The truth about Belgium

joerookery

joerookery

Well-known member
Janet and I have just returned from a three-week trip that included about ten days in Belgium.

In general they were the friendliest people you could find. They went way out of their way in almost all cases to accommodate our language shortfalls and mobility issues. You do have to know however that if you visit this country you will get fat. Or fatter. Their food is tremendous!! Large quantities of really great stuff. Maybe the best french fries anywhere. One of the best cheeses, mussels are incredible and served in these huge pots. Even if this was supposed to be a rotten year for the tiny creatures we thought they were amazingly tasty. The beer is without question better than any beer I have tasted in any country. There were only two things that I thought were wrong in Belgium. The first one is just an irritant.

There were too many curlyhaired white tiny dogs that barked incessantly in a very high pitched voice. The owners did nothing and the dogs did not like wheelchairs. My big dog could've eaten a dozen of those.

There is a serious problem – culturally – in what the Belgians call barbecue. They advertise barbecue. They sell barbecue. They look forward to barbecue. They have no clue at all about how to make barbecue. It's not that they are mean or wrong about it they just have no clue. They have no idea. What they call BBQ is some sort of seasoned meat. They serve large portions but it is beyond dry even for dry barbecue standards. As nice a country as that is and with so many nice people we can only hope that Santa Claus brings them a barbecue recipe this year. Lacking that the entire Belgian contingent is invited to Texas to complete their obviously lacking education. Nice guys but no one ever taught them how to make barbecue ribs.
 
"There is a serious problem – culturally – in what the Belgians call barbecue. They advertise barbecue. They sell barbecue. They look forward to barbecue. They have no clue at all about how to make barbecue. It's not that they are mean or wrong about it they just have no clue. They have no idea. What they call BBQ is some sort of seasoned meat. They serve large portions but it is beyond dry even for dry barbecue standards. As nice a country as that is and with so many nice people we can only hope that Santa Claus brings them a barbecue recipe this year. Lacking that the entire Belgian contingent is invited to Texas to complete their obviously lacking education. Nice guys but no one ever taught them how to make barbecue ribs."

Well. Scratch Belgium off the bucket list.....maybe I could get BBQ fedexed in while there however?
 
Let me introduce to you the world champion BBQ (2003!);
the Flemish (Belgian).
http://www.peterdeclercq.be/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
You must have been visiting the wrong places..... :-k :| #-o
 
I totally agree - the moule et frite ( mussels and fries) are brilliant, and perfect washed down with a Hoegarten beer!
 
Hoegaarden....???Beer...???

No thank you very very very much !
With the mussels: A Duvel, a Hommel or a tripple Trappist of Westmalle: now that is real and fine beer ! :P
One with the meal and one or two for desert !

Make it a forum meet ! REAL beer and Hauben !! The ladies can go shopping (but have to stay sober....in order to drive....)

Francis
 
That's the dog!

World champion barbecue by whose standards? Ed and I might disagree about which barbecue is best this one or that one. We have our own favorite places but it is nothing – nothing like Belgian barbecue. Regularly when you eat barbecue you use this stuff that rhymes with barbecue – barbecue sauce. Belgians don't know what barbecue sauce is. Great food. Great people. No education on the simple subject of barbecue sauce. How can you be a world champion if you don't even know what barbecue sauce is?
 
Ok Joe !
Give this one a try.

two jars of Spicy Poco Loco Salsa dip sauce(you normaly use with Pringles chips and stuff-)-lots of honey (make sure the mix becomes sticky)-some cheap whisky (not for the cook Joe...for the marinade... :-? )1/2 a glass-and coke... (the drink !!! :-? )...1/2 a glass.
Marinade the spareribs racks for about six hours.

Reduce the rest of the marinade and use as BBQ sauce (warm or cold)

Rgds,
Francis

Great with lamb rack as well...mmmmmm....Ask my Missus....
(...or with "white dog" rack... :x )
 
Francis,

You are great person however, what you are describing is some sort of chemical compound that he used to I don't know cure toenail fungus. When you want to prepare barbecue you need to start out with the meat. It needs to be moist, fatty, and tasty. To that you add barbecue sauce which regularly comes bottled by some sorts of experts. I let the experts do the compound. My daughter makes the best barbecue chicken legs you have ever tasted. It's nothing against Belgium. You have a great country. However, from an education perspective basic school teaches reading, writing, arithmetic, and the choosing of barbecue sauce. Your education system is at fault. :flower:
 
Ok ok, I'll play...

Of course we Belgians are not the best BBQ guys of the world! And we don't want to [-( ! There are a lot of good reasons for this of course...
- We have the most and best beers of the world and we 're proud of it 8-) .
- We invented fries, only some stupid has called it French fries #-o ... anyway, you'll find the best fries in Belgium :headbang: .
- We know best what to eat together with the fries: mussels, carbonade, steak, ....
- We know best what to drink together with the fries: beer :occasion5: .
- We have the best mayonaise to go along with the fries :thumbleft: .
- We usually drink to much beer, so we don't care about some strange sauce... because nobody can tell what sauce it was after 5 beers :tongue3: ...

I can make this list much longer, but I'm gonna have a beer now \:D/ ...

Adler
 
Joe,
...Missus Boss will have a closer look at my toenails now... :lol:

Regards,
Francis and Sabine
 
- We have the most and best beers of the world and we 're proud of it 8-) .
- We invented fries, only some stupid has called it French fries #-o ... anyway, you'll find the best fries in Belgium :headbang: .
Click to expand...

This is so true so true! :bravo:
 
Dear all,

Although widely available in Belgium, mussels are in fact Dutch. Specifically, mussels originate from Zeeland in the south west of the Netherlands. That's the part were I was born and raised :D

http://www.musselsinlove.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards,

Edwin
 
Adler said:
Ok ok, I'll play...

Of course we Belgians are not the best BBQ guys of the world! And we don't want to [-( ! There are a lot of good reasons for this of course...
- We have the most and best beers of the world and we 're proud of it 8-) .
- We invented fries, only some stupid has called it French fries #-o ... anyway, you'll find the best fries in Belgium :headbang: .
- We know best what to eat together with the fries: mussels, carbonade, steak, ....
- We know best what to drink together with the fries: beer :occasion5: .
- We have the best mayonaise to go along with the fries :thumbleft: .
- We usually drink to much beer, so we don't care about some strange sauce... because nobody can tell what sauce it was after 5 beers :tongue3: ...

I can make this list much longer, but I'm gonna have a beer now \:D/ ...

Adler
Click to expand...

Dammit, it's Monday 11:40am here in Melbourne, and reading Adler's post I want to go out and get drunk and eat steak and frite and mayonnaise right now.
 
Edwin, I never claimed that mussels are Belgian, but they do go along with the fries very well :-" ...
Bungo, I hope you had your frites and that cold beer already...

Adler 1
 
Adler said:
Edwin, I never claimed that mussels are Belgian, but they do go along with the fries very well :-" ...
Adler 1
Click to expand...

I fully agree :D

It just amazes me that mussels are more popular in Belgium than in the Netherlands. Perhaps the overall taste is better in Belgium :)

Regards,

Edwin
 
I am going to have to jump in on the BBQ issue, Joe is right, you must first start with good quality meet, and then dump all the BBQ sauce in the toilet, because it is going to ruin the meet. The reason for using so much spice ans sauce is to cover up spoiled meet, and if you have good meet, all you need is a pinch of salt and a good fire to cook it.
Joe is right about the getting fat thing though, and the people!
 
but they do go along with the fries very well :-" ...
Click to expand...

These are so good… Far far better than those we have in the states. But here is a new quiz question – I will try to make a voting chart. The question is what you dip your fries in? ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce?
 
tumblr_lkeztifeMa1qg5teio1_500.png
:P :bootyshake:
 
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