The Dutch meteorological institute KNMI has issued a storm alert. Not for just any storm, but for one with a proper name.
“Code orange” is what we can expect in the coastal provinces and along the IJsselmeer, which means wind gusts up to 120 kilometers per hour.
Amsterdam is located both in a coastal province (Noord-Holland) and along the IJsselmeer.
Bingo!
Pending this name-bearing storm, most airlines canceled their flights. So instead of hearing planes skimming low over the seventeenth-century city centre at one-and-a-half minute intervals during regular storms, all we hear now is the tempest raging over our heads.
In the afternoon, the e-mail arrives.
‘Due to the storm, school will be closed tonight. All lessons will go online.’
After inviting my students to the online class, I set up my slides, as well as the video I plan to show.
Big advantage: everyone arrives on time, happy not having to brave the storm on their bikes. Some sit in a cramped basement among unopened moving boxes, some hang comfortably on the couch with the dog in their lap, others sit behind a professional looking desk.
When it’s time to start the video, the sound doesn't work.
Fortunately, I get a storm of directions to fix this. After all, the majority of my students are techies.
But how do you give directions in Dutch?
This turns out to be a good exercise in itself.
George, a sound engineer from Washington, USA, says that the sound button is ‘bodem links’ (a literal translation of “bottom left”). Ana from Moldova tries pointing: ‘Daar!’ (there)
Masood is a longtime dentist and university professor from Pakistan. In the Netherlands he is not allowed to work independently until he gets his BIG registration in the Dutch health care system, which includes very strict language requirements.
Only with this registration will Masood be able to work here as a full-fledged dentist without a “senior” looking over his left or right shoulder all day.
The group is still trying to give proper instructions – ‘hoek links’ (corner left), I hear at one point – when Masood calmly and self-assuredly interrupts.
‘Linksonder.’
Everyone reacts in surprise. Me included.
’Hoe weet jij dat?’ (How do you know?)
Looking into the camera, Masood smiles his perfectly white teeth bare as he says, ‘Ik ben tandarts. Ik zeg de hele dag “linksonder” en “rechtsboven”…’ (I'm a dentist. I say “bottom left” and “top right” all day...)
PS Masood did get his BIG registration upon completion of this NT2 language course.
Sure, I am Always Talkin’ Food, but I teach NT2 (Dutch as a second language) on the side. Mainly to young internationals who came to Amsterdam for or with love and intend to stay. For privacy reasons the names in these columns are fictitious.
Food lingo
Spice - de specerij
Herb - het kruid
Mango - de mango
Chickpea - de kikkererwt
Store - de winkel
Street food - het streetfood
Pakistani delights
With so many nationalities, Amsterdam is a walhalla for food from all over the world. One book that guides you through the myriad of addresses is All You Can Eat by Jonneke de Zeeuw. Contrary to what the title suggests, the book is in Dutch. It highlights 120 food cultures in the Netherlands, with a big focus on Amsterdam.
One of the recommended addresses is Saeed’s Curry House, a Pakistani store-slash-eatery packed with spices, Pakistani mangoes (according to Masood, the best in the world), and homemade street foods like samosa chaat (crumbled samosa with spiced chickpeas, yogurt and chutney). Eat it on the spot with, say, a glass of mango lassi on the side. Saeed’s Curry House is located in the Javastraat, perhaps the most food diverse street in Amsterdam.
Jonneke de Zeeuw, All You Can Eat, Kosmos Uitgevers.
Saeed’s Curry House, Javastraat 9 Amsterdam. Open: Mon-Sat 10 AM-6 PM.