The Socialist Party headquarters, built in the same period as "Vooruit" In a convenience-driven society where everyone holds a takeaway coffee or milk tea, only with the ideal of zero waste can we move forward and imagine. After finishing the first intellectual workday of the year, I embrace the challenges of the new year with great anticipation! Looking at my to-do list for the year ahead, it is more challenging than last year's; I hope to make good use of my fragmented commuting time to exchange notes on my nonprofit green work, and on the struggles of immigrant mothers' lives, with netizens in "Waffle Baroque" and the Chinese-speaking world.
Note 1: Don't misunderstand, it has nothing to do with Taiwan, China's Evergreen Group; its full name is Ethisch Vegetarisch Alternatief (Ethical Vegetarian Alternative). The "meat-free day," known to a growing share of Belgium's Dutch-speaking population, will kick off next month in 2016. If you are interested in making a vegetarian version of the traditional Belgian dish stoverij/carbonade flamande, see the recipe.
Note 2: Belgium's pork processing industry has high output; besides domestic sales, it also exports to other European countries, and in recent years has been actively opening up the Chinese market.
Note 3: The ground-floor "Vooruit" cafe serves meals and drinks and is a great, affordably priced place for our family to eat during family outings in Ghent; the organic beer it sells is worth a visit for friends who like distinctive Belgian beers.
