Ever wondered how Belgian you were or could be? For the Belgian National Day, I have made this silly test, which is kind of related to this blog (but hush!)... (This test is scientifically a test, no Googling, no hesitating, and note your answers on a paper.)
1. What's the national dish of Belgium?
A. chips
B. French fries
C. Belgian fries
2. What do you eat them with?
A. mayonnaise
B. ketchup
C. mustard
3. How would you qualify your mother tongue?
A. a majority language
B. a minority language
C. a minority language which is also a majority language
4. What is your favourite drink?
A. wine
B. beer
C. anything else
5. How would you qualify yourself?
A. messy
B. tidy
C. messy but full of compromises
6. How do people qualify your humour?
A. absurd and self-mocking
B. cynical and trash
C. witty and elitist
7. What is a neuske/cuberdon? (Don't Google it)
A. a type of waffle
B. a type of sweet
C. a type of nose
8. What are February and March made for?
A. Valentine's day and St Patrick's day
B. pancakes
C. Carnival
9. As a kid, which one were you waiting for?
A. Santa Claus on 25th December
B. Saint Nicholas on 6th December
C. anything else
10. What do you put in every dish (including sandwiches)?
A. rice
B. aubergine
C. fries
11. Which weather are you most used to?
A. sunny
B. snowy
C. rainy
12. When do you feel proud of your country?
A. all the time
B. never
C. when I'm abroad and/or the national sports team is winning something
13. When not to go shopping?
A. between noon and 2pm
B. late afternoon
C. before Christmas
14. If you have a bicycle, you'd better use it in:
A. the North
B. the South
C. the capital city
15. If you like kissing people to greet them, you'd better not go to:
A. the North
B. the South
C. the capital city
16. Do you know your national anthem?
A. yes, by heart
B. not really, but who cares?
C. I know the neighbour's one better
Check your answers in the comment!
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Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Brussels' messed up identity
No language census has been made in Belgium for around a century, but it is commonly accepted that 20% of Brussels population is made of Dutch speakers and 80% of French speakers (which do not consider themselves as Walloons by the way!) and people can vote for whoever they want at the elections, Flemish or Francophones.
Yet, in 2014, more than 93% of people from Brussels registered themselves as Francophones for the fiscal year, and around the same number is found for pension requests (source: Belga).
French being a more international language due to former colonies around the world, immigration is a factor of "Frenchifying" the territory, in addition to Walloon immigration.
If you happen to live in Brussels, you will probably hear a lot more of Arabic (there is a huge community of people from Maghreb in the capital), Turkish, Spanish, Romanian... and of course English! As for Dutch speakers, they are a few here and there, who usually speak French fluently, so they probably don't think it's that much of a trouble to pick it up officially in administration...
But Brussels culture seems to be based a lot on Flemish culture. For example, last week, Ommegang, which is Dutch means "walking around", was celebrated with a parade in the centre of Brussels. It tells the story of a Virgin Mary statue carried from Antwerp to Brussels and a series of miraculous events associated to it. For the record, it is always funny to see people dressed as Middle Ages knights who have issue getting into a kebab bars with their swords after the parade!
In Brussels, people still like to use Flemish-dialect words as a joke (zinneke, skieve, amai, etc.) but largely speak French and are used to meeting French friends (one hour and a half and you're in Paris). Recently, the commemoration of the battle of Waterloo (which is close to Brussels) was a big event largely covered on TV with reconstitutions as well.
If I could define what it means to be from Brussels (but I can't) I'd say that it is having a double culture and double roots. Brussels picked up French, the language of prestige for a few centuries, before realising that its Germanic roots were important too and that the Dutch-speaking minority should be protected.
People in Brussels know what it means to live in a multicultural and multilingual environment and they're almost blasé of it, by contrast with Walloons, who lift their eyebrows when they hear someone speak English in the street! They know what it means to be in a city by which important people pass and take decisions, and where buying a meal can be expensive. That's what makes them so special, I guess.
Yet, in 2014, more than 93% of people from Brussels registered themselves as Francophones for the fiscal year, and around the same number is found for pension requests (source: Belga).
French being a more international language due to former colonies around the world, immigration is a factor of "Frenchifying" the territory, in addition to Walloon immigration.
If you happen to live in Brussels, you will probably hear a lot more of Arabic (there is a huge community of people from Maghreb in the capital), Turkish, Spanish, Romanian... and of course English! As for Dutch speakers, they are a few here and there, who usually speak French fluently, so they probably don't think it's that much of a trouble to pick it up officially in administration...
But Brussels culture seems to be based a lot on Flemish culture. For example, last week, Ommegang, which is Dutch means "walking around", was celebrated with a parade in the centre of Brussels. It tells the story of a Virgin Mary statue carried from Antwerp to Brussels and a series of miraculous events associated to it. For the record, it is always funny to see people dressed as Middle Ages knights who have issue getting into a kebab bars with their swords after the parade!
Ommegang in Brussels, just walking around...
In Brussels, people still like to use Flemish-dialect words as a joke (zinneke, skieve, amai, etc.) but largely speak French and are used to meeting French friends (one hour and a half and you're in Paris). Recently, the commemoration of the battle of Waterloo (which is close to Brussels) was a big event largely covered on TV with reconstitutions as well.
If I could define what it means to be from Brussels (but I can't) I'd say that it is having a double culture and double roots. Brussels picked up French, the language of prestige for a few centuries, before realising that its Germanic roots were important too and that the Dutch-speaking minority should be protected.
People in Brussels know what it means to live in a multicultural and multilingual environment and they're almost blasé of it, by contrast with Walloons, who lift their eyebrows when they hear someone speak English in the street! They know what it means to be in a city by which important people pass and take decisions, and where buying a meal can be expensive. That's what makes them so special, I guess.
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