Frites Don't Fail Me Now

OK, so time to get back on track and up to speed on what's happened since I got back to Brussels late Monday.

Well... not much. Tuesday I spent a sleep-deprived day at work, struggling to keep awake. I was lucky, I suppose, that the U.S. handover of power in Iraq happened sometime around the time I was wandering about Parc Guell in Barcelona, so at least there was none of that news to deal with.

After work, I met up with Mike Williams, a British ex-pat who is an old friend of my friend Judith. (Judith knows someone in every port. And I don't mean it that way. Get your minds out of the gutter!) Mike is currently working for an EU agency. We met for frites (which I suppose could be simply explained as French fries -- or should I say freedom fries? -- but the Belgians cook them some special way that involves frying them twice. I'm not sure what this actually accomplishes from a gastronomical point of view, but they are mighty tasty.

Mike took me to Maison Antoine on Place Jourdan, more or less near where I live and work. There was what I thought was not too big a line at the place, which is really just a kiosk in the middle of the square. After getting our frites and four varieties of sauce for dipping (curry, mustard, ketchup and sauce au poivre -- basically mayo with pepper in it) we went to a bar on the square and had a few beers as we ate our frites. It was quite a nice night, and I learned a lot about the EU and Mike's life. He was a very interesting guy -- has lived all over the place.

Yesterday I paid my first visit to a Belgian post office. That was about as exciting as my day went. I also watched Portugal beat Holland in the Euro 2004 semifinals. The winning goal was absolutely spectacular. Even I could appreciate it as a football neophyte.

Anyway, tonight I am visiting the Sablon, arguably the most Parisian neighborhood in Brussels, for dinner and drinks with a friend from work. Tomorrow I will get back to once a day posting.