Stroopwafels!

Holland is famous for many things; dykes, windmills, art, canals, tolerance, but no one ever told me about stroopwafels.

When I went on the bike tour and we stopped at the farm, our guide mentioned something about them selling something in the little store. I didn't know what he was talking about.

And then after our tour where we saw how they made cheese and wooden shoes and we sampled the cheese and people tried on the wooden shoes, we were able to buy cheese, shoes, or other souvenirs. I bought some cheese and a little pair of clogs that are a refrigerator magnet. But, I noticed a lot of people going and buying these cookies.

I didn't know what the cookie was. It came in a package that had two. It looked like a waffle, but very thin. It didn't look all that delicious to me, and no one was saying "mmmmm....oh my God...." when they bit into it, so I didn't buy any.

After we dropped off the bikes I decided to go to the supermarket I had gone to before the tour because I bought an apple and it was very good. I wanted more apples and a bottle of water. But while I was there, I found a package of the cookies everyone was eating at the farm. I bought a package and decided to try them.

When I got home, I ate one. It was good. It was a cookie made of two very thin waffles filled with a caramel filling. I also tasted a hint of cinnamon.

I wasn't immediately, hooked, but I had a package of 10 stroopwafels, so I had to eat them.

Yesterday after dinner I had another one. There was something about this one that made it especially delicious. I don't know what it was, but it made me want another. It was then that I realized I was a stroopwafel addict.

It all happened so fast that I didn't realize it. I had one but didn't feel the addictive effect. Before I knew it, it was too late.

And then, to make matters worse, my friend Marc sent me a link to a video about how to eat a stroopwafel.

You put the stroopwafel on top of a cup of steaming, hot liquid - tea, coffee, hot chocolate... and wait. The steam warms the inside of the waffle and melts it. The waffle keeps the beverage warm. And then when you bite into the waffle, the cookie is soft and the filling is warm and gooey. It's heaven.

This morning I went back to Albert Heijn to see if perhaps they had stocked the little thing I need to diffuse my citronella oil, but they didn't have it. I was hungry because I went out for a morning walk having eaten nothing but a stroopwafel. While I was in the supermarket, I decided to pick up some stuff to make some soup, since I have a little cold.

I walked past a display of packages of stroopwafels and could not resist.

I am now planning a trip to the town of Gouda, which of course if famous for its cheese, but it is also the place where stroopwafels originated. There, I can find a place that sells freshly made stroopwafels. I will have one and then I will quit. I promise.