Can You Say Poffertjes?

Don't worry, most people can't. Please allow me to enlighten you on this delightful word... Poffertjes basically look like little silver dollar pancakes, but they're a little different batter, thus a little sweeter. They are served with powdered sugar and strawberries.
.
Where, you may say, can I consume such a treat? Well, I'll tell you... at the three-day annual Tulip Time festival in Pella, IA. Iowa? Do people actually live there? I thought it was just pigs & corn! No, my friend, people actually live here. Native Iowans are always saying, "Is this Heaven? ... No, it's Iowa." (you should totally know the movie). I am a transplant to Iowa (please don't ask ... how God moved me from Florida to Iowa must be left to another post another day), but I must admit, it is a pleasant place - not in the winter.
.
Pella-kins (yes, that's what I said) are very proud of their Dutch heritage. How Dutch are they? The "V" section of the phone book is the largest of any I've ever seen! Most people in this town have a two or three part last name. To fit in, my friend and I made up our own Dutch last name comprised of several pre/post sections of some common Dutch surnames.
.
Behold, I introduce to you the Van de Versmaa's! It's actually much longer than that, but we cut it down for time's sake.
.
Okay, on to Tulip Time:
.
Each year, the town-folk (I completely cracked myself up for writing that) dress in Dutch costumes reflective of the provinces from whence their ancestors hailed and celebrate all that is Dutch. There is much wool and lace involved in these costumes. There are goofy hats and wooden shoes (called klompen). There are over 80,000 Tulips planted in the Autumn with the anticipation of blossoming just before the festival begins. There are parades that include floats, bands from neighboring towns, and bands from other Dutch communities in Iowa AND other states. There are songs filling the air with the lovely choking sounds of the Dutch language. (It's not that bad, but it's not a very "pretty" language). There is a huge working windmill, and a klokkenspel [umm ... klok-en-schpeel] - which is a cool town clock complete with music & figurines that play on the hour every three hours during the day (every day-time hour during Tulip Time!).
.
There is a Tulip Court, complete with a high school senior Queen and her four ladies of the Court. They are voted for back in December. They are required to have good grades, talent, and be well-spoken. They must not be shy, because they will spend the next year touring the state and educating people on the history of the Dutch coming to Pella so as to promote Tulip Time.
.
People pour in from all over the United States. Over 100,000 people pass through our little town of 10,000 during these three days. West Market Park is filled with "craft" vendors in white tents, hoping you'll buy their stuff. Central Park (on the Square) is filled with tourists stopping to take a picture of each bed of tulips. "I know we already got a picture with some yellow tulips, but that was in a different park." Crowds. Trash.
.
The crowds wouldn't bother me too much if it weren't for the trash. You see, I like this lovely little town. There is a Dutch-front building code. There are some brick-laid streets. The streets literally get cleaned every so often by a large street cleaning vehicle of some sort. The parks are well cared for. At Tulip Time, a two block stretch of the square is actually "washed" in preparation for each afternoon and evening parade. Anyone in the community in a Dutch costume that wants to can line up to help. The men get a yoke with a bucket hanging off of each side. There are water troughs lining the two blocks. The children and women get street-scrubbing brooms, and off they go down two blocks washing the street because we like 'em clean around here!
.
It is fun. The best thing about Tulip Time? The food! It's everywhere, and most stands are organizations like school sports teams or churches. There are many things to try! There are standards like burgers, hot dogs, and such; but there are things I'd never heard of before I moved here. In my humble opinion, you can't miss out on the pastries whether at a stand or one of the two bakeries in town. The Dutch definitely have a sweet-tooth ... which is I why I'm going to try to stay away from the square this year (I just lost 5.5 lbs, yay me, but I don't want to gain it back in one weekend!). I may not spell them correctly, but here are a few of my favorite things to eat:
.
Poffertjes [pahf-er-geez] - a sweet, small "pancake" (don't call them pancakes - the Dutch get very upset at that because they are a slightly different batter - people stand in line for 20 minutes for a plate of 12 of these things ... my friend wanted to open a Tulip Time stand and call it "Giant Poffertjes" ... and serve Bisquick pancakes! - that cracks me up!)
.
Stroopwaffels [strrope-wah-fuhls] - extremely thin round waffle-type thing with a delicious carmel-y syrup inside - set them over a warm drink to melt the inside
.
Dutch Letters - all things almond! If you like light, flaky, sweet pastries and almond paste, then you'll love Dutch Letters! It's called "letters" with an "s", but there really is only one letter you'll find ... an "S" :)
.
It's kind of a bizarre festival, I suppose, but it really is beautiful. Here's a link to the town http://www.pella.org/. It's fun to live in a town of people who like things clean and care about the community. It's nice to live in a town that's relatively safe. It's not perfect, no place is, but it's definitely pretty. Plus, the Lord has blessed me with really good friends and church family here.
.
Now, if only those stroopwaffels didn't have my name on them ...
.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

.