🧡 FOOD 🧡

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In my upbringing, my father made sure portion sizes were followed, up until about my teenage years. After that, he was often away for longer periods abroad for business. So, before I was a teenager, his business trips were shorter and he was home more often, and during the week, we would snack on grapes, pistachios, peanuts, cashews, and olives.

Once a week, for example, on Saturdays, I could have half a ‘roze koek,’ a chocolate ‘pindakoek,’ or a ‘spritz.’ As for salty snacks, I could have, for example, a bowl of ‘chiwies’ (mainly peanut or cheese-flavored Cheetos), tuc crackers with cheese, or stovetop popcorn.

This was part of a structured routine, which I also associate with togetherness, joy, and fun; we often snacked as a family while watching entertaining TV channels (part of the reason I still enjoy certain shows from that era). I can still almost hear my parents laughing with and at each other while we ate these things.

Walking through Hoorn, hearing the sound of the organ grinder on the main street, strolling through the market, and smelling the scent of freshly baked nuts from the market or the artisanal shops also contributed to my experience of eating nuts.

I ate sunflower seeds in a neighborhood I moved to, where I befriended children my age from various cultures. Sometimes, it was the only thing we did—eating sunflower seeds together. And sometimes, when almost the entire neighborhood gathered, we even played ‘tombi,’ until sunset.

🎀☕️

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