Petit Petit Belgium

[DouglasSheridan 1]

ok ok... far away from home, havent been back in nearly 3 years... (it's slowly killing me!)

Most my family hasn't met my now 14 month old daughter yet... and I miss hearing Flemish all around me, I must admit...

I'd so go for a big stack of nice greasy French fries... (which really ought to be called BELGIAN fries), and yes covered with a huge dollup of mayo... or maybe even cocktail sauce....

And then there's the bicky burgers or frikandel...

Not to mention lots of chocolate... and a Kriek somewhere at the market square...

Did I also mention a stroll along the beach followed by a peppersteak or some Mussels with white wine sauce and a good bottle.

Yes... I'm homesick....

I want a big hug from my Mom followed by one of her gorgeous homecooked meals.

I want to gather with my family, have an aperitief (preferably Pisang!), with lots of salami and paprika chips....

I want to get together with my highschool friends (whom I recently found on Facebook) and have a nice girlie night out and get wasted and laugh about old times... I want ... I want...

for now, I just dream.... anyone else feel like sharing a dream or two about Petit Petit Belgium?

Sheridan x

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Hello

I am not Belgian, and have not felt homesick yet (I have only been here for a month and a half) but I find so many similarities with me in your message that I had to answer!

I wish I could have big French (Belgian) fries, and GOOD mayonnaise and mustard. I miss mussels and other seafood that were available everywhere where I lived in France. I miss real French bread even though the American French breads are not too bad. But they are not the same. Good chocolate lacks here too, and I would love to drink a Kriek.

I know that soon, I will miss walking on the shores of the ocean and the way French cities are (with everything downtown, no need for a car, etc.) And French food.

I will probably miss some people too but so far it hasn't been a problem yet.

I like it here, I'm getting used to driving everywhere, used to new people, I even like the food here except that there is too much meat for me. The way I view it is that I started a new life. I left a lot of things behind and don't think of it very often. I am learning a new way of living.

But I would kill for some French bread, a good beer and a bottle of wine, good pastries coming from a real bakery and seafood. Damn I feel like a food freak!

I hope you can visit your family soon (or they can visit you). You should try to plan a trip to Belgium and fill you up with all the things and people you are missing. And then, who knows, you may miss American things too

[DouglasSheridan 1]

I hope you can visit your family soon (or they can visit you). You should try to plan a trip to Belgium and fill you up with all the things and people you are missing. And then, who knows, you may miss American things too

I had forgotten about the pain au chocolat and croissants.... and yes, just walking down the market square for roasted chicken, oh I can smell it just thinking of it....

And my Dad was French and we spent most family vacations there... So I'm missing many of those things too!

He was born in Tourcoing, northern part right by Halluin and where I grew up... Menin.

I guess then you also know what I mean by mon aperitief, avec du chorizo!

Oh.... et un steak au poivre avec des frites et une salade, et une bonne bouteille de vin rouge.... Vin d'Alsace?

And I don't get to drive everywhere, haven't gotten my license... as for going back, with a family of 4 it'll be about $4000 just for the tickets, since I am in Lincoln, NE, not exactely a popular destination, so prices are higher and we are just laborers living in a modern world, from paycheck to paycheck, so not much travelling for me.... ever!

Thanks for the reply though!

S.

And congratulations on your marriage, hope it works out well for you!

[kimandfred 0]

I found a good way to fake pain au chocolat and Fred loves it and says it's the closest thing we have unless we find a french bakery. Get a package of frozen puff pastry (pepperidge farm brand, you'll find it in the frozen dessert aisle of the grocery store) and semi-sweet chocolate chips. The pastry comes in two sheets, cut each sheet in fours after it thaws. Put some chocolate chips on each end and roll them up together so them meet in the middle, and place them on a greased cookie sheet seam side down. Brush with egg yolks and bake for about 25 minutes at 400° F or until golden brown. Not exactly the same, but very very close.

I got to try all the good foods when I was in Paris last summer and I really miss the good bread! There's really nothing like it here, ours are too soft, but no American will go to the store everyday for bread so they have to be softer so they don't go stale in a day.

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Thank you for that trick! I'll definitely try that soon :-)

I am probably going to try to bake my own French bread too. I have plenty of time to do so but I'm a little lazy...

[kimandfred 0]

We tried that. It was messy and a lot of work, and while it tasted good, it in no way resembled french baguettes at all!

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

oh well, I guess I'll have to try at least once in my life. Or maybe I'll just continue to buy the fake French baguettes they have here.

[kimandfred 0]

We just ate at a restaurant called Panera Bread. I'm sure you could find one in your area since it's a chain restaurant. You can get very good sandwiches and soups there, as well as some very good pastries and the closest thing to a real french baguette you'll find. Miam, miam!

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

We do have these around where we live, and yes I agree, it is very good. Their baguette is my favorite American "French baguette".

[DouglasSheridan 1]

oh sweet, this is turning into a French recipe thread! LOL

We have a bakery called "Le Quartier" here... and they have some darn good stuff, pretty close to the real thing I must add, and sad thing is, they charge you for it.

Oh well, worth it though, plus I never get over the giggles of my husband trying to pronounce the name!

We have a Panera here too, was actually talking about it at work, might have to try it.

I'm a sucker for going on at work about missing stuff and someone told me to go to the Outbank (not sure if it's a chain too) and have their French onion soup. I told my friend it's nothing like my Mom used to make it.... mmmmm.... we used to toast baguettes and croutons and add them on top then put a ton of gruyere on it and put the bowl in the oven for just enough time for the cheese to get melty-crunchy... oh yum!!

Calorie fest but sooooo worth it.

I'm going to have to try the home made pain au chocolat though my oven sorta sucks, at least for choc chip cookies it does....

[kimandfred 0]

I highly recommend Panera. It's very good, and you will get a good satisfying meal that won't make you feel completely full and gross after eating, like a lot of other American chain restaurants make you feel.

I have a funny story about food though. It seems like when my husband first came here, we would go to visity friends or my family, and they all wanted to try and cook french food for him. We went to a friends house, and they made us fondue, crèpes, and french onion soup. Then, on a visit with my family, my grandma had to make french toast, and then asked my husband how his mother made it for him. Ahahaha! She didn't know that it's really not french. She really wanted to make some other kinds of french food, but I told her don't, he knows what french food tastes like and suggested she make some slovak food (which is her heritage.) Then, I visited France last summer, and Fred took me to one of his friends house, and they tried to have an American barbeque, with this sauce called 'American sauce' which was nothing like anything we have. Most of the meat ended up being burned....

I wonder if anyone has similar stories like this, I find them really funny.

[DouglasSheridan 1]

oh yes.... I get the cooking and then I get the constant.. Belgian buns, do those taste the same in Belgium, and I'm like erm.... never seen those before today!

Had the French toast story too...

I actually lived in England quite some time with my first husband and so got accumstomed to many things there and my accent is more a British than Belgian so many ppl ask me about tea and scones and dumplings, etc.

I also like telling peeps that in England my hubby used to cook great French toast, except there they call it "eggy bread" or at least he did... many of my friends here agreee its a better name!

Oh and the French and their BBQ's...yum.... oh boy, I'd love a merguez from the outdoor grill right now! Or a brochette..... good times!

[Clownies 2]

hmm strolling on the Grand Place, marvelling at the architectural wonders.. then heading for the Place St Gery.. Look, an empty chair on one of the terrasses. Is that the sun shining? Mademoiselle, une Kriek, alstamblieft, et une tartine me platte kees! Yummmm!

I'm homesick for my hometown, my family and friends on a daily basis. But it' not so bad living here, with my adorable wife...