The Netherlands does have a particular type of fast food that is special, such as “bitterballen,” croquetes and French fries with peanut sauce. Croquetes and bitterballen are essentially the same food, just in a different shape: Both contain gravy and shredded meat and are deep-fried. Additionally, stroopwafels are not the Dutch people’s only outlet for sugar: They (especially children) eat white bread with butter and chocolate sprinkles for breakfast. Of course, we, as tourists, were not above trying this interesting breakfast concept. So, how’d it taste? Let me put it this way: If it were more socially acceptable to eat refined flour, covered with full-fat cream and an ice cream topping for breakfast, I’d do it.
Amsterdam is one of the those cities that you think you only need a couple of days for, but when you leave you realize how much more you wanted to see. Never the less, late Sunday evening we arrived back in Bremen, satisfied and sugar-loaded. The trip to Amsterdam was the first trip out of Germany I’ve had since arriving and it felt so strange to succumb to speaking English and not feel guilty (96 percent of Dutch people speak English).
Now, however, as I write this ridiculously long post (thanks for reading! J ), I’m on the go again. I’m on the train towards Munich for a new adventure and new form of sugar: Oktoberfest. This weekend might be absent of cake, stroopwaffels and chocolate sprinkles, but considering carbs technically are sugars, I don’t think my blood sugar will droop too low. J
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