Mortsel Local Customs

When we arrived back home from our trip to Barcelona I asked Chibuzor if he would like it to make some African dinner for us?
He made okra and Pounded yam and I am pretty sure I misspelled this...but it sounds like it if you read it.
It is a kind of Spinach like vegetable and a bit sticky with a sort of unbaked bread. You have to eat it with your hands.

Babu, on one of his last days in Belgium joined us for dinner.

On the picture from left to right: Eve (my daughter); Chibuzor; Babu and Steven (my son)

When you visited Mortsel locals you can expect this on your plate.
The famous shaken strawberry tarts.

If you want to make them yourself: Buy some (very delicious) tarts at bakery J. de Castro. Put them in the box at the luggage carrier of your bicycle. Then go as fast as you can for 10 minutes. The result must look something like in this picture.

To assemble them see the next tip........

My neighbour Hilde started several years ago collecting baby-carriages.
Today her collection of prams has grown immense and she possesses some real unique pieces, some of them dating from late 1800ties!

Doing literature research on the topic, she found not much is really published about it.
From the scarce info the got gather together she made a very comprehensive overview of the history of these prams.

More really interesting pictures at my fotki album:

http://public.fotki.com/Irisbe/belgium-1/province_of_antwerp/mortsel/a_remarkable_collection



And here is a request to all who reads this: if you have any items that might add to this collection, pls take contact!
(will provide their e-mail address soon)
Do you know a great location for this collection? Do you want to have it exhibitioned? Get in contact!

This one is Flodderke and she is a female. Now she is a real mice chaser, or was, as I think she considers herself as retired by now.
As we lived in the neighborhood of open fields, she had plenty of space and plenty of mice to chase!
Flodderke adopted us. We met up with her while posting pamflets and she followed us all the way until dead tired she begged to be let in. Could I refuse? She was such a sweet kitten of not yet 7 months old then. She never went away anymore.

View more of the cats at:

http://public.fotki.com/irisbe/belgium-1/province_of_antwerp/mortsel/cats/

Here is another picture of the Chinese naked dog. It is really a very small dog.
But they were nice ones.
I must admitt that I can't find it a really beautiful dog, but it is sure a very special looking dog!
You can be assured of people turning their head when you walk with these ones!

But some people like to have very special ones!
I didn't knew at first what kind of animal this was when this lady past by.
In a glimpse of a view it looked like My Little Poney, but less colourful and not in plastics!

I had to find out!
Well she explained that these were "naked Chinese dogs". One of the most obvious things is that the dog is really hairless, except for a bit on his head, but they also have eyes in 2 different colours.
Pity on this picture you can't see that very well.

KoMo is the organisation that is covering the small business and shops of Mortsel.
Once in a year they block off the main street from traffic (Statielei and partly Antwerpsestraat).
Then there is animation, kind of market, sales etc etc..

You can reassemble the shaken tarts by hand. Be sure to lick your fingers once in a while, as they get very slippery.......

By the way, they tasted great !

Thanks, Dannie!