How many people are lucky enough to wake up one morning and find that a one-kilometre long funfair has been erected just outside their door? The residents of Saint Gilles in Brussels are some such people. Since 1885, a summer fun fair has been set up between Porte de Hal and the Porte d’Anderlecht. While some of the attractions are new, such as the 60-metre tall Stratosphere, many of the traditions are a fascinating fusion of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
The main delicacy at Belgian carnivals is a paper cone full of large hot deep-fried balls of dough, sprinkled with sugar. I was fascinated to learn from Mme Waffle that these treats are known in French as “pets-de-nonne” (nun’s farts). The story goes that in the 1400′s a novice named Agnes at Marmoutier Abbey in France made such a humiliating sound that she accidentally dropped a spoonful of dough into hot fat. The result was a dessert that was light, fluffy, and delicious, and is now found at carnivals throughout Belgium, France, and Germany. Another fun tradition is the “Jeu des Rats” (game of the rats) – now played with guinea pigs. For each round, a limited number of tickets are available for sale, each containing a different list of numbers. Then, the guinea pig is placed in the centre of a large ring. The ring is edged with doors with a number written above it. If the creature runs into a door with your number, you win a prize. We played this game with John and Jay, and we ended up winning an excellent German-made toaster. Now, every time I make toast, I remember our fun evening betting on the ‘pigs.
There are also the standard Ferris wheels and motion-rides. I tried to enjoy my time on the Ferris wheel with Adrian, but the dilapidated state of our pod, along with the very small rusting bolts that seemed to be holding it all together made me so nervous I could not appreciate the view. Another day, Adrian, Jay, John and I all rode the Turbo Polyp together – an octopus-inspired monstrosity that spun me around in entirely too many directions at quite an inappropriate speed. One attraction I did enjoy were the mazes of glass and mirrors – very dense constructions that take a surprisingly long time to navigate, especially for Jay.
Tomorrow afternoon, we pick up the kittens. We still have not decided on names.
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Eeee… very exciting about the kittens. What about Pomme de Terre and Aardappel? I have potatoes on the brain as I just found some pre-mashed potatoes in Carrefour – The Belgian Gods are smiling on me today.
In dutch the nun farts are called “oliebolen” which means oil balls. I think that makes more sense!
Ooh – by now you have the kittens… oh, surely you didn’t leave them alone all day today while you went to work? Did you have any blinds left when you got home? Are their names becoming apparent yet?