Tue, 9 February 2010
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Usually, they're cylindrical, triangular or oblong objects that have been deep-fried beyond recognition. Although their shapes promise infinite variety, they often are the same thing pressed in different moulds: a bamischijf consists of pressed noodles in the shape of a disc, a bamiblok consists of pressed noodles in the shape of a block, a bamirol consists of pressed noodles in the shape of a roll and a bamibal - surprise, surprise - consists of pressed noodles in the shape of a ball.
The more imaginative among these products, which look as if somebody scraped them out of the sole of his shoe after a walk on the beach, are called frikandel, and apparently contain not only carbohydrates, but also traces of meat. Kroket, the most wide spread among the species, are also in most cases of animal origin. The Dutch like to put them on bread, which makes a broodje kroket.
Such titbits are bought in the ubiquitous branches of a fast food chain, which presents them to the hungry customer in little vending machines with glass windows: Inside the boxes, they're kept at body temperature. The compressed meal is then consumed standing up, in all due hurry.
This procedure certainly has some advantages. First of all, even a short half hour lunch break is enough for the consumption of a petite, but filling kroket. Moreover, neither knife, fork nor plate is required. Basically, it's very Dutch: it's goedkoop (cheap), it's efficient and you certainly won't be suspected of indulging in sinful luxury.
What a load of bull. Okay, we are not internationally known for having high cuisine meals, but the fast food snacks are just as good or bad as any other American fast food chain or British Fish and Chip place in the world. Bamibal, -schijf, -blok, -rol or whatever, are indeed the same thing. However I have never seen them in a roll or ball? Same goes for curly, wavy or straight chips? I don't know for how "short" this author has been in Holland, but he definitely hasn't been further than one single snackbar (fast food restaurant).
The only thing I can agree on is that the meat in does dubious deep-fried snacks are for most unknown. Dutch believe as long as it tastes well we don't want to know. Furthermore I would say foreigners will be better off at a Dutch snackbar instead of the vending machine places.
this is crap!!! dutch food is yumm and i dont care if it doesnt look good or edible it is and so who cares!! There arent many of those vending machine places only in Amsterdam where people are lazy and dont even have the patience to wait for their food. i lived in holland till i was 13 and the food was good. oh and im sorry but i never ever ever had the choice to get curly chips!! So this is just a big load of bull crap!!!! and kroketten are yumm did you ever even try one??!!! or do you just say all this crap cause it doesnt look good enough to you!!??
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