Sometimes there are no words to describe certain photos. You’ll just have to go with me on this one.
Anyway, from Ter Heijde village limits (don’t you love how a windmill will just pop out of a street corner?)…
I said we’d go to The Hague, or Den Haag…
which doesn’t look all that different from any of the countless places I’ve featured in this region at my blog. There are the usual small alleys invaded by American culture–
even if it sounds a bit more exotic in a foreign language,
and then there are the not-so-foreign Chinatown gates that seem to be in every city, large or small:
But a big part of the Dutch landscape is their architectural aesthetic, of which I’m a huge fan, and The Hague’s city hall is but one example:
So that building is a nod to the future, and the Binnenhof, or a complex of buildings that’s home to their parliament, is a tribute to their past. These next photos are of the inner courts of the Binnenhof (I’ll share the exterior shots in the next entry):
Anyway, as I’m walking around looking at the symmetry of the windows, I hear a rush of laughter and some drum noises. I look behind me and there’s a group of costumed people, young and old, short and (very) tall.
All have black painted faces except for the one dressed as St. Nicholas. December 5th marks the St. Nicholas (or Sinterklaas) Day which I suppose is the Dutch equivalent to our Christmas celebration with Santa Claus. The main difference is the European St. Nicholas is typically accompanied by Zwarte Piet (black Pete), hence the black faces you see in these photos.
It’s initially shocking for an American to see black painted faces, but this is part of the Dutch tradition, and Zwarte Piet will find you if you’ve been naughty. St. Nich is the one you want visiting you. These days, all these characters will stroll the town and hand out treats to young and old alike…
OK, here’s a fashion interruption: fake or real Chanel bag 
?
Look closely…
Now, where were we? Oh yes, so in those cloth sacs they’re carrying cinnamon-flavored cookies/biscuits and candies shaped like hearts and animals. Of course I got some!
I run into a few more different groups throughout the day, and those cookies get less exciting after the 50th one, so be careful what you wish for.
More pics and stories from this lovely town in the next entry. I’ll leave you with this parting photo. Looks like I got visited by both St. Nicholas and Zwarte Piet. What do you suppose that means?!
Tags: Binnenhof, Chinatown, Den Gaag, Dutch, Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, The Hague, Zwarte Piet
If you know me, you’d agree that I’m better at making reservations than dinner itself, but I’m always up for an adventure in the kitchen. So while visiting my friends–who happen to love dim sum–in Europe last month, I tested our friendship by venturing into their kitchen and then making them eat the hagow I dared to make after watching a how-to video on youtube:
Written waivers aside, we chowed down on the steamed shrimp dumplings which were neither pretty nor particularly tasty–but nothing a bit of soy sauce and Belgian beer can’t fix! When friends tell you your cooking is awesome, and you know it so isn’t, they become family. And btw, maybe watching an instructional youtube video in a language you don’t understand (Mandarin) is not such a great idea. I’m sure the flavor was lost in the translation!
Days later, while passing through Paris, still with a taste for real dim sum in my mouth, I checked out a restaurant heavily recommended on tripadvisor:
Definitely prettier than what I could make, but taste-wise? I’m going to say whoever that was in the kitchen was not Chinese. But once again, nothing a little soy sauce and champagne can’t fix. I won’t mention the restaurant’s name because I don’t think you should eat there.
Here are a few pics from the streets of Chinatown in Paris:
Weeks later, I thought I’d check out the dim sum in London’s Chinatown,
this time without relying on (ill) advice from tripadvisor and hit the jackpot at the Chuen Cheng Ku Restaurant, which actually has trolley service.
Now, that’s some good stuff. In fact, so good I went back for a second visit on the day of the Royal wedding. People on the street told me the Chinese restaurants would be open for sure even on bank holidays, and since the food was so delicious the first time, it was an easy choice after a long day of navigating the crowds in London.
So that’s my tale of three dim sums. Moral of the story is, let’s leave the cooking to professionals!
Tags: Chinatown, Chuen Cheng Ku Restaurant, dim sum, London, Paris
When in Anvers, get dim sum. I had some really fabulous Thai food in Namur my first weekend at a restaurant called Sawasdee, but Anvers is really the best Belgian town for first-rate dim sum. Don’t ask me why, c’est comme ça!
Chinatown is mere steps away from the central train station so there’s no excuse to not go there. Afterwards, I like dropping by the Asian grocery stores next door just to check out the merchandise. There are always some funny signs to behold and sure enough, I spot something lost in translation:
Anyway, I head back out to the streets and by now an open-air market has sprung up in front of the train station:
With all the sights and sounds going on, it’s tricky to mind the cars, bikes, trams, buses, and pedestrians…
with my head in the air looking at cool street names tricky to pronounce…can you say Schrijnwerkersstraat 3 times really fast?
These religious figurines are also what I find throughout the Benelux region when I look up:
Speaking of Benelux, tomorrow I’ll see you in one of the other two countries that make up this union.
OK so that was a bit misleading yesterday; you might even accuse me of false advertising or bait-and-switch. But I am taking you to Chinatown and Little Tokyo in today’s blog, and frankly, the food found in these neighborhoods in the middle of LA is just as satisfying as what I found in Hong Kong or Tokyo. Except here, your waiter or waittress might be able to respond in English, and the language barrier can sometimes make or break your culinary experience while traveling.
There are a million places to eat in Chinatown. You can even see the sign for phở in the picture above, but I’ve tried a few of these Chinese-Vietnamese joints and I’d say stick with Chinese food when in Chinatown. The best dim sum in the world is found at the Empress Pavilion (www.empresspavilion.com ); be prepared to get in line if you go there for Sunday brunch and arrive after 11:30am. I try to get seated by 11 because that’s the small window when the sweet tofu custard (đậu hủ đường or Tàu hủ) makes its appearance. My mouth is watering as I write this, but I digress.
If you are visiting LA, you should also wander over to the “newer” Chinatown in Alhambra in the San Gabriel Valley. Though this is somewhat of a misnomer to me; Alhambra is more a modern Chinese town than a traditional Chinatown. Tons of large shopping centers, restaurants, and supermarkets there. You won’t have to worry about things getting lost in the translation there either.
From Chinatown you can drive a few blocks across “international borders” to Little Tokyo:
I’m here to try out the much talked about Orochon Ramen shop (www.orochonramen.com ) which has a Wall of Bravery made up of photos of diners who survive the Orochon #2 challenge. To get your mug on the wall, you have to finish the bowl of ramen, down to the last drop, in 30 minutes. They don’t care if your head is on fire at that point.
Their soup intoxicates you with 13 secret ingredients, though I’m only able to identify 3, maybe 4…
but the twist is in the level of spiciness, ranging from 1 (“Extreme”) to 7 (“Non-spicy”). After some advice from the waiter who has a killer cherry blossoms tattoo on his arm, I opt for the Miso-based soup, number 5. But the 10-year-old kid sitting at the table next to mine says his is #4 so that’s what I end up ordering. I can’t be one-upped by a kid! But looking at the sweat pouring down his father’s face and neck I get a little nervous. False pride is going to be the death of my poor tastebuds. Luckily level 4 is just the perfect amount of kick I can handle. The dad meanwhile is struggling through the #2 challenge and fails; the second mug of cold beer can’t help him today.
I’m walking off my dinner with a quick jaunt around Little Tokyo:
Anyway, down the street from the visitor center…
I spy a bakery that I’m sure has mochi ( 餅), which is a soft glutinous rice cake with various sweet fillings:
It’s late in the day so there’s not much left:
But how spectacular is this?
My eyes think I should buy one of each but my very full belly settles on three…mochi, get into my belly!
This particular one is seasonal and has a decidedly different taste from the other two, mostly from the flavor of the leaf in which it’s wrapped, even though the filling is also a red bean paste:
This is what it looks like on the inside of the mochi:
And this is what it looks like after it’s inside my happy tummy (does anyone know what kind of leaf this is?):
Tags: Chinatown, Empress Pavilion, LA, Little Tokyo, mochi, Orochon Ramen
