Dutch Cooking & The Longevity of Foreign Exchange Student Relationships

Posted on 5 November 2007 under Cookbooks, Food Destinations

I really had fun putting this meal together for these ladies Saturday evening! This get-together and dinner was my idea, not theirs, as I know for a fact these three gals don’t get together enough as it is. The pork ribs were rubbed down with some Pork & Poultry Seasoning from the Alden Mill House, put into a 300 degree F oven at about 12:30 p.m., flipped over once at about 2:30 p.m., but otherwise were left to sizzle in their own juices. At 4 p.m. the ribs went to the grill, set on the lowest-possible heat, for an hour’s basting in Sweet Baby Ray’s original BBQ sauce. A 4 lb. tub of Stouffer’s macaroni & cheese hit the oven for that same hour, and the cole slaw was dressed just before serving. All of this was served with the wonderfully-fun Clive White Truck, a 2005 California white wine, in a bottle with a Chevy Cameo on the label.

So, what does this have to do with Foreign Exchange Student relationships? Here’s the thing …

The gal on the right is Monique Schoonen, who hails from Amsterdam. Back in late 1979 she was a foreign exchange student here in Monroe County. But the family she was staying with wasn’t treating her well. Basically, they were acting as though she wasn’t there, not including her in meals, not taking her anywhere … she went to school, and that was all. Of course, that’s no way to treat any student, especially foreign exchange students who are lost in an unknown environment anyway. My wife Mary, in the middle of the above photo, at the time not yet even knowing Monique as a friend, caught wind of what was going on and had an idea. Patricia Gardner, in the left of this photo (and a school bus driver at the time), and her husband Charles own a fairly large house where they were raising five kids of their own. Mary asked the couple if they could help, knowing what kind of love their house contained. Even though they were in the midst of a remodel of their century-old home, they took Monique in.

That changed everything in all their lives. Monique became much happier, she and Mary became very close friends … and Pat and ‘Shorty’ had their first of what ultimately became 14 full-time foreign exchange students. And as Pat also became the local leader in that organization, taking in temporary students looking for local homes, she figures 25 foreign exchange students have lived in their house over the years since Monique first showed up, looking desperately for a loving home.

Monique has returned at least every-other year for a visit since 1980. Her visit in 2005 included her husband and four children. The Dutch are tall … at 202 centimeters, their son Ludo just passed the seven-foot mark! Their youngest two are 14-year-old twins, the lovely Jyp, and my buddy Bram, a budding cook I like to stay in touch with. A jar of the Pork & Poultry Seasoning I used on these ribs is going back to Amsterdam for Bram, along with some other things.

Monique knows how much I like cooking. While I was finishing up this meal, she placed a package on the counter next to me. It contained the hardbound Dutch cooking today. The publisher’s web site is all in Dutch, but this particular book is in English. There are some wonderful dishes in this book! Monique pointed out the recipes for Bitterballen: Bite-Size Croquettes, which are deep-fried balls of beef ragout, and Endive ‘Stamppot’ with Mushrooms and Cheese, a stamppot being a mashed dish, this one being made of mashed potato, endive and mushrooms, with bacon and cheese. The Tomatoes Stuffed with Egg Salad sounds great (I love sliced tomatoes on my egg salad sandwiches!) There’s also the recipe for real Dutch Apple Pie, a Meat Stew with Cranberry Compote, and a recipe for Rabbit with Mustard Cream Sauce.

From the back of the book itself:

60 modern and traditional recipes of favourite Dutch foods; Traditional foods to savor - well-known appetizers, classic cakes and tarts, good and honest stews and one-pan dishes, plus timeless favourite desserts. In Dutch cooking today the best of yesteryear is combined with some of today’s most tempting foodstuffs. Here are all the classic recipes but in a leaner form and given delicious twists with ‘new’ and readily available ingredients. This cookery book reflects and celebrates all the pleasures and unexpected variety of Dutch cooking today.

These three ladies continually tell me a trip to Amsterdam has to be in my future. Monique told me the other day they live downtown, within walking distance of the famed Farmer’s Market.

I love traveling. I probably should have been a foreign exchange student myself. Amsterdam … yes, one of these days, I’ll get there. Hopefully, soon.

Read Comments

  1. 5 November 2007 @ 4:21 pm Posted by JEP

    Monique knew you would love a cookbook :)

  2. 5 November 2007 @ 4:31 pm Posted by LunaPierCook

    Yeah, especially a nice one like this one. Yeah, ok, I like cookbooks in general … ;-)

  3. 7 November 2007 @ 1:25 pm Posted by Steamy kitchen

    Maybe we should all just pack our bags and go! Big party.

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