In previous posts I mentioned that sometimes I feel like Belgium is stuck in the 1980's. You can hear '80's music being piped into the metro stations, the random person wearing acid washed jeans and Rick Astley concerts.
Today, I went to De Brouckere, a shopping district in "downtown" Brussels. There is a variety of stores such as H & M, Benetton, Zara and various other clothing stores and speciality shops. When I get homesick I can walk down De Brouckere and pass at least 4 Pizza Huts within a street of each other. At the corner is the Chi-Chi's, the bastion of tex-mex food. Every time my husband and I pass the restaurant, we chuckle because out of all the American chain restaurants imaginable, Brussels has to have a Chi-Chi's. What about the Olive Garden? I think everyone loves Italian food. I am not sure how popular re fried beans and margaritas are here but whenever I see the place, the commercial's jingle- Chi-Chi's, it's a celebration of food plays in my head.
A few months ago, my husband and I were in the car right near the Chi-Chi's when we passed a driver with a wonderful 80's style mullet. I am not sure how stylish mullets are in Belgium or if there are any trailer parks in the area but I always get a kick out of a European sporting a mullet or rat tail. It makes me homesick. For some reason these hairstyles are so American and seeing a European sport when makes me think of greasy fast food, Miller Lite beer and pork rings.
Lastly, I mentioned that the alcohol of choice for most Belgians is beer. Beer is the occasional thirst quencher of police officer, a midday tipple for the bored office worker and choice for vagrants hanging out on the street with the sign, "j'ai faim," (I am hungry) but never I am thirsty "j'ai soif." No one is thirsty because a small can of Jupiler is cheap and has some carbs. However, on Friday, I saw some raggy looking person on the street swigging a bottle of red wine. He must of been French, I thought to myself.
These are just some Brussels' charm.
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