Get gezellig by CIEE Amsterdam

CIEE Amsterdam Fall 2014 1

Editor’s Note

Lessons for the Classroom by Christina Kozlow

To Fiets or Not to Fiets by Cathy Wang and Kaitlyn Marasi

Nightlife in Amsterdam by Valerie Lee

Centraal-y Located by Rosalie Zurlo

Late Night Eats by Valerie Lee

Navigating the Internet and Other Stuff in Life ...But Mostly the Internet by Abbie Neufeld

A Tour of Your Friendly Neighborhood Albert Heijn by Cathy Wang

Learning Dutch Through Music by Abbie Neufeld

Amsterdam’s Tastiest To Go by Rosalie Zurlo

“Attending University” vs “Going to College” by Christina Kozlow

Back to Basics in de Keuken by Jessi Reeske

Editor’s Note

eing born with bikes, stroopwafels and windmills all around us, they have never surprised us. The surprise came when we heard about American students going to college in pyjamas. That’s something we jokingly say we would do if a lecture starts at 9 in the morning, but we never considered it to be a real possibility when we wake up in the morning. That’s what I like about having foreign students in your own country. While they come across things they are not used to in the States, we at the same time get a new perspective on our own habits. For example, it always amuses me to hear people who are not used to biking talking about their experiences biking in Amsterdam. This year I found out that a lot of Americans buy childrens bikes because they want their feet to be able to touch the ground. For me, my bikes just kept growing throughout my life because that was the common thing to do. This brings us to something everyone who goes abroad is interested in: experiencing a lifestyle that’s different from your own. While brainstorming the theme for this magazine, the Amsterdam/Dutch lifestyle was the topic that first came to our minds and that we couldn’t get it out of our heads. That is the topic we explored during the making of the magazine. It gave the CIEE students new insights on Dutch culture, but also made us learn just as much. The title of the magazine, Get Gezellig, reflects the students’ experiences in adapting to the Amsterdam lifestyle. Gezellig is a Dutch concept that is not easily translatable into English, but means something like cozy, comfortable, or friendly. We hope their experiences and insights help you, the reader, feel at home while abroad in Amsterdam. And one last tip from the Dutchies: biking is a really easy way of transportation in this city of small streets, but don’t forget to walk every now and then. Even after more than 5 years of living here, I still get surprised by things I hadn’t seen in the hundreds of times I biked by them.

Karen & Marieke News&Media Interest Group leaders

To Fiets or Not To Fiets The pros and cons to biking in Amsterdam

By Cathy Wang

By Kaitlyn Marasi

Within the first hour of arriving in Amsterdam, I was thrown onto a bike much too tall for my short legs and I cycled alongside my host dad in the pouring rain. He turned to me and said, “Welcome to Amsterdam.” From this first encounter with my host family, I realized that not owning a bike was simply not an option for me. Living with a host family in a suburban neighborhood east of the city center had resulted in my bike not only being a necessity, but also my best friend. A quick search on Google Maps will

Amsterdam: A city so friendly to biking that bikes outnumber people. It’s no secret that biking is an easy, cheap way to navigate the city. So why don’t I have one? Before coming here, I planned to get a bike. However, upon thinking about it more, I realized I was not at all comfortable with biking. I hadn’t ridden a bike in around ten years, and biking here can be serious business. I knew that if I bought one and used it enough I would adjust, but I was almost positive I was going to avoid using it. So have I had any problems not having a bike in

prove that biking to various locations around the city is much quicker than taking the bus or tram. For me, a bike ride into the center is around 15 minutes, while a tram ride takes around 30 minutes and costs €2,00. Taking two tram rides five days a week over four months would cost a total of around €100 – and that only gets me from my house to class. My bike cost me a little bit less than €90 and has already proved to be worth the cost. After a night out at your favorite club, you will learn it is easiest to travel home by bike. Trams stop running around 12:30 am and a journey home on the late night bus, which would normally cost you around €2,00, will cost you double that price. Biking home is much more efficient and economical in the wee hours of the morning. I find nothing more relaxing than biking through the crisp night when no other bikes are on the paths and a light mist of rain cools my face. Of course there are downsides to biking in Amsterdam. Traffic is always a problem, bikes get stolen, rain is a constant, and occasionally, old men yell at you for blocking the path. The way I think of it, these are all inescapable realities of the Dutch biking culture. By exploring the city on two wheels and experiencing all that biking has to offer, I’ve slowly become just a little bit more Dutch.

Amsterdam? Not really. Living in PHK, I’m pretty centrally located. It takes me 15 minutes to get to the REC, 10 minutes or less to get to the nearest Albert Heijn, and it’s about a 30-minute walk to Leidseplein. To me at least, none of these walks seem that long or time consuming. When I don’t want to walk, public transport is not at all difficult to use. The trams are very convenient for getting almost anywhere I don’t feel like walking. I have one class on Spuistraat, and it’s a night class, so I usually take the tram there and back as well. Luckily, my school will provide a stipend for students studying abroad to get to and from class on public transport, and I’d advise others to check and see if their school does the same. I do sometimes think it would be easier if I had a bike. Thirty minute walks are easily a 10-15 minute bike ride, and it would be nice to be able to get to classes quicker (and therefore be able to wake up later in the morning). In all, I’d say if you’re comfortable on a bike get one, but if you don’t want a bike it shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Centraal-y Located By Rosalie Zurlo Amsterdam is a prime spot for any and all museum aficionados. Looking beyond Museumplein and its famous I Amsterdam sign, museums range from having ship artifacts to sex toys. I’ve picked out a few of my favorites to show you just some of the wonderful places you can explore on a rainy Holland afternoon.

Sex Museum

FOAM

Resistance Museum

Amsterdam’s oldest sex-based museum opened its doors along the touristy Damrak in 1985. Since then, their collection has grown enormously, and they now host sex related artifacts dating from Roman times. Plates rescued from the rubbles of Pompeii are on display in the same room as pornography photos from the 1880s. When you walk in, you’re greeted by a life-sized statue of Mata Hari standing next to a steel butt figurine with eyes. Clearly, the museum mixes humor with genuine history, making for a fun learning experience that should only take you around an hour to complete.

Hidden away on the residential Keizersgracht is the photography museum called FOAM. Boasting an ever-changing exhibition offering, the modern space is definitely for those who are looking for art that is more relatable. Although the artists here are less well-known, their often edgy and contemporary subjects are a better comparison to our own lives than the night watchmen, various depictions of Jesus, and nobles that make up the paintings at the Rijks. It is also a small museum, and it even is free with the MuseumKaart! (Which I highly recommend you get)

If you’re a history buff, the Resistance Museum is the one for you. Photographs, posters, and objects help recreate Amsterdam’s streets during the German occupation of WWII. Rather than focusing on the grand efforts of the armies and countries who fought against Germany, it chooses to depict the everyday lives of Amsterdam’s people and how they chose to resist in small ways in their day to day life. It is unique in this angle and makes for an experience that is missing from typical war museums. It is located near the PMG dorm and the social sciences complex of the UvA.

This is just the beginning of an endless supply of museums you can visit throughout the city. Check out the MuseumKaart website and TripAdvisor for more options!

Navigating the Internet and Other Stuff in Life ...But Mostly the Internet by Abbie Neufeld You’ve just landed in the Netherlands and right about now, you’re probably trying to figure out how to navigate the city. Unfortunately, this article won’t be of much help for your wanderings, but it will help you steer directly to the most wondrous places on the world wide web. TicketSwap.com The first website to know is Ticketswap, a site co-founded by a student from your very own university, de UvA. Though only about two years old, this website is already super popular. As its name suggests, the site allows you to buy and sell tickets for shows. However, unlike a lot of similar websites, TicketSwap only lets you sell it for a maximum of 120% of the face value of the ticket. This means you don’t have to deal with people who bought tickets simply to sell them at inflated prices. Instead it allows people who have extra tickets for an event to sell them to someone who wants them at a fair price. In terms of security, TicketSwap checks the e-ticket to make sure it’s valid. Though I’ve never encountered any issues, if there are any ever problems with a ticket, TicketSwap will mediate a chat for you with the seller. Be forewarned that you can only use TicketSwap if you have a Dutch bank account with online banking, which I also highly recommend in general for a multiplicity of things in Amsterdam that are also restricted to only Dutch bank account holders.

Thuisbezorgd.nl Though I do advocate the usually less inexpensive practice of cooking and the exploration of all of Amsterdam culinary delights by foot and bike, there comes a time when desperate measures are called for. For those times of dire need, there is Thuisbezorgd.nl. Whether you’ve spent your entire weekend gazing intently at the Night Watch or spent the weekend night watching everyone

gaze intently at you, you’ve been taking advantage of Amsterdam’s glorious culture. When Sunday Night rolls around, the sudden realization hits that many monumental tasks due tomorrow have surmounted and there is no time to cook. Worry not - the site offers delivery services of almost any cuisine, straight to your door. Many restaurants deliver for free or for reasonable fees, and a diverse array of payment methods are accepted including cash or card. And if you’re wondering what thuis bezorgd means.... home delivery.

Amazon.de You might have realized many of items you want to order from your favorite company cannot be shipped internationally or charge hefty fees to do so. Have no fear, Amazon Deutschland is here! Most items, if not all, can be shipped to the Netherlands and shipping from Germany is usually pretty quick.

ISN Amsterdam Online Marketplace For those of you who prefer to avoid shipping fees, simply enjoy a good deal, or love the environmental-friendly practice of reusing goods, the ISN Marketplace is your one-stop-shop for quite literally, everything. This craigslist-esque international student marketplace operates by way of a Facebook group. You never know what you’re going to see advertised: some days you’ll see an awesome deal for a 30 euro bike, a 5 euro table, or even the chance to serve as a hair model for a student stylist. On occa-

sion, you’ll wonder why someone is trying to sell a pizza shop to international students, or if there is this girl really thinks this is the best place for selling old childrens toys, but like a needle in a haystack, there are definitely some valuable gems to be found. Play with caution and be forewarned though, sellers are unverified so be smart about any potential transactions!

ResidentAdvisor.net Whether you came here knowing it or not, Amsterdam is a huge hub for music - especially of the electronic dance music variety. The global website usually has pretty good listings of electronic music events in Amsterdam that might tickle your fancy. Even for those of you who aren’t hot about electronic music, Resident Advisor offers useful club descriptions and have great, priceless information.

ized that the show is unavailable on Netflix in Amsterdam. HOLA Better, a handy-dandy, free internet extension, lets you browse the internet with the option to ‘disguise’ your computer to browse from the US, UK, or any other country in the world. Instead of watching American Netflix, why not check out what movies are available in Britain (hint: they’re different!). And if you’re not using Google Chrome as your browser, you should, because I know you’ll need the Dutch to English website translation tool soon.

LifeinAmsterdam.com LifeinAmsterdam is my favorite Amsterdam blog. There’s something new happening every day in Amsterdam, and it would be a shame not to spend some time exploring the best it has to offer. When in doubt, refer to its many recommendations for tasty restaurants, travel advice, tips on living in the Dam, and many other useful tools.

HOLA Better Internet Extension So you started watching a TV show and only got halfway through the season before arriving here in Amsterdam, thinking you’d finish it up abroad. Only now, you’ve real-

----Final Disclaimer: Google Maps doesn’t always give the best biking directions.

Learning Dutch Through Music by Abbie Neufeld When preparing to come to the Netherlands, one of the things I did was look at the Nederlandse Top 40. Needless to say, this was a completely useless exercise. Most of the songs were American, or English, and I don’t think I’ve actually encountered anyone who has enjoyed Anders Nielsen’s “Salsa Tequila.” What I soon came to learn about music in the Netherlands, and specifically the Amsterdam music scene, can be summed up in one word– techno. Though to be honest, the electronic music here spans many more genres than just techno, but it does seem to be a clear favorite. However, while an intense love for techno will help you bond with that multitude of native Hollanders who possess a similar intense love for techno, it will not help you learn Dutch. As listening to a language’s music is one of my favorite ways to learn a language, and a great way to perfect pronunciation, I was very happy to learn about the Dutch hip hop and rap scene (#Nederhop). After all, rap is not only one of my favorite genres, but also great for hearing words as they would actually be pronounced. Yellow Claw, is a popular electronic trio in the Netherlands– you might know them from their recent top 10 hit “Shotgun,” featuring Rochelle. Luckily they like to collaborate a lot, and one of these collaborations were where I first heard the greatness of the rap duo The Opposites. The beat is usually pretty on point, a hard-core pop. And Dutch rhymes are, well, Dutch rhymes. Plus unlike most popular American rappers, it seems that less than 50% of their tracks are labeled as explicit. So next time you can’t sleep, turn on Slapeloze Nachten, imbibe on the sonic waves, and may the music make you a master.

“Attending University” vs “Going to College” By Christina Kozlow

n the United States, the terms university and college are used almost synonymously. Here, students may attend University, but that does not mean they have the same college experience we’ve all come to know and love. The lack of a specific, centralized campus leads to the lack of campus life. UvA is spread out, with class buildings being in various locations across the city. With the decentralized campus comes a lack of “on-campus” housing. Dorms are not available through the University, but instead a though separate company, such as DeKey. Luckily these dorms are centrally located and very close to different University buildings. There are no club recruitment booths in the quad or any opportunities to “Pie a Pi” while walking down Greek row. Friday nights are not spent cheering on the basketball team in a multi-million dollar sports arena while wearing school apparel. If you are a fan of watching sports, you will have to buy a ticket to a specific sport played in the local area. Although “Greek Life” may not be a thing, the idea of fraternities still exists. These are co-ed groups of students that come together over similar interests. They are not linked to the University, but instead a specific university city. There are several different fraternities, all with different rules and “hazing.” Using the word hazing lightly, potential members are forced to clean existing members houses or walk around the city in funny costumes. Once a part of one of these groups, studentenvereniging come together to drink and have fun. Just like frats and sororities in the States, these groups socialize daily, hold big dances, and plan weekends away. Trying to figure out how to act in a new environment may make you wish everything was the way it is at home, but don’t get hung up on missing your sorority’s formal or the first home game of the season. Even though there are clear differences between college life at home and university life abroad, it is a good idea to embrace your surroundings and gain new experiences by trying to live like a local student.

studentenvereniging - official member of a fraternity

Lessons for the Classroom By Christina Kozlow

merican college students are widely known for their (lack of) morning routines and overly-relaxed attitudes toward class. We all know the drill; wake up fifteen minutes before class, throw on whatever sweatpants are next to the bed, and rush out the door with just enough time to grab a venti iced caramel latte with a double shot at the campus Starbucks and stroll into class only seven minutes late. Although an overwhelming number of students seem to get away with this at most colleges in the United States, you may have to set your alarm a little earlier now that you’re officially a student at the University of Amsterdam. First, professors expect you to be on time. Everything in Amsterdam is done efficiently, with academia being no exception. Professors are not there to waste your time, and they expect to be treated with the same respect. Lectures and workgroups always start at their designated time and end fifteen minutes before the hour. This leaves enough time to make it to another class if necessary. Second, food and drinks are not allowed in the class room. Sneaking in the back of the room with a large coffee and bagel will only be reciprocated with strange looks. All professors provide students with a 10 -15 minute break every 45 - 60 minutes of class. This is plenty of time to stretch your legs and get a small coffee out of the vending machine. Finally, appearance actually does matter. It’s not like wearing your college shirt or Greek letters are going to get you kicked out of class, but you’re definitely going to stick out as that “American study abroad student.” Students here, and most Europeans in general, put effort into their appearance every day. Girls choose to wear dresses with tights or black pants and a sweater, rather than leggings and a sweatshirt. Boys here seem to replace their lax pinnies and mid calves for button down shirts and Chukkas. Though these things seem like small differences, they provide for a completely different classroom atmosphere. Setting your alarm for an hour earlier every morning may seem annoying at first, but adjusting your ways to be more like those of a Dutch UvA student will ultimately enhance your experience. Just think, now you’ll be properly dressed and able to grab that drink after class with your new friends.

Nightlife in Amsterdam By Valerie Lee

or our home universities, Welcome Week means a string of celebratory events involving food, new friends, and most often, a concert spectacle as the final greeting to students new and old. Perhaps you’ve just arrived here in Amsterdam, beginning to try out the foreign Dutch eats and already overwhelmed with how many new faces and names you’re desperately trying to retain – but where’s the musical fiesta? In A’dam, you won’t have to look far to satisfy your aural needs. The city, notorious for its party-loving ways, has a music festival or show in town nearly every weekend of the year. You’ll soon become familiar with Melkweg, Leidseplein’s beloved music venue named after its previous life as a milk factory, which often falls host to both Dutch and international artists on a European tour with a stop in Amsterdam. Just a stone’s throw away is Paradiso, another famed music venue recognized particularly for its unique history. Once a church, Paradiso retains its cathedral exterior and now hosts gatherings for music worshipers instead. The Rolling Stones, Nirva-

For those looking for more of a club environment, Club AIR has no shortage of weekly events. Staying true to the more European nightlife style of many rooms divided within one club, the lengthy line of partygoers often spotted snaking around the corner of Rembrandtplein into the venue is hardly felt inside. Right next door is one of Amsterdam’s newcomer clubs, ABE Club. A healthy mix of both table style and underground club, ABE welcomes those who simply can’t decide what they’re in the mood for and is a venue rapidly on the rise in lieu of the end an old favorite Trouw, which closed its doors in late 2014. Still more, for those looking to dive a little deeper into authentic Dutch nightlife is Roest, a raw industrial warehouse venue located just east of Centraal Station. In the daytime, Roest serves as an ‘adult playground’ café and bar equipped with swings, bonfire, and urban beach for a casual night out with friends. Though often described as a hippie, hipster spot, don’t be fooled – Roest can also host a serious party. When not moonlighting as a market or an indoor hangout, the enormous warehouse

na, and Arcade Fire are just a handful of the many rock legends that have previously graced the Paradiso stage.

space is no stranger as a voetbal after party celebration zone or as an underground rave house.

melkweg - the Milky Way trouw - faithfulness, loyalty

roest - rust voetbal - “football,” or soccer in America

Late Night Eats by Valerie Lee

f you’ve come abroad to Amsterdam in hopes of avoiding your love-hate relationship with Taco Bell at 2 AM or that dangerously enticing burger joint down the road – I’ve got bad news for you. The city’s late night eats are delicious, and absolutely a part of the experience you’ve just got to try. Replacing burritos, tacos, or the Crunchwrap Supreme you’ve come to love is shawarma (shoarma), kebabs, and falfels. A mixture of several Middle Eastern favorites, these shops are practically catered to satisfying a late night, alcohol-fueled hunger pang. Chicken or lamb shawarma wraps burst with flavor only acquired from day-long roasted meats on the spit – and please, don’t forget the garlic sauce. For vegetarians, falafel and hummus pitas are a perfect substitution. Shops are found all throughout the city and often open late, but specifically active in places with close proximity to beer and wines (i.e., Leidsplein, Rembrandtplein, and near Dam Square). It wouldn’t be a true Dutch experience if you didn’t hop off your bike to try FEBO, the self-serve ‘vending machine’ style fast food stops also commonly found in popular nightlife squares. Curious customers will find themselves facing a wall of coin-operated boxes holding traditional Dutch snacks like krokets, fries, frikandellen (sausages), and hamburgers. Don’t be scared away by the unfamiliar system – the food is kept warm in the vending boxes and will definitely hit the spot for a late night carb lover in need. Happy eats!

FEBO MENU GUIDE

Kroket - Fried log of beef flavored gravy-like stew. Suspicious but delicious! Rundvleeskroket - Kroket with added chunks of beef Kalfsvleeskroket - Veal kroket Satékroket - Kroket of beef seasoned with satékruiden (saté spices) and peanut butter Vitaaltje - Vegetarian kroket option Speciaaltje - Kroket-like snack, but is filled with minced meat and onion - only available at FEBO! Frikadel - Hot dog-sausage hybrid made with 50% beef, 50% chicken, herbs, potatoes, and veggies. Kipcorn - Like a chicken kroket, but covered with corn bread crumbs Kaassoufflé - Fried pocket of super lekker Dutch cheese Grillburger - Basic burger with sauce Kipburger - Chicken burger

A Tour of

Your Friendly Neighborhood

Albert Heijn By Cathy Wang

Albert Heijn is my second home in Amsterdam. The blue signs emblazoned with a white “AH” are found on every other corner of the city and fill me with a sense of safety – I know that inside the sliding doors, I will find a land of fresh produce, ready-to-eat meals, baked goods, and cheese. However, the first visit to your local Albert Heijn may be a little bit daunting, so this guide was created to make your AH experiences a little bit more enjoyable.

Even before embarking on a journey through AH, be sure to find yourself a free bonuskaart. These loyalty cards give you discounts on all items marked with a big, orange “BONUS,” which is always helpful when shopping on a college student budget. Upon entering Albert Heijn, there will always be an ING ATM machine near the entrance, in case you need to withdraw cash for your supermarket shopping spree. Note that most Albert Heijns don’t accept US credit cards - only cash or PIN card. Before the automatic gates allow your entry into the grocery store, there are towers of blue shopping baskets. Pick up the basket with wheels and a long handle because a rolling basket comes in handy when it gets too heavy to carry. Most AHs have a small ready-toeat section at the front if you’re looking for a quick grab-and-go lunch. There are always sandwiches, wraps, salads, sushi, and fresh-pressed juice blends. Pro tip: look for the 35% Korting stickers on items as they are on sale even if you don’t have a bonuskaart. The produce section does not look much different from your average American grocery store, but the refrigerated section nearby houses a great variety of bagged vegetables and pre-prepared meals. Among the chilled shelves, you can find microwave-ready stamppot, chilled pizzas, pasta salads, and potatoes prepared in at least five different ways. Around the corner from the produce section, the cheese and meat section await perusal. Besides the common cold cuts, other sandwich fillers the Dutch enjoy include filet americain, and mayonnaise-heavy egg salads. As for the impressive cheese section, don’t be afraid to ask the professionals for help. With all the jonge en oude kaas, it can be dizzying just choosing a cheese to buy for a snack. Besides the specialty sections, there are also aisles stocked with your food necessities. While browsing the seemingly endless shelves of canned soups, sauces, wine,

beer, and chips, don’t be alarmed by the unrefrigerated eggs and dairy products. That is just how they are stored and sold in the Netherlands and they won’t make you sick. If you’re looking to save money while shopping, the in-house Albert Heijn brand is always the best deal. The AH Basic which offers basics like crackers, oatmeal, and candy bars for incredibly cheap prices. Arguably, the best aisle is the chocolate and sweets aisle. Past the chocolate and drop, AH produces their own label of sweet cookies, cakes, and stroopwafel. Do not underestimate the AH Basic stroopwafel. At €0,79 a package, they fulfill any sugar cravings you may have. Also, be sure to try the roze koeken, speculaas, and luikse wafel. You don’t even need the translations because they are all delicious – trust me. The dairy section may be the trickiest section to navigate because every product is packaged in the same paper carton. Upon first glance, the cartons look the familiar and innocent milk cartons from home. However, a thick yogurt may spurt out of the carton instead of the milk that you had expected. Here are the keywords to remember: Melk is obviously milk, however there are many types of milk. Volle is full milk, halfvolle is skim milk, and karne is buttermilk. If you can’t be bothered with reading, full milk is always dark blue, skim is light blue, and buttermilk is red. There are also an abundant amount of fruit-flavored milks and the ever-popular chocolate milk. Yoghurt is clearly yogurt and much like the milk, it comes in varying fat contents. If yogurt in cartons is too strange for your taste, there are also tubs of yogurt for sale. Yogurt also appears in the familiar cup shape, but beware! Kwark, a sour curd cheese, is also sold in similarly-sized cups. Vla is Dutch custard, which is similar to American pudding in both texture and flavor. It makes for a great dessert by itself or paired with cake. Dubbelvla is a combination of two flavors in one carton such as the classic chocolate and vanilla swirl.

Pro Tip: Look for the 35% Korting stickers on items

stamppot - traditional Dutch dish of mashed potatoes and vegetables filet americain - spread-able steak tartare (raw beef) jonge en oude kaas - “young and old cheese”

drop - Dutch licorice stroopwafel - the famous, sickly-sweet “syrup waffle” roze koeken - “pink cakes,” dense cakes topped with pink fondant speculaas - a spiced cookie similar to gingerbread luikse wafel - Belgian sugar waffles

At this point, you should be able to smell the scent of fresh bread emanating from the final corner of the store. Every AH has an in-store bakery that is always churning out freshly baked rolls, croissants, loaves, and buns. Besides savory breads, the bakery also produces more sweet pastries like vlaai, Bossche bollen, and tompoucen. With the amount of times you’ll visit AH, you will more than likely be able to try everything once (or even twice). When choosing the checkout line to enter, the length of the line is not the only thing to consider. Some lanes will have a sign that says hier alleen pinnen, or “here only pin.” These lanes are only for people paying with their pin cards. If you only have cash on hand, avoid that line and blend in with the crowd of Dutchies waiting to pay for their groceries. Hopefully you remembered to bring your own grocery bag. If you have forgotten yours, you can purchase a large AH plastic bag to carry all your food home. Congratulations! You have successfully survived a tour around Albert Heijn. Admittedly, AH run abundant in the city, but there are other options for grocery shopping. Dirk van den Broek and LIDL are two supermarkets chains that are cheaper than AH, but are situated in harder to find locations. If you’re more Whole Foods compared to Albertsons, there are also many organic and natural food stores such as Marqt or Ekoplaza peppered around the city. If the sterile, indoor environment of a supermarket does not appeal to you, Amsterdam is home to many outdoor markets such as the Albert Cuypmarkt and Dappermarkt. Both always provide fresh produce and meats amongst the many stands selling clothing, trinkets, and fresh stroopwafels.

vlaai - a pie/tart with a variety of fruit fillings Bossche bollen - “Den Bosch ball,” a chocolate covered cream puff named after a city tompoucen - “tom cat” or “tom thumb,” pastry cream sandwiched between puff pastry and topped with pink icing. Served with whipped cream

Amsterdam’s Tastiest…

To Go By Rosalie Zurlo

ver have one of those days when even the thought of sitting in a restaurant and waiting for your food seemed like too much effort? Or perhaps one of those nights when you’ve completely forgotten about a paper due the next day? I know I have, and my favorite thing to do on those occasions is treat myself to something delicious, preferably snuggled up in my bed with my assignment or just some Netflix. If you’re hungering for some Indonesian food, Kantjil & De Tijger is for you. Boasting a beautiful restaurant decorated with authentic Indonesian accents, the establishment also offers a convenient To Go section right next door. The place is set up in a Chipotle-esque assembly line: at the first stop, you choose whether you’re feeling a little hungry or starved (medium or large size boxes are available) and then choose a base noodle. From there, you choose a veggie from selections like stir fried bok choy or steamed vegetables. Finally, for the meat eaters out there, you pick your protein option. They give you so much food for the price, and the combinations are seemingly endless. Try it out!

What about if you’re interested in sampling Surinamese cuisine, another of Amsterdam’s famous imports? Look no further than De Tokoman, which has numerous locations throughout the city. Being close to my homestay, I tend to frequent the location near Waterlooplein. De Tokoman has on-the-run options like sandwiches and wraps, but also offers a boxed to go meal that is very similar in style to Kantjil & De Tijger’s. My favorite sandwich offering is the delicious chicken curry sandwich, also known as the “Surinaams broodje kip kerrie.” The togo box makes for a great dinner with enough food to fill you up in no time. Although Europe is known as much less of an “on the go” place than the US, many more places offer take away food than you would think. Beyond the options I’ve listed, get creative and try asking for take away menus at restaurants near your dorm or homestay. Who knows, maybe you’ll get to enjoy some high class French cuisine in the comfort of your Snuggie!

Back to Basics in

de Keuken By Jessi Reeske

f you are like most American students you have probably had to be on a meal plan at your university. Many students stay on a meal plan their freshman and sophomore year. Needless to say there are a lot of students who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to cook. Unless you are living with a host family or at the student hotel knowing how to cook fresh food is required for living in the dorms. Cooking food is the best way to budget and save money. Unfortunately for students living in PHK there is no oven or freezer. Students in PMG and PG do have freezers but they are so small that there is probably only enough room for an ice tray. Not having a freezer or oven has a huge impact on what students know how to make and what they eat. No more frozen pizza, ice cream, or frozen dinners. The hardest part for me is not being able to have ice cream as a midnight snack. However, I have been eating healthier and consequently becoming a better cook. To be a successful cook one has to have some basic kitchen supplies and ingredients. First of all some basic utensils are: kitchen knife, cheese grater, strainer, spatula, tongs, large spoon, saucepan, large pot, and skillet. These items you will most likely have in your dorms from last semester. Second, you need to have basic ingredients to cook with. With some ideas from FoodNetwork.com, I have made a list of what I think are the staples of cooking. Oil, butter, salt and pepper are the most important ingre-

de keuken - the kitchen Eet smakelijk! - Bon appetit!

dients on my list. The other items are needed to make simple recipes like soup, pasta, sautĂŠed vegetables and meat, salad dressing, and of course sandwiches. Once you have the right materials and ingredients, cooking becomes easier each time you practice. There are many good cooking blogs and recipes online that are easy to make and require ingredients you can find at Albert Heijn. Some of my favorite blogs are Love and Lemons and Cooking-in-college.com. My advice for becoming a better cook is to keep it simple. The more complicated the recipe the higher chances of having to buy specialty food items and having to perform advanced cooking techniques. Cook with ingredients that are easily found at the market. One of the greatest things about Amsterdam is the farmers markets. Here you can buy a week of produce for less than 10 Euro. So make sure to explore outside of Albert Heijn for fresh ingredients. Watching cooking videos is also a big help. Within a month of cooking at home you will notice a difference in your skills. Plus you will be eating healthier than you probably ever have in college. On the next page you can find a grocery list in English and Dutch. Another bonus are some easy recipes from Jonathan, Caroline, and Renee. They have kindly shared their secrets to what they made for students last semester at the CIEE host dinners. Eet smakelijk!

Shopping List CONDIMENTS

o Extra Virgin Olive oil, vegetable oil o Balsamic, white, red wine vinegar o Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise o Soy sauce, hot sauce

SEASONINGS

o Kosher salt, black pepper o Kip seasoning o Oregano, thyme, parsley

CANNED/BOTTLED ITEMS

o Peanut butter, jelly/jam o Broth/stock (chicken or beef) o Canned tomatoes, tomato paste o Pasta sauce o Tuna fish, chicken

Boerenkool Stamppot

REFRIGERATOR ITEMS

o Butter o Cheese: parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar o Milk o Eggs

by Renee Spruit

PANTRY ITEMS o o o o o o o

Flour, cornstarch White/brown rice Pasta Sugar, honey Garlic Onions Potatoes

UTENSILS o o o o o o o o o

Kitchen knife Cheese grater Strainer Tongs Large stirring spoon Spatula Sauce pan Large pot Skillet

Carrot, Fresh Ginger, and Coconut Soup by Caroline Rotenberg

Hachee (“Wiry Meat”) by Jonathan Key • • • • •

aprox. 300 grams beef per person salt red wine vinegar 2-3 large onions butter

• • • •

bay leaf flour ontbijtkoek (Dutch spice cake) beef stock

Chop the onion into medium sized chunks. Add into a cauldron and brown them in butter until they are translucent. Add the meat (which you should cut up beforehand in chunks), make sure all the meat has changed colors from red to brown, and allow the onion-meat mixture to start boiling (the meat should be producing enough water on its own for this first, quick boil). As soon as the mixture starts boiling, add the beef stock (I usually do 1 cube of stock per 1 liter of water for 300 grams of beef). Add a tablespoon of the vinegar and three to four bay leaves (don’t take these out until you serve the stew). Add flour to create some instant thickness (depending how thick you want it). The beef should be cooked at a boil for at least 3 hours and be covered in the broth. After an hour add a slice of the spice cake. Stir and check the stew to make sure the broth does not evaporate and add more broth if it does. Keep tasting the stew and add more spice cake to make it sweeter. Serve when the meat is falling apart. The Dutch name for this meat stew is “wiry meat,” meaning that the meat should have almost disintegrated. The last time I made it, I added chocolate to it, which makes for an extra velvety sauce. Pro Tip: you can leave the stew overnight to let the juices absorbe. Return to a slow boil one hour before serving. Serving suggestions are mashed potatoes and red beets and apple.

Boerenkool Stamppot by Renee Spruit • • • • • •

1 ½ kilo floury potatoes (kruimelig) 600 gram of kale (boerenkool) 100 ml milk (+/- cup) 50 gram butter 1 egg Salt & pepper

•

Optional: Unox Rookworst (sausage you can find in Albert Heijn) or meatballs (as you prefer) Optional: Mustard

Peel the potatoes. Make sure the kale has been washed (normally it is when you buy it at Albert Heijn for example). Put both the potatoes and kale in a large pan. Fill it up with cold water. Heat it up and boil it until you easily can go through the potatoes with a fork (+/- 20-30 minutes). They really have to fall apart. Once you reach this point, use a colander to get rid of the water. Put the potatoes and kale back in the pan and use a potato masher (you can get them at HEMA). Add the egg, butter and milk and mash together. Be careful with the milk, because you don’t want the dish to become too ‘watery’. Once it’s all mashed together, add salt and pepper to your taste. Serve it with the rookworst (which you have to heat up for +/10 minutes in hot water) and mustard

Hachee (“Wiry Meat”) by Jonathan Key

Carrot, Fresh Ginger, and Coconut Soup by Caroline Rotenberg • • • •

Carrots (wortel) Parsnips (pastinak) Celery (selderij) Fresh ginger (gember)

• •

Coconut milk (kokosmelk) Chili flakes (chilivlokken)

Just peel and cut up all the veggies into pieces, pop the veggies and the fresh ginger (without peel) in the pot with salt, pepper, and chili flakes and water. Bring everything to a boil and then let it cook until everything is soft enough to mush. Depending on how much you have the pot, it should take around 30-45 minutes. Once it’s soft enough get a hand mixer (you can buy one at Blokker) and pulse everything until it is smooth. Depending on how thick you like your soup, you can add more water. Then you just add in the coconut milk. You can add this to taste. (Recipe adapted from deliciouslyella.com)

Valerie Lee Writer, Editor

Contributors

From sunny California, Valerie is a senior Trojan from University of Southern California who feels somewhat like an ice cube in Amsterdam’s winter weather. Thankfully, her one advantage is that she hails from Davis, a small city in Northern California that prides itself in being the #1 bike town in the United States, so fietsen hasn’t been a problem. She studies Communication and hopes to one day be a music and culture-focused journalist, but in the meantime, enjoys attempting basic Dutch with a terrible accent but lots of guttural pas sion, tasting new foods, harassing her friends with animal GIFs, and collecting new stamps on her passport.

Christina Kozlow Writer, Editor

Christina Kozlow is a junior Communication major at The College of Charleston. She is to assume the position of Editor-in-Chief of her school’s Her Campus chapter in January 2015 and is an active member of CofC’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). This native New Yorker is a fan of all things related to the beach, indulges in Netflix far too often, has been bitten by the travel bug, and considers napping a hobby.

Cathy Wang Writer, Layout Editor, Illustrator

Cathy is a senior studying Communication and Natural Science (aka ex-pre-med) at the University of Southern California. Raised in a small suburb of Portland, Oregon (the real #1 bike city in the US), Cathy feels right at home in the overcast weather of Amsterdam. Glued to the television set since infancy, Cathy possesses too much popular culture and celebrity gossip knowledge for her own good. Her areas of specialty include Dutch fashion models, Korean boy band VIXX, and movies that star Jessica Chastain.

Kaitlyn Marasi Writer, Editor

Kaitlyn Marasi is a junior studying Anthropology and Government at Smith College. While she enjoys the “warmer” weather, this Buffalo, New York native is missing the the snowfall she’s grown accustomed to seeing every winter. Kaitlyn enjoys Netflix, libraries, naps, and many of the new Dutch foods she has tried. Kaitlyn is excited to be spending a year in Amsterdam, as this gives her more time to get lost in various places throughout the city.

Rosalie Zurlo Writer, Editor

Rosalie Zurlo is a junior studying Biopsychology and Community Health at Tufts University. Born and raised in the heart of the Big Apple (and recent convert to the ways of Dutch Apple Pie), Rosalie has loved studying and living in the center of this bustling city. In her spare time, Rosalie enjoys pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. She is skilled in the ways of looking awkward in front of cool Europeans and sampling as many types of food as she can in one sitting. She is proud of her lack of bike accidents and has no comment on the several close calls.

Abbie Neufeld Writer

Abbie Neufeld is an junior Film Studies major at Wesleyan University. She is originally from Los Angeles, and hopes to reside there again after graduation as she makes her way down the path of Hollywood stardom... If you’re into the whole hippie lifestyle, like many of her compatriots at Wesleyan, she suggests you visit the village of Ruigoord during your time in the Netherlands.

Jessi Reeske Writer, Layout Editor

Jessi Reeske is a senior at the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at USC. Born and raised in Palm Springs, California she is an active equestrian and outdoorswoman. She enjoys spending time running, rock climbing and playing polo. Despite the lack of wide-open spaces in Amsterdam, Jessi has still been able to find herself wildly entertained. Her first time onto the European continent has been filled with new friendships, new interests and new accomplishments.

Special Thanks to: Karen de Graaf, Marieke Evertzen, Cato van Hees, Victor van Werkhooven