Belgian Specialties: Part 3 - Chocolate

(photo from the Belgian Tourists Office)

The chocolate is heavenly and we have enjoyed the variety. Chocolate came to Europe through the Spanish conquistadors and was made popular with the addition of sugar and vanilla to the crushed bean drink that the Aztecs enjoyed. By the 17th century the Spanish were exporting the dried crushed bean. The hot chocolate drink popular with the royal and privileged circles was made open to a more common populous, at least in Belgium, with the repeal of chocolate tax in the 19th century. The biggest contribution toe the chocolate industry from Belgium must be the invention of the praline in 1857 by Jean Neuhaus in Brussels. (A praline is a chocolate that has a hard chocolate outer shell and a soft inner filling. They are very nice, and there is an infinite variety of what the filling can consist.)

Currently, Belgium is the world producer of chocolate turning out some 172,000 tons of chocolate per year with more than 2,000 chocolate shops nationally. Godiva is probably the most well known Belgian chocolatier, but the smaller more “boutique” chocolatiers seem to be more respected in the flavor and presentation of their wares. D and I enjoy going into the little shops and picking out a small boxful of chocolates to nibble on throughout the day or week. Since much of the chocolate is made by hand, and all of the chocolate is very fresh, we feel obligated to eat it quickly in order to fully appreciate the chocolatiers ability. (I still generally prefer solid chocolate as opposed to the praline, but that is my personal preference.)


We are not necessarily that sophisticated of consumers, so we have a couple of favorites from the grocery store. Jacques brand is probably the one we trust most – they have a fantastic dark chocolate bar with candied orange peel shavings that is just yummy. And, to please our non-dark-chocolate loving friends, they also have a white chocolate with toasted coconut shavings that is a regular in the Avilla house. But, since we also want to be adventurous, we are trying things that they would NEVER offer in the States (at least in my opinion) like chocolate bars with thyme and sesame seed, chili pepper shavings, and lavender pieces to name a few. We have opened the thyme and sesame seed and D likes it – I am not convinced that it tastes good. When they are trying to convince you of the health benefits to the chocolate (it has Omega 3 on the label) I am suspicious that that means it doesn’t taste very good. Or as others might say, it is an acquired taste. Um hm.

Conclusion/ consequences
My respect for Belgian products has grown tremendously. I always thought that “good” chocolate came from Germany or Switzerland – I had heard of Belgian chocolate, but never really realized that this is the heartland of fine sweets. Also, D and I had stumbled across Chimay beer, one of the Belgian Trappists that is exported, at Whole Foods and liked it. So, coming here I knew that Belgium had some good beer, but I had no idea of the scope, ritual or tradition that surrounded it. Finally, French fries get no respect in the States because McDonalds has co-opted the image and let’s face it, “Supersize Me” has forever turned me off of McDonalds anything, much less the fries (The Smoking Fry extra on the DVD is just fascinating and horrifying at the same time.) I am not suggesting that fries are healthy, they aren’t, no matter what country makes them. Having said that, I have never had fries as good – with the possible exception of the homemade fries my dad makes when we visit in the summer, just yummy. I didn’t think that fries could be as embraced as a cultural centerpiece, by all generations, as they have been here. Interesting, and tasty.

The only problem with such a wonderful variety of good eats is that D and I have noticed that we have gained a little bit of weight. That was inevitable. We really didn’t put restrictions on ourselves with these lovely specialties – we knew our time here was short and didn’t want to miss out on the fun. However, when the time increased, we didn’t really want to cut short the fun, we didn’t “live” here so it is ok, like an extended vacation. You can see the problem with this logic – it is a lot like morning logic when you press the snooze button over and over, trying to avoid the inevitable fact that you have to get up. So, in order to address our logic problem we have recently committed to upping our work-out frequency and intensity in order to prevent having to cut some of our favorite Belgian traditions. Last time I lived in Europe I had a similar problem – the ice cream got me then (Austrian ice cream at Schwedenplatz is the best in the world, I still believe that); now, it is fries, chocolate (Nutella is in there too, I have been weak), and some darn good beer. And, I don’t think I would change it. D gets to play soccer with a bunch of Italians (that is for another time, he is living the dream) and I smile more while running because I know that my reward will taste sweet.

Belgian Specialties: Part 2 - Beer

Now, I really respect the Belgian appreciation of gastronomy. Unlike the French, who have fantastic wine down to a science, the Belgians have chosen to make beer their specialty. Beer has been made and drunk here since the Middle Ages when water was of questionable hygiene. After the breakout of the plague, St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewers, convinced locals to drink beer rather than water. Since beer was boiled and water wasn’t, the “cure” worked. Drinking beer instead of water curing the plague?…very interesting. There is a joke here in which I will refrain from making now, but feel free to do it yourself next time you partake in this beverage of choice.

The alcohol content of these beers is also significantly higher than most beers (ALL beers in the US) ranging from 6-12%. There are a couple that are even higher, but they are like a cross between beer and wine and are called “Lambics.” They are made with fruit and are extremely sour/tart, which puts off most serious beer drinkers. We have tried them. The high end ones are almost undrinkable. The low end variety is like a wine cooler, which I liked very much.

Legend has it that the alcohol content has increased since its origins in response to a government ban or restriction on the sale of liquor. Since the Belgians couldn’t get their other spirits when and how they wanted them, they increased the alcohol content of the beer, hence making up the difference. I have searched for corroborating evidence on this, but even Wikipedia has let me down. That may well mean that it is an urban myth instead of truth. Either way, it is a fun story.


Belgium has a rich history of making beer. They had up to 3 thousand of different breweries at its height (the early 19th century), only about 775 after WWII, but now down to about 100. Having said that, it is hard to keep a count on how many beers Belgium produces. There are seasonal beers, made only at particular times, and I believe, smaller breweries that are more cottage industries, somewhat like Oregon. Overall, I would say that there is wonderful depth and character to the beers. We have been keeping a spreadsheet on the different beers we have tried, whether we like them or not, a rating system and notes as to what might make it different from the others. We want to make the most of our time here and after appreciating the microbrew tradition in Oregon, we felt it only right to be able to state why and how we liked one over another. (My personal favorite is the Gordon Scotch Ale and D doesn’t have one yet. He did say, though, that the "Brigand" ale we tried was probably as close as he has to a favorite, so far.)

Among the dozen or so surviving abbey breweries in Europe, six are Trappist and located in Belgium, all established in their present form by Trappists who left France after the turbulence of the Napoleonic period. Rich dark ales produced solely by monks according to centuries-old methods in the six following monasteries; Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren and Achel. Only Orval is open to the public. We are hoping to make a trip down to see it. Westvleteren is the most exclusive. The monks only make 500,000L a year, which sell out within days of being on the market. The monks currently have no plans of upping production to meet demand, which makes finding Westvleteren difficult. They also do not have labels for the bottles, but the glass is stamped "Trappist" which is cool. The bottle cap tells you which beer you have. D and I hunted down a beer specialist in Brugge and bought 2 of the 4 Westvleterens. We haven’t opened them yet, but the www.beeradvocate.com rates the Westvleteren 12 as #1 and the Westvleteren 8 as #7. I look forward to seeing if the Avillas rate it as well. (UPDATE: Tried the Westvleteren Blonde last night, wasn't that impressed. It was a nice beer, but I would only give it a 3 out of 5. A bit too bitter for me. Nice and sweet, but the bitter after bite left me dissatisfied.)


The Belgian tradition is to have a special glass for each different beer – the logo of that beer on that glass, which has been especially designed to help the drinker appreciate the unique characteristics of that beer. It is AMAZING to go into a bar with hundreds of Belgian beers and see the hundreds of glasses hanging up over the bar. A definite up side is that it is much harder to get the wrong drink. We were told at our Brewery tour in Brugge that Belgians nurse a single beer all night, that they have a relationship with it and don't want to rush things. I do have to say, given the alcohol content, that is a good thing. We have noticed this tradition and therefore, really haven't seen much drunkenness, which is nice.

I could clearly go on and on, but I need to get on to my favorite Belgian speciality, Chocolate.

Belgian Specialties: Part 1 - Fries

Mons is extremely close to the French border – it is about a 15 minute car ride. Needless to say, the language and culture reflect the French influence. But they do have their own twists – the primary example I can think of is the Belgian love of frites (French fries, ironic on the name, hmm? But that is a rabbit trail for another day).

A small historical sidebar: Belgians claim to have originated “French fries.” According to Wikipedia, (that wonderful source of information, mostly reliable) Belgian historian Jo Gerard recounts that potatoes were fried in 1680 in the Spanish Netherlands, in the area of "the Meuse valley between Dinant and Liege, Belgium. The poor inhabitants of this region allegedly had the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to accompany their meals.” Interesting. It is impossible to know for sure who started it, but the Belgians have definitely adopted it and made it their national snack and are the largest consumers of them in Europe.

These frites aren’t like fries in the States, they are really much better. Apparently they fry them twice (very healthy) once at a low heat in which to cook them and then the second time at a high heat to give them that wonderful crispiness. They serve them with a variety of sauce options – the standard here is mayo, again, it isn’t mayo like at home, it is much creamier, almost like a tartar sauce and it is yummy. We have also had it with a curry sauce that was very nice. Ketchup is the standard American pleaser. They are served in friteries, which is a fry stand, but also at restaurants with all kinds of food. At the fry stand, the frites are served in a paper cone and you eat it with a spear or tiny fork. They are piping hot and fairly lightly salted. (They don't want the flavor of the fries to be masked by a wall of salt.) At restaurants, fries are served with fish, meat, mussels, omlettes, just about anything. Frites places are everywhere and they serve just about every meal with them. Fantastic. We have also witnesses, although didn’t visit, a Frites Museum in Brugge. These folks like their fried food. And, naturally, they go well with our next specialty (coming in Part 2), beer.

Cheeky monkey

So we have been here for just under 2 months and I have taken the opportunity to walk around town and Mons is an interesting place. It is remarkably beautiful in places and almost bizarre if not sad in others. I am sure that you could say the same for any location that is new to you (especially that of which is foreign), but I thought that I would put my thoughts down here and share them with you.

Mons' mascot is a monkey, hence the "clever" title to this blog. The best explanation for this that I can find is that there is a small bronze medieval statue, attached to the outside of Town Hall at ground level, that grants good luck to those that rub its head. Not surprising, the head is shiny from hundreds of years of rubbing. I have not found where this tradition came from (or why a monkey, or why it was posted next to the city’s most important building) but it has been around a long time. Famous “tourists” that have visited said monkey include Emperor Charles V of Hapsburg (1500-1558) and Emperor Napoleon of France (1769-1821). Bizarre huh?


I was shocked to realize how old Mons is – it is documented back to Roman times and beyond. “Mons” is a shortened version of Montes, which is mountains in French. Because most everything is bilingual (by this I mean that the signs change when you go from a French speaking province to a Flemish one) the Dutch/Flemish name is Bergen, same meaning. It began to grow and thrive upon the founding of a convent here by noblewoman Waudru (Sainte Waudru) in the late 600’s. As the community grew up around this religious center, the strategic value of the place also increased and the occupations began. To name a few, the Austrians, French, Dutch, Spanish and Germans have occupied what we now know as Belgium. (Belgium has been independent since 1830.)

The church that was built to pay tribute to Lady Waudru began in 1450 and was completed in 1621 – and it is spectacular. I had been walking around town (on my way back from the Red Cross – a thrift store, great sweaters!) and decided to pop in. I literally had the entire place to myself, which was cool and disconcerting at the same time. A person does feel small and insignificant in the face of such a building – ones eyes are naturally drawn up to the beauty and majesty of the soaring columns and arches, and I couldn’t help but think of the glory of God. The church is huge and imposing. The carving work was wonderful – both the stone and woodwork, completed by local artists. They had a huge ornate carriage (definitely in the Rococo style) off to one side that is used to carry the shrine of Sainte Waudru through the streets every year on Trinity Sunday. The crowd helps push the carriage along – whether this is because of the weight and the horses need help or if it is crowd participation I don’t know. Just beautiful.


Mons is known in the 20th Century for the fierce battle fought here which marked the first major action of the British Expeditionary Forces in World War I. [For those interested, more information can be found at: http://www.1914-1918.net/bat1.htm] It has also been home to NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) since 1967 when it moved from Fontainebleau after France’s withdrawal from the military structure of the alliance.


The Grand Place dates back to medieval times and truly is the hub of this town. I have to say, it is nice to go down and enjoy a meal or a hot chocolate at one of the restaurants on the Grand Place on the weekend – there is almost always something going on. We have witnessed Jazz bands, Swing bands, street performers, college initiation rights (I think this was like a fraternity thing), and an aerial acrobat team that “danced” on the buildings and dangling from wires, to name a few. There is also a pedestrian walking zone/shopping district directly off the Place which makes it that much more popular. I can say one thing for sure, there is a lot to like about Mons. It is an interesting place.

Seen at the airport

I had to take a colleague to the airport last weekend and noticed something interesting as we pulled into the parking garage:


This sign shows how many free spots are available on each level, and each aisle on each level has its own indicator of how many spaces are available on that aisle. Each parking spot has a sensor installed above it to detect when the space is occupied. Very clever.

The Brussles terminal is currently under construction, and as we walked into the terminal we noticed a construction worker struggling to carry a very large pipe:


Not something likely to be seen in the States.

Trip Extension

We realize that updates have slowed in the last week or so. Originally, I had anticipated my work would be complete in the middle of October, but now my return date has been extended to 15-November. We have been scrambling to arrange lodging, rental car and return flights based on the extended dates along with planning additional weekends away. More to come in the weeks ahead.

Belgium’s Capital - Brussels

Remarkably, we have been here for over a month but it has taken us this long to make our way to Brussels, just a short 45 minutes from Mons. We took the train (a relief for poor D, he finally didn’t have to drive to a location!) and it was nice to enjoy the countryside. We choose to go on a day that the city had shut down traffic to the inner city – meaning that the entire city center was a pedestrian walking zone. Naturally, there were arts/crafts dealers set up to take advantage of all the additional people – and there were a TON of people.

Again, the Grand Placee was beautiful. I feel that I am a bit of a broken record, but with a gorgeous blue sky, the old style buildings with gold leaf statues, and the copper decorations, it make quite an impression. Then when you add good food and street performers in a festival atmosphere, and it is a fantastic place.

Now, interestingly enough, the national symbol of Belgium is a statue of a boy peeing into a small pool – it is a fountain (naturally) and you can imagine from where the water flows. The name of the statue is Manneken Pis. This fountain is just a few blocks from the Grand Place so after a quick snack from a street vendor, we followed the crowd up to take our picture of this lovely statue. The Belgians have a sense of humor – they dress up the statue at times in one of the over 700 costumes that have been made for it. We were fortunate to be there on a costume day.


The current statue is made out of bronze and has been there since 1619, however the original Manneken Pis was made of stone and has its origin from the 14th century. The story behind this irreverent statue is, as the tour book says, “lost to legend: some say he’s modeled on a boy who extinguished a fire, others say he was a nobleman’s son.” Either way, it is an unusual mascot (Mons has a monkey…, I will write on him later. Seriously, I am not making this stuff up.)


After our visit of the fountain, we decided to check out the EU sector of town. Brussels is the headquarters or capital of the European Union. [For those interested, the EU is an economic and political union made up of countries stretching from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean Sea. It is a unifying organization that allows Europe to speak with one voice on valued issues, such as environment, security, etc. The 1990’s were a huge turning point in the Maastricht treaty, which made way for the single currency, the Euro, as well as a close cooperation on foreign and security policies. They also signed the Schengen agreement that allowed for the virtually borderless Europe that we know today – the free movement of people, goods and services throughout member states. If you want to learn more, go to www.europa.eu.int.] This is normally a busy and highly trafficked area, but with no cars allowed in, it was eerie how quite it was. There were a bunch of bicyclists to look out for, which kept us busy, but that was it. It was quite different than the other cities that we have visited in that it had a very modern, sky-scraper aspect to it, very un-european.


We made our way down to the Parc Cinquantenaire which had an open air concert going on. Just past it was what I really wanted to see, a prime example of Art Nouveau. This house, know as Maison Cauchie (the Cauchie Home) was built in 1905 by painter and architect Paul Cauchie and is Brussels most stunning example of an art nouveau façade. I have really enjoyed seeing the art nouveau buildings, furniture and paintings in Europe. I understand better now why it is such a popular period, the art is beautiful and unlike other periods, it has a contemporary flare that makes it “in fashion” even now, 100 years later.


After admiring this lovely house, we trudged our way back to the train station. We had done a lot of walking so we had to struggle to stay awake on the train ride home. Another lovely adventure for the Avillas.