Americans can be funny

So I’m in the De Markten cafe, one of my favourite cafes in Brussels which I frequent very often and this place gets quite a few foreigners.

In fact I myself have travelled a fair bit and seen my fair share of tourists/travellers/foreigners from various nations, and overall, Americans definitely stand out for the most foot-in-mouth moments or general faux pas.

For instance right here next to me in, two young (late 20s) male seppos just sat down so I knew I’d be good for about an hour of entertainment. First little tidbit:

Yank 1: i’ll have a Stella Art-wah (in a very pronounced chic French accent, hey buddy we just call em Stella)
Yank 2: i’ll have one of those Hyundais [sic]
Waiter: a what?
Yank 2: it’s there at the top of the drinks list
Waiter: Oh… Bionade

Tidbit 2
Yank 2: Hey what’s that croh-kay (sic)? It looks really big!
Waiter: Yeah that’s the croque madame
Yank 2: OK, I’ll have a croh-kay mah-daaaaaaaaam (sic)

Well at least you gotta hand it to ’em for trying.

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Kwak – A Fine Belgian Beer

Considering how much time I’m spending here in Brussels (and Belgium in general), it makes sense for me to post about some of the things I like/love here. Eventually I will do the whole top 5 posts for things like beers and cafes, but those will come at the end of the trip… in the meantime, one beer that has attracted my attention is the Kwak. 

 

Kwak is brewed by the family-run brewery named Brewery Bosteels in Buggenhout, Belgium. The same brewery also brews another Belgian beer that I happen to like called “Tripel Karmeliet“. Having read a few Beer review websites its disappointing that Kwak only gets a B from them, but hey, I’m no coinnoseur and have no idea about half the crap that they’re talking about. All I know is that I like Kwak and can’t describe the taste much unfortunately apart from that it’s full-bodied, sweet and coloured a medium amber. It doesn’t have much bitterness and is a very pleasant beer to drink any time of year.

 

The other cool thing about Kwak that tourists here in Brussels love is the unique glass that it is served in. It is a round-bottomed, hourglass shaped glass which is held upright in a wooden stand. I was typically confused by this contraption and opted, at first, to take the glass out of the stand and drink it, for fear of spilling it. On later attempts I grew more emboldened and actually gripped the stand by the wooden handle and drank it that way, this proved to be, for some reason or other, a lot more satisfying. Beer is beer you say, and perhaps it is, but I am also a sucker for interesting design. So here’s to Kwak, one of my favourite Belgian beers.