Whodunit Wednesday: Smurfs

This past weekend Brussels was q a-flutter with excitement over a movie premiere and a vist from Rihanna. That Rihanna would make an appearance in the capital of Belgium had everything to do with the movie premiere and her part in it. The 4th movie of the Smurfs will soon be in the theaters with a song written for it from Rihanna and her voice as one of the title roles. Everything in Brussels was "surfed", even Manneken Pis. 

What are “Smurfs”, you say? And how did they get to Belgium? Belgium has a rich comic book history. Lucky Luke, Tin-Tin (called “Kuifje” in the Flemish version) and many more all come fro Belgium. There is even a tourist walk around Brussels where visitors can discover various walls decorated with well-known comic book characters from Belgium. 

The Smurfs, the little blue characters with white hats, are loved all over the world, although they are not always called “Smurfs”. In Germany they are the Schlümpfe, in Italy the Puft and in Spain the Pitufos. They were created as a side character by Belgian artist Peyo (pen name of Pierre Culliford) in 1958 and were first known by their French name - Les Schtroumpfs. “Smurf” is the Dutch translation. 

These days you can find Smurfs in advertising, tv, the ice Capades, video games, theme parks, toys and - now 4 times - in film. In the film which hit theaters in 2011, Katy Perry played the voice of Smurfette. In the animated film from 2017, Smurfette was voiced by Demi Lovato. In this most recent version the tradition of voicing Smurfette by a leading pop singer has been fulfilled by Rihanna. 

In the US most kids from the 80’s will remember The Smurfs from the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon. In all of the different media - comic book, tv series, cartoon, film - the word “smurf” is used generously throughout and can mean all sorts of things. It can be used as a verb (“Don’t smurf it up”) or a noun. What it might actually mean to say “I’m surfing to the smurf”, however, is up to the speaker and the listener. 

Where oh Where Wednesday: Texas or Brussels

We are well into Spring, even if the weather here doesn’t quite know what to do yet. We have seen that tornadoes, sun and rain have already been added to the mix in the US. But along with the rain comes the Spring beauty as well. Very soon our cherry tree will begin to bloom and all over flowers are coloring the world. 

In the city of Brussels there is a forest. As you can imagine, people like to visit at all times of the year, escaping the grey of the city for the beauty of nature. At the beginning of Spring in the Halle forest the hyacinths bloom and color the forest with a blue carpet. People come from all around simply to get a glimpse of this beauty or to walk I its serenity (along with the thousands of other people taking a look). 

In Texas the blue bonnets have brought a beautiful blue to the fields around the hill country. These little flowers are famous for the beauty they bring. Such small delights that can bring such great joy simply by showing their faces. Songs have been written, canvases painted, and rolls and rolls of film filled (or memory cards topped up). 

Funny enough, hyacinths, like the ones in Brussels, are in the family of asparagus. This is also coming to harvest. There are no beautiful blue flowers. The white gold of the Netherlands is what this crop is called. It has to be harvested by hand and is a true delicacy. Limburg, the province we live and work in, is where you can really find this tasty bite. I only remember asparagus being green (which is all we had when I was a kid). If you have never tried it white, find a restaurant that serves it and enjoy.  

Where Oh Where Wednesday: Waffling

When you visit a country, you want to sample the local cuisine (‘cuisine’ simply means ‘kitchen’, by the way). In Belgium that might include waffles. Belgian waffles, next to chocolate, beer and fries are the things most people might at this time in history associate with Belgium. But then you are left with an important question: which Belgian waffle? 

In Belgium there are certainly two very distinct waffles from two very different cities. In Liége, just about 20 minutes from where we live, the citizens speak French, have a rich history of steel production and making weapons, and live in a city along the Meuse, just like Maastricht but very different. 

The waffles that one would purchase here are thick and sweet. They will be slightly carmelized and will be served plain. You do not top them with anything. You eat them as they are. Perhaps that also represents the citizens a bit. The Liegois are strong, opinionated and proud. You don’t have to dress them up. The bishopric was very powerful in the past (this bishop also had power of the city of Maastricht in those days). 

In Brussels you can by all sorts of waffles on the street from vendors in food trucks. You can even buy a ‘Luikse wafel’ - a waffle from Liege (or ‘Luik” in Flemish). But if you want a Brussels waffle, you go to several well-known (and expensive) stores and purchase the real thing. This waffle is large and thick - much more cake-like than the waffle from Liege. And you still have many choices to make. Do you want your waffle with chocolate sauce? Or strawberries? Or ice cream? Or whipped cream? Or all of the above? 

The Brussels waffle is a bit of a show-off, perhaps a bit like the capital city. People here will speak French, Flemish or English. The European Parliament has its home here. Tourists  wander the streets in all seasons. Brussels has always imagined itself ‘little Paris’. So the waffle must show this off as well. 

And then we haven’t even mentioned the waffles in the Netherlands (which are of course NOT Belgian waffles). You will have seen them in the airport or in the specialty section of your supermarket (next to the Biscoff spread - which is Belgian). “Stroopwafels” are thin bits of waffle sandwiched around a thick molasses-like syrup. You can put the waffle over your coffee cup (unless it is a huge American size mug) and let it warm up from the steam on your coffee. Then you tear it apart with your teeth, being careful not to get the stringy molasses on your chin. 

I have never really considered if these waffles in any way might be indicative of Dutch citizens. Back when I first came to the Netherlands to first spread the gospel and learn about missions I simply enjoyed them whenever I could. You can get them anywhere in the Netherlands. They are the same all over the country. 

What do you like on your waffles? Or do you waffle between preferences? (See what I did there?)

Whatsit Wednesday: Manneken Pis en Mestreechter Geis

He has hundreds of costumes, a whole team of people to make sure that he is always presentable and a horde of tourists that visit him every year. “He” is “Manneken Pis” and yes, that is exactly what it sounds like, but no, it is not being rude. This is “little man peeing”. He is one of the main attractions in Brussels and has become the mascot of the city. 

When Sean was studying in Brussels, he stayed with friends who lived just around the corner from this interesting little man (thank you Bill and DeeDee!). Most people from Brussels know where he is and walk past him daily. He has become a normal sight. It is the groups of tourists that are more interesting. Hundreds, even thousands of people trying to get a selfie with this little man peeing in the background. 

The stories about the statue are myriad and are more than likely simply stories - as the story in the Netherlands about the boy with his finger in the dyke (but that is for another time). The interesting thing is how the city embraces the statue with stores in the adjoining streets selling statues of all sizes of this statue. You can purchase a mini “little man peeing” or a larger one. You might even be able to purchase a “life-size” version. Perhaps to place in your garden at home? But then you would have to make sure that everything was always working well, as do the maintenance crews. Although this little man is a little man, he is more of an age to have prostate problems. No one wants his stream to stop, so he is constantly cared for. 

And he is dressed in all sorts of costumes for the various holidays and occasions throughout the year. It is even considered good protocol for visiting dignitaries of all sorts to bring a costume for him to wear. He can wear a military uniform, look dapper in a tux or stand in the colors of the national football team - all while urinating on the corner of the street. 

In Maastricht, they also have a statue that clearly represents the spirit of the city. As a matter of fact, he is called “Mestreecter Geis” or “the spirit of Maastricht”. Maastricht is in the southern tip of the Netherlands. As such it is a Catholic city, the capitol of the province. These southern, Catholic areas celebrate Carnival and “Geis” (which is also a normal name in the south, although spelled differently), represents this well. 

The statue is downtown near the river where the parade walks by during Carnival in the Spring. But this holiday actually begins on 11-11-11, the 1tth day of the 11th month at 11 minutes past the 11th hour. All those 11’s show a bit of craziness. Geis, the statue, embodies this craziness and desire to enjoy, no matter what. That also well represents the feeling of the normal person from Maastricht. 

It has been important for us to be aware of what feelings are important for the populations where we live and work. It has especially been important for us in our work in Maastricht to understand the idea of enjoying fun and placing an emphasis on not being too serious. 

Whodunit Wednesday - Comic books

When we think of literature, most people do not think of comic books. And yet, even when I was an English teacher, I could see the great benefit of this type of literature. I was an avid reader as a young man, but I also loved comic books. Later, it was comic books that helped me learn German and Dutch. I still would pick up a Donald Duck as first reading material in any language I would want to learn. 

Many kids and adults have enjoyed the stories around the Smurfs and Tintin. These are Belgian creations, along with Suske en Wiske and Lucky Luke. These comics covered all sorts of stories and got many a young boy and girl reading. It was not as the Dutch minister of Education said in 1948 that they should be banned, having no real value. 

If you visit Belgium, take the time to walk through Brussels and discover the comic book characters around various corners, painted bigger than life on the walls. We would love to join you. Can’t make it this far? Enjoy a story of Tintin or the Smurfs. You might even read one in Dutch and see how much you can learn. 

Where, Oh Where Wednesday - A city unto itself

Brussels is like any other larger city. Brussels is like no other city. Crazy traffic circles remind you of Paris. Multicultural streets and shops make you feel as if you are in any of many European cities. The architecture is at once thrilling to discover in certain areas as it is boring and typical in other neighborhoods. And yet, Brussels is something few cities are. 

Most would say that the city houses about 1 million people, but this is probably being generous. IN that sense, Brussels is quite small. Some inhabitants of major cities would call it a village, using a derisive tone. And yet it is here that much of Europe calls home. The headquarters of NATO are here. The European Union has its offices and buildings here. Brussels is, truly, the capitol of Europe. 

But of course, Brussels is also the capitol of Belgium. In essence the city is to be a coming together of two peoples, forcing the country to be a whole. The Flemish-speaking Flemings in the north of the country and the French-speaking Walloon in the south meet up in Brussels. In theory, one should be able to speak both languages in the capitol freely, find influences from both cultures abundantly. 

In practice, Brussels is as it has been of old - a French-speaking Paris wanna-be with most of the disadvantages of big-city life and a few of the benefits. This doesn’t mean that it is not visiting in any sense. There is plenty for tourists to see. The king and queen even live here. Brussels is, after all, the hub of Belgium and Europe together. The 7(!) layers of government that are Belgium are joined here in this cacophony of color, culture and sound. Brussels is a separate entity in the country (next to the areas of Flanders and Wallonia). It demands its place of honor - or attention - at all levels.

And this city has left its mark in our lives as well. This is where we regularly would travel for the American consulate. Here is where our youngest son, Sean, studied and graduated from university. We have in the past spent one Sunday a month singing with the congregation. The city has welcomed youth from the churches all over Belgium and the Netherlands for church activities. And it is a nice place to go out for a meal or enjoy a day as a tourist with friends who visit.