When London was a village (2)

Double Dutch, Dutch Courage and all other Dutch treats!

Now, I have some Dutch friends (at least I count them as friends!) and when I heard the expression "Dutch courage" on a radio programme the other day,I got to wondering why the Dutch are so often referred to in this fashion.I have never found them particularly overindulgent in the consommation of alcohol!

Certainly, they have a large quantity of specialities in the alcohol cupboard, from almost pure alcohols, through egg liqueurs, down to the nowadays impossible to get by without "Heineken" beer! (I expect a free pack for the free publicity - although I personally have always preferred the smaller brewery "Amstel" products!)

Admittedly, their language is almost impossible to speak or understand, even for myself who can at least speak various German dialects, but the Dutch (being very inventive and clever) realised that they would have to be fluent in English to advance in world trade!

Windmills, bicycles, cheese and all that stuff is all very well, but WHY "double Dutch?"

Well, here is an apparant reason, which I wasn't aware of at all! Apparantly it is a form of rope-skipping!

There are other possible applications,as the following photo(s) show, but I will always recall the naive American Professor, who being a guest at my parents home in London, was trying to be polite, and had heard (at table) this expression "it's all Double Dutch to me" - he apparantly went on a tour of the Londonien Bookshops (and there are many!) and finally, after a week of searching, returned to ask advice. He simply could not get any literature on this language "Double Dutch". We, of course, were highly amused at the mental image of the bookshop owners, and wondered, just mildly, why none of them had put him out of his misery. We did so, and the incident passed.

However, we didn't mention the Dutch courage bit, thinking this may just blow his mind!

My experiences with the Dutch are relatively limited, and my friends are not double, but quadruple! They are very kind and amusing, both on and off the Golf course.

Of course, when the golf shots are going a little astray, then a quick "wacky-baccy" helps!

I do know that the Dutch produce various things which enrich this world (apart from my friends) and the tables of this world!

Unfortunately, when I spoke of one of these things, I was told that it was German, not Dutch, but I know that my favourite preparation of the humble (and now priceless ) herring, namely "matjesfilet" IS Dutch, and represents the filets of young, fat in flesh, fresh Spring herring, conserved and sold preserved in salt, and later in oil. I recall, in Northern Germany (but also in Holland) in the 1960's enjpying this product in the traditional fashion - namely selecting the herring from a large barrel (normally situated outside the shop) and dropping it slowly, from the head end (head having been removed, of course) into the mouth, and pulling gently on the tail end, held in the hand, withdrawing the tail bones and other bones, leaving this delicious tasting matjesfilet in the mouth. I recall actually doing this in excess, and being quite ill later! Now they are sold in hygienically packed plastic things, but I don't know if the taste is still as good - they are not available in France, or at least I haven't found them! The caviar of Southern Europe (when related to Russia and the Caspian Sea), and (at the time) about a 100th of the price! Other Double Dutch specialities could be the following (let's not forget the cheeses as well though, but my Dutch friend assures me that Holland only exports the stuff the Dutch don't want to eat!):

(Double Dutch bicycle) + (Double Dutch style pen)

In any case, obviously my Dutch friends are not really Dutch, or they are exceptions, but I'll keep them - all 4 of them!