Holland from Holland

• On this day in Alkmaar, many, many years ago... 10 months ago "Here the storm of Spanish warriors was thrice repelled and the genius of liberty made its stand." Think that's the right translation. My wife said she thought it was old Dutch when the city was Alcmaer. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
• Book Review - Herman Koch, The Dinner 10 months ago Called "Het Diner" in Dutch, the book was a best seller in Holland and dispels my neighbor's theory that all Dutch authors are gloomy. A dark comedy set at a trendy restaurant, two couples meet and over the course of dinner, a family secret is revealed. I don't want to give away too much, but I...
• The Robots Are Coming For Your Jobs 10 months ago Seriously. There was a recent article in the NY Times about a Philips plant in the Netherlands which uses 128 robots, with many experts saying it's gaining ground on Apple's famed model of using cheap Chinese labor. Meanwhile, projections place 2032 as the point there will be more robots than...
• Going Back to the Middle Ages 1 year ago This weekend (June 16th & 17th) Alkmaar is celebrating Kaeskoppenstad, which I think translates as Cheese Head City. According to the local website (translated from Dutch) the city streets will revert to what it was like in the Middle Ages with sand and straw, sheep, chickens, shit, fish,...
• Worst. Candy. EVER 1 year ago ...is called Salmiak knotsen. I bought it thinking it would be like salt-water taffy but it's hard and seems to be mostly salt with a hint of vanilla. After doing some research to see why the saline taste continued to linger an hour later, I discovered the main ingredient was ammonium chloride and...

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