Pho Pho

Hello?

Is anyone there?


Have you not yet abandoned all hope? Oh goodie then, because here were are, with new portion of Brussels speciality!

Long time ago, in a galaxy far away... We visited one of our favourite lunch places - Pho Pho!

It is not much of a restaurant, more like a hip snack bar for a quick dish on the run. They have two localisations currently, first one opened in Ixelles' Boniface area, and the second one, one we get to visit more frequently, opened down-town at Rogier.

Pho is basically kind of Vietnamese broth, after wikipedia, and mr Van Nguyen took it on his shoulders to popularize the dish in Brussels. And I am really thankful!

As per his statement on their official website, he wanted to provide lighter and healthier alternative for fast-food. If you ask me, I think he nailed it. Pho is filling and tasty, yet does not make you despise yourself as it happens after visiting one of the popular burger chains.

The menu is humble - you get to choose from small selections of soups and starters. I personally can never get enough of chicken pho and deep fried shrimps. Part of the ritual is also adding combination of special sauces, available on each table, to your dish.

If you have never tried it before, I recommend you skip the soda this time, and reach for coconut juice in a can. It's very refreshing and goes really well with the dishes.

While eating, you will be entertained by music videos of (I assume) Vietnamese pop singers and bands, but unfortunately music is not synchronized. Don't miss the weird commercials of Pho Pho itself, as per image below. I cannot make myself to give the translation. You have to go through an effort of typing into Google translator and see for yourself.

Quick post with a quick summary - whether you're looking for a lunch break during work, or a snack on the way to having social life after work - Pho might be just for you, so go ahead and explore.

moof - Museum Of Original Figurines

Brussels, having lots of advantages, is unfortunately not the most sunny place in the world. Fortunately, it offers a lot to its inhabitants, even on the rainy days.

On one of those days we were googling around and came across moof. After a quick look we have made a decision and half an hour later four of us was sitting in the car. Yes, I wish to say "5 minutes later" but only a parent will understand why half an hour of packing for a small ride is a blast with two small kids. Anyway.

The address provided on visitbrussels.be was "Rue Marche aux Herbes" and we have strolled through the whole street only to arrive at Galerie Horta. And the museum happens to be just there! You are, of course, welcomed by the big Schtroumpf statue just in the front.

I was not sure if visiting museum of figurines is going to be fun or completely boring. What can you really do with figurines right?

Wrong. It was absolutely great. There is lots of items, from both worldwide known characters and obscure Brussels comics. The place itself is really well decorated creating cool, a bit mysterious ambiance.

There is a lovely gift shop, of course, a whole area filled with comic books you can read at comfortable sofas, and arcade games zone.

I am definitely saving this address for the upcoming cold days.

PS. Upcoming cold days remind me - don't miss the Nocturnes! This year they start at 5pm so we can even drag the kids with us!

Learn Marols with Coke!

Let me start by saying, that Coke is bad. It is horrible for your health, it is addictive, it is bad for the environment, it is one of the most evil corporations out there, abusive and focused on profit, no matter the human factor. And it does have a great marketing campaign.

The whole "Share a Coke with" is a brilliant idea. They only have to come up with many different names, and the people do the rest. What does it have to do with blog about Brussels?

Well, I have found this (thanks to Eddy from my work!:)

You probably already know that Belgium is pretty messed up when it comes to languages.

There is Wallonia speaking French. Though they made few differences to make life easier so it is not REAL French (like introducing an actual word nonante for 90, instead of original "four-times-twenty-ten").

There is Flanders speaking Flemish, which is not really a language but a set of dialects of Dutch. Dialects so divergent that they subtitle their own Dutch television in Dutch.  And the subtitles differ from what they are saying.

And *TADA* there is Marols. Brusseleir. Brusseleer. Etc. It has many names, one of which I chose as the name of this blog. And yes, it is dialect spoken in Brussels, originally in the Marolles district. It mostly consists of French words and Dutch grammar, but generally it is just a complete mix of both. You can still come across people who can actually speak it, but all real Brusselers can say at least few words.


Now the fun begins.

Sjoeke is a Dutch spelling of Chouke (as the can was produced for Flemish market). Term is used all over Belgium now, though originally it is Marols version of French Chou or Chouchou, which is close enough to Darling. It is one of the most common affectionate names in French I believe. Chou, Mon Chou, Petit Chou.



Chou means cabbage.

Mystery many people face when learning French. Why are French speaking people calling each other cabbage?

It is rather simple. It originally comes from Chou à la crème, which is a sweet dessert, profiterole (for my polish fellow - ptyś!).

Makes more sense to call your loved one a sweet cake with cream than a green vegetable growing on the ground.