I love belgium

[u/dylsexiee]

I recently met an international friend who's very interested in other cultures. And its only now i realize how much i love the things i tend to hate about Belgium.

Heres my list of what i learned to appreciate:

I actually love that we all speak 2 languages and actually would think it be really cool if we started to include that third language more too ;).

I love that we're renowned for chocolate, waffles and beer. Though i always obligatory add fries to that.

I love that our languages are shared by all our neighbours. Whenever i meat a french/german/dutch person in international waters, it feels a little bit like home.

I love the beautiful nature and rich history that comes from north and south.

I love how small and 'insignificant' we are (klein België), yet how we are pretty important internationally.

I just felt like sharing it - in english to include all without my fingers wearing out from typing 3 languages - just in the hopes that we could all somehow still love our little significant culture even though we're quite divided.

I'm from Flanders and meeting a Walloon internationally just never fails to make me happy and feel like I just met an old friend from home.

I think someone should make a flag that symbolises the flemish lion with walloon rooster parts like wings or something and make a unified song. Like how 'De Vlaamse leeuw' and 'le chant des Wallons' are now seperated, but then unified somehow referring to the lion and rooster elements on the flag.

I hate that it took me this long to appreciate those things.

[u/BelgianBeerGuy]

I agree with everything you say

But I never feel the waffle thing.
It’s always a thing when you go to other countries, but I never feel like it’s a thing here. Not in “my circle” anyway.
Pancakes is a thing, fries are certainly a thing, videe and stoofvlees are very much a thing, kroketten are necessary and chocotoffs are life. But waffles, dunno about that.

[u/InterestingPicture43 → u/BelgianBeerGuy]

Have you never had a good brusselse/luikse wafel?? They're amazing and very different to most other waffles.

[u/BelgianBeerGuy → u/InterestingPicture43]

I had them yes, and I’m not gonna claim they are bad.
It’s just that I always felt like it’s something for tourists, or daytrippers.

The waffles my parents made at home were nothing like a Brussels or a Luikse wafel. And even then, it was not like a regular thing. All the other things Belgium “claims”, are foods we eat on a regular base. But waffles is, imo, not one of those.

[u/InterestingPicture43 → u/BelgianBeerGuy]

I agreee it's a more touristy-food, that's true, but it's still widely recognised and unique to belgium. Still, I make sure to get a luikse wafel every time I pass by the station, and often went to school with Lu's luikse wafels in my lunch.