I know many of you who know me best are wondering, "What took you so long?". With four blog posts under my belt, what did take me so long to write about the food in Amsterdam? The truth is that I was tempted to write about this topic first, but decided to wait until I gathered more research. O.K., the real reason I waited is so that you would think that I have more important things on my mind than where my next meal is coming from. I don't. Since I can't find a way to have you join me for the tastes and smells of some of the Amsterdam food I have discovered, I will add more photos to this blog post as a distant second best method.

Who knew that there were so many, many varieties of mushrooms? This is one of Peter's favorite stands at the market. He has created some delicious pasta dishes with assorted mushrooms. Even the mushroom seller is smiling. How could you not love work… — Who knew that there were so many, many varieties of mushrooms? This is one of Peter's favorite stands at the market. He has created some delicious pasta dishes with assorted mushrooms. Even the mushroom seller is smiling. How could you not love working amongst all this beauty?

One of my first outings here a few days after arriving was to the outdoor market that takes place every Saturday just a few blocks form our house. There is a cheese stand, a fruit and vegetable stand, a nut stand (called The Nut House), olive oil, sausage, wine, coffee (of course), bread, fresh juice, and flowers (stay tuned for an upcoming blog post on flowers). Despite all of that colorful fresh food, on my first visit my eyes, or rather, my nose went straight to the crepe man preparing "pancakes" with Nutella. It was hard to ignore him.

I have seen quite a bit of Nutella in my travels here. I even saw a book of recipes all with Nutella involved. There is also some delicious upscale chocolate when you want to "treat yo self", as they say on Parks and Rec. And yes, if you were wondering, I do treat myself.

In general, I have found that the fruit and vegetables are very fresh and delicious here, whether they are from the outdoor markets or the grocery store. There are a few types that I had never seen before moving here. For example, early in my travels, I saw a vegetable that looked like a geometric broccoli. When Ben was visiting, we saw one and he immediately said it had "fractals". Sure enough, when you Google fractal vegetable, you get the name of this beauty: romanesco broccoli. For those of you who were wondering, a fractal according to Wikipedia is, "a natural phenomenon or a mathematical set that exhibits a repeating pattern that displays at every scale." I wish I could have scored one of these beauties at Whole Foods last year to show my 5th graders! Much more importantly, it tastes just like the article says - like a milder and sweeter cauliflower.

Here is our very own romanesco broccoli, before we ate it for dinner. Please don't say it looks too beautiful to eat. There is no such thing, in my book.

Now that you know a bit about the delicious produce, we need to talk cheese. The Dutch really like their cheese, and for good reason. It's really wonderful. They refer to cheese like we do to people: young (jonge) and old (oude). You use young cheese for sandwiches (more on that Dutch staple in a moment) and old cheese for when you want something with crackers and a glass of wine. You may know of a Dutch cheese called Gouda, and luckily one of the first things I learned was how to pronounce that type. If you read my last blog post, you might remember that the g is pronounced like you are clearing your throat, so it sounds something like How-da. There are many, many ages and varieties of goat cheese, including one flavored with honey. Sorry that I can't send you some right now. it's magical.

Notice here that these are free samples. The city abounds with them and I'm in heaven as a result. There is a certain cheese shop that we visited in which Peter and I ate so many free samples that we fear our pictures may be hanging on the wall, lik… — Notice here that these are free samples. The city abounds with them and I'm in heaven as a result. There is a certain cheese shop that we visited in which Peter and I ate so many free samples that we fear our pictures may be hanging on the wall, like some sort of Most Wanted Cheese Eaters poster because of what we did.

This should give you an idea of the revered status of cheese in the Netherlands.

In addition to loving their cheese, the Dutch also like a good bread. In fact, they seem to eat sandwiches (boterhamen) for both breakfast and lunch a lot. The bread is sturdy and no-nonsense, just like they are.

I am still in search of my Able Baker replacement here. My search continues for a scone that will live up to its Maplewood archetype.

De Bakkerswinkel has the charm, it has the bench in front. What it does not have is the scone to make your heart sing. My quest for the holy grail continues....

As my search for an Able Baker-esque Amsterdam scone continues, I have found a worthy substitute (for the time being) in the granola. Thanks to N.J. friend Carrie Harmon for a tip about the "amazing" granola they had while visiting Amsterdam last winter. After raving about it to the waiter at their hotel, Carrie, a wonderful cook, asked him if he would share the recipe. He returned from the kitchen and plunked a box of Quaker Oats cereal down on the table. I wasn't even over my jet lag before I made a trip to the grocery store in search of that cereal. And yes, it is all it was cracked up to be by the Harmons.

When I sent this photo of my breakfast to Carrie and her son Josh, she said it was "cruel-sli" of me.

One question I have been asked by friends who have been to Amsterdam or lived here (Carol West and Marian Buck-Murray, I'm thinking of you), "Have you had the frites (french fries) with mayonnaise yet?". The answer is yes, and many times. They are truly outstanding. I am happy to report that if you were worried that now that the cold and rainy weather has arrived, I might not have ready access to frites, fear not! The local upscale ice cream place has suddenly converted to a frites shop. It's a one block walk away. Lest you think that we subsist on french fries, I do want to add here that the fish in Amsterdam is terrific (the salmon is much cheaper than in Maplewood) and the chicken just plain tastes better. I guess they use fewer hormones in their food. Peter continues to love cooking, and although we do eat out a fair bit, he has made a ton of great chicken dishes, salads, and of course, that fractal vegetable.

Here is the Frietboutique, the trendy new place near our apartment. Notice that there is no photo of the fries I ate (for research purposes only, of course). I was too busy eating them. — Here is the *Frietboutique,* the trendy new place near our apartment. Notice that there is no photo of the fries I ate (for research purposes only, of course). I was too busy eating them.

No post about my first experiences with Dutch food would be complete without a word about the restaurants. To frame the issue in the most positive light, eating out is a relaxing process here. You do not go into a restaurant and expect to have a menu plunked down in front of you, water rushed in, orders taken, and as soon as you finish the meal, a bill slapped down on the table. One evening, Peter and I were told apologetically by the hostess at the door of a well-loved restaurant near the big museums that we could have a table, but that we would have to finish by 10 p.m., since there was a large party coming. This was at 7:30. When you go out to eat, the table is yours for the night. And the bill does not appear until you ask for it.

Now for the downside of this leisurely Dutch approach to eating out: it takes a long time. If you are even in a slight hurry, you will feel frustrated at the slow pace with which menus appear, water is poured, the meals are served, and the waiter or waitress can be found in order to ask for the bill. I am trying hard to leave my New Jersey impatience at the door when we go out to eat. I plan on getting a lot of practice developing this patience by eating out often.

Here is a charming little place that Emma Sedlak, daughter of my teacher friend Linda, introduced me to. It's tucked away in an alley in a spot I could never find without Google Maps. The soup is the best! As we head into the winter months - think c… — Here is a charming little place that Emma Sedlak, daughter of my teacher friend Linda, introduced me to. It's tucked away in an alley in a spot I could never find without Google Maps. The soup is the best! As we head into the winter months - think cold and grey, I'm warned constantly - I plan on getting well-acquainted with the many varieties of Dutch soup. Thanks, Emma for this inside scoop.

So this is what I hope will be just the first chapter in my journey to get to know the food of Amsterdam. The most popular ethnic food is Indonesian, and this last photo was taken at one of the most popular spots for rijsttafel, an Indonesian extravaganza with many tiny plates of delicious, exotic food. I posted this photo before, but wanted to include it again so you could see where we might take you if you come to visit.

Many of you asked how much we had left over. The answer, I am proud to say, is not a morsel.