Dutch customs and home comforts

Summer always seems to end early in the Netherlands. The schools in this area are already back - as of last week - (the Dutch have a regional rotatation system of holidays so that the whole country isn't on holiday on exactly the same six weeks). And already its freshers week for the University. This involves large groups of students cycling around town -trying to choose which fraternity to choose to join - and the fraternities competing to throw the biggest and best parties. There's a lot of beer botles lying around most mornings - and doubtless a lot of hangovers and new friendships made.

I made a quick trip to the supermarket this evening - and after weeks of low level searching finally found where they keep the marmite. I don't know who buys the stuff here, I do recognise that it is an acquired taste, - perhaps theres a larger Englsh ex pat community here than I know about. But yum. Tomorrow it will be toast, marmite and mashed banana - a comforting childhood memory -but not one that I would hold up as a lasting achievement of British cuisine.

I also bought a pot of jam, which on my return home i noticed was marketed under the name mon j'ami - what a wonderfully complex and dual language use of word play.