Art: Contemporary, Traditional--Culinary

 Goededag!

And Happy Bastille Day!—although you probably won’t be reading this on my Fourteenth.

It was not as cold today, and the rain fell only intermittently. Indeed the sun came out for about fifteen minutes at midday, but it was still not calm enough for me to go far afield, so I stayed in town.

I took myself and my Museum Karte to the Stedeijk or Museum of Modern Art.  I cannot pretend to be either especially fond or especially knowledgeable about Contemporary Art.  Many people complain it’s all rubbish.
But if you go to a big museum that exhibits earlier periods clearly not everyone of those works is a masterpiece.  Some are merely competent and are only on display because they survived.  So if we could fast forward a hundred years, the art of our time which is of lasting significance is more likely to be recognized.  That does not mean the critics or I can recognize it now.

It’s easy to appreciate naturalistic art, but the advent of photography means we don’t need painting or sculpture to show us what things look like, so artists turn to different methods of representation.  I like a lot of Contemporary Art.  Some is clever, much is playful; rarely I find myself moved.  Some of it leaves me either scratching my head or feeling revulsion—although that’s true of earlier art as well.

The art at the Stedelijk is well displayed with informative placards—often necessary—explaining the work and the artists’ purpose.  Frequently quotes of the artists illuminate their works.  What I liked best were the ceramic dinner sets, which I found both graceful and witty.  I also enjoyed a magical video of a winter forest combining animation and photography.  Unexpectedly I also found the work of the Russian Supremacist Malevich compelling.  His abstract figures seem to float in infinite space.

Then I crossed town to another era and another kind of art.  Rembrandt’s House would be worth seeing even if it were not associated with such a famous personality.  It’s a wonderfully preserved seventeenth century middle class home.  Ironically the inventory taken at Rembrandt’s bankruptcy as well as drawings he made allowed the restorers to credibly and beautifully recreate Rembrandt’s home as he knew it.  Only a few of his works are on display there, but one can get a real feeling for the life he led in the days of his prosperity.

In honor of Bastille Day I have obtained some Real Camembert—gooey and smelling of the feet of God. 
You know this how, Pil? 
Some French guy told me.  So we’re having a Cheese rematch: Young Dutch Gouda against some real French Camembert.  I divulge that Normandy is the land of my ancestors in the interests of full disclosure.  To balance that out, we will be testing the cheese in the presence of beer.  Both cheeses are at room temperature are placed on a cracker.  The beer is some dark Belgian brew (neutrality?) that calls itself Karacter and tastes rich and rather fruity. 

A bite of the Gouda reveals a firm texture and mild flavor.  It’s good but some might find it too salty.  The Camembert is of a different character.  It’s a ripe cheese and thus more fragrant and soft.  They are both good and too different for me to decide which is better.  Sorry.  Both go well with the beer though!

Welcome to the Second Annual European Chocolate Face Off.  I wish I could say it’s back by popular demand, but there’s not a lot of demand around this blog.  I know I have readers, so let’s pretend you like chocolate tastings.  OK?  This is a local match between two neighbors:  the Home Team the Netherlands and the rival down south Belgium.  I obtained high-end chocs in the form of pralines. If you think of Sees Candy with a chocolate shell over fillings you will have the picture. Recall that I visited the swank department store De Bejinhof (the Beehive) earlier this week.

To begin.  Belgian chocolate smells—well chocolately.  The shell was thick but broke quickly to reveal a smooth sort of citrusy filling.  Said filling is fluffy yet rich.  Nice job!

Now we turn to Dutch Chocs where we find a different sort of chocolate scent, a bit earthier.  The shell is less thick, but the filling is so good it might kill me.  Hazelnut—my favorite.  So good.

But let’s not stop there.  I have two more pieces to compare.  First the Belgian.  The shell is thicker once again, but good rich chocolate and this time the filling is nearly liquid.  I can’t put my finger on the flavor. It’s somewhat reminiscent of fruit, but that’s not all going on.  Once again the Dutch chocolate has a thinner shell, and a sort of firm nutty filling.

Both are very tasty.  And the truth is I can’t decide which is better.  My palate is simply not discerning enough.

Dag!