First Meal in Breda

November 3, Monday

Minutes before it turned 5pm, Jay and I were already hungry. Especially since we skipped eating our lunch, we were craving something heavy — anything with rice or noodles.

We walked around the town square and found a Japanese restaurant with about a 4.3 Google rating.

The restaurant was empty when we walked in. The female waitstaff greeted us and asked if we preferred …

"Dutch or English?"

Wow! I like it here. Communicating wouldn't be as hard as I imagined.

She seated us nearer the door, by the wall, and gave us a menu with an English translation under every dish.

Jay and I both got ramen—Miso Karaage Ramen for him and Miso Ebi Fry Ramen for me.

We inhaled every morsel and drop of our dinner. It was just so good. 

Bao Ramen Kitchen 

Grote Markt 21, Breda, the Netherlands

With my Hands

While we were on vacation in New Orleans with our children last September, I specifically told Jay that when we're in Breda for his work, he must go if he is invited by his Dutch colleagues to hang out after work.

Well, today is his first day of work here in the Netherlands. 

I woke him up at 6:10 a.m. to become ready to go down for an early breakfast at 7. 

His work starts at 9. It would be a shame if he came in late when his work takes place at the conference room on the first floor of the hotel we're staying at, Hotel Nassau.

I decided to work in the morning in our hotel room. Although all of my online shops are set to vacation mode, I just needed to update information in the spreadsheets.

Oh, let me correct that. "I TRIED to work" was the exact term. 

I've been very sleepy during the daytime here and the opposite of that in the evening. I was too sleepy to even consider getting lunch. I was just too tired to drag myself out of bed.

By 2 p.m., I was starving. I decided to get ramen at FoodHall. It's a 6-minute walk from the hotel.

I got a gyoza ramen, and oh, I made sure I brought my water flask because water isn't served gratis in restaurants. 

I walked back to the hotel after my late lunch, and I took a nap. 

By 4:50ish, Jay sent me a text message that they're heading out for beer at a place called Big Belly Bar and Restaurant, a 4-minute walk away.

Once again, I had no intention of eating dinner. I was simply too exhausted. Just too sleepy to think about what food to get.

By 7 p.m., I finally got out of bed and walked to Bao Ramen Kitchen. 

More than anything, I just wanted to eat with my hands. So, I ordered takeout of their crispy roasted pork belly and a side of rice. 

I couldn't finish it and set it aside. Also, I wished this came with a vinegar dipping sauce.

Jay came back at 7:30 p.m. and said that he didn't have dinner yet. They only had beer and appetizers.

So, I offered him my leftovers. The problem is he's not really keen on eating using his hands, and the takeout didn't come with chopsticks or a disposable spoon and fork. 

And because he had no choice, he also ate with his hands.