Our First St. Nicholas' Day

St Nicholas is the Christian Advent Saint of kindness and giving. He is also known as a protector of children. He was born in what is present day Turkey to wealthy parents who died while Nicholas was young. He took his inheritance and used it throughout his life to help others and especially children in need. "He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships" (www.stnicholascenter.org).  He died 06 December AD 343 but his generosity lives on.
St Nicholas Eve and Day is celebrated with games, gift giving, treats, poems and more. Learn more at www.stnicholascenter.org

Our son is three years old. I thought it would be special to bring some Dutch kids fun into our own family traditions. We did not know how to celebrate St Nicholas' Day. I read about St Nicholas and a few different Dutch family traditions for the day and we made our own fun day.
This year St. Nicholas, who recently learned of our Dutch family research, decided to take the long boat ride to the Puget Sound. He and his horse made their way from the nearest shore, up the hills and winding through the streets to our home. We told our son a couple stories of St Nicholas and Zwarte Piet (and that they would probably be pretty tired from the long boat ride). Our son left a glass of milk and wheat crackers (we didn't get a chance to make cookies or bread because our oven has been broken!) for St Nicholas and Zwarte Piet. For his horse - carrots and a bowl of water.

Our son left a glass of milk and wheat crackers
for St Nicholas and Zwarte Piet... carrots for their horse.

We left our shoes and refreshments on the porch and a bit after dinner, we heard the doorbell ring! When we opened the door, St Nicholas, Zwarte Piet and their horse had already eaten their snacks and left special treats for everyone! They left ginger snap cookies, Wilhelmina Peppermints, Kinder Bueno candy, meat sticks, Gold Coins, Pistachios, etc. They even left treats for our dogs!
We taught our son a bit about the fun of giving to others and exchanged small gifts. Candy Land, the board game, was our gift to our son. We spent most of the evening playing the game after all the excitement.

St Nicholas left treats!

 Our son loved it. It was fun for us also but I've already had some better ideas to do for next year!
I had hoped to find some Dutch kids books to give our son to help him (and us) learn some more Dutch words. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any yet. Maybe I can find some before Christmas.

If you celebrate or have celebrated St Nicholas' Day, please share your traditions in the comments below! We'd love to hear of more traditions!

Gouda & Edam Protected!

Gouda has been my favorite cheese ever since my first taste (that I remember) in Junior High School. I was doing one of my projects on how my Dutch grandfather immigrated here. I named the project Holland to America. I collected many Dutch things to include in the project - even some Gouda cheese! Even the cheese has made it from Holland to America! It is usually found at stores with a high price tag. Although, in my previous post, A Very Filling Dinner..., I mentioned that Costco carries Gouda for a very good price. Some of the Gouda's they carry are imported from Holland and others are made in New York. Out of curiosity, I always look at the package to see if it is made in Holland (though this doesn't always dictate whether I buy it or not). While many of the imitation Gouda's are very tasty, they are not made of Dutch cow's milk. Dutch cheese farmers have been fighting for a seal of authenticity to protect unsuspecting consumers from buying those imitation cheeses by mistake. Gouda and Edam cheeses will now have that seal and protected name.

Cheeses in Holland are traditionally named after the "mother-cities" where they are made from the cows that live there. However, until now, there has always been a chance of buying an "imitation Gouda" because there is no secret ingredient or recipe to make it. The Gouda's process has been followed in the US, Germany, and Poland to make imitation Gouda. Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports "the European Commission has awarded both of the cheesemaking cities [of Edam and Gouda] a Protected Geographical Indication." This special seal will ensure the cheese you have bought was made in the Dutch city of Gouda. "Dutch cheese farmers are happy with the European seal. Their age-old tradition has now finally been acknowledged in a victory over prefab supermarket cheese" RNW news desk.

Here is the Pick of the Day from RNW - Gouda and Edam cheeses protected

A Very Filling Dinner...

 I tried all of these recipes a few nights ago. It was a very filling dinner. All named dishes are from Let's Go Dutch by Johanna (van der Zeijst) Bates.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what an endive looked like and I forgot to look it up before I went to the store. The grocery store didn't have them labeled clearly, so I guessed (the cashier didn't know what they were either) - and I was right! The grocery store only had half the endive's I needed for the recipe. I made a lot of extra sauce which I used in a thrown together side-dish. This Gebakken Witlof Met Kaas was very tasty. It's nice to have a new vegetable recipe to add to my favorites.

Gebakken Witlof Met Kaas (Creamy Baked Belgium Endive)

I will never buy a boxed-scalloped-potato mix again. This Aardappelen Met Gouda Kaas En Room recipe was scrumptious! *Tip: If you are in search of a less expensive Gouda, I've found 3-4 different imported Gouda's for very good prices at the Costco store near us.

Aardappelen Met Gouda Kaas En Room (Scalloped Gouda Potatoes)

Aardappelen Met Suiker (Sugared Potatoes). This did not turn out the way I think it should have so I will try again another time. The cooking process did not go as planned - I got distracted. I used them in something else the next day.

Aardappelen Met Suiker (Sugared Potatoes)

Here is everything together (except Aardapplen Met Suiker). The Bare Little Bums in The Grass are in the "distance".
I did not get an individual shot of Blote Billetjes In Het Groen (Bare Little Bums In The Grass) because I was hungry, forgot and ate it. It was good. It is white beans mixed with french style green beans... so they look like their namesake!
I made too many white beans, so I contributed them to the other bean dish.  This side-dish was made with the other half of the endive sauce, the rest of the white beans and some ham chunks.

Clockwise from top:
Blote Billetjes In Het Groen (Bare Little Bums In The Grass),
the dish I made up (not yet named),
Aardappelen Met Gouda Kaas En Room (Scalloped Gouda Potatoes),
Gebakken Witlof Met Kaas (Creamy Baked Belgium Endive)

Strained Tolerance

The Dutch have been known as some of the most tolerant and friendly people in the world. Amsterdam comes to mind as the extremely diverse and tolerant capital of the country. Although, overall most of the country is conservative, the trait of tolerance has become rather strained in the current climate of religious difference and economic unrest.
The Hague is where the extreme (far right) views of Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) in the Dutch Parliament, have brought to light some deep anti-Islam feelings in a portion of the Dutch population. Mr. Wilders spoke to the American people (not as a representative of Holland - but as himself) at the Anti-Islamic Centre Rally on the ninth anniversary of 9/11 (11 Sept 2010). Relatively unknown, but well received at the protest, Wilders said "A tolerant society is not a suicidal society" (Radio Netherlands Worldwide - Unknown Wilders delivers keynote speech at 9/11 demo by RNW News Desk). "[...] Most Dutch politicians kept their lips tightly shut after the speech by Freedom Party Geert Wilders in New York. Politicians on the right-hand side of the political spectrum were particularly quiet [...]" (RNW).
Geert Wilders faces court Monday "for a total of six days (over the course of a fortnight) on charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims" (RNW)

"[...] It is not just financial and economic developments that have a decisive impact on society. Developments within society likewise affect its quality. Social cohesion often used to be taken for granted in the Netherlands, but in recent years we have realis[z]ed that it is not a given. Even in the past, constant efforts were required to keep conflicts and differences of opinion under control. This is even more necessary today. Providing a counter-voice is the task not only of the government, but also of individuals and the many civil society organis[z]ations in our country. A harmonious society is built on respect, tolerance and common courtesy. It requires give and take, mutual understanding, and also the ability to adapt. This is a responsibility we all share. [...]" (Queen Beatrix' Speech from the Throne 2010, http://www.government.nl)

The State We're In - Keeping the faiths(s) was a very interesting show to listen to.The entire show is worth listening to, but I especially enjoyed hearing of the "unimaginable-to-many" story of a relatively new religion, Chrislam. It is a combination of Christianity and Muslim faiths.
"Christianity and Islam, of course, share the same roots. They're both what scholars call Abrahamic Religions. But what if they joined up and became one religion? It could happen, in fact, it already has... in Nigeria" host, Jonathan Gruber said in Keeping the faiths(s).
The story tells of a Christian pastor who had negative feelings toward Muslims. He ultimately fell in love and married a Muslim woman. "God wants to use me to pass on this message" he says. "Let's unite as brothers and sisters. Let there be no quarrel between Muslims and Christians. Nowhere does it say in the Bible or the Qur'an that you should kill your brother and sister to enter the Kingdom of God. He who kills will go to Hellfire. There must be a way we can speak to their hearts" (Keeping the faiths(s)). The rest of the show talks about proselytizing, atheism, and more.

Another recent story, Secret Jewish heritage converts neo-Nazi by Kristin Cuff, CNN, caught my attention. It's about a Neo-Nazi woman finding out she and her husband are Jewish. Her unplanned discovery is an emotional one. She had to go home to tell her Neo-Nazi husband that they are part of the people who they had hated so much. The couple made a complete life transformation. Their friend and mentor, Cheif Rabbi Michael Schudrich of Warsaw, Poland said, "The fact that they were skinheads actually increased the amount of respect I have for them. That they could've been where they were, understood that that was not the right way, then embraced rather than run away the fact that they were part of the people who they used to hate. I think also it says on a personal level, never write somebody off. Where they may be 10 years ago doesn't have to be where they are today. And the human being has this unlimited capability of changing and sometimes even for the better."Read the full story and see the CNN video clip here.

This story was especially interesting to me since one of my great grandmothers (*my MPM) (the one from Ede, NL) had hidden Jewish roots as well. I believe my Grandfather did not find out until her funeral in Iowa. I'm not sure when or exactly why she decided to hide it. I don't know who, besides herself, knew of it - but that is what I am doing now - investigating the reasons why.

*see the post titled The CODE for explanation.

Constitutional Monarchy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

The capital city of the Netherlands is Amsterdam. However, the Royal family and seat of government are in the Hague (Den Haag). The government is a Constitutional Monarchy (CIA - The World Factbook).
The government fell in February 2010 after a 16 hour cabinet meeting discussing a compromise extension of the Dutch military mission in the Afghan province of Uruzgan. Twelve Ministers and State Secretaries of the Labour Party (PvdA) resigned. This is the third time Jan Peter Balkenende's cabinet has fallen. Elections were held in June to form a new government but party leaders have not been able to come to agreement. As scheduled, the Dutch military handed operations in Uruzgan to the United States and Australia in August.
The third Tuesday of September, known as Prinsjesdag, is normally the most important political day of the year. This is when the government presents the new budget for the next fiscal year. The Queen gives a speech from the throne and the budget sets the government's goals for the entire year. This Prinsjesdag the Dutch are still without a new government. Dutch Caretaker Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's (Christian Democrat Party) has presented his last budget to Queen Beatrix. The 2011 budget includes cuts of over 3 billion Euros.
Today, the 111th day of formation of the new government, coalition talks "appear to have resulted in a right-wing government supported by the far right" (RNW - Dutch right-wing parties reach agreement on coalition by Nicola Chadwick). [...] "Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders called it a historic moment," He said "who would have thought that the Freedom Party would have a huge amount of influence in government a couple of years ago." (RNW)  The new Prime Minister is said to be Mark Rutte. Maxime Verhagen is the new Christian Democrats (CDA) leader. Mr. Rutte is the leader of the Liberal Party (VVD) which have not possessed the position of prime minister since 1918. The new coalition government, Rutte says, "will be named Rutte-Verhagen", after the two leading parties.

Emigrating to Holland - Feelings

First of all, I love my family. I am very fortunate to have such a large family that loves one another as they do.
Second, we do not have plans to move to Holland. Just happy little thoughts and dreams of doing so. 

My personal experience in Holland left me with a feeling that I belong there. It has been six months since we were there, although we were there so briefly, I still have that same feeling. If we had the chance and courage to emigrate there, I believe we would go. It would be very hard to leave my family here - but at the same time, how often do I see my family in the states? I do not know but one or two in passing of my family in *Iowa and...*Michigan is it? It is even rare to see my "more immediate extended family" (who live in Washington state along with me) more than once or twice a year. I do see my brothers and their families more often than anyone - maybe once a month or sometimes more. My parents are now in Alaska so I see them very rarely, too. I realize that families grow up and out and as they get larger we have to focus energies on more specific targets and people, but I wish we all had enough time (and money these days) for all the extended family gatherings. I would love to meet all my family in middle-America, wherever they are... though I don't know if they feel the same way. There's only one way to find out - to be that one weird, distant relative who asks!

"What is the purpose of this post," you say?
Well, I came across a story at Radio Netherlands Worldwide in This Week in the Netherlands (by Davion Ford) of Caroline Pelders who, after living in Canada for thirty years, is emigrating back to the Netherlands with her husband and youngest daughter. She says "I've never had the feeling that I really belonged here. [...] I could try waiting for another 30 years, but then I would have been here 60 years. But if I still felt the same way, it would really have been a waste of my time" (taken from subtitles on video clip). It's interesting to know that the Netherlands has a similar "pull" for others as the one I feel (even though I have never lived there). Watch the video clip here:

The video clip also talks about Learning Dutch, Prescription Pot, and Spotting Child Abuse.

Coby's Gemarineerde Komkommers (Coby's Marinated Cucumbers)

I tried Coby's Gemarineerde Komkommers (Coby's Marinated Cucumbers) tonight. This recipe is from Let's Go Dutch by Johanna (van der Zeijst) Bates. This recipe has a photo in the book of how it's supposed to look. The photo is in a different part of the book and I did not see it until after I was done. My attempt does not look like the book's photo. I will try it again next time I have a cucumber ...or three medium cucumbers (since that's what I was supposed to use in the first place).

I used one large(ish) cucumber and I read through the recipe before starting. I should have read it twice. I sliced the cucumbers too thin and I was not supposed to mix everything together at once, but I did. I still liked the finished product but it's very acidic so I could not eat a whole lot of them. Again, I will try this again and follow the directions better next time.

Sometimes Everyone is Dutch

I have been "away" for a while. ...just trying to spend less time indoors at the computer (since the sun finally made an appearance here in the Seattle area). I did not intend to continue my "Everything Dutch" fixation while I was "away". Nevertheless, I picked up Stitch 'N Bitch and The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller (who happens to be Dutch too). These are handbooks for knitting and crocheting. I want to re-learn knitting and also learn crochet. It is such the opposite of what I do most days - and it is a very portable craft. I love it!
In the beginning of each book, Debbie talks about her Dutch family. "My mother met my dad and moved to America when she was twenty-four, but for most of my childhood we spent our summers back in Holland with her relatives. [...] And whenever relatives were gathered together, the women's hands were always working." She says that it didn't matter what they were working on"[...]--as long as their hands remained in motion, for, as my grandmother used to say, 'Idle hands are the devil's workshop.'"
"In my grandmother's time," she says, "knitting was not just a way to keep one's hands busy--it was also a way to save money." This also seems true today. I have seen so many things in stores that I just adore, but I refuse to pay what is on the huge price tag. Plus, I've always liked to do things myself... maybe too much so, sometimes. Even if I have no knowledge of how to do a specific project, I still barrel on - sometimes resulting in utter failure. I figure I will either learn as I go and find someone to help if I get stuck. In other rare events, when my attempts have left me hopeless, I may go to the store and buy the ready-made object. I believe doing things this way is more rewarding and appreciated by myself and everyone else.
I taught myself how to knit a few years ago. I knitted a few scarves and then was engulfed in school work until I got my degree. So far, I have gotten further along in my self-teachings, thanks to Debbie Stoller. Her books are written in a light-hearted, amusing way. They make teaching yourself to do these crafts much easier than you would think it would be otherwise. She makes it fun to learn knit and crochet. I have re-learned the Knit Stitch and now I can also Purl. With those two stitches I can do the Stockinette Stitch, Rib Stitch and the Seed Stitch (Moss Stitch) (my favorite). Next I will try to do a design using the Knit and Purl Stitches. This photo shows a dish cloth I made using the Seed and Stockinette Stitches. It tuned out to be a dish cloth because I was using 100% acrylic yarn (the cheapest) - it makes scrubbing pans easy.

Here's a link to the Stitch 'N Bitch website: Knit Happens

Monuments and TODAY

It was great to see Andre Rieu, here in America (on TV).

"André [...] Rieu (born October 1, 1949) is a Dutch violinist, conductor, and composer best known for creating an international revival in waltz music with his 'Johann Strauss Orchestra'. He plays a 1667 Stradivarius violin." (Amazon.com)

I was recently going through some of my old photos. 

While I was in High School, I went on an East Coast Tour with a few of my class-mates. One stop was New York. I thought I would share a few photos from that trip, since it relates (roughly) to Andre being in New York and on the Today show and to my family going through the Ellis Island system. 

"The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986." (US National Park Service)

A friend and I hiked up all the stairs in the Statue of Liberty to look out the windows in her crown. From the crown, our view was of a bit of the island, water and fog (see second photo). Our legs were like jelly when we finally got down on the ground again.

"Opened on January 1, 1892, Ellis Island became the nation's premier federal immigration station. In operation until 1954, the station processed over 12 million immigrant steamship passengers. The main building was restored after 30 years of abandonment and opened as a museum on September 10, 1990." (US National Park Service)

One photo is Ellis Island as we approached it on the ferry. The next photo is some of the luggage left at Ellis Island.

Earlier that same day, another friend and I went to the Today show where we made it onto TV (well, my friend's mom saw me but not her daughter ...but she was standing right next to me ~ maybe someone jumped in front of her during our one second of fame).

The last photo is of a gift from Holland called The Netherlands Carillion. 

It "[...]expresses the gratitude of the Dutch people for American aid received during and after World War II. The carillon itself symbolizes the friendship between the people of the Netherlands and those of the United States... a friendship characterized by a common allegiance to the principles of freedom, justice, and democracy which has weathered temporary differences." (US National Park Service archive)

Andre Rieu in Rockefeller Center in NYC Tomorrow morning!

Someone! - Anyone! Fly me there tonight!
Ok, so realistically- I will be watching Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra performing on NBC's TODAY show (tomorrow - Wednesday 16 June 2010 @ 8:30am).

Andre Rieu is a Dutch composer who has been dubbed the King of Waltz. You can read about him and his life and accomplishments on his website (I have a link below)
A couple months ago I stumbled upon a video of him and his girls doing the traditional Klompen Dance (also linked below). I continued onto his website and after seeing a few more videos, signed up for his newsletter. The very next day, I got an email announcing the tour he would be doing in America and the stop in Seattle! Yay!

His Seattle date is on 6 December 2010 at Key Arena. I'm hoping to acquire tickets to that show.  If anyone I know would like to go with me, maybe we could get a group of us together... (there is a 8 ticket per household limit)... Let me know soon if you are interested.
Tickets range from around $50-$150 for just the tickets to the show. There's also The Waltz package for $300 (Package includes one Premium seat located within rows 2-5, and an Exclusive ANDRE RIEU merchandise item). Then there is The Andre Rieu Experience for around $1500 (Package includes one Premium seat located within rows 1-2, Invitation to afterparty with ANDRE RIEU and performers, Photo with ANDRE RIEU, Access to soundcheck, Buffet dinner, Exclusive ANDRE RIEU merchandise item, Autographed program book, Onsite event management staff, and VIP entrance and parking (where available))

Go to the Andre Rieu site
...I was just exploring his site again and found a recipe section! ...and his son is a painter!
I hope I'll be able to see him in December. I think this is all I can say now without sounding like an Andre Rieu nut.

Here's the video that started this section of my exploration... enjoy!

Uitsmijter (Chucker-Out?!)

Chucker-Out
Uitsmijter
"The Dutch have a lot of odd names for their national cuisine that are untranslatable." Johanna (van der Zeijst) Bates introduces the recipe, "This simple dish is the Dutch equivalent of the North American hamburger. [...] [I]t is merely a pick-me up in nutritious form"(Lets Go Dutch -A Treasury of Dutch Cuisine).

I tried this last night for dinner. It is very simple to put together and it very tasty. It looked lonely by itself so I baked some fries and cooked some peas to cuddle around it on the plate. The recipe actually says to put two Uitsmijter on one plate and that four of these serves two people. This is so filling, I could only finish one (barely). So, I have some nice leftovers...



Johanna (van der Zeijst) Bates. Let's Go Dutch - A Treasury of Dutch Cuisine. Saskatchewan, Canada: Centax Books, 1988, Eighth printing 2004

From Flowers and Rock candy to "Land! Land!" the Promised Land!

I read my (*MMM) Great-Grandmother's younger-life story as told by herself in 1990 in a tape recording. This was a year before she passed away at the age of 96. I do not know how many of our family members knew of this tape. It was a great surprise to myself just within the last couple years. My cousin phonetically wrote down everything our (*MMM)Gr-Grandmother said in the recording. In some places, she seemed to be thinking allowed, so for on-line reading ease, I have edited and interpreted some parts of the story (the "raw" story is available among family members). Although I never had the chance to meet her, I love her story. She ends it quite abruptly, but this is because she was sharing her young-age life story. The actual recording is now missing. My cousin who wrote this down and passed it along, did a great thing for the family. Those who never new (*MMM)Great-Gramma can, at the very least, cherish this story in their family memory books.

This is her story (edited, summarized and quoted for easier on-line reading - omitting family names) :

"I was born in Holland," she begins, "which was below sea level. Holland is a man-made land. They had to bring land up out of the sea and that was a very hard job to that. They got rocks from England and they put some straw and some junk on there and they did that until the were above sea level. And then they had to pump them all empty, I don't know what kind of pumps they had but they had some." She talks about how the earth was full of clay in the pumped area. They couldn't work with the clay-soil right away, so they let it set for a year. Then they tried to work the soil. They got a "big piece of ground" and she say's, "that's the way they did with the whole lot of the Netherlands then they always have big dikes around it and they protect the land from the sea." She lived right on an old dike. One side was farm land and the other side was the pasture land. "When the Spring came, on the side where the grass was it was all covered with flowers, beautiful flowers. There was Buttercups and Daisies and purple flowers and it was so pretty - the whole field, it was covered with flowers." One of Gr-Gramma's chores was to get the groceries. Her Mother would send her to town to get the groceries. She had to go through that flowery pastureland. Speaking of the groceries she would get, she says, "Not so much never, just a little bit of rice and a little bit of sugar and some of that rock candy that they put in the coffee and maybe some other stuff to put in the coffee and a loaf of bread, too, I think." "...That was all we ever really got so it was not such a big basketful because Ma had a big garden, always. So we had a lot to eat."

When sending her to get groceries, Gr-Gramma tells us that her Ma never said they had to hurry, just "get back by dinner" so she would quick get the groceries and she says, "it was so lovely that I would just lay down in the grass and I'd look up at the clouds and they were big white clouds." On the way back she couldn't stand the temptation and always "snooped some of the rock candy." When she got back Ma would say, "So - You snooped a Snoochty, huh?" Her mother never punished her for it. "She was a good old mother," she tells us. She said, "I knew it was wrong but I did it anyways but that was in my childhood days and I was only 12 years old."

This is "Ma"

(my Gr-Gr Grandmother)
(*MMMM).
This photo was taken
much later in life, after they
arrived in America.

Then she says her folks decided they wanted to go to America. "Pa, he wanted to go all the time already, but Ma said that she would not want to go so far away while her mother was still living yet." But then her Grandma died and Ma consented to go to America. They sold all their belongings and the property too.
They left sometime around April. "Ma packed two great big trunks and they were full of wool blankets." She says, "Then she stuffed some things in there; dishes I guess and her tea set and a sewing machine." She goes on, "...she stuffed those things between the blankets and they went to America with us." She says they sat in the train for a day in Holland. "I had lived in [...] [Groningen] where there was a top and a bottom..." I believe she means that Groningen is in the NE and they caught the boat in the SW of Holland - Rotterdam.
At the boat, the family met a couple boys who were helping them get to America. "They worked so hard to take us and get us there." After leaving the port, she says they crossed the North Sea to South Hampton, England. This is where they boarded the boat to America "So we went on that big boat but it was like a town almost. There was a lot of people and there was a first class and a second class and a third class and I think we were in the second class, but it wasn't the baddest class because the third class people they had to go way downstairs - that where their cabins was and we were about the middle." She goes on, "There a place where we could see the sea and it wasn't that bad..." She says that the sea became "real rough" They got hit back and forth when they were "on a bump," This was very tough on them and soon "we were sick and we had to throw up everything we ate almost." It took about three days for the kids to recover but her Ma was sick during the whole trip. She says it was a blessing that Pa didn't get sick. He didn't have time to be sick because he had to get things for Ma all the time. We were on the ocean for about ten days. At last they were hungry again so so they ate "all at once."
"Land! Land!" Everyone went on the top deck where she says, "We could see the harbor and the Statue of Liberty." She and her family were so happy! "Oh, we were all so thrilled to step on the Promised Land, you know, and we were so thrilled to see the Statue of Liberty." They landed and all had to get off the boat. "The whole bunch [of people]," she says, "chased off ahead of them and then we had to be examined, the whole lot of us did." They all did pretty well except her brother. "He had such a little eye and he was sick all the time," she says, "and they looked him over and over because they didn't wasn't no [want any] sick people here." "Mother," she describes, "was so worried that we'd be sent back to Holland but then he passed again finally and they let him through and boy was she glad." Then they could go on to the train. They were on the train to Iowa for three days. They ate some "ship crackers" they had taken from Holland. "That was all we ate," she says. But then they bought some apples. "We could buy them [apples] right in the train and so that's what we ate for three days."
When they arrived at the Orange City train station, her two brothers were there. Each with a buggy, but a buggy couldn't hold all of them (they were nine at the time). Those who rode in the buggy crowded in the back storage area. "We children we had to walk the whole ways on the railroad tracks because the[y] went right past our house." Her brothers told them where to go. "Boy, that was such a little house," she says. "Just a little living room and a little kitchen and the bedroom, it was small too." There was an upstairs attic. This is where the children slept. "We didn't have much furniture either. Just a stove so that Ma could bake bread," she goes on, "the bread was so hard we couldn't hardly eat it but that was the stove's fault that wasn't Mother's fault."
In the summer when it was warm, her Ma had to "do parasols" (make parasols?). "We always had parasols in Holland because it rained a lot and we had to go to church and we had to walk." Her Ma was hanging the the parasols by the chimney. She took one down and found a little brown animal. "Oh! What's that?" She took it along to the field. Gr-Gramma's brother said, "Oh, that's a muskrat." "Oh," Ma said. Her Ma was so worried about the muskrats being in the house that they fumigated it. The straw was burned and she says, "that made a funny smell that we had to get out of the house." Those "critters" were always in the house. She says, "There was nothing we could do about it." They lived there for two years. Her Pa wanted to farm for himself on his own piece of land. They finally found a farm tended to be kind of shady so the corn always wilted. She says they "didn't like that so well either, but then we lived there for two years." She describes this house as very small also. "Just a kitchen and a living room and a couple little bedrooms upstairs," she says. Then they were able get a farm west of there, "So the boys decided to rent that and that's where I spent the rest of my young days." She continues, "We lived there until I got married." "I married ----(*MMP). I was about 21, I guess. And then of course I was always at the house and that is the end of my story."


-I have been told that when (*MMM)Gr-Gramma was 16, she wanted to go to church, so she did. Her brothers and sisters never went to church but one daughter of a sister converted.

*see the post titled "The CODE" for an explanation

Holland to America

Yesterday I read my Great-Grandfather's journal for about the fifth time. It is from when he came to America on the ship and through America on the train. If my memory is right, I had it in one of my reports when I was in school... after it was translated by my grandmother's cousin who came to visit from Holland in 1988. Oh, yes, that's right. Now I remember everyone passing my booth at the Junior High Culture Fair - they would look at the the title of my project "Holland to America", take a piece of Gouda, make a "funny" comment on my Dutch Bonnet, and say, "Oooh, That's so neat!" (referring to the translated journal). Then most people would move on.

When my (*MMP) Great-Grandfather was 16, he wanted to go to sea. His mother said "NO!" He said "Okay, then I want to go to America." His mother agreed to this and so he came. He came with his aunt and uncle.

This photo was taken when
my Great-Grandfather
and his brothers were younger
(not sure what year).

The following is a summary of my (MMP) Great-Grandfather's translated journal. He was 17 years old when he made the journey July 31- August 12, 1908.

Friday, July 31, 1908: Arrived in Rotterdam by tram, bought a ticket and met a certain family of 12 who he had lunch with. They all boarded the steamer, New Amsterdam.

Sat, August 1: They left the harbor of Rotterdam at 3:20am. At 12 noon they saw France on one side and England on the other. At the harbor of Boulogne, France, the 2:00 bell rang for dinner (lunch) which was soup, potatoes, green beans, frightened (chopped?) meat, applesauce, cookies, coffee and apples. After leaving this harbor they didn't see anything but water until the white rocks on the coast of England. Supper (dinner) was at 7:00. It was a slice of bread, cookies, salad, potatoes and meat.

Sun, August 2: He went to a worship service (led by the father of the family he boarded the boat with). This day he was seasick. He says "The seagulls left us so we knew we were on the ocean". He attended a concert and went to his cabin but it was so hot that it was hard to get to sleep.

Mon, August 3: He awoke sweating from the heat, dressed quickly and went on deck where a man stood. The man told him about American carpenter tools and also said he'd seen 25 flying fish. My Gr.-Grampa looked for a long time but only saw one fish. After breakfast he tried to read in the beasalon(?) but it was hard because the boat was rocking so much. Later he was sitting on deck and writes, "then there came a lot of flying fish about 3 to 4 feet long. They jumped about 2 feet in the air. It was nice to see." He stayed up late because it was so warm again.

Tues, August 4: He slept late but when he got to breakfast he ate a lot. At lunch time he says "we got carrots with onion and meat, but it didn't feel so good. It was always close to my throat". He was on deck later while the ship met a sailing boat with 23 sails.

Wed, August 5: He slept well during the night. He says, "..., the boat was rocking 3 feet sideways and 12 to 15 feet from front to back. The sailors said it wasn't too bad, but we didn't like it very much." Many passengers got sick this day, but Gr-Grampa just had a horrible headache so he slept. There was another concert later.

Thurs, August 6: The weather was good and Gr-Grampa felt good.

Fri, August 7: It was very hot so he went on deck. "At 11:00 o'clock the sea grew wilder until evening when it calmed down again." He also tells about "dancing in the American way" with Uncle- in the evening.

Fri, August 8: In the morning he says "The sea is beautiful, but the sky is a little cloudy," but later on, "I experienced for the first time what an American rain is like. You can see it coming, but then you must flee inside, for you cannot stand on your feet. It did not last a long time, about 5 minutes, but long enough to get wet." Later he talks about how the boat started jumping off the waves and how strange it looked when he was standing at the back of the boat. He says, "you would see the front of the boat going deep into the sea. It seemed to sink in the ocean." Later in the evening there was more dancing. At intermission: ice cream, cookies and lemonade. On his way back to his cabin he met a man in the walkway. "I met a German, who said he was ill, but he could not stand on his feet, because he had had too much beer. The Germans use a lot of beer."
During the night the boat went very slowly. It was misty and the horn was blowing.

Sun, August 9: He says they met 2 ships, a steamer and a sailing boat yesterday. This day, after breakfast, he saw a few whales around the boat.
"At noon we had dinner and then we heard somebody shouting, 'land! land!' and really we could see America, my new country! After dinner in the evening somebody called to me to come on deck immediately. I didn't know what had happened! I jumped out the door and ran upstairs. What did I see?--- America! ---only about 400 feet away! I didn't know if I was dreaming or if it really was true what I was seeing. I can't describe it, because nobody, who has never seen a big city like New York with all its lights, can describe how it looks. I was stunned. There was a tower which looked as if it was burning. Altogether it was a beautiful sight. It was a place where only rich people can have their residence. In the winter it will not be as nice, but in the summer it is very beautiful.
At night we had to wait in front of the harbor and wait for the doctor, who had to examine our health the next morning. All were very busy. But then it was Sunday and more quiet. I liked that."

Monday, August 10: Breakfast this morning was at 6am and then at 8am he left the boat and went through customs which were "not too difficult." He and the family he'd been traveling with went to the railroad station after lunch at 1pm to catch the train but they were too late to get the next train which was leaving in 30 minutes. They had to wait for the next train, Luckywana, which left at 6:30pm. They came back to the station one and a half hours early because they were afraid of being late again. Some other Dutch people (I'm assuming were from the boat) were waiting for the same train with them. One man was going to his wife in Holland, Michigan. (For some reason - I don't understand, Gr-Grampa's uncle split up with them at this point. Gr-Grampa's aunt, another person and Gr-Grampa continued on to their destination) "In the afternoon, we went under a river (in a tunnel). It is unbelievable -- the train under the water and ships above on the river, but it is true."
He says that before leaving New York, they weighed themselves. He weighed 121 American pounds. They changed trains in Buffalo, NY at 6:30am (Tuesday). The next train, Nickelplaat, was to Chicago.

Tue, August 11: They boarded the train (Nickelplaat) just before 7am and 15 hours later, they arrived in Chicago. They were all very hungry in Chicago but didn't have the time to eat before being bused from one station to another for free. There was a thunderstorm and they got wet. The next train, he says, "left at 11:00 o'clock. They [the train staff] brought us a pillow and we could lie down to sleep. That was much better than last night. The seats could be put in another position so you could lie down. That was much better. I slept about 5 hours; the night before I had slept only 2 hours."

Wed, August 12: They all awoke very hungry so they bought pancakes and coffee on the train for $1.50. Gr-Grampa says, "...but I was happy to pay that because I was hungry as a wolf."
At 10:00am his Aunt came to find them in the smoking car to tell them they had to leave the train. "She couldn't speak English, but the conductor had given her her coat and hat for that was the only Dutch he knew. But she would not leave the train without us, so she came to warn us. We picked us our suitcases in a hurry and left this train." Their next train started in just a few minutes and passed two stations and then they changed trains again-- next was the train to Sioux City. They arrived at 4:00pm and left for Sioux Center at 8:00pm after taking care of themselves because, he says, "we were very dusty." They arrived in Sioux Center at 9:20pm. There they met Gr-Grampa's aunt's sister and her sister's husband. Nobody was there to pick up Gr-Grampa's other travel companion - which their companion thought, Gr-Grampa says, "was impossible for him to understand it, because he had sent a telegram that he would be coming home this evening. Afterwards he heard that the depot agent had forgotten to send it and still had it in his pocket." Their companion was afraid to go into his father's home when they got there(he didn't want to frighten his father who was sleeping in his chair). Gr-Grampa's Aunt's brother-in-law went in to tell him that his son was there. Their companion's brother made a "meeting" (party?) where they were welcomed with greetings and laughter by about 20 ladies and 8 young gentlemen. He slept for the first night from 12-8am at his companion's father's home. He says, "The two nights before I had slept only 6 hours in those two nights, and now it was already 12:00 o'clock midnight. So you could understand that I was a little bit lazy."
He then goes on to say, "But the Lord, who gave us such a good journey, will bless me the rest of my life." (and He did)

*see the post titled The CODE for an explanation

The CODE

My family research comes to be very confusing, especially when I get really into it, sometimes I cross over to a different side of the family without realizing it. For this reason I have devised a sort of CODE* to (attempt to) keep my head straight when trying to keep track of who's who...

*The CODE:
M = Maternal (mother) (moeder)
P = Paternal (father) (vader)

*Examples of use:
MMPM = my mother's, mother's, father's, mother (aka Great-Great-Grandmother)
MPPPPM = my mother's, father's, father's, father's, father's mother (aka Great-Gr-Gr-Grandmother)
Simple- Yes? --Hope it helps...

Oh, and the previous post about my grandfather's paintings from Ede (the grandfather who was born in Ede)... He is my "MP".

Hollandse Honing Brood turned to Hollanse Esdoorn Brood

This morning I had a craving for some fresh, sweet bread. I checked in my Dutch Cookbook first. Hollandse Honing Brood (Dutch Honey Bread) was the first I saw. I put all the ingredients together and tossed it in the oven. An hour later I was enjoying my fresh, warm honing brood... only I had forgotten that we are out of honey so I used maple syrup. So I guess it is actually Hollandse Esdoorn Brood. Either way, it was marvelous!

Keetmolen!

I found a photo of Keetmolen in the Ede Photo Archives that matches the painting! The blades of the windmill are in the same position and even the clouds are the same! The painting must have been painted from that photo. The photo is dated at the same time of the century that my grandfather's family left Holland (1920).
...hmm, wish I could take a weekend trip back to Ede to look at the actual photo...

Ede, Gelderland, Holland

Before our trip to Holland, I asked my aunt to take photos of these paintings. I wasn't really expecting to see these things while I was in Holland. ...but if I did see them, I thought it would be really cool to get a photo of them in whatever state they were in.
The paintings are done on diagonally cut slices of wood with the bark still on the edges. They were my Grandfather's. As I grew up, I remember these paintings hanging on the wall in the farmhouse. "Grampa" was born in Ede. I'm not sure when or how these paintings came to him. ...maybe his mother and father gave them to him so he would know where he came from. ...maybe he came to possess them when his parents passed away. I do not know who painted them or if they are a mass produced souvenir (though our trip to Ede may have cleared that one from the possibilities - since it is not a normal tourist destination). Next time I am able to examine them, I'll look for any marks that may tell me about them... though I believe I have searched for marks on them years ago and there were none.

Sometimes when we visited my grandparents on the farm, I would run out of sticks to chase my cousins with, hikes to take, horses to draw portraits of, cans to kick, mud pies to make, birds to rescue, crawdads and frogs to catch, cows to chase, wild cats to tame, etc... so I would stare at these paintings (among other things... - who said I was normal?) and dream of walking along the streets of Ede. It was so exciting to find and actually see and touch these monuments after so many years of dreaming of them.

Oude Kerk (Old Church), Ede Centrum: I found some information and old photos on Old Church at this site (copy and paste link into browser)

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ede.nl%2Fcultuur%2Fcultuur-en-kunst%2Fgemeentearchief%2Fkennisbank%2Fartikel%2Foude-kerk%2F

When we first got off the train at Ede Centrum, we sat at the station for a bit. We could hear the delightful bells of a church. The bells went on for at least 15 minutes. It was Sunday. I don't remember the exact time, but it was probably around 5pm ...or maybe 6pm. We started walking through the streets making our way to De Boskamp (where we would be staying while in Ede -and I might add- is a great place to stay). We walked through a shopping area and came across the church! I hadn't looked at the painting photo in a while so I wasn't completely sure that it was the one at first, but the more I looked at it, the more I recognized it. The church underwent a major restoration from 1963-1967. I'm glad it did, because it was so thrilling to see it there!

The next day our hostess took a look at the painting photos. Right away she knew which windmill it was! We rented bikes for the day and eventually made it to the windmill. It is right next to the Ede-Waginingen train station. When we first came into Ede, we switched trains there and while we were waiting for the next train, we walked over to a little ice-cream shop. If we would have looked up and through the trees, we would have seen the windmill!
The windmill is now a museum and they give tours on Saturdays. Sadly we were there on Monday so we did not get to go inside. I did talk to the woman who lives in the house and she said we could walk around and take photos.

The sign in front of the windmill property reads:
KEETMOLEN Achtkantige, gemetselde beltmolen uit 1750. Op as straat "De Prins van Oranje 1896, no. 1479". Vlucht 24 meter. Naam "Keetmolen" onststond tijdens aanleg van spoorlijn Utrecht - Arnhem, toen hier een keet voor de arbeiders stond. De molen bij de keet werd "Keetmolen".
(KEETMOLEN Eight sided, built mill from 1750 rings. On ash street "The Prince of Orange 1896, no. 1479". 24 meters escape. Name barrack mill stood during construction of track line Utrecht - Arnhem, then here a barrack for the workers stood. The mill at the barrack became barrack mill. *direct translation done with a digital translator)

Food! Voedsel!

I live for food (no pun intended). I had hoped to find a cook book while I was in Holland, but we didn't have the time to really look for a good one.
When we got back to the USA, I started searching for dutch recipes online. I found a list of recipes on a site that I have been frequenting ( http://www.godutch.com/ ).The first one I tried was Zuurkool met Ham (Sauerkraut and Ham). For the same meal, I made Macaroni met Ham en Kaas (Macaroni -Dutch Style). Both turned out excellent. My husband was wondering what the occasion was when he saw that I made an effort to cook a real meal. But the occasion was just being married to someone who was starting a Dutch-cooking madness spree. It was probably the next day I made Echt - Hollandse Gehaktbal (Classic Dutch Meatballs). Then I did some more searching and ordered Let's Go Dutch by Johanna (van der Zeijst) Bates. This book gives both the US measurements AND Metric measurements which is very nice... I don't have to do my own converting for every recipe!

I have been cooking recipes out of this book for weeks now. So far I have made Dutch Winter Stamppot (Hollandse Winter Stamppot), Shrimp Croquettes (Garnalencroquetten), Dutch Oliebollen (Oliebollen), Beef with Mushrooms and Madeira Sauce (Beifstuk met Champignons en Madeirasaus), and Basic Dutch Pancakes (Flensjes). Every recipe has turned out very tasty. Even my mess-ups are tasty!

Our trip to Holland

My husband and I went on a Belated Honeymoon Trip to Europe. Our original plan was to just go to Holland and Germany (where each of our known families come from). That plan was scrapped when our planning really got going. We are not of wealthy families, so our thriftiness kicked in... We went in the Off-Season. We found the cheapest flight to "anywhere nearby" (which ended up being Zurich Switzerland- not known to be thrifty, but we didn't stay there long). We traveled by train and ferry. We stayed mostly in Hostels. We ate at markets whenever we had the chance. We ate street food and at small restaurants when markets were closed or unavailable. We also decided that since we'll be over in their part of the world, we should visit a few friends in the UK (this added a couple more countries to the list). Then, my husband told me that since we would be so close to France AND since it is our honeymoon, he is willing to go to Paris for a short stay. My husband has never expressed anything positive about the French - political reasons. I had to take him up on his offer or I would possibly never get to go to France... with him (I would have gone by myself or with a friend, eventually). After going to France, my husband is not as anti-France as he was- we had a great time there. We had a great time on the whole trip but my very favorite place was my family's homeland, Holland.
A close second for me and my husband's favorite place was his family's homeland, Germany. So ultimately we wished we had more time in both the places we originally planned on going. We'll be back... we have dubbed our honeymoon trip as our Preview of Europe Tour.

The first of many posts! What led to this blog... Eerste van vele posten! Wat tot dit blog leidde...

So here I am. I've succumbed to the BLOG WORLD. I have not had anything interesting enough to write about until now... or so I think, anyway.

I have been, for a bit over a year now, diligently searching through records, databases, piles of papers, photos, social sites, and books for clues and links between Holland and I. Just making sense of all the information I find is half the struggle. My mother is a "Full-Blood Dutch-Girl" (meaning: her father was born in Ede, Holland and immigrated to America with his family / her mother is the daughter of two Dutch born immigrants from Enkhuisen and Andijk, Holland). This makes me 50% Dutch.

My dad was never really sure of where his family came from (I am also researching his side now). He always told my brothers and I that he was Pennsylvania-Dutch...but not really. At some point (probably after a lot of pleading for a real answer) he told me he was French-Canadian and German. Then a family doing relatively extensive genealogy research contacted my dad. They had found some English roots and no German... or was it... ??? Until I find out for certain I still tell people I am 50% Dutch, 25% French-Canadian and 25% German.

The Dutch fascinate me. The determination and ingenuity of the country and people. The beautiful sounds of the language. My family and what made them leave such a beautiful place. The food... oh, the food! Everything about the Dutch just draws me in.

I have always had a curiosity about where my family came from. My first bit of Dutch knowledge came from reports I did in school. Whenever we had to do a report on another country I would always choose The Netherlands / Holland. For some reports it was required to choose the country of our families origin. Other report requirements were not as strict, but I still wanted to know more about "my people". The determination of the Dutch is remarkable. They made much of the country by blocking off the sea with huge dikes. Intuition steps in as they use canals throughout the country for transportation. Wooden shoes were / are used as they work in the fields so they do not sink into the mud. Tulips are very much loved by most of the Dutch and it makes for a wonderfully beautiful countryside in part of The Netherlands. My curiosity will, I fear, never be completely satisfied... but I can try!

The language sounded very strange to me in the beginning. My grandfather could speak a little bit of Dutch (that I know of). I thought that he was trying to clear his throat half the time he spoke it. At age 8 or 9 my grandfather taught me a few words of Dutch. He could not remember many words because it had been such a long time since he had someone to speak Dutch to. This sparked an interest in learning the language, so I made tape-recordings of Dutch language so I could learn more. A few years later I started spending more time with friends and getting into trouble so I did not retain much of the Dutch language I had learned. This will soon be rectified as I am re-learning the language and I hope find someone that I can practice with and keep my Dutch language skills going. Wish me luck!

My most recent "Dutch Obsession" started when I was planning my wedding.
I was explaining to my husband-to-be how some of my family were related to me... and then I just... well, I just got hooked. I started doing a family tree(s) to make sense of every one's relation to us both. Research-mode just took over. My husband and I decided to go to Europe for our honeymoon. I tried to find my relatives who still live in Holland (unsuccessfully - maybe) (the "maybe" is because I think I may have found one of my family but he still hasn't answered my second letter very clearly and I do not want to scare him away by persisting too much). Through the research we did, we found a monastery in Germany named after my husband's family (which sells a cure-all tonic), a town in Holland of one of my families names, and also a beach resort of another of my families names. While we were in Holland during our honeymoon, we spent most of our time in Ede. Ede is not known as a tourist destination but I felt very much "at home" while we were there. As long as a can remember, my grandfather had two small paintings of scene's in Ede; one was of a church and one was of a windmill with a house.


Both structures are still there and we had a wonderful time biking around on our search for them! We rode bikes through the forest and open fields North / North-East of Ede. It was beautiful - even with no leaves on the trees (we were there in March). One of the only things that could drive me away from this place would be "No Work". At the time of the century, that may have been the very reason why my grandfather's family immigrated.

I fell in love with the food while we were in Holland. While waiting at a train station, we ran over to an ice-cream shop for treats. They did not have ice-cream since it was only March - but they had Stroopwafels! I am now addicted to Stroopwafels (the right kind is non-existent where I live so I order them from the Caramel Cookie Waffel company in Montana, USA - they ship super fresh). In Ede, we ate at a place called Resy's. They spoke only a few words of English and I only a few words of Dutch, but the food was AMAZING! Even their fast food was good. Many of the dishes you find there are Curry (yum!), on account of the Dutch Indonesian Islands. I bought a cookbook online after we got home. I've been regularly trying dishes out of it and they are all good so far. I have yet to find a dish I do not like, although the Hot Lightning and Fish Pudding sound a bit scary (just the names sound scary - if you read the recipe they sound good)!

I'll make my conclusion very short since I've been so long winded with my first post. I will, after all be writing again soon.
I'm having a great time researching and exploring my heritage so far. I just hope to continue finding great recipes and family connections in the future.