Organic fast food

In South Africa we call them Slapchips (and pronounce it like you're Dutch - slupchips), but they're known as fries/frites/patat/chips/french fries/pommes/freedom fries, you get the idea. By whatever name, I love these things, and have been eating them for a while. The first I can remember came with a decidely beefy burger at the Fish Hoek Spur, and from there the memories range from proper slapchips (slap meaning limp, nothing about a food fight...), drenched in vinegar at junior school sports days, to thick chips fried in fishy oil at university to the discovery of pommes rod weiss (chips with tomato sauce (ketchup?) and mayonnaise) at the ice rink I worked at in Berlin. So having eaten them for a while, and even fried them at the ice rink, I consider myself a fan.

It was therefore with a large dollup of joy that I discovered (or was shown) a stall selling organic chips at the Nieuwmarkt. They were, to put it mildly, special. Made from fresh potatoes, sliced and fried in front of you. Unfortunately the Nieuwmarkt stall is not the topic of this blog - the stall, sellers and chips disappeared - apparently they didn't have the correct licence to sell food at the market - doh!

BUT, enter Natuurlijk Smullen, a totally organic fast food store in Bos and Lommer. Not only do they make the most kick ass chips, they also do a delicious veggie burger (omnivores fear not, they do cook meat as well). The veggie burger is really the antithesis of the modern fast food burger. Don't get me wrong, this is no poncy gourmet burger with strange lettuces and fancy rolls. It is a bog standard burger - veggie pattie, iceberg lettuce, slice of tomato, pickle, mayonnaise and tomato sauce. But every ingredient, besides being organic is fresh and natural - no shredded lettuce here. It also means it doesn't hold together like the frisbees they sell at Macci D's (which I think are used as polo balls in some countries) - get it in both hands and after the first bite it'll begin to break apart into its constituent parts. This, for me, is ideal - my eating pleasure is normally equal to the mess I make during the meal. And believe me, there is a lot of eating pleasure to be had here.

You can find Natuurlijk Smullen on the Jan van Galenstraat at number 78 (it's also on the Eco Amsterdam map - top right of this blog), interestingly across the road from the Alber Heijn that sells the most organic food in Amsterdam - they (a mother and daughter team) have clearly done their homework. The only down side to the store is the décor, I'm not quite sure what look they were going for, but they haven't got there yet. If it bothers you though, you can of course get the food "to go", and the Erasmus Park is just down the road. Being awesome, they are very okay with you bringing your own container for the food - nice.

Important to note is their Wednesday special of paying for two portions of chips and getting 3. I am setting myself the task of seeing if it is actually possible to eat three portions by myself - I'll report back in the comments of this blog.

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Posted by Glen Tyler

Free ping pong!

To immediately veer away from the enormously consumerist nature of the first post, I thought I'd talk about something free. Table Tennis was a sport thought up by Victorian English people who were apparently bored a lot of the time. Every now and again in Victorian England, it would do something very unexpected, rain. Now when you are wearing about 10 kilogrammes of cotton and woollen clothing, wet is not something you want to be. This of course means lawn bowls, croquet and tennis are off, as well as the cucumber sandwiches and tea under the tree.

While it was raining, the Victorians looked around for something else to amuse themselves with. And when you can't play tennis outside, hell, play it inside. And thus the birth of table tennis. Originally played with a pile of books as a net and a champagne cork or ball of string and a couple of cigar box lids, table tennis has come a long way. Not only is it now an Olympic sport, it is played widely throughout Amsterdam. You can of course play it in a sports hall (or even with a whole lot of other people in Overtoom 301 on Tuesday evenings from 9pm onwards - recommended!), but I think the best way to play it is in a park on a sunny afternoon. Preferably with a sneaky beer in hand.

The two European cities I have lived in - Berlin and Amsterdam - both have many of these concrete outdoor tables. I think the best ones in Amsterdam are in Saraphati Park, but I would of course love to be corrected! They can get quite busy on a Saturday afternoon, as there is a hard-core of older gentlemen who play there, but they are very friendly, and very good. They'll happily give you a game, and probably a lesson! On top of the table and net, you'll also need a ball and paddles (unless you happen to roll with a handy stash of champagne and cigars...). Paddles and balls can be bought at any Intertoys store - click "Toon meer filialen" to see more Amsterdam store locations. I've added three table tennis locations to the Eco Amsterdam google map: Saraphati Park, one close to the Albert Cuypstraat and a third in Rembrandt Park. The last location brings me to what I hope is self-evident by this point - if anybody ever names a park after me, it BETTER have table tennis tables in!

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Posted by Glen Tyler

Late night organic shopping

I love eating organic food, not just because I think it's healthier, but more because I think it gives the environment a better deal. I would love to grow my own organic veggies, but the housing situation being what it is in Amsterdam, I have struggled to find a place to grow and I don't know of any Dutch equivalent to the allotment system.

Ultimately this means I am restricted to buying my food from shops. I'm definitely not a fan of all the plastic packaging that "normal" grocery stores like Albert Heijn inevitably sell their organic food in, and I just feel more at home in a shop that sells predominately organic food. This takes me to shops like Organic Food For You and the Natuurwinkel as well as many smaller independently run shops. The problem I find with most of them is that they close really early - 7pm at the latest. This is fine for planned shopping, but what about picking up some organic beers and snacks on your way to a party or summer evening picnic (I realise mentioning this as winter creeps in is a bit cruel!)?

There are two shops I've found that stay open a bit later than most, and are also open on Sundays - bonus! The first is the Organic Food For You store at 129 Vijzelstraat which is open to 9pm, seven days a week. The second is the Biomarkt which is behind the Rijksmuseum at 133 - 137 Weteringschans (this is the road the trams run along on the Central Station side of the Museum's Plein) which is open until 8pm everyday, except Sunday when it closes at 7pm.

I've added both of these shops to the Eco Amsterdam map which you can access via the link at the top right of the blog.

I'd also like to put out a quick Whoop Whoop as this is the first Eco Amsterdam blog post! Expect loads more eco awesomeness :-)

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Posted by Glen Tyler, organic maniac