me and camping, another rant

Me and camping.

I like camping, as I love to be in the nature and love to be outside.

I love the smell, the freedom and the fact that it really unwinds me.

It relaxes me that much that I can start dreaming again, I love it.

There is camping and camping, and I don’t like all.

I hate campsite's that look like truck stops, where you neatly park side by side, and you can use the pins from your neighbour to secure your tent.

I have been at a place in Holland, where you really could not see anything other than tents and caravans. Looking over the roofs of tents and caravan you could see some nature.

I had to stay there 7 days, as it was already paid for. . . .

One off the greatest trips we have made, was a round trip through Scandinavia, by car.

We did that with a Reliant Robin, and had the weirdest stories, even came in newspapers.

As we were the first to round the Baltic Sea with a 3 wheeled car.

We were at the Trondheim toll ports for a tunnel, and I ask this bloke if we had to pay.

As motorcycles were free to enter, and cars are not.

So after my unexpected question the bloke says; sure you have to pay, it is a car, isn’t it?
So I told him it was registered as a motorcycle with side car, and I had only a motorcycle license, showing him my license.

We both saw him reach for the phone to ask his superior, and this made him think.

“How on earth am I going to explain my boss, that I am really seeing a 3 wheeled car”

He doesn’t say a word, and signs us to drive, with a shaking head he is seeing us off on the road.

We ate fish fresh from rivers, had various fruits from the forests, and slept at wonderful places.

All the places we camped out on, were in the middle of nowhere, as one can camp there 1 night only in almost every spot.

In Holland it is forbidden to set up camp, other than in campsites, there they do have campsites, but you can also camp in nature.

And so we did, being Dutch and more. It is so nice to just camp out at a river or a pond, with nobody to be seen.

It is a great experience really feeling on your own, I am sure you would love this too.

When we came back and entered the Netherlands again, we got a call from a friend, inviting us for one night in a camping in Assen.

Now here is what happens in a Dutch campsite in Assen.

When we arrived there, we had to set up camp in a place around 1000 sq Metre, which had 14 camp spots. All but one were taken, and that is where we had to set up our camp.

We had places for our own that were much larger, in the free of Scandinavia !

As soon as you drive in the neat and square place, everybody gets out of their tent or caravan, to see the new arrivals. At least half gets a drink, and sits on a chair to watch the spectacle of someone setting up camp. They seem to have hunger for seeing someone fight over setting up a tent or a caravan.

Well, as we used to set up camp every day, we had everything set up in 15 minutes, tent including table bedding and what have you. And the coffee was ready as well.

The spectators all crawled back in their tents and caravans, disappointed that there was not one word spoken hard or loud. Smooth !!

At night, around 03:00 I had to pee, and went to the toilet.

In the day time I already felt paranoia almost, for every look everywhere you take are people.

We were on our own for 3 whole weeks, and only spoke to each other, or enjoyed the silence.

So forgive, it is natural, I hope.

So I was taking a leak at a toilet building around 03:00 and guess what, left and right of me were people !!!
I wanted to go home or drive off right that instant!

Other than having no privacy, there are more things that I can’t stand while camping out.

That is, when we are on a camping that is.

Showers, I hate the average shower at a camping, for it is not clean or nice to be.

So what happens if you really have to shower, they have those things that you have to put a coin in.

If you do that, you can shower for about a minute or 5 maybe, and then you have to walk to the dry part where your clothes are to put in another coin.

So after wetting the place you wanted to put on your dry socks later, you can yet shower again for 5 minutes.

Mind you, I have long hair, very long hair for a man and I want to have it clean and nice.

So, getting it wet and shampoo it takes 5 minutes, then rinse and wash again takes another 5.

And I like using conditioner, so another 5minutes later. . . .  

I still have to wash my Willy!!!

So now we go to camping where you can shower for free, even if it costs 5 euro more per day, at least you are relaxed when taking a shower.

Guess what, for economy reasons the shower runs 6 minutes, and then stops for 4 before you can shower again. . . . .

I hate camping !!!

Then again, in the days I do not take a shower, I write at least 4 pages per night.

So !

I shouldn’t bother taking a shower, stinking up the place or not, get relaxed and enjoy nature.

And write !!!

Yours truly

Bart J. Meijer

Critical about food, food critic, tasting and much more.

 During the years I have been tasting and testing things if they would fit my taste.

Some odd and off things came to pass, and learned a few things for sure.

One of the cuisines I like most, is the Belgium one, for sure.

Not right simple, they seem to give ingredients the time to develop into a great food with real taste.

Slow cooking maybe, these people have great palate, and keep it simple.

Keeping it simple, as in not combining too many tastes and herbs, they can cook for sure.

Their ham is superb, both natural cured as well as their smoked ham.

Their cheeses are out of the world, made by trappists at times, the same that make lovely beer.

Once I bought a Jerommeke or Petit Munster Géromé, good bloody grief that is a cheese one can smell a good mile away.

When I got myself over the smell off it I tasted the cheese, wow.

A mouth-watering experience that even makes me hungry right now, the taste lingers on in your mouth even after a good sip of Trappist beer.

Even my then 7 year old son loved the taste of it!

Strong and harsh maybe in taste, one can taste the rich cream and perfect milk coming from the Vosges.

I wouldn’t eat it again, if not accompanied with a good Belgium Trappist beer, where a monk took all the time to make it as perfect as it can be.

K3

Now whilst the Belgium women may not the most beautiful women in the world (well a few exceptions here and there!), they do however make up for that with the food they make and more!

Flikken Antwerpen

I would fall in love with a woman that cooks like they do.

Their Carbonade flamande is superb, their salads are great, and their dried sausages and hams are like no other.

Do Belgium’s have more time then we do?

Good taste is a bit of a curse for sure, believe me.

Having a good taste, or palate, that develops over the years is great in some aspects.

Not all the time though, as I do taste almost anything wrong and it is hard for me to compliment a chef.

Vegetables, for sure I love them, but I can taste if they use seaweed fertilizer or fish bone meal to them.

And once eaten Heirloom carrots and beetroot, I can’t get used to the “normal” ones again.

I even can taste if peanuts are a bit old, as I do with walnuts or hazelnuts.

So, if anybody puts some cheaper nuts on the table with a beer, I normally take just one handful and feel embarrassed as I want to throw them away.

Or hide them under the carpet once tasted.

Same as when I am cooking myself, I really have to learn to stay away and not add something else, again. . . .

About nuts and all, something I noticed was that nuts seem to be rawer lately, discarded the thought as I thought it was just me.

So I told my wife a year ago not to buy me peanuts any more. And told her that I thought they were rawer lately, she didn’t notice she said.

Now a week ago I found some French peanuts in a sale at a shop

I just had to buy one bag to taste even if they were cheap as dirt.

Being Dutch and all. . .

So tasted them, and they were great, tender, soft almost.

This is a taste I remembered; from the times I loved to eat peanuts, which I almost don’t anymore.

I had the misses’ taste as well, and now she does agree, they are rawer then before.

We got back at the shop, and bought 40 odd packages. . .

Now, peanut butter seems to be dryer lately, containing less oil. No worries, I just add a spoon of sambal and eat that on a sandwich.

But now with the nuts, I got an idea.

Are the nutty companies going green like I do in my chilli blog?

If they do it this way by saving energy serving their nuts rawer,

don’t, as they taste like  . . . . . .

Ok, rant over, I’ll get my coat.

Yours truly,

Bart J. Meijer