As Told by Amanda: So Much Food in so Little Time

So you want to know what kind of yummy deliciousness we've been eating since we've been here? Why haven't I posted much earlier than now, you ask? Well my dears I shall enlighten you of this, all in good time. The idea to post a blog about all the foods we've been indulging in didn't cross my mind until 2 or 3 days ago, and over the course of those few days I've muddled the idea over and over again in my head. I think I've gathered enough data (as if food is some sort of technological thing) to properly inform all of you of the cuisine we've been enjoying. And when I say "enjoying" I do, indeed, mean enjoying probably entirely too much. I could eat my heart out. Its bad.....but oh sooo good. Let me stop before I drive myself into a food-induced coma.

Okay so anywaaaayyyys, let me start with breakfast. Breakfast is different here. In America they make breakfast such a big deal, they bring out the whole nine (which I've never once complained about)- eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, cereal, orange juice, milk, chocolate milk, muffins, bagels, etc. - here it's nothing like that. Yes, all that stuff is here in grocery stores, but the typical breakfast (or at least the breakfasts I've had every time I've come to Belgium) is something along the lines of a non-toasted slice of bread/sandwich roll with butter, a slice of cheese, salami (or prosciutto, ham, or paardevlees amongst others), and a salad type of thing. I don't know how to explain it. It's not salad with the lettuce and croutons and dressing and all that, but it's like the chicken salad you can get from Costco. That's the only thing I could come up with to compare it to (and who knows if anybody even knows which chicken salad I'm talking about, oh well). The salads come in varieties though, there's chicken with curry, crab, egg, ham, and many more. We grabbed the chicken with curry, crab, and egg salads, along with salami, Gouda cheese slices, and mini sandwich rolls from the Carrefour. And as abysmal as that may sound it's actually very satisfying, both taste and filling up your tum-wise. So as far as breakfast that's basically what we've been having except for the few times we didn't have time to make the sandwiches and stopped by either a pastry store or a McDonalds (MickeyD's was Mike's doing, he couldn't resist). By the way yes, McDonald's is different here. There's no dollar menu, the burgers and chicken sandwiches taste completely different, no playplace for kids, and the menu consists of about less than half the things on an American McDonald's amongst other various differences.

On to lunch and dinner. It's kind of hard for me to categorize what we've eaten into lunch and dinner (It's not like I watch the clock when we order food, I know, surprising right?), but anyways I'll just touch on all the things we've had from around those lunch to dinner time periods. In Gent we stopped at a bakery and we all ordered a worstenbroodje with curry ketchup (kind of like a pretzeldog, but with a bratwurst and different breading). We also each ordered our own choice of pastry, I ordered an appelflap (like an apple turnover, but circular), Mike order some type of thin glazed waffle lookin thing with apricot spread on it, and my dad ordered an eclair. I don't mean to boast, but I do think mine was by far the best choice. In Brugge we stopped at a cafe by one of the canals with the original plan to get some type of lunch. The plan changed, we ended up ordering beers all around, with salmon and chorizo tapas, and one waffle each for my dad and Mike. If you're thinking "That's a bit of an odd combo", don't worry I thought the same. When we went to Antwerp and Brussels on Sunday we didn't really have the chance to eat much because we spent a good while trying to find a pharmacy that was open to get Mike some advil or something for his headache, my poor baby. NOTE! If you plan on having a headache (Who ever plans on it though? Those dreadful things) in Belgium or maybe all of Europe, don't have it on a Sunday and expect there to be a pharmacy open, because there won't be. You might say, "Well what about one of the many small little express snack/necessities stores, they should have headache medicine right?" Wrong. It's highly unlikely, in fact we were lucky to have found one of those stores where they sold headache pills. It's terribly inconvenient, but that's just the way it is. Luckily we found one though, that's all that mattered otherwise it wouldn't have been a very cheerful day for Mike. I don't want that to happen when he and I are supposed to be out exploring. I'm rambling again, I tend to do that.

Okay back on track, so when we got to Brussels after walking around the Sunday market in Antwerp we went to go see the Grote Markt and Manneken-Pis. After that we stopped by a waffle spot right next to Manneken-Pis. Honestly? Best damn waffles I've ever had, besides my grandma's. When we got back to Turnhout we went to go eat at my cousin Tom's restaurant D'Vine again (He's really my dad's cousin, but it's doing too much to say that every time). I had the Garnaalsoepje (soup with shrimp and some other seafood) and Stoofvlees (beef stew cooked with Leffe beer). I can't remember what appetizer Mike had, it was good though (I scooped a piece...or two, orrrr three), but as an entree he had the "Irish prepared Rib-Eye" is what it's called in English, and he said it was very good (I wouldn't know, I couldn't steal a slice before it was inhaled down his esophagus, but I trust his opinion). And today when we went to Amsterdam we stopped in a Cafe in the Red Light District and I had a Dutch beef meatball sandwich, Mike had an English style breakfast, and my dad had a traditional pea soup with sausage slices. Later after we walked around Amsterdam and were on our way back to the car we stopped at, you guessed it, a cafe and shared some mussels with fries, and my dad had a strawberry cake. We also stopped to get some house-made Dutch macaroons and ice cream. It's all so very incredibly fattening and I could care less (hashtag YOLO, hashtag amirite?) because it is all so very incredibly delectable.

I will now post pictures because I know that's what you've all been waiting for.