Borrelen in Germany
The Dutch have a custom they call “borrelen”, which to me means socializing on appetizers and drinks, often in the late afternoon (there’s probably a Dutchman out there somewhere who’s ready to provide a more official definition!). I really got attached to this concept when we lived in Holland because it was always one of the most relaxing ways to socialize and was how we spent lots of good times with friends and family.
This weekend Tim and I “borrelled” (forgive my corruption of this Dutch word for my English purposes) on the patio both Saturday and Sunday and it was great, though no one was able to join us. We had some tzatziki sauce and some creamy cheese with fruit bits in it, with some French bread and crackers and also some olives. Yesterday we even broke out some rose champagne, the weather was so good. Talk about feeling decadent, drinking champagne and eating appetizers on a lovely balcony in hot sunny weather!