I’ve always loved travelling; it’s an escape from my everyday life, and there is sightseeing, meeting new people and pub-crawls. But the best part of it all is definitively the food! Discovering flavours and dishes you’ve never tried before is always exciting, and it tells you so much about a country’s culture. I have been in the Netherlands for almost one month now, and spent most of my free-time hunting down local food. Here’s what I’ve tried so far and my impressions of Dutch food:
Goudse Kaas
Cheese is a big business in the Netherlands, and the most ubiquitous of all the Dutch cheeses is Gouda. You can find it everywhere – from the farmers’ markets, to local grocery stores – and its flavour and texture can vary greatly depending on the aging process. So far, the Old Amsterdam brand is my favourite – as tasty as Swiss cheese (yes, I am from Switzerland)!
Stroopwafel
This is one of my favourites. Two thin waffles stuck together with a generous layer of hot caramel, they are just so good. You’ll find these sweet treats almost everywhere, but the huge ones street market vendors sell are to die for.
I have to admit, I really wasn’t looking forward to trying raw herring, and my Dutch friends had a hard time convincing me to give it a try. It was during my trip to Amsterdam that I finally braced myself and ordered some “broodje haringâ€, which is basically raw herring served in a small sandwich with pickles and onions. To be honest, I didn’t manage to take more than a couple bites, but well…it was worth giving it a try.
Poffertjes
These are little fluffy cloudy pancakes served in restaurants, pancake houses, and street markets all over the Netherlands. They are traditionally served with unsalted butter and powdered sugar, but you’ll also find many other toppings. Simply delicious.
Drop
Dutch people seem to love drop – the Dutch version of liquorice. In fact the country boasts the highest per-capita consumption of the sweet in the whole world. When I first tried drops, I was surprise as they are much saltier than normal liquorice. Not a favourite of mine, but I’ve never been good with liquorice to begin with.
That was the five Dutch foods I got to try since I arrived in Rotterdam. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did! What should I eat next? Leave me some suggestions in the comments!
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Heya, it’s An and I’ll be one of the new bloggers for the next year! I hope you enjoyed this blog and will stick around for more to come. Cheers!
Checking my usually neglected mailbox, on top of a bunch of spam mail, sat a flyer stating that ISR was recruiting new members! Within two seconds of reading the flyer, I was urged into applying and knew without a doubt that I wanted to be part of the ISR community.
5 months later, my journey with ISR is about to begin, so here I am to hopefully spark an urge in you that might make you want to join ISR as a manager in a committee, a family member or simply come to one of our events!
Here are 5 reasons to join ISR:
#1 | The great family vibe
As soon as I entered the room in which an ISR get together was taking place, I felt like I belonged! The old members were so welcoming of the new members, I already felt like I was a part of the family even though it was my first time meeting everyone. If you ever feel a family shaped hole missing from your heart, ISR will definitely be the one to fill it!
#2| Social drinks + ISR events
Apart from meeting new friendly faces at social drinks with the help of beers or wine to sooth your nerves after a long day; ISR also has academic events such as I-BET where employers and international students get to network, as well as leisure activities including beer pong tournaments and more! With ISR you get the best of both worlds: work and play.
#3| Meeting people from all over Rotterdam
Unlike other student organizations, ISR enables you to meet people from various places in Rotterdam instead of just people from your university. This is so great as the possibility of meeting unique likeminded international and non-international students is endless.
ISR strives to welcome and accommodate all international students in a multitude of ways! With our student guide, you will never feel lost or foreign in Rotterdam as we prepare you for all that you could encounter. With an ISR membership there are student deals and discounts with Housing Anywhere, the Study Store and more. ISR also provides you with internship and job opportunities. If that doesn’t sound great, I don’t know what does!
#5| The ISR committee experience
Lastly, for those looking for extracurricular activities or would like to be a part of the daily running’s of an international student association; why not join an ISR committee!? Apart from an amazing experience including all four of the previously mentioned points, ISR also allows you to practice your skills and interests and experience a professional working experience all whilst having fun and gaining lifelong friends and colleagues! The ISR website has all the information you need if that interests you 😉
Here were 5 out of many reasons to join ISR! Are you a member of ISR? What were the 5 key reasons you joined? Let us know down below!
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Hey, it’s Anaelle and I’ll be one of the new bloggers for the next year! Hope you enjoyed this post and you stick around for more to come! 🙂