Beschuit met muisjes

No, my Dutch has not improved that significantly nor do I invent strange sounding words. It's just that  today I had I the chance to experiment a unique Dutch that's called as above.

More exactly, it's what you see in the picture below. Toasted bread (or rusk), called "beschuit", with butter and sugar coated anais, looking like small mice, therefore the "muisjes". It's usually served to visitors that come to see a new born, or brought by young moms to work to celebrate their new born, which is how I got to taste it.

Not very hard to understand the meaning of colors - pink for girls and blue for boys, and apparently there was one exception from the rule, when the muisjes were orange to celebrate Princess Catherine-Amelia's birth.

I was trying to figure out where this tradition comes from, and of course you can go with the the basic explanation that rusk is what you give to a small kid whose teeth are just getting out and that anais is a symbol of fertility, but I believe its much easier: just think of Dutch people's love for sandwiches and sprinkles and there you have it!

Bringing your own cake and desk pimping

A few days ago it was my birthday (verjaardag, as the Dutch say). Obviously, I become wiser and more fabulous, but not at all older :)

When coming to the office, I had a nice surprise waiting for me - my desk had been pimped! Colorful flags hanging from the ceiling on top of it, so no one could miss the fact that I had my birthday, even though I wanted to avoid the  many explanations about growing wiser without aging. A Hawaiian flower garland was hanging on my desktop, meant to give a happy summerish feeling despite the cold wind & clouds outside. And last but not least, the "piece de resistance": small Dutch flags sticked to the keyboard -- the ultimate symbol of my integration into the Dutch society - I did it! I am one of them, at least when it comes to birthday celebrating.

Of course, no birthday goes without cake, however in Dutchland you have to bring your own as opposed to getting one. For your collegues, naturlijk! Apple crumble and  fruits tarts and the most common, but the limburg vlaai is also lekker! Presents? What is that> Don't expect to get any present on top of "gefeliciteerd!" and the 3 mandatory kissed!

Apple Crumble Pie

Limburgse Vlaai