h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Poor you! I've had a sunburn earlier this summer - now it's so cold up here that going outside with just shorts/skirt and t-shirt isn't an option, not for me.

No, it'S raining here too - but I spent three days at the North Sea with my friends.

Oh, sounds great. Where did you go?

The very South-west tip of the Netherlands, by Middelburg. Just a camping holiday, but still good to get away for a bit!

I've been to Westkapelle a few times, that's just around the corner. Those days, holidays meant vla and poffertjes and flying kites on the beach.

I stocked up on Dutch food while I was there, now I have Chocomel and Gevulde Koek for lunch...

I was amazed when I found out they served their fries with apple-sauce. What a shame I'm living so far away from the Netherlands these days.

Apple sauce? No, we like them with satésaus, that's Indonesian peanut sauce!

Never heard of it, but it sounds nice.
Anything's better than ketchup, most of the times... But ketchup's better than mayonnaise. And I still don't understand why the English have to soak them in vinegar.

neither do I. But you'Re the first non Benelux person I've mnetioned Satésaus to who didn't run away in disgust! It's really good, I may try to make some tonight.

Don't mean to disappoint you, but I'm not really a non Benelux person - one of my grandmas was from Belgium.

Aaaaagh! So then we are sworn enemies, or at least make jokes about eachother

Um, why?

Dutch and Belgians historically don't get along. Dunno why, really, that's just the way it is. Probably we don'T want to admit we have a lot in common.

There are different kinds of Belgians, who don't get along at all, as far as I know. My grandma was Flemish, and the Flemish even speak Dutch. So maybe we don't have to be enemies?

Otherwise, I'll consider suggesting an enemies-list in this week's talking point. But then I'd risk being ridiculed.

Anyway, I'll be off now, so have a nice day!

No, no, Flemish and Dutch aren't the same thing at *all* of course. They even subtitle eachothers TV shows to get that point accross!

Have a nice evening yourself!

I thought it was just a matter of dialects. Looks as if I was wrong....

Welll, it is, really, but neither side will admit it. All a bit silly and probably historic.

Yeah, it's their history that's confusing me. With the Spanish and what-not all over the place...

You mean the Black Duke Alva? In paintings by Pieter Breughel, the bad guy is usually Duke Alva - King Herod, for example!