Rick Berkelmans

hedof.com

It’s 1861 and you’re leaving home to fight in a war. You have room for one snack in your gunnysack. What do you bring?

Fuet, a Catalan cured, dry pork sausage. Man, those are the best! I’ve read somewhere “fuet” means “whip,” so if my gun fails, I can also use it as a weapon in battle.

It’s 1908 and your dad brings home the first car you’ve ever seen. He tells you to jump in. What snack do you bring on your first car ride?

I’ll bet my dad wouldn’t allow me to eat in the car so I secretly smuggle some Zaanse Drop (a soft kind of sugar-coated licorice) in my pocket.

It’s 1969 and you’re sitting cross-legged on a shag carpet, watching the moon landing on TV. Which snack fills the large plastic bowl in front of you?

Bitterballen with mustard and mayonnaise. Bitterballs are a round, savory, Dutch-meat-based snack. It contains a thick roux of mostly beef, butter and flour and has a crunchy, breadcrumb-and-egg crust. Once deep fried, you can dip them in mayonnaise or mustard and eat them at birthdays, over a drink or as a snack while watching the moon landing.

It’s New Year’s Eve 1999 and the threat of Y2K is looming. Which snack do you use to calm your nerves?

It’s 2014 and you’re writing an email. What are you putting into your face?

Kapsalon, which means “barbershop” in Dutch. Kapsalon is an aluminum container with french fries, shoarma, lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese, which is grilled for a few minutes. After grilling, you add as much garlic sauce as possible. It is officially known as one of the most calorie containing foods and is named after a Rotterdam-based barber who used to order this weird meal every week at his local shoarma restaurant.