A Longing for Summer Food And Life on The Beach
Food in every season tells a different story…
It’s in the middle of winter. I can’t remember when was the last time I saw sunshine.
A Dutch winter is perceived as terrible to many people, including a lot of Dutch people. It doesn’t snow here much, occasionally in late January or February. Last year it snowed some in February, but this year there was very little snow, just for a few days in mid-January.
Otherwise, it’s always raining or gloomy.
That’s why, it is perhaps quite natural that I am thinking of summer in mid-winter.
It’s not just the sunshine I am craving though, I am also craving the summer bounties and the abundance of food that comes with summer.
Growing up in India as a child, we ate locally and seasonally. There were no other options. That means we got a certain type of food only at certain times of the year.
Every season came with their abundance.
I looked forward to the cauliflower and cabbage in the winter. There were fields of cauliflower near our place and it was a sight to see all those cauliflowers in bloom. Local farmers would sell them by the side of the street, cheaper than the vendors on the market.
It’s a bit strange that, as a child, I loved vegetables, which is quite unlikely. My love for all kinds of vegetables has only grown with age.
In summer, I waited eagerly for young jackfruit. We had a jackfruit tree in our backyard (we still have it) and in summer it used to overflow with jackfruits. I didn’t like the smell of the ripe ones, but the young jackfruit cooked in a curry was heavenly.
Now everything is available throughout the year, which kind of spoils the charm of seasonal foods like in those days when you had to wait for months for your favorite food, and when you found it, the fruit of patience always seemed sweeter.
That is why, when a couple of years ago we went to the Dutch island of Texel and stumbled upon a restaurant on the beach, I was pleasantly surprised to see jackfruit rendang on their menu. I have been longing to go back.
Here, in the Netherlands, we still try to eat seasonally. Every Saturday morning is our grocery day at the local farmer’s market.
The produce is usually always fresh, although a little bit pricier compared to the supermarket. However, the quality of the fresh produce justifies the higher price.
The produce may not be sourced only locally though, because the mangos and many other fruits in the summer come from Asian countries.
Also, the Indian vegetables which I am so fond of, like okra, young banana, plantain flower or banana blossom called mocha (the “ch” is pronounced as in chocolate) in Bengali, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, white gourd, to name a few, are only available in my local Indian or Sri Lankan stores.
The craving for all these childhood foods is natural because I don’t get them that often.
Along with good food, there’s also something else that I crave in these long dark gloomy winter months.
Nature has always played a big part in my life. Growing up in a warm tropical country, our doors and windows were always open.
The aroma of spices and the smell of cooking, wafting through the open windows, was quite common in my hometown in India. I miss this.
Summer in the Netherlands is quite pleasant, It’s rarely too hot. Which means eating food outside in nature is fun.
Many people do not associate beach weather with the Netherlands, it’s mostly the Mediterranean countries that get all the attention. However, as you can see from the pictures above, the Netherlands can be a great beach destination in summer (provided it doesn’t rain on the days you are here).
Besides, why people usually do not associate the Netherlands with a beach destination is, because the water is cold, even in Summer.
On most summer evenings, and especially during weekends, we hit out to the beach for dinner right on the strand. My two favorite Dutch beaches are Zandvoort and Scheveningen. There are ample food choices for everyone.
Growing up in a big family, food was not thought of just as something to fill our stomachs with or as a source of nutrition. In my culture, food is a way of bringing people closer. We always had unannounced guests and there was never a shortage of food in our kitchens.
Eating on the beach reminds me of our back-to-basics, big communal meals.
It feels more relaxing to eat out in nature, soft sand tickling my feet, watching kids building sand castles, and the waves splashing gently on the shore. When my daughter was younger, I loved eating out on the beach, carefree, and enjoying my meal with other adults while the children played on their own without any eye-roll from other guests.
Now that my daughter is a teenager, we still love going to the beach. There is a particular restaurant that we frequented the most, especially with our friends.
One night, they played Bollywood music for us and danced and clapped and created such a jolly environment. Our friends started dancing to the tunes. The sun had just set in and the fairy lights of the restaurant twinkled.
Their laughter, the gentle breeze, the good food, and the thousand sparkling lights of that night are ingrained in my memory forever.
Thank you OCTAVIA EVER AFTER for this wonderful challenge that left me hungry and craving some mouth-watering food.
Here are some of the other great food stories.
By JoAnn Ryan: