"netherlands" news and stories

Have it whose way? Is the land of Van Gogh and marijuana acceptance craving a big fat burger slathered with jalapeños, tortilla chips, and salsa? Apparently so. Burger King has introduced its Nacho Whopper to the Netherlands, and Eater is running the video of the commercial, which features a Western gunfight and an actor who looks like a very stoned Johnny Depp. Which is not a bad thing.

Visit Eater to get this epic junk-food alert.

When I think of my mom, two things usually don't come to mind: beer and Frank Zappa. Which made it odd earlier this week when I opened an email to find she had sent me the following quote: "You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."

Now, I'm not a big Zappa fan and have never heard this quote. I'm guessing that puts me in Group A of two possible groups, with Group B consisting of huge Zappa fans who have heard this quote a million times. But the quote did get me thinking that there are a number of countries that I associate with one specific beer. Yes, I realize they have more than one beer, but every time I think of said country, one specific beer immediately pops into mind trumping all others.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying these are the best beers each country has to offer, or even a list of my favorite international beers, but for this week's Slashfood Ate beer edition, I present the 8 countries that through experience and marketing I most associate with one specific beer.

See the list after the jump...

One more great eggs-ample of food art! This piece was created by artist Henk Hofstra, and the Wooster Collective reported back in May about the project that's located in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

Each egg is about 100 feet wide, and they were spread out in one of the largest squares in Leeuwarden, called Zaailand, where they'll be walked on and photographed for six months.

Diana Eid of Inventor Spot said that this art project was just made for Google Earth, which tickled me to no end. I wouldn't have thought that, but I think it's great that someone did. New and creative ways to view food and art are always welcome in my book.

Ok, are you a popsicle fiend? Do you eat those ice cream treats that come on a stick? The real question is, do you have tons of those sticks lying around the house and you just don't know what to do with them? Here is one thought: build a boat.

While you're at it, make it a seaworthy replica of a Viking boat, and then sail it to England (or somewhere maybe a little closer if that's a bit far for you). Of course you must remember to reinforce it with fiberglass, first please. An American living in the Netherlands did just that when his wife kept complaining about all the popsicle sticks lying around. I must admit that this would not be my first thought of a solution.

The Viking ship took millions (15) of sticks and tons (2.2) of glue to make, not to mention many years (sorry, the story's not that specific). Even though I wouldn't have thought of this, I am glad that someone did. We all need a dream to reach for and something to smile about.

Source

In my first week of writing for Slashfood, I wrote about an issue that everyone seemed to have an opinion about: an employee complaining that the new "skinny" lattes were offensive. Though most of the comments hotly debated the topic at hand, quite a few other people had their sights set on a different topic: the post's accompanying photo, which featured a stroopwafel (aka: syrup waffle) atop a Starbucks mug.

So, for all of you people curious about stroopwafels, I did some sleuthing and found a recipe on - where else? - StroopwafelShop.com. It's pretty easy (sorry in advance for the measurements - you can convert them here):

Waffles (12):

300g sugar
450g butter, sliced into small pieces
3 eggs
3 sp milk
600g flour
pinch of cinnamon and salt

Mix the sugar with the eggs, milk, four, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Roll into 12 small balls.
Preheat the waffle iron. Squeeze a ball of dough into the iron, and bake for about 30 seconds. Remove.
Cut the waffle into two thin waffles and spread with a mix of butter and syrup.

Or, you can always cheat and buy them premade. They're easy to get if you live in the Netherlands, but I know you can occasionally purchase them at Wild Oats/Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in the U.S. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any suggestions.

Then, top with honey, fresh fruit, mascarpone cheese, or dipped in your coffee (skinny or not).