The delights of Amsterdam

I was sitting at an outdoor cafe in Amsterdam thinking about my previous blog about my relationship to carbohydrates when I looked down at my plate and smiled. I was eating a ham and cheese toastie with ketchup!

I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time in Amsterdam over the past few years. I’m here now taking a break from the stress of New York City visiting my sweetie. But visiting a different culture and limiting carbohydrate isn’t easy.

I have had a hard time resisting the local fare like bitterballen- the breaded and fried staple.

… which sometimes comes out of a good old fashioned automat.

I thought it would be fun to just spend some time photographing the delicacies that I will be trying not to eat- in the spirit of loving what I can’t have…

I’ve never tried these waffle cookies- which are supposed to be very tasty.

I love the old Europe feel of the bakery.

And I think about how interesting it is that the Dutch Amstel brand is a light beer in the US- but in Amsterdam it is not! They don’t have light beer here at all.

I feel a twinge of jealousy for the blond woman eating the ice cream in the image. I think about the US, and our very different relationship to food and movement. I’ve often felt healthier in Europe… where people seem to live with more balance…