In KC's Honour...

Beer is well, almost a national obsession. Antwerp is supposed to have a pub which serves nearly a 1000 varieties. The canned/ bottled ones do not even count as beer....it has to be fresh - and often fruity.

Peter, an old associate of Howard, took us around to a pub/bar named Sudden Death ( or the equivalent in Belgian) for an evening of sampling some exotic Belgian stuff - all served in different glasses, often with stems. A bustling place, great atmosphere.

One of the highpoints was to smell waffles in the air – in a way, it does seem to a national food in Belgium. Did justice to it a few time – varying prices, but uniformly good quality. But the sight of the fresh waffles stalls is heart warming. Am carrying some back.

This is what the official tourism website has to say:

"Aside from the delicious recipe, the authentic Belgian waffle is unique because of the special waffle irons used to bake them. These waffle irons are only available in Belgium and give Belgian waffles their signature crunchy-golden outside and fluffy inside.

In Belgium there are two types of waffles (or gauffres as we like to call them): the Brussels and the Liege waffle. The Brussels is rectangular in shape with a golden-brown exterior, deep divots and is usually eaten with a knife and fork. Brussels waffles are served with a variety of toppings such as powdered sugar, whipped cream, ice cream, strawberries and chocolate. The Liege waffle is golden-yellow, more dense in texture and has a burned sugar coating on the outside giving it a lightly sweet flavor. This hand-held waffle is sold by street vendors all over Belgium."

Am no fan of fries- or potato chips or whatever you call it. Very McDonaldish I would say. But it does have a flavour of difference. Served coolly in paper cones, with a dollop of a range of sauces- meat sauce was one interesting one, as was kamikaze. Couple this with the chilly breeze, and perhaps a drizzle – and it the right eat for the day. Fairly cheap I would say, with about a euro or half for a nice serving. Have frites at frietkots - and you're half Belgian.