White layer is a very thick coating of powdered sugar, gets everywhere.

I spent my formative school years in the Netherlands (Voorschoten, went to the American School in the Hague / Den Haag). I was born and otherwise raised in the US, in CT. My dad was an engineer, got transferred to various places. I only ever had to move to Holland, missed out on Belgium, Spain, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Japan.

I've had some good flashbacks in the past few years to my Dutch environment childhood. Those cookies this year (and we always got them in school around this time, Dec 5-6, the Dutch Christmas time), the syrupwaffles, cookies with little brick-trim like edges, etc etc etc. Some other stuff never went away - Toblerone (typically from family friends in Switzerland), Lindt, tea, toast, licorice, beef stew, McDonalds hamburgers, Fanta orange soda, Smarties, the screwy candy bar mutations (Mars bars there are what we call Snickers here, etc).

Instead of using water in my oatmeal today, I went with a mix of water and coconut milk. Good change...I highly recommend. It's all saturated fat, but it's a medium chain triglyceride, which is not your normal sat. fat, and arguably a good addition to most athlete's diets.

Sunday is both Christmas and the day of the weekly team ride. Actually we have had a Christmas Day team ride even when it wasn't on a Sunday and they have been fun. They are usually short (about 2 hours) and everyone is in good cheer.

So, why is this in the "Eating Status" thread? Good question! Perhaps it should actually be in the "Alcohol Status" thread! I'm thinking about making a goodly amount of gløgg and have the ride end at my house on Christmas Day. I'll make sure that I have some good ginger snaps available to eat. See, there is an "Eating Status" angle to this!

That's pretty awesome, are the snickers and mars bars seriously switched around? Never knew that. Seems pretty amazing to me to live abroad for a few years and experience a different part of the world, broadens your horizons i think. Maybe i'll do that myself someday.

And if you are having a case of nostalgia you could always try baking a few dutch goodies yourself. Since it's the holiday season why not try another typical dutch snack (although it's not too great in a cyclist's diet) for new years eve: Oliebollen.

Garlic greens with lentils and soy ginger cod.

Damn you...

GA, mollusk and I are hosting a training camp next week. Why don't you come down for free room, you'll have to do the cooking though.

Who me? That would be like ab elephant running with gazelles. Do they have a Shoneys on your training routes?

While I am so excited about getting out of NY at this point that I'd probably take you up on it, I've already got free room and board in CA for two weeks starting next Saturday--and rumor has it there's a few more hills out that way.

Can't blame me for trying...

If we had met you would have taken your offer back for sure, I have that effect on people.

I meant Kate's cooking, not yours .

Booooo that's a kick in the rocks.

Admit it, you see the stuff she posts and get hunger pangs and drool in the mouth.

I completely agree, delicious.

Tonight's post-workout curry, aka throw whatever's around in the general direction of a wok, make it super spicy, and hope for the best.



Garlic, onion, cauliflower, green beans, greens, tofu, lentils.

Looks yummy, GA.

Today we got a FedEx box. Inside was all the fixin's for pulled pork sandwiches from a place in Kansas City. I really appreciate the thought, but the dear friends that sent us this gift have never been around when I have smoked my own pork shoulder, made my own cole slaw, and bought the cheapest possible buns at the grocery. (The buns are there only to keep your hands reasonably clean. The fact that they are barely edible is a plus.)

I just got through with "Christmas dinner" with my mother.

My pants are so tight right now that if my lungs were in my ass, I would have suffocated to death 30 minutes ago.

Did someone say cake?

youre old and fat.

get out of my mastodon buffet...

Last night I was at a U Florida basketball game. I saw a guy that I used to ride with 25 years ago. He is probably pushing 300 lbs now. Back then he was as strong as an ox.

Funny thing was that I thought about what his "ink" would look like now if he got it then.

it takes a whole lot of weight gain to affect "ink"...but if he's pushin 300 it could have warped it a tad.

Chocolate covered christmas tree shaped whoopie pies. Hoo boy.

Went out to dinner with my wife for our 29th wedding anniversary. Earlier in the day she had some kind of allergy reaction and took a Benadryl. The weird thing was that it must have altered her taste perceptions. We brought with us a bottle of Martinelli Pinot Noir (Not one of the very best ones, but still very yum!) to have with dinner. I liked it a lot and all my wife could taste was the alcohol. Too bad for her.

Rode 4 hours, now having a blueberry pancake. I make them with mostly blueberries and enough batter to hold it all together. Then some grade A dark amber syrup on top ..... yum