The Guildhalls on the Grand Place, Brussels
October 15, 2014.
The sun was shining over Brussels, Belgium, when we arrived at the train station there early afternoon. I could not believe we were in another country.
Two more days, I thought with sadness, our RIAS fellowship would be over. But I still was not ready to go.
My first education about Belgium was from our cab driver, who is of Turkish descent. He said that the country is bisected by two main languages: Dutch and French.
That was true.
In the northern part of the country, I found out that majority of them speak Dutch. And in the south, they speak French.
The Grand Place
Because Belgium is near the German border, a small portion of the population also speaks German. Majority of Belgians are fluent in English.
The Brussels Town Hall
Our hotel was located a block away from the Grand Place, the central square of Brussels. Surrounded by lavish edifices, including the Brussels Town Hall, the Guildhalls and the Museum of the City of Brussels, the Grand Place is the most visited destination and landmark in Brussels.
Our entire group walked around the square teeming with thousands of tourists. We followed a narrow cobblestoned trail, with a row of chocolate stores, frites and waffle stands looming on both sides.
It dawned on me that waffles, fries and chocolates for Belgians are like hotdogs, hamburgers and all other fast food treats for Americans. But while one-third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the CDC, and that is partly due to unhealthy eating behavior, how come Belgians seemed to look fit?
Stopping by at a stand selling waffles for one euro each was not accidental. These stands were ubiquitous — and they were absolutely difficult to resist.
Five of us got a variety of flavors: caramel, strawberry, chocolate, creamed banana and kiwi. By the time we reached the restaurant, where we all agreed to meet for drinks, we were already high on sugar.
Waffles, waffles and waffles
The Peeing Boy
We took photos of almost everything. The festivities of the surroundings carried us away.
Many people huddled together on one corner. We found out that they were there for the famous Manneken Pis or Peeing Boy, the bronze fountain statue of a little boy peeing into a basin.
The Manneken Pis or Peeing Boy statue
For 400 years, the Peeing Boy has been an emblem in the Belgian capital and probably one of the most visited tourist attractions in Brussels. The legend has it that Manneken Pis tells the story of Duke Godfried II of Brabant.
Belgians believe that, in 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts. The troops placed the little boy in a basket and hung it in a tree. From there, the boy urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle.
Shawn Flynn and myself with a Peeing Boy replica selling waffles for one euro each
The Peeing Boy, however, has been stolen quite a number of times. So, in 1965, Belgian authorities decided to replace the original statue for a replica. The original is now at the Maison du Roi on the Grand Place.
Fruity beer and frites
We gathered at a wooden table, in the back of a traditional Belgian restaurant.
While I settled for a bottle of sparkling water, everyone got a Kriek lambic, a classic Belgian-style beer. I have never heard of fruit-flavored beers before.
One of my co-fellows had the cherry beer, I remember, and the other tried the plum. I imagined that some of them would taste like a cough syrup.
After our little powwow at the restaurant, we got divided fortuitously. Some hopped to another bar and others went back to the hotel for a nap before our 7:00 p.m. dinner.
Jennifer Feldman, one of our co-fellows, had to go back to the United States the next day — two days earlier than the rest of us — so I decided to hang out with her and four other fellows.
We went to a fries-stand or friterie (as French-speaking Belgians would call it) near the Grand Place. For three euros, we got long strips of crispy Bintje potatoes, served in overspilling cardboard cones and mayonnaise-based sauce.
Interestingly, they also served the fries with tiny forks. We were in Belgium so, of course, we ate the fries the Belgian way!
We said “au revoir” to Jennifer — but not good-bye.
18 Days and a Wonder 
Food p*rn! Yum!
I have observed, having known a few German and European nationals, that they eat a lot of home cooked meals (packed lunches are norm), as opposed to frozen products and fast food which are both laden with salt and preservatives. Also, I think moderation is key.
But how is their drinking habit though? They love their post meal alcohol…in moderation! (My kind of people!)
LikeLike