Filly Filet - The Quarterhorse Pounder

Europeans find it extremely curious that the U.S. only a week ago removed the ban on the selling of horse meat for human consumption.  They've been pounding down ponies here for centuries, evidently without any terrible side-effects.  I've seen horse meat in the store; it doesn't look all that different from beef and, at least here in Belgium, costs about the same as good beef.  Seen it, yes; tried it, not yet...

Probably Didn't Have the Cable TV Back Then...

When was the last time you stayed in a hotel that was nearly 400 years old?  Here's where we spent Tuesday night, in the marvelous little city of Celle, in northen Germany, about a 5 hour drive from here.

Weihnachtsmarkt

In the post below, you see a typical Christmas market in France.  Now, here is one in northern Germany, in the beautiful little city of Celle, near Hannover.  If this doesn't make you feel like you're in Europe, nothing will.  By the way, they actually do have "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" here!

Marche de Noel



Today we visited the Marche de Noel, or Christmas Market, in Lille, the first large French city across the southern border of Belgium.  We've now visited markets in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and here and this one rates as one of the nicest.  It certainly did help that, for the first time in recent memory, the sun actually came out.
It's sad for us to realize that this will no doubt be our final European Christmas market.  They've all been a lot of fun and it's places like here where you really do recognize that "we're not in Kansas anymore."

Big Stomachs; Small Hearts?

A recent poll of Flemish (Dutch-speaking Belgians) living abroad included a question asking what they miss most from the Old Country.  Coming in a clear number one was "French" fries (which the Belgians, evidently correctly, claim as their own invention).  If you've tasted them here, you can see why this tops the list.  Among the top five responses were Belgian chocolate and beer (again, if you've tasted them, this comes as no surprise).  Finishing far back, in 8th place - even behind shrimp and bread - were family and friends.  Who needs people if you've got all the basic food groups covered (beer, chocolate, and fries)?

A Slow News Day...Very Slow

It must be hard for a newspaper to fill up every daily edition with meaty news.  Some days there just isn't all that much happening.  But hopefully there are always enough crises to at least make for an interesting front page.  I have to believe that it was the slowest day in history, judging by this story which made its way onto Page One of the Stars and Stripes just a couple of days ago:
"Sex With Animals Still Forbidden for Military"
I do have to admit, this one got my attention and so I read on.  Now I'm not sure which is sadder: the fact that S&S had to make this a front page item, or the fact that Congress is actually using its free time (read: Monday through Friday) to debate such things as part of the larger Defense Dept. budget proposal.
But, in case you're interested, bestiality is still a no-go for members of the armed forces.  Kind of makes you glad to be a civilian, right?

You Get What You Pay For...Hopefully

I just happened to notice the tuition fees at St. John's International School, an American-styped private school here in Waterloo.  This is the school where I helped out a couple of years ago in their youth production of The Canterbury Tales.  By all appearances, it is an excellent school with great facilities and staff.  And well it should be.
This year's tuition, for a high-schooler, is just over $40,000 per year.  If you'd like to tack on a bus ride to and from school every day, just within the town of Waterloo proper, it's another $3,780.  I wonder what Harvard and Yale are charging these days.  For parents with graduating seniors here in Waterloo, either of these might suddenly seem like a bargain.