The Jo Show

Thanksgiving 2022

My parents left Monday after visiting us for a few weeks, so on Sunday, November 20^th we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with them before they returned to Wisconsin. We learned that making a traditional Thanksgiving meal in a European country is no joke!

They don’t sell turkeys in stores, so we had to specially order one from our local butcher. The butcher took all the bones out of the turkey, because the ovens here are so small that it wouldn’t fit otherwise.

We were able to make our classic sweet potato and apple dish, breadcrumbed green beans, mashed potatoes, and a salad like normal without any problems.

However, we have a tiny kitchen and oven that uses Celsius… which posed some interesting challenges.

Ultimately, our meal was fantastic!

It was SO nice to have a piece of home here in Belgium for the holidays and we all agreed that years from now we will be remembering this Thanksgiving fondly.

(Also, Brev and I won this trip’s cribbage series).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Belgian Beers

Beer in Belgium dates back to the Roman era, but it wasn’t until 1885 when a change in legislation made it possible for the large-scale production of beers to take off. Fifteen years later there were 3,223 breweries in the country!

Some Belgian beers are very recognizable, like Stella Artois, which was created in 1926 in Leuven (the city we live in). Stella Artois and Jupiler, which are now both owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, are the two biggest beer brands in the country.

Trappist beers, which are brewed in a monastery where monks play a role in the production, are also very popular. Interestingly, any money made off Trappist beer can only be used to support the monastery.

Also, most Belgian beer is sold in uniquely shaped bottles, not cans, which helps identify the brand.

Due to the rich history of beer in Belgium, there is no shortage of beer festivals and celebrations like The Belgian Beer Weekend, Alvinne Craft Beer Festival, and The Beer Passion weekend.

One of Brev’s coaches recommended we visit Delirium Village in Brussels, which is a bar that holds the world record for number of beers available for tasting (2,004 beers!). We sampled the famous “Meter of Beer” and tried 10 different beers. It was so much fun and we both agreed that the cactus beer was our favorite!

Belgian Chocolate Series: Jean de Bruges🍫

We’re back again with another chocolate review!

But first, let’s set the scene. While we were on our way to visit Bruges, there was a medical emergency on our train that caused our trip to take an additional 45 minutes. At this point we were starving.

When we finally got to Bruges, we decided we needed to eat something before doing any sightseeing. While we were looking for a place to have lunch, we came across a cute, small corner store selling chocolates and candies.

This cute corner shop was Jean de Bruges. Jean de Bruges is located inside a 16th century house and is home to a selection of Belgian beers and handmade chocolates.

They had samples of their chocolate truffles and Brev said that those “free samples just happened to be the best damn chocolates we’ve had so far”!

Some may say that because we were so hungry, our rating could have been skewed. But we ended up buying a bag of truffles to take home with us and they were just as amazing days later (with full stomachs) too.

These chocolate truffles were very similar to a Seroogy’s Meltaway (if you know you know) because they too just melt in your mouth.

We gave them a 10/10! Our favorite chocolate in Belgium so far.

Daytrip to Bruges (Brugge)

In Belgium they speak French and Flemish, so they have a language sharing arrangement where both languages are typically on every sign, in the train stations, etc.

That is why you may have heard Bruges be referred to one of two ways, Bruges (French/English) or Brugge (Flemish/Dutch).

Regardless, we went to Bruges on one of Brev’s off days and it became our favorite city that we visited in Belgium so far!

Bruges is in Northwest Belgium and is the capital of West Flanders, one of Belgium’s ten different provinces.

Bruges is also a UNESCO World Heritage City due to its rich history and beautiful architecture. It is one of the most picturesque destinations in Belgium with its many canals, cobblestone streets and medieval buildings.

Many of the buildings are still in their original Brick Gothic form since Bruges largely stayed out of any conflicts that would cause destruction.

We spent our day tasting some of the local chocolates, walking around sightseeing and taking a boat tour through the canals. The boat tour was by far our favorite part of the day.

Here is a quick list of things to see while in Bruges:

The Belfry of Bruges: A medieval bell tower in the center of the city. You can climb the 366 steps to the top for panoramic views of the city.
Church of Our Lady: The tallest structure in the city and third tallest brickwork tower in the world. In it’s museum you can see Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child (1504).
Old St John’s Hospital: A medieval hospital founded in the mid 12th century that didn’t close until 1977.

Leuven Botanical Garden

Fall in Belgium is beautiful, it has been almost 70 degrees all week and we have been trying to spend as much time outside as possible. So, this week we visited the Leuven Botanical Garden.

We were surprised to learn that the Leuven Botanical Garden is the oldest one in all of Belgium, founded in 1738 before the country was even an independent nation.

Its official name is “kruidtuin” which translates to “herb garden.”

While we were there, we saw an incredibly diverse plant collection with fruits, flowers, and greenery from all over the world. One of our favorite parts was the Orangery, which was a greenhouse containing a ton of citrus fruit (lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit) trees.

The garden is referred to as “an oasis of peace right in the middle of the city,” and we could not agree more.

Bad News in Belgium

Brev’s season with the Leuven Bears was off to a great start this year, he scored 31 points in both preseason games and had 39 points and 16 rebounds in their Cup Game. He was so excited to show how he could perform at this higher level of basketball.

Last week (on 10/1) was the team’s first regular season game. Brev started out hot and scored the first points of the season – a three-pointer in the first minute of the game.

Unfortunately, late in the fourth quarter disaster struck. Brev intended take a charge underneath the basket on a dunk attempt and the player on the opposing team kneed his thumb. Brev immediately knew his thumb was broken because he had never been in so much pain. He attempted to play for a few more minutes but could not even catch the basketball because of how bad it hurt.

Brev talked with the team doctor and sat on the sidelines for the rest of the game (the Bears won in OT). Then I drove Brev to the hospital to get x-rays and a CT scan – which confirmed that his thumb was indeed broken.

He had thumb surgery the following Tuesday to put two pins in his hand so the bone heals correctly. Now, there will be three months of recovery before he can return to the floor.

Please send all the good vibes and healing thoughts his way (and Netflix recommendations😉 )!

Manneken Pis

To our surprise – a popular tourist attraction in Brussels is the Manneken Pis (the peeing boy) statue.

The statue’s origins are unclear and there are a lot of legends surrounding how it came to be. We do know that in the 15^th century, the Manneken Pis was a fountain that played an essential role in the distribution of drinking water and gradually became a symbol of Brussels’ folklore. Regardless, today the (replica) statue plays a symbolic role as protector of the city and spokesperson for the citizens of Brussels, as they often dress him up in mischievous ways.

He has almost 1,000 outfits in his wardrobe at Maison du Roi (the king’s house), which includes a range of clothing from expensive garments gifted by Louis XV of France to “American Football Player” and Elvis Presley outfits.

The Manneken Pis has been vandalized and stolen multiple times, by England, France and even locals throughout the years. So, today the 17^th century version of the statue is kept safe in the Brussels City Museum. The current statue that tourists flock to is a replica from 1965.

In 1987, the Manneken Pis was joined by a peeing girl statue, Jeanneke Pis, and in 1998 a peeing dog statue, the Zinneke Pis.

Belgian Chocolate Series: Neuhaus🍫

We’ve all heard of “Belgian Chocolates,” but did you know there are over 2,000 chocolate shops in Belgium? And every Belgian we’ve talked to has a different favorite chocolate shop, so Brev and I are on a quest to find the best one.

Our first stop was NEUHAUS.

Neuhaus is known for being the creator of the Belgian Praline, which is a chocolate filled with a soft liquid filling – like caramel or ganache. Not to be confused with praliné, which is a creamy nut filling.

Jean Neuhaus was a Belgian pharmacist living in Brussels in 1800s who was beloved by his customers because he covered his medicines with a fine layer of chocolate. In 1912, his grandson evolved this idea into the Belgian praline and replaced the medicine filling with something sweeter. His wife also created the elegant praline ballotin (gift box) to protect the chocolates while displaying them in a more functional and attractive way. The ballotin would go on to become an iconic part of the Belgian chocolate tradition

The original Neuhaus Boutique opened in Brussels’ Galerie de la Reine in 1857 and has since expanded to over 300 shops in Belgium and hundreds more in 50 countries.

We gave the chocolate here 9/10 stars – but it couldn’t compare to a Seroogy’s Meltaway. 😉

The Belgian Waffle Myth

In Belgium there are actually TWO types of popular waffles:

The Brussels Waffle: a large, light and fluffy waffle in a rectangular shape made from a batter
The Liege Waffle: a dense, thick waffle containing clumps of sugar with uneven edges made from a dough

Either waffle can then be topped with whipped cream, jam, fruit, melted chocolate or melted caramel. Unlike in the U.S., syrup or butter are not popular toppings here and it isn’t uncommon to eat the waffles cold.

You can get a waffle almost anywhere in Belgium and we’ve seen them being sold at most restaurants and cafes as well as street vendors. However, waffles are typically eaten in the afternoon as a snack here – not for breakfast.

After trying both, Brev and I prefer the Liege Waffle because there is “more substance.”

We’re in Belgium!

This season Brev is playing for the Leuven Bears in the BNXT League, which is the top professional basketball league in Belgium and the Netherlands. While the Bears have had multiple preseason games already, the regular season begins on 10/1. All their games should be livestreamed for free on the BNXT.TV app this year. Note: you’ll need to download the app from the app store and create an account to watch.

I arrived in Belgium last week and was SO jet lagged, but thankfully recuperated and have already consumed A LOT of chocolate, beer and fries. The three main food groups here. 😉

We’re so excited for this adventure (year three!) and stay tuned for lots more to come.