A round of applause for the Flemish, if you please

For their marvelous addition to the Wonderful World of All Things Alcoholic. I'll bet you think I'm talking about beer, but nope. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Pudding Shot.



Seriously. It's pudding in a little shot glass with some whipped cream on top. It's alcoholic* and ever so delicious. It came with my meal of asperges op z'n vlaams** (white asparagus in the "Flemish style" (cooked with butter and served with egg and greens)) and potage d'oignon (onion soup, and yes, that one's written in French, not Flemish -- I can't remember the Flemish for onion soup) in a cafe in Brugge, Belgium. Okay, okay, they don't call it a "Pudding Shot" when they give it to you. Actually, they don't call it anything -- they just put it on the table with your meal and act surprised later when you ask what it is. They call it advocaat or, in English, egg liquor.

*Not in the "well there's alcohol in the recipe but then it all gets cooked off" sense, either.

** Isn't "op z'n vlaams" a great phrase?! I love Flemish (and Dutch, which is pretty much the same thing). My sister and I have a theory that Flemish is the funniest language EVER*** and while others have expressed doubts, they have yet to disprove our hypothesis.

*** In writing,**** and if your native language is English. It doesn't sound especially hilarious. Actually, it sounds a lot like American English, only with all the words wrong. Sort of the way Greek sounds like Mexican Spanish with all the words wrong. No, really. Go over there and listen if you don't believe me.

**** For instance, "soap" is "zeep." Zeep! And a Pepsi Max (which is Diet Pepsi in Europe) promised me "Maximum Smaak!" instead of "Maximum Taste." Don't you want to invent new slang and start using the occasional Flemish word for emphasis? Like Chinese on Firefly, only funnier. "No, no, I don't need a whole sprig of parsley there, just a fijngesnipperde."