The Family!

Apart from my Dutch diaries I will be building up a profile of my host family...

• Sleeping: 

The children, aged 4 and 6, sleep only in their parents beds although they have beds of their own in their shared room. This has made it difficult for me to wake them up in the mornings since I don't feel overly comfortable entering the parents room but rather I knock and hope for a response. The parents don't appear to want to change this. It's certainly something I've never seen before!

• Food:

Milk is consumed only as a treat for good behaviour at the end of the day. Rarely is it cows' milk but rather soya, rice or coconut milk. Bread is used only for the children's breakfast, 2 slices tops. Butter is pretty much devoid. Maybe you'd think living with a health-conscious family I would not experience typical Dutch cuisine: one fascinated with cheese, bread, meat and really all things diary. Well let me introduce to you, Stamppot. A true favourite in the house and indeed the Netherlands. There is no real translation for it but it is basically a dish consisting of mashed vegetable (the Dutch love to mash). I’ve lapped up Zuurkoolstamppot (sauerkraut/potato), Andijviestamppot (endive/potato) and Boerenkoolstamppot (kale/potato). Many probably don't know the English food names either, I certainly didn't but they taste so good. Especially the latter- a great dish for winter. Long may it continue!

• Geen TV:

Yeah, that rhymes in Dutch. It means ‘No TV’ and that is what it is like for the kids in the house. 1 television is on the highest floor where I hang the wet laundry and the parents have their home offices. The kids can only view this screen in the weekend and it is only ever to watch the odd film, never a programme. The other is a small one in the kitchen, turned on when the dinner is being prepared and the kids are occupied playing with me. Normally this kind of regime is associated with a family that are training their kids to be the next Usain Bolt or Barak Obama. All I can say is it certainly leaves a gaping hole in the living room and a lot more time to fill. But, more importantly, have the kids lost out on anything? Surprisingly, in a world increasingly dominated by technology, not that I've seen.