Things Seen in Holland
single portion will always satisfy a couple of appetites. Cheese is to be found on the table at all meals, together with ham, rolled smoked beef, gherkins, and preserved ginger. In country localities your host will inform you that his smoked beef is “beef of the cow, not of the horse.” Others may set the latter on the table, but he never does. It is all a matter of faith. In regard to the cutting of cheese, every stranger will have to learn how to perform the operation without cutting himself, and more especially how to avoid disfiguring it, an unforgivable sin in Dutch eyes. The Edammerkaas (Edam cheese), the one with which we are so familiar, must be sliced crossways into transparent slices, but never be dug into or scooped out, for then it ceases to retain its moisture and freshness. In many small places the only food procurable, in addition to eggs, are cheese-
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