It's the Worst Breakfast in the World

Dear Reader,

After 27 years of travels in Europe I still have many fond memories of our very first Grand Tour back in 1983. I spoke to you about it before and how very excited I was. Everything I saw was magical and wonderful. There were a lot of mistakes maken in the planning of that vacation but I was a novice, afterall.

I still remember how strange and exotic Amsterdam seemed to me on that first vacation. I'd never been anywhere like that before. Everywhere we walked along the crowded streets we would hear voices speaking "hashish" "marijuana" "joint"??? I'd look around curiously but had no idea where the voices were coming from.

All over town, especially in the Dam, the main square, ex-hippies or wanna-bes were playing guitars and singing old rock music. I remember distinctly one guy singing "Love the One You're With" by Stephen Stills. I found this amusing at the time. Afterall, it was the 80s and New Wave music had hit the scene.

John insisted we try Indonesian food while we were there. I found this a bizarre idea because I just couldn't wrap my head around the idea of eating Asian food in the Netherlands. But John was patient with me and explained again how Indonesia had been colonized by the Dutch and their food is a blend of Dutch cuisine and the native Indonesian food. John knew all about this having lived in Indonesia as a child for two years.

I agreed reluctantly to try Indonesian food and it was wonderful! We had a traditional rijkstaffel which is a feast consisting of small plates of spicy and flavorful dishes such as meat stewed in coconut sauce, chicken sate', all with a large platter of rice. I loved it and have been hooked on Indonesian food since then.

Another thing that we both noticed as unusual in Amsterdam are the people themselves. They are very large people as a whole. John is 6'5" tall but I'm only 5'3" tall and most people seemed to tower over John! You can imagine how I felt. On top of that back in the 80s a lot of them sported really tall Mohawk hairdos died in bright colors, hot pink, bright green, and blue. Some of the Mohawks were a good six inches tall adding to the height of the already tall people. Plus a lot of them wore Doc Martins, big boots with about a two inch heal.

John was really fascinated by the women with their tall Mohawks and thought they were very beautiful. He commented on one of them when she had to bend way over to board the tram we were on. I just remember getting on a train with a bunch of Boyscouts who must have been around the age of thirteen or fourteen and they were all giants. One approached my direction as I was walking towards the end of the car and, I kid you not, I was looking directly at his belt. John said that the Netherlands are the first country he ever felt normal in sizewise. That was nice for him.

Overall, the Dutch people we encountered were very friendly and all seemed to speak English which is nice as well.

When we first arrived in Amsterdam, we followed my list of bed and breakfast places and went knocking on doors. It was a bit disconcerting at first but we finally got used to something every landlord would say to us. Here's how it went: "Do you have a room available?" "Yes, we do, an excellent room." After asking about the price, I would ask if breakfast is included and the answer would invariably be, "Yes, we have the worst breakfast in the world."

When the first landlord we spoke to uttered that phrase, "We have the worst breakfast in the world." we took him seriously, thanked him and continued to the next place on my list. I had no idea that this was something they all like to say as some sort of joke. We were, afterall, pretty young at the time. But after the next landlord said the same thing, John and I started to get a clue.

To this day, I have no idea what they mean in Amsterdam when they tell you "We have the worst breakfast in the world." but take my word for it, it isn't. In fact, I really like the breakfasts in the Netherlands which consist of not only bread and jam and coffee and juice but also cheeses and meat cold cuts. It's rather nice.

So the next time you go to Amsterdam, please ask the landlord if they serve breakfast and let me know if they are still saying "We have the worst breakfast in the world." I quit asking when we go because I already know the answer. Also, be sure to try some Indonesian food. You'll thank me later.

Good Night