Round & Round - Rotterdam

Round & Round Rotterdam

Round & Round Rotterdam

Round & Round Rotterdam

Round & Round Rotterdam

Round & Round Rotterdam

Round & Round Rotterdam

Round & Round Rotterdam

For the Dutch, today is a bit of a sad day. It is Kingsday, a national holiday in honor of the king on which we celebrate his birthday. Traditionally, this means dressing up ridiculously colorful (orange, red, white and blue) and stashing your old rubbish in the back of the car to drive to the closest big city and sell it on a blanked in the sun for a dime. Official fanfares compete for passenger’s attention with young kids playing instruments. People are happy and feel proud to be Dutch: it is the only day in the year on which people actually admit how much. Today the streets are empty instead. Music and games are only happening in private circles, hidden for the people. Today, there are no big crowds. And it makes the longing for tradition even stronger. I imagine how citizens are extra thankful for their freedom today, and how they eat their grumpiness away with a big piece of ‘tompouce’, the traditional pastry to eat on the big day.

Culture is, always and everywhere, a central factor of life and for Rotterdam in particular this is a given fact. The city is famous for its multicultural core and this is reflected in the food options and café life. One very cultural hotspot is a place close to my heart called “Round & Round”. It is a Japanese initiative that has no equal in the city. Last year when I turned 21, I even tried their seasonal Japanese high tea with my closest friends (I attached a picture from the table); from exotic green matcha cookies with roasted rice on top to sweet, creamy souffles with unfamiliar flavors that I cannot even describe. Round & Round really is something else. Besides, the place looks super kawaii. The logo itself is a kitten and inside are drawings of animal-like creatures in pastel colors. Hot beverages are served on small dining plates with a flower in a tiny vase next to it. In the back of the place is a small assortment of Japanese treasures for sale, for a ridiculous price if you’d ask me — but it definitely has the X-factor. A traditional Japanese specialty is the variety of cake rolls: rolled, airy cake cut in slices with different filling options and a decorative print on the outside. You can even follow a workshop in the café to learn making them yourself. I’ve spent most of my 010-coffee time inside of this tea house for the simple reason that it has atmosphere. The music is soft — perfect for reading, and even the menu looks adorable.

On days like today I wonder: isn’t it hard for café owners with a different background to be so far from home? How blessed are we, that they chose to make it their everyday mission to share a small piece of their home traditions with us? Arigatou gozaimasu!

Joe for now,