When in Belgium...

Some friends of mine are spending the weekend in Belgium, Antwerp to be specific, and it reminded me of an occasion that I would rather have forgetten - but that I thought might serve as a useful warning to others when visiting the country.

Antwerp is a wonderful place, it has many good points. The main good point being the many bars that stay open all the time and stock lots of interesting and delicious beers. It was after taking advantage of this particular good point that I found one of Antwerp's not so good points.

After an evening of merriment, I was feeling a little peckish, like you do, and thought I'd sample some chips (fries) from one of the many stalls that dotted around the streets. Now, my Flemish is not that hot, nor is my French, but I know that 'frites' means 'chips', so I was feeling pretty confident as I walked up to the nice man behind the counter. When I actually got there however, I was presented with such an array of options I didn't know where to begin.

I wanted something simple, just 'frites' would have been fine, but they didn't seem to have that on the menu. What could I choose? Well, I like ketchup too, so perhaps, frites with ketchup? Nope... Ah, but wait, ketchup is American, and there's an option, 'Frites American' - bingo, that is the one for me.

I couldn't have made a worse choice. Frites American, it turns out, is in fact chips with 'steak tartar' heaped on top. It was, to say the least, a shock - and not just for me - I suspect the poor cyclist who discovered an uneaten carton of chips and raw beef sitting on their bike seat was quit surprised too.

In summary then, my advice to you is, when in Belgium - always ask if they speak English, if they don't, walk away!