Where are the Starbucks in Belgium?

Back in 2008 I wrote about the fact that there was just one Starbucks in Belgium and it was at the airport.  Back then the girls and I always volunteered to pick up Bob at the airport because our trip would include a quick visit to Starbucks.  You would think that in 4 years the number of Starbucks locations in our country would have grown by leaps and bounds, but after all this time there are still just 5 locations in Belgium.  One is the original located at the entrance to the airport.  Two others are also located at the airport but you have to be through security and on your way to your flight to visit them.  The forth is way up in Antwerp at the train station and the newest location is in the Central Train Station in Brussels.
Brussels is similar in size to the state of Maryland in the US.  Maryland is lucky enough to be the home to 251 Starbucks coffee shops.  Can you believe it?  I tried to picture where 251 Starbucks would be located in Belgium and my imagination just couldn't take me there.  Belgium is a country that is kind of stuck in the 70's.  Although some aspects are far advanced like our banking and recycling systems, other parts are just archaic, like their school system and business practices.  There is absolutely no customer service and no stores are open on Sundays.  The only business that has a drive-thru is McDonald's and people really don't like it at all.  Most of the time there is no one in the drive-thru even at the busiest times. 
I can live without Starbucks but I sure do miss the fun of going.  Tonight Bob returns from a long trip to China.  The girls and I will pick him up at the airport which means we will go a little early and enjoy a nice tall extra hot decaf cafe americano with whip! Ahhh.

My Dutch Friends

Today I volunteered at the girls' school.  In all honesty I volunteer practically every single day.  I have never been very good at saying "no".  Last year I promised to take it easy but somehow I am even busier this year!  The only difference is that I am not in charge of anything which is much nicer because I can volunteer in the areas of the school that I really like.  Today is Thursday so it is Cantina day where we all work together to provide after school concessions for the kids who stay for sports, music or just for fun.  We sell burgers and fries plus teriyaki chicken, mozzarella sandwiches, brownies, muffins and homemade choc chip cookies.  Within a 45 minute period we usually sell out of everything bringing in the equivalent of $750!  I have no idea how much profit is made, we just have lots of fun.

These are my volunteer friends!  We had so much fun.  Daphine is on the left with Denise in the middle and Marja on the right.  They laugh and giggle and never ever complain about anything!  All three of them are Dutch and would slip in and out of English and Dutch when they spoke.

Denise and I are both moving. She suggested we take a picture so we could remember the fun times we have all shared.  We have plenty of pictures of churches, statues and all our travels, but it is the friendships that have really made our years in Brussels so very special. 

Basses Basses Basses

Last night was the High School Orchestra concert at ISB.  Leah and Jenn did a great job.  Leah also played in a bass trio with Matt, a senior who is graduating, and Aoden, who Leah has played bass with since 5th grade.  The quality is just so so.  Enjoy.

They finally found me!

For the last 4 years I have gotten so little mail while living in Belgium.  Days could go by and I wouldn't get any mail at all.  On Mondays I get an Aldi flyer - a very popular grocery here in Belgium but quite different from its counterpart in the US - and then the rest of my mail is mostly bills or tax related official letters. But I think the advertisers have finally found me and now I am getting more and more junk.  The pile in the picture above is the junk mail from one day here in Belgium.  It's time to move!  (If you are interested in what is advertised here in Belgium, just double click on the photo to make it bigger.)

The 4 year Cooking Adventure

I really feel like I have been on a cooking adventure for the past 4 years.  I am sure you have seen the cooking show where the cooks are supposed to make something fabulous using the contents of a mystery basket.  The basket is always filled with weird stuff that people wouldn't usually eat, let alone combine with other odd stuff and made into an edible dish.
This morning I made egg and sausage burritos for the twins.  They had softball practice at 7am and really needed something substantial to get them going.  The sausage part of this dish has been an adventure since we moved here.  Ground sausage from the store is sold fresh and has an odd spicy taste.  It doesn't taste like Bob Evans or Jimmy Deans.  It really tastes more like lamb than sausage.  I found a good substitute for the Bob and Jimmy varieties at the Irish butcher, Jack O'Shea's, in Brussels.  Today when I started to cook up the eggs I realized the butter I had bought was not really butter but more of a butter cream mixture.  Although the butter/cream was not ideal for high heat cooking, it really did cook up the scrambled eggs nicely!  The burritos were the best ones I have made.

I should have read the package on the butter.  It is written in French and Flemish and states that this is butter with cream. It doesn't work well for frying.

The eggs turned out fine but I realized everything in my pantry is in another language.  This has made cooking really hard but it has actually helped me adapt and adjust.  I think I could really be on a cooking show where the contestants are surprised with ingredients they aren't familiar with.  I do that every day!!

This is Speculoos (spek u lows).  The picture on the front makes it look like it might be peanut butter right?  There are no peanuts in it.  It is actually a spread that tastes like a molasses cookie.  It is really tasty but definitely not peanut butter.

Obviously this is a can of peaches!  I have no idea what all those words mean.  Thank goodness there is a picture!

This is a small spice container.  Can you figure out which one it is?  The description is written in Flemish, French and German.

This is whole milk.  I bought it by mistake.  I usually buy the equivalent of 2% milk.  It took me about 2 years to finally find the milk we like!

Check out the flavor of this ketchup-balsamic vinegar!  It is really good and tastes a lot like A1 which we can only find in the international food section at bigger grocery stores.  Do they sell this in the US?  We can also buy curry ketchup.

I know I will welcome the availability of all my favorite brands when we move.  But I also know that my cooking adventure in Belgium with weekly fresh food markets and odd ingredients has been a lot of fun!

Easter

We are back from our 2 week Spring Break in the US.  Here are a few of the wonderful and fun things we did.

• Visited Maria at Purdue numerous times.  She even spent Easter weekend with us at home.  Leah and Jenn also got to spend the night at Maria's sorority house.  Rumor has it that they witnessed quite a few typical college activities and even attended her chemistry class. I only had one rule...The girls were not allowed to enter a Fraternity house after the sun went down!
• I went to Target 10 times.  Just doing my part to assist in the growth of the economy.
• We hosted Easter dinner with both sets of grandparents.  We have very little furniture in that house but seating didn't really matter.  It was nice to have everyone together.
• Leah and Jenn took the entrance exam to Roncalli High School.  They even had to sit through an interview!  They passed and will be Freshmen in the fall.  That is hard to believe.
• We took Maria shopping to get her ready for her upcoming trip to China.  She will spend a month there with a study group from Purdue.  But first she has to finish her Sophomore year in college.  Only 2 weeks left!
• Bob and his brother spent days getting the house ready for the kitchen installation.  The cabinets, counters and appliances are all installed.  All we need is running water in the sink and we are all set to cook a meal.  I will post before and after photos soon.

I would love to sit down, post pictures and go on and on about our impending move back to the States but I just don't have time!  If you read this blog at the beginning in 2008 you know I organized and cleaned out everything we owned before moving here 4 years ago.  Now its time to move again and I have all the same tasks to complete.  Yes we have less junk but it still has to be sorted.  I have one drawer filled with pamphlets from places we have traveled.  That will be a fun one to clean out!  Maybe I will attack that one right now tomorrow!