Where oh Where Wednesday: “Cheese!”

Of course it is just the sound and smile that photographers want when everyone says “cheese”. They could also say “please” or “tease”. But thankfully cheese has in this way become associated with something pleasurable, smiling, happy. And that’s a good thing, because there are so many good cheeses. 

The Netherlands is of course well-known for its cheese. People immediately picture the cheese market in Alkmaar where workers in traditional costumes carry sleds of round cheeses stacked up high from one place to another across the market, tourist phones taking video of everything as they go. But people also immediately recognize the names of the cities where the cheese comes from. 

Edam is a city in the northern section of the province of North Holland. It is now connected with the city of Volendam. Even with two cities combined it only has 37,000 inhabitants. The city was originally on the river E, which was sometimes pronounced or spelled IJe. This is where the name comes from - the city is where the E has a dam, Edam. 

The city originated in 1230 where the dam had been built to stop the Zuiderzee. All of the goods being brought in had to be loaded over the dam, so this place became a business opportunity for building ships, fishing for eel and dealing cheese. The city gained rights in 1357, but it was in the 16th century that the cheese market became the engine for the economy. 

Edam cheese usually comes as a red a ball and is a hard cheese. The red covering is a wax cover. It is well known since the Dutch carried it around the world during the Golden Age of Dutch trade. Ij 2010 it received recognition as a protected brand of cheese. It must be made in the Netherlands from Dutch cows’ milk. 

Gouda is a city in the province of South Holland in the center of the country and has about 76,000 inhabitants. The name of the city comes from the river, the Gouwe. This river and the area is mentioned in Latin writings from the 12th century. This Latin name has remained as the name of the city, making Gouda the only city in The Netherlands which retains its Latin roots. 

The inhabitants of Gouda are called “cheese heads”, which might also be used to yell at inhabitants of Alkmaar. But Gouda was known in the past for many activities. At the end of the 15th century the city had the largest beer production of all of Europe. But in the Middle Ages Gouda was broadly known for dealing in cheese. The name of Gouda is not protected, so any cheese can call itself Gouda these days. The yellow cheese gets its color from anatto which comes from South America.

Alkmaar is where most tourists will go to observe a cheese market. The city is in the province of North Holland and holds the cheese market every week from April to September. As mentioned, these inhabitants are also called “cheese heads” (like so many good people from Wisconsin and supporters of the Green Bay Packers). The cheese market has been around for 400 years and is visited by more than 100,00 people every year. 

In the 18th century the market was held 4 days a week, lasting to 1:00 in the morning. Since 1939 Alkmaar is now the only city where cheese is traded in the traditional manner. The market begins at 10:00 and the cheese are brought to the scale to be weighed. They are then checked for quality and buyers haggle over a price, closing the deal by clapping hands together. The market is finished by 12:30 and the workers and tourist move on to other things for the day. 

What kind of cheese do you like? Did you know that Belgium is also famous for their cheeses (albeit very different kinds)? Have you ever been to one of these cities? 

Whatsit Wednesday - Cheese plane

No, we are not talking about some weird flying contraption made of cheese. Although this might certainly be a thing and might even be something you could find in Belgium or the Netherlands. Both countries are, after all, known for their cheeses. If you have eaten ‘gouda’, then you have eaten Dutch cheese, originally made in and according to a process from the city of Gouda. The cheese and city are pronounced “gow-da” (using the guttural Dutch-language “g”). But if you are in the UK or US you will more likely ask for “goo-da”. 

But back to that strange plane. Could a plane really be made of cheese? I immediately have a song from My Fair Lady in my head. This reminds me that this word has a synonym. Even better, there are at least two completely different items spelled the same way. An airplane (or aeroplane) is a contraption used to transport people and things through the air. But a plane can also be used to shave wood. 

And that’s where we’re going when we talk about a cheese plane. Of course in English we might talk more often of a cheese slicer. But let’s be clear here, the object the Dutch and Flemish use for their cheese is not a slicer. Those exist as well, most often as a thin wire attached to an arm on a hinge. You might also have a cheese knife. But these are not a cheese plane. 

A cheese plane shaves off a thin bit of cheese from a block of Gouda or Edam cheese (or any other type of block cheese). So the next time you are eating Dutch cheese, consider using your plane, just like the Flemish and Dutch do. 

Just for the day

Every day is a gift. Some days we get to work hard, meet lots of people, get a ton of things done and feel content at the end of the day. Some days we work hard and feel like nothing gets done - and we put that day to bed and look forward to the next day to finish things. Some days are just to enjoy with family or friends, or to take time to rest. But each day is a gift.
We try to take advantage regularly of day trips to get away together. It is amazing what you can see within a day's travel - no matter where you live. We have spent time simply biking in our area, or walking not far from our house. But sometimes we take the opportunity to travel a bit farther.
In January we had just a few days that Sean was free and we could get away together as a family easily. So we checked online, made plans and jumped on a plane to Budapest, Hungary. It was a quick two and a half day visit, but a great time together. Check out the pictures here. The history of this city and country, the beauty - in the cold of winter - and the time to share this together was a real blessing.
At the end of the month Shirley and Scott got to take a day together traveling with the train. The camera did not go along - just time together and memories. We had a special train card to travel the whole day, so we stopped in at several different Dutch cities: Den Bosch, Gouda and Utrecht. But the train was as interesting as the stops.
On one of the legs we sat next to a mother and daughter. Somehow we had sat ourselves in a 'Silence' car, meaning that we were to be silent (not quiet, but silent). I can imagine this is nice for those who want to get some work done on the commute. The girl tried, but being silent is not that easy for young children. At one point she was more or less singing: 'Soup, soup, soup, soup.' "Mama, what if you could only eat soup - for every meal. Would that be healthy?" Mother replied wisely, "Well, that depends on what kind of soup you are eating."
Later that day in Gouda we stopped for a bowl of soup. One was spicy parsnip soup (made spicy with a good bit of ginger!). The other was a tomato and bell pepper soup. Both were welcome after a winter walk through the old town of Gouda. Near the end of the day, after walking around Utrecht's lighted canals in the evening, we sat in the cold rail station eating a salad - which was delicious, but not as warm as the soup.
We enjoyed sunshine the whole day, took plenty of time to stop and read about the history, and even spent time speaking with an artist who shared with us about his work. People watching, imagining what the cities were like in the past, listening to all the different languages and dialects - simply enjoying the day together. A full day - a blessing and a gift.
Enjoy your day today. Know that God is able to use you in so many ways, bless you in so many way,  if you will simply accept His gift - today.