Category: Culture
-
The Love Netherlands Guide â„– 003: Delft Blue Pottery
Dennis G. Jarvis via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) The blue in Delft Blue is actually a trick of the kiln: painters work in dark grey and black tones made from cobalt oxide, and the signature bright blue only appears after the glaze is fired at around 1,000 degrees Celsius. That means a Delft painter…
-
The Love Netherlands Guide â„– 002: King’s Day (Koningsdag)
Michielverbeek via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) On one day each April, the entire country turns orange and the normal rules of commerce briefly dissolve: anyone can lay a blanket on the pavement and sell their old records, bicycle parts, and children’s toys without a permit or tax. This is the vrijmarkt, the free market…
-
The Love Netherlands Guide â„– 001: Stroopwafel
Photo: Andrew Crookston from San Francisco, CA, USA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) A proper stroopwafel is built to sit on top of your hot drink for a minute or two — the rising steam softens the caramel syrup pressed between its two thin waffle layers until it turns gooey again. The cookie was…