#saint-nicholas

[askwhatsforlunch]

Festive Baking

Today is Saint-Nicholas Day, celebrated across Europe, from Germany to France, Belgium to Switzerland and the Netherlands (on the 5th December for our Dutch friends), and thus I reckon it's a good day to start indulging in Festive Baking! My Christmas Pudding is maturing in the dark and won't be revealed until Christmas Eve or Day, but whilst we wait, there is plenty of time for spiced biscuits, crisp meringues, soft saffron brioches or mouth-watering custard tartlets! And you can even bake a batch of vanilla, chocolate or gingerbread bikkies to decorate your tree --we are getting ours this weekend! It's cold outside, and it is a season for being nice to yourselves, your friends and loved-ones, and nothing says "I love you" like a plate of freshly baked little pies filled with the right amount of sultanas and flaky pastry (especially when your girlfriend designed a recipe specially to cater to your moderate appreciation of aforementioned sultanas!) Have fun baking, friends, and even more fun eating these beauties!

 Lebkuchen 

Pastéis de Nata 

 Ava’s Mince Pies 

Saint Nicholas Meringue Mushrooms 

Croissants and Chocolate Croissants 

Cranberry Rolls 

Stained Glass Honey Biscuits 

Apricot, Nut and Seed Florentines 

Chocolate Chip and Caramel Cookies 

Christmas Tree Vanilla Cookies

Salted Caramel Marshmallows 

Homemade Skor Bars

Christmas Tree Chocolate Cookies and Icewine Stained Glass Chocolate Cookies

Lussekatter (St. Lucia Buns) 

Marrons Glacés (Candied Chestnuts)

[badbugs]

[aessential]

Sinterklaas

Perhaps, before screaming racism, people need to do their research. I mean, jesus, before you're proclaiming an entire population to be disgusting racists, you really need to do your research. Or else you kinda are the racist. Here are some theories on Black Pete

Part 1. Black Pete isn't black. He's a muslim. According to the most plausible study on Sinterklaas, Black Pete isn't even black. Because the Sinterklaas tradition comes from spain, Black Pete is probably a muslim. In the spirit of the reconquista, saints like ( and Santiago ) Sinterklaas were put to use as a kind of propaganda, with moors at the saints feet. ( Hans Geybels ) So if we're talking racism, let's get rid of all the saints born during reconquista. Say A, gotta go on to B.

Part 2. Black Pete is black because he climbs down a goddamn chimney to drop the presents for the kids. 

Part 3. Black Pete is, in fact, black. And yes, he was in fact a slave. Sinterklaas bought them as children, and then set them free, offering them the indepenent and self-sufficient job as a help to him. Those crazy kids stayed with him, imagine that.

And a lot of other arguments that you need to consider, before you feel disgusted. Like, are Black Pete and Sinterklaas even human? I mean really, they've been alive for god knows how long. If we take that in consideration, maybe we should also discuss the flying reindeers that need to fly without stopping, carrying all the presents and 'fatty' santa clause. And the elves, working every day of the year, only one day off.

The point that you need to consider, does this festival give a bad impression of black people to children? Does this make my kid sister a racist, for loving Black Pete and Sinterklaas because they give her presents? Does this give her the impression black people are always the servants, or lesser people? 

Like hell it does, she's not being raised that way. The worst that happened was when she saw a black man for the first time ( we live in a small village) on the metro, and she was amazed and in awe. And she sat up a bit more and smiled at him. Because, in her little kid mind, she loved that man. Because to her, he brought her joy, and he was a hero.

Please tell me, what's so bad with that.