#4 of Things Ill miss vs. things I look forward to in Portland. Yesterday was all about my son. But todays is all about ichiban--my first son, Dunkel. Kimberley & I may be excited about resuming our Portlandish life, but Dunkel-doo most certainly is not. Dogs are first class citizens here. Not just Amsterdam, but most of Europe. Wherever we go he goes. Buses, trains, cafes. When I go to the butcher, they always offer him some wurst. (He never declines.) All parks are off-lead. There are posts with poop-bags in most green spaces. But the best way to illustrate this is a scene from last spring. Wifey and I took a ride out to the coast for lunch. It was Restaurant Week and a Michelin two-star restaurant, De Bokkedoorns, had a great deal on prix fixe menus (see photo). Permanently in my Top 20 meals. Anyhoo, like classless American fools, we find this place hidden in some dunes and I ask whered be an OK place to tie up the hundje (puppy). Next thing Dunk knows, hes lying under our table having the waiter bring him a water bowl and some scraps of meat. Incidentally, pitbulls are free of the fearmongering they suffer in the US. Patsy wouldve loved it here, God rest her sweet soul. Theres no upside for Dunkaccino, so heres where Ill list one of Americas major upsides: Free Toilets! I admit, this is a bigger feather in Lady Libertys cap for Wifey than myself since men brazenly step off any old footpath in a park and free willy not to mention what I call Pee Spots, think urinal but more like a designated area for urinating onto next to random bridges or bar-heavy intersections. But still, even though a common taped-up sign in America reads, Restrooms are for customers only, they dont charge you 50 cents! Whats with the nicklendiming, Europe? You charge for mayo (or, egads, other sauces for frites) and you charge coffee or tea refills because you have no concept of refills, but the petty collection plate by the toilets needs to go. Maybe that could be Americas motto: Pee Free.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 21:06:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015