I’m an immigrant. In January of 2002, our family moved to Canada for my husband’s work. We thought it would be exciting and that we would try it for a few years. If it wasn’t what we’d hoped for, we could always move back. It was just a few hours by plane.
But we loved it so we stayed, and although it was not always easy, we adjusted as we faced some difficulties. People were different than Europeans, as were the climate and habits.
Food was different too, and sometimes we missed certain kinds of foods. I knew my parents would always send me something if I wanted, but it was more fun to try to find the ingredients and make it myself. I bought “strange” snacks, and sometimes I thought…. Hey this kinda tastes like this or a bit like that.
One afternoon, stuffing my face with gingersnaps, which taste of pepernoten, I realized that the millions of immigrants who came here before us, under totally different circumstances, tried to do the same things I was trying to do–find comforting flavors that reminded them of home. (They couldn’t catch a plane back if they got homesick.)
I can order any ingredient I need online if I want it and can’t find or make it, but (y)our ancestors could not. They had to work with what they had. I’m pretty sure that is why I sometimes find cookies that taste a bit like something I know, but not quite. There are ingredients missing, and something else was added to take its place.
I understand now how important it is to keep at least some of your own heritage in your food. Immigration and a craving for food like “back home” is not any different than it was 100 or 150 years ago.
Now if I only could get my hands on a recipe to make drop. Anyone?
Drop, a licorice treat, as you would see it displayed in Dutch markets. The Dutch love their licorice!
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Cathy Jones (catray44) says:
I grew up eating “drop”! My neighbors were from the Netherlands. Mrs. Blokker would give those wonderful salty treats to us when she would receive a package from ‘home’. I remember getting pretty sick on them once, lol. She sometimes found them in a store in Holland, Michigan that imported items from the Netherlands. She also used to make Oliebol for us, oh my! So good!
On July 28, 2010 at 6:28 am
CindyP says:
Great post Astrid!
I can imagine the differences in ingredients available…it’s the same here regionally (south/north). Thank goodness for the internet!
Off to search “drop”………. 🙂
On July 28, 2010 at 8:00 am
Laura says:
I enjoyed reading your blog. You hit on a very basic human need——comfort food.
On July 28, 2010 at 9:55 am
kris says:
You can definitely find “drops” in Holland MI. I live very close to there.
On July 28, 2010 at 10:53 am
Cathy Jones (catray44) says:
Here is the link to Vander Veens, “The Dutch Store”
http://www.thedutchstore.com/ You can order items for you home online, including “drops”!
On July 28, 2010 at 1:26 pm
BuckeyeGirl says:
I make Polish food when I’m feeling the need of that comfort food. I can totally understand the need for comfort food from “back home” even though I’m second generation U.S. citizen! All four of my grandparents stepped “off the boat”. I have the ship’s manifest for some of them to prove it too! Luckily I can cook most of my Grammy’s recipes because I learned at my Mama’s knee. I wish I had the actual recipes, all I know is a bit of this and a bit of that!
On July 28, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Jennifer says:
Astrid, there is a post today on “Tasty Kitchen” for Zand Gebek. They look wonderful!
here is the link
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen-blog/2010/08/a-tasty-recipe-zand-gebak/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TastyKitchenBlog+%28Tasty+Kitchen+Blog%29&utm_content=Pageflakes
I thought you might want to try them
On August 9, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Anita says:
I know this post is several months old. I live in the southern U.S., and comfort food has always been very important to me. My husband’s mother and mine cook very much the same way, so his comfort foods and mine are the same – that means he loves my cooking. Lucky me!
But we love to experiment with foods from other cultures too. One of our absolute favorites is Indian food. We are so fond of it that one of us develops a “craving” for it at least two or three times a month. And nothing else will do, but to head to our favorite restaurant for lunch, and eat “Tikka Masala” until we are shamefully full. It’s become one of our NEW comfort foods!
On February 1, 2011 at 6:48 am