Available october 5. in all bookstores in The Netherlands and on Tablisto for use on the tablet

Greenberg250 – Who is who in the top of Dutch Business.
The new chair of the Central Bank’s Board of Supervisors – Alexander Rinnooy Kan, is often referred to as the most influential man in The Netherlands. In this issue, he offers his views on politics, Europe and the financial sector.
The Netherlands Film Festival – This year non-Dutch speaking visitors will be able to attend screenings for foreign professionals, as Dutch-language films will be screened with subtitles. The International Correspondent spoke with Netherlands Film Festival director Willemien Aalst.
The voter has spoken – The campaigning was hectic but good humored. Now we’re in the process of putting together a government. Here’s a report on Elections 2012 in pictures.
Theme parks in the Netherlands – In 2011 the 50 most popular tourist attractions drew over 50 million visitors.
From the editor’s desk – The International Correspondent opened the Amsterdam stockmarket. On July 31, our editor in chief was invited to strike the gong that launched that day’s trading.
Introducing – André Krouwel, reluctant patron saint of ‘the new politics’. Andre Krouwel’s kieskompas has become one of the most important instruments for making political choices. It’s now gaining popularity outside The Netherlands as well.

And…

Fashion Jan Boelo (1988) is just an average Dutch guy with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. But, after a stint at Balmain in Paris, he’s been rocking the Dutch scene. | Judaeo Christian Humanist tradition – A quest into the past and present of the Dutch Jewish community. | Merijn Kavelaars prefers to sell his work himself rather than via galleries. Unlike many of his colleagues, he’s good at that. | Education for international understanding – The International Schools in The Netherlands aim to produce ‘enlightened world citizens’. | A guide to the guides. Our book review column examines the various guides to The Netherlands. | Silly Questions about the future of Dutch public broadcasting. | Cocktail culture: The Fabulous Shaker Boys. | How to win friends and influence the Dutch: Our etiquette column.

September’s elections killed a lot of birds with one stone. Extremist parties on the left and right were decimated, consensus politics was restored to the centre of Dutch life, and anti-euro sentiment was put firmly in its place. Sobriety at last.
The media played a major role. It has turned into the king-maker of The Netherlands. We’ve become used to scores of television debates and hundreds of interviews in the run-up to the elections, but the media discovered a ‘new’ tool to raise the heat this campaigning season: election polls. New technology allows researchers to take the pulse of the electorate within hours of a political statement or debate. Polls have, in fact, become a political instrument in themselves.
Thus could Emile Roemer’s advance -after a couple of successful media events in the summer- suddenly dissolve. The SP leader lost nearly half of his support in a mere two weeks. Diederik Samsom, the moderate leader of the social democrats, won dozens of seats instead with a carefully planned media campaign.
Aware of their new power, a lot of media people now have a new purpose: scoring. The infinitely popular talk show Pauw en Wittenman held a series of conversations with political candidates, spiced up with popular cabaretiers. The aim was to slice through the prepared campaign presentations and force a faux pas. ‘Who do you think all the bankers will vote for?’ snapped comedian Theo Maassen at Prime Minister Rutte in one show. ‘Your party, not so? With such supporters you’re partly responsible for creating the crisis.’
In another programme, the candidates had to withstand interrogation by a frustrated crime reporter who seemed more concerned with sharp questioning than getting answers. Not entirely surprising, since this journalist had himself earlier made a futile grab for power. You ask yourself who wants a workweek of over 80 hours as a political leader when it brings with it this kind of hostility. Party programmes and solutions to the crisis were shoved into the background, as were the challenges facing The Netherlands’ economy and Europe. A pity.
Not that the above issues concern politicians alone. Recovery from the crisis and creation of innovative ideas for developing the labour market is also in the hands of managers in the major companies of this country. Hence, together with the recruitment firm Greenberg Nielsen, we present in this issue an overview of the most influential of these managers.

I hope you enjoy reading it,

Floris Müller

Editor-in-chief

Headstrong parliamentarian Geert Wilders is seen by many, or at least by himself, as the ‘successor’ of Fortuyn. His intellect and the way he presents himself are a far cry from the front man of the LPF, but he is successful.

The Dutch political landscape is not easy for foreigners to understand for foreigners. The main reason is the extraordinary number of political parties in Holland, a phenomenon that has only gained importance since the rise and deadly fall of the flamboyant taboo-breaking politician Pim Fortuyn.

His main point is – or actually, was – the islamization of Europe. Nowadays, he profiles himself as the protector of John Doe and his wife, ‘Henk and Ingrid’, who are supposedly being suppressed by a small elite. You’re laughing now? We are too. In this book, Wilders reveals his ‘political ideas’. Whoohahaha

Geert Wilders, Blackstone, € 29.95

Organized group-tours across Europe are enormously popular. Countless Americans, British and Asian tourists engage in voyages that guide them past the tourist attractions Europe has to offer, such as Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel tower in Paris and the ring of canals of Europe’s ‘sin city’; Amsterdam. However one wonders whether these cultural explorers experience the ‘real’ Europe. The International Correspondent invites you along on an alternative tour through 10 extraordinary destinations in Europe in 10 days. The objective is to introduce you to the most deserted, unique, and luxurious and exclusive parts of Europe, reaching every outskirt of our continent, from a Scottish ‘castle in the sky’ to an overnight stay at a historical water tower in Koln. Is it Tuesday today? We must be in Scotland.

‘The Culzean Experience’
Day 1: Maybole, Scotland,
Cost: Single occupancy ranges from €180 (classic) to €300 (de luxe)
Our journey begins at Maybole, Carrick, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland where the ‘Culzean Experience’ awaits us. At the coastline we find ‘The Culzean Castle’, a fairy-tale like fortress on a cliff top. The castle is a national landmark and owned by the National Trust for Scotland. You can explore the deer park, swan pond, miles of woodland walks and adventure playground.

‘Sleeping with the fishes’
Day 2: Stockholm, Sweden
Distance since beginning: 1,100 km
Cost: €400 – €550
Our quest for the extraordinary brings us to the aquatic life of Stockholm, Sweden. Floating atop the serene lake of Malaran we stumble upon a typical red house marking the entrance of the underwater hotel, Utter Inn, sculpted from the unrestricted and ingenious mind of Mikal Genberg. Guests are taken to the Utter Inn by boat, presented with some simple instructions and a polite adieu: “Ha det bra!” before being left alone. You can spend your days sunbathing on the crest of the little red house and spend your nights three meters underwater with panoramic windows in all directions. Truly an invigorating experience a la twilight zone as one finds him or herself in an aquarium, for fish to be beholders of man.

‘Safe & sound in Cologne’
Day 3: Cologne, Germany
Distance since beginning: 2,250 km
Cost: €134 (superior room) – €454 (deluxe suite)
Next stop: the ‘Wasserturm’ in Koln. A historical water tower built into one of Europe’s finest luxury hotels. The Hotel’s exceptional construction presents an exclusive, unique and a one of a kind experience. The unusual exterior is a symbolic message of security, as the official website states: “the form of the tower is a symbol for a kind of refuge, protection and safety that is not confining”. The Wasserturm leaves very little to be desired as it includes a Michelin star restaurant, elegant bars and large function rooms for conferences and such. The ideal place to set up base before going out to seek cultural enrichment in the city of Cologne.

‘Eco chic’
Day 4: Mcely, Czech Republic
Distance since beginning: 2,650 km
Cost: €172 (classic) – €807 (royal)
A special destination on our list is the ‘Chateau Mcely’ in Mcely, Czech Republic. This five-star eco chic chateau provides luxurious accommodation and services for the most demanding and environmentally-aware clients. The Mcely Spa is for healing and relaxation. Take a walk through the well-maintained park surrounding the hotel, a dip in the natural bio-lake, a spot of sunbathing on the white sand beach.

“Finding romance in Dubrovnic”
Day 5: Dubrovnic, Croatia
Distance since beginning: 3,250 km
Cost: €270 (deluxe room) – €1200 (royal suite)
Continuing our trip though Eastern Europe, we find ourselves in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where we will stay at the romantic ‘Villa Dubrovnik’, one of Croatia’s most exclusive boutique hotels. An overnight stay at the Villa guarantees luxury and elegance. The hotel includes executive and conference rooms, a restaurant providing “gastronomical miracles”, a spa and swimming pool “specially designed for your pleasure, privacy and relaxation” and a SkyBar rooftop lounge which will make the stay at Villa Dubrovnik an experience you will cherish for a lifetime.

‘Charming Sardinia’
Day 6: Sardinia, Italy
Distance since beginning: 4,000 km
Cost: €635
The average Japanese or American tourist on a tour though Europe will never come across the ‘Calpa Di Volpe’ Hotel on the island of Sardinia. It is located at the Porto Cervo. The surroundings of the hotel are sculpted in the tradition of a Mediterranean fishing village, containing the grid of towers, porches and terraces. The ‘Calpa di Volpe’ provides the ideal vacation, set among the sea, sun, shopping and going out to the best restaurants and nightclubs of the coast.

‘Land of the Basques’
Day 7: Pamplona, Spain
Distance since beginning: 5,000 km
Cost: €113.83 (classic) – €208.39 (suite)
We progress towards the ‘land of the Basques’, where we will stay at the Palacio Guandulain in Pamplona. The hotel, thriving on the charm of emblematic 18th century architecture, is decorated with an inner courtyard, gastronomic restaurant, and show cases an extraordinary horse carriage built in the 18th century commemorating the roots of Palacio Guandulain. While the average tourist is running from the bulls, you can observe the spectacle from your deluxe 4 star hotel room sipping on a glass of Pamplona’s finest wine. The Palacio Guandulain mixes luxury and comfort with affordability.

‘The essence of south Portugal’
Day 8: Alentajo, Portugal
Distance since beginning: 5,750 km
Cost:€280 (sky view suite) – €575 (land view suite)
Our next stop is the L’AND vineyards in Southern Portugal, in the heart of the ‘Alentejo’ countryside. This luxury wine resort offers serviced residential accommodation incorporating a wine cellar and a wine club. It is the ultimate sabbatical for the wine connoisseur. The accommodations include 22 suites and a selection of villas and townhouses built in a contemporary Mediterranean style. The resort truly captures the essence of southern Portugal, the tranquility and sophistication. If you are like me, and love to lose yourself in a clear star spangled sky, L’AND Vineyards offers you this experience from the comfort of a king-size bed. The 10 luxury sky view suites allow the complete opening of the roof, presenting a unique sky experience.

“Perfection at the Côte d’Azur”
Day 9: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Distance since beginning:7250 km
Cost: €135
No tour through Europe is complete without a taste of French culture, and when in search of luxury there is only one place to go: the Côte d’Azur, more specifically, Monte Carlo, Monaco. Monaco offers an endless array of activities from inner city hot spots, such as clubs and casinos, to the coastal experience. A recommendation for accommodation, just something to ponder about, is the La Roquebrune hotel. A stay at the ‘Chambre L’horizon’ offers a stunning view of the French Riviera.

“The beauty of historic Bruges”
Day 10: Bruges, Belgium
Distance since beginning:8000 km
Cost: €185 – €550
We wrap up our trip with a visit to the Hotel de Tuilerieën in Bruges, Belgium. Admitted to the list of small luxury hotels of the world, de Tuilerieën prides itself on the decorative philosophy of the beauty of historic Bruges. The hotel is a strikingly elegant 15th-century noble residence overlooking one of the Bruges’ most stunning canals, the ‘Den Dyver’, located in the city centre. The hotel strives for excellence by providing an indoor pool, massage facilities and a gourmet restaurant. The décor includes an impressive collection of antiques, portrait paintings, crystal chandelier and classic furniture.

Germany is increasingly taking the lead in the handling of the euro crisis…and critics are raising the usual fears of German domination. But, according to Mark Maathuis, there’s no other solution. Germany’s impressive economic management can be the engine to pull the entire continent out of the doldrums. The country seems to have come to terms with its decades-old dilemma, while developing into Europe’s economic powerhouse. And despite national and international criticism, the country is no longer afraid to take international responsibility, a development Holland -above all- should welcome.

It can be read all over Europe’s major headlines: Germany is taking over the EU. German opposition to a greater role for the European Central Bank and a common euro zone debt issuance has raised eyebrows in London and Paris. With their attachment to firm budget discipline, Germans are once again being portrayed as narrow-minded Prussian followers of orders. Especially in Greece – the country most desperate for European cash. Greek magazines run cartoons showing Germans in Nazi uniforms –with euro signs instead of the swastika – robbing poor Greeks. At demonstrations, people carry signs portraying chancellor Angela Merkel in a brown shirt with a Hitler moustache.
In less obvious ways, more eloquent voices are uttering the same sounds. Since its reunification and the shift of its capital back to Berlin from Bonn, diplomats, international observers and foreign correspondents claim, Germany is less focused on Europe and more on its own interests. And thanks to its robust economy, the crisis is said to offer the federal government a perfect excuse to impose its economic views on the rest of the continent. This criticism isn`t only coming from outside. Shortly before business and political leaders met in Davos this year at the World Economic Forum, former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt reminded his countrymen of their past. At a SPD party conference Schmidt said that Germany should try everything not to upset others.
‘If we let ourselves be seduced into taking on a leading role in Europe, our neighbors will brace themselves against us.’ He also urged his audience to help out debt-stricken euro zone partners. ‘We need to show heart towards our friends. And that is especially the case for Greece.’ Calling the German government’s attitude during the crisis ‘national muscle-flexing’, Schmidt stressed his long held view that because of its ‘terrible and unique historic burden Germany could not be a normal country in the foreseeable future’. While he might be right about that, it might not be in the way he thinks. After all, in times of crisis, shouldn’t one look for something extraordinary?

‘Please, Germany, let us lend you money’ -investors

Although most of the world has been shaken pretty hard by years of housing bubbles, bailouts and piles of worthless debts, the German economy is still the biggest in Europe and the fifth largest in the world. In 2009, Germany exported 750 billion euros in goods and services, making it the world’s second largest exporter; last year exports surpassed the trillion-euro level. And for anybody still longing for normalcy in these times of billion-dollar bail outs: after a German auction was oversubscribed 3.8 times, the average interest rate amounted to minus 0.01 percent. So investors were actually paying to lend Germany money –something the German Finance Agency said ‘has never happened before.’
These impressive numbers followed a package of stimulus and stabilization efforts starting in 2008, when the country was going through its deepest recession since World War II. These measures not only helped reduce the unemployment rate to its lowest since 1990 (7.1 percent, well under the euro zone average of 10.3 percent) but also caused Germany’s budget deficit to drop below the EU’s 3% limit. And remember, these were being implemented while the country was still paying the bill for reunification: in 2008 annual transfers from west to east – where unemployment can still easily exceed 20 percent – amounted to some 12 billion euros.
Key for this success was the focus on addressing high unemployment and low average growth and a balanced budget – and when it comes to dealing with the European crisis, Merkel wants to use this same approach. Opponents don`t consider this as ‘learning from each other’s experiences’, but rather as a hostile takeover. Thus, when Merkel recently told the German daily, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, that ‘it is the great task of the coming years to move forward on the path of a political European union’, they don`t see Germany showing necessary leadership in times of crisis, they see an economic Blitzkrieg.

Germany`s existential dilemma

Though it is hardly the first time that postwar Germany has been accused of wanting to rule Europe, things are different this time, thanks to Germany’s coming to terms with an existential dilemma that has been puzzling the country since the foundation of the first unified Germany in 1870. As the center of Europe, and on its way to becoming frontrunner on economic, technical, cultural and military issues, the newly-founded German empire had to ask what its ambitions were: a German Europe or a European Germany? Led by its first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, the country transformed itself into a nation-state that created a balance of power on the European continent in the process. Despite the wealth, knowledge and ambition that came with actually being Europe’s Number One, Bismarck was only too aware of Germany`s vulnerable position. Crammed in between France and Russia, the soldier-turned-politician realized war on the continent could not be won and was therefore never in Germany`s interest. So he kept fighting with the political and military elite against overambitious plans, while at the same time keeping ordinary German workers happy so they wouldn’t turn to communism. Unfortunately, Bismarck’s balancing act was jettisoned after 20 years of peace and prosperity when, with the arrival of Kaiser Wilhelm II and later Hitler, a German Europe was given a try. It`s hardly surprising that, after 1945, a European Germany became the more popular option among survivors.
In order to co-operate with a post war Europe, both Germanys had to come a long way to regain the trust of their neighbours. For West Germany, this resulted in partnerships that sometimes favored partners. The European Coal and Steel Community, for example, was more beneficial economically for the other countries involved. Despite that, the German economy boomed, making Wirtschaftswunder an international word and West Germany a respected member of the international community. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall – when West German chancellor Helmut Kohl pushed through German reunification despite international pressure not to – Germany dared to go head to head with European partners. This coming-of-age process of the reunited Germany hit new dimensions when Kohl’s successor, Gerhard Schröder, took a sensitive step and – for the first time since World War II – sent German soldiers into combat action in Kosovo. And with Germany’s willingness to take the lead today’s crisis, the country has turned a new page.

No Fourth Reich

Above all Holland, with its economy so dependent on Germany (See box), should welcome this development instead of listening to idiotic warnings about the coming of the Fourth Reich. This is nothing other than Europe’s biggest and most healthy economy assuming its responsibility. Nor was the removal of Silvio Berlusconi and George Papandreou – in which Merkel as well as their other European colleagues played an important part– some sort of economic Anschluss. If anything, Merkel’s new Italian colleague, economist Mario Monti, will follow Germany’s steps more closely than was ever the case during Berlusconi’s days.
And proposing harsh deficit regulations isn`t your typical Befehl ist Befehl attitude either. With the Greek drama in mind, it`s the only logical step Europe can take. This crisis has been made possible by omissions in the Maastricht Treaty, which didn`t create supranational instruments to handle financial misconduct. This had to be resolved one day. It might as well be now. Or does anyone prefer to do things the ’normal’ way and wait for the usual European outcome? If not, get used to a new kid on the block taking care of business.

Germany propels Dutch economy

When you examine Germany’s economic position, it becomes clear how much Dutch well-being is tied to Germany. The intensity of the economic relations between the two countries is surpassed only by the economic relations between the US and Canada. In 2010, trade between Germany and Holland totaled 132 billion euros, making Holland Germany’s second most important trading partner and Germany Holland’s principal market. Dealings with Germany account for nearly two-thirds of the Dutch trade balance surplus. Exports to our eastern neighbor make up nearly a quarter of Holland’s total exports. The port in Rotterdam handles more goods for Germany than all German ports combined. In 2010, the port recorded a record cargo-handling volume of 430 million tons.
Seen in this light, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s visit to the British Prime Minister David Cameron in London last November, just days before he travelled to Berlin, wasn`t a particularly smart or diplomatic move. Not only is the UK still using its own currency, but Cameron, like most of his fellow cabinet members, has been very critical of Europe. So why go to London if any real solution to the euro crisis lies in Berlin? More importantly: Germany cannot move without influencing Holland. So if Holland is looking for a way to come out of this crisis as unscathed as possible, it’s best to keep up with Germany as much as we can. The Dutch economy catches a cold if the Germans sneeze.
Not that German is expected to start doing that any time soon. The Fortune Global 500 lists 37 companies headquartered in Germany; among them such usual suspects as Volkswagen, BASF and Adidas. Even more impressive than their size is the companies’ variety. From pharmaceuticals like Bayer and Merck, to the retail big shots, Aldi and Lidl, and banking and finance institutions like Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank. Combined with other global giants, such as T-Mobile, Hugo Boss and Porsche, it’s easy to see what’s driving international demand for German goods, especially when a weak euro is keeping these products cheap and therefore more competitive. Not surprisingly, Merkel’s approval rating has been boosted by her handling of the euro area debt crisis, making her Germany’s most popular politician for the first time in almost two years.

Around the turn of the century, the well-read social scientist, writer and politician Pim Fortuyn (1948-2002) dropped a political bomb in The Hague. As leader of his own right-wing party LPF, he justly criticized many prominent politicians for their failure to address certain problems in Dutch society.

The Dutch political landscape is not easy for foreigners to understand for foreigners. The main reason is the extraordinary number of political parties in Holland, a phenomenon that has only gained importance since the rise and deadly fall of the flamboyant taboo-breaking politician Pim Fortuyn.

Fortuyn fulminated against the large number of Muslim immigrants who pooled their social security checks to build mosque after mosque next to our windmills, all facilitated by the Dutch government. Holland had slowly but steadily become Little Morocco and Fortuyn did not like what he saw. Many compatriots agreed, so the LPF led the polls. Fortuyn was on his way to become the new prime minister of the Netherland until he was shot by an imbecile who didn’t agree with his ideas. Writer Ian Buruma clarifies how Fortuyn and his ideas became the leading force in The Hague and explains why his influence is still felt today, both in Dutch and European politics.

Ian Buruma, Penguin Books, € 16.00

East meets west in Mochi – an unexpected culinary hot spot tucked away on the Mallemolen in the trendy Denneweg section of The Hague. With a menu combining South American and Japanese influences, Mochi is as fun and distinctive as its name. Owner and chef Patrick Buyze is a Dutch native who studied throughout Asia and is married to Colombian-born Lissette Parra, the restaurant’s maitre d’ and sommelier. The menu is an extension of their cultural leanings. But you can’t go to Mochi with preconceived ideas. Every evening is a parade of 10 to 12 dishes pulled together by the chef to delight your taste buds and challenge your notion of ingredient combinations. One evening you may find grilled eel with seaweed, cucumber and bonita followed by a sirloin with braised winter melon, citrus and Japanese chanterelles. Even the classic Dutch frikadel, one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, gets a make-over – this one made with white fish, Balinese spices and Japanese curry sauce. And with no set menu, the wait staff are eager to accommodate personal preferences. The plating, too, is a feast for the eyes – creative, inventive and downright fun. Fusion food can sometimes be more flash than favor, but at Mochi you won’t only be surprised by the original marriage of Latin with Asian cuisine – you’ll actually enjoy it.

Mochi
Mallemolen 12a, Den Haag
www.mochirestaurant.com

The Dutch political landscape is not easy for foreigners to understand for foreigners. The main reason is the extraordinary number of political parties in Holland, a phenomenon that has only gained importance since the rise and deadly fall of the flamboyant taboo-breaking politician Pim Fortuyn.

This booklet can be seen as a much slimmeddown version of Andeweg and Irwin’s treatise. The publisher was financed by the Dutch govern-ment, so the information might be a little biased; that’s probably the reason why the name of the author is not disclosed.

ProDemos, € 10.00

For tourists, there’s the museums. But expats resident in The Netherlands will be expected to display insider knowledge of the country’s current culture when they return home. Beverwijk’s Black Market beckons. t o me, the black market is a journey through time and space. There, I feel like Marco Polo discovering the riches of far-flung lands and peoples, the immense diversity of Planet Earth’s extreme ecosystems.
Take pine nuts, for example. Standard gourmet fare nowadays. Do you know they come in myriad colours and varieties with myriad flavour nuances? I didn’t, till I stood before a stall run by Afghan refugees. So many other kinds of nuts in so many diverse shapes and sizes… as nature devised tough genes for that tough terrain. So many varieties of dried fruit, as Homo Sapiens conserved calories for the harshest of times. Apricots, plums, figs, dates, long, translucent, pale-green raisins… And everything more tasty than the cultivated species you get in the supermarket. ‘Wow!’ you think, as you bite into a giant walnut. It’s golden-brown, echoing the colour of honey, with spreading wings like a butterfly. The flavour is sweet and subtle, not dusty and bitter like those you buy elsewhere. This is a treasure trove for chefs. Cranberries glisten like gems on the stalls, juicy and plump, not shrivelled and contorted. Red peppercorns are in heaps of gleaming vermillion pearls, not imprisoned in miniscule jars with exhorbitant prices. Bunches of green peppercorns on the stem… fresh!
The Beverwijk Bazaar, as it is officially called, started in the 1970s when Turkish migrants gathered on Saturdays to sell carpets from their car trunks without giving unto the Caesars in the tax office what was due unto Caesars. In the eighties, it expanded onto 52 hectares. Now it attracts 50,000 visitors per weekend and claims to be the largest covered market in Europe. But it’s not its size that makes it more exciting than, say, London’s Brixton Market. It’s its depth, the cultural roots that spawned this collection of products from places and peoples of myth and legend. In this little town just north of Amsterdam, you depart the neat, flat, green, ordered polders of The Netherlands, and enter the fervent bustle of half-made societies, where the modern and the ancient communicate joyously in the language of trade. If you want the latest computer gizmo at a knockdown price, Beverwijk is the place. If you want fashion, ditto. Outlets jostle with rare spices in a tumult of abundance that is a tribute to the genius of the human race.

A metaphor for today ’s global economy

Let’s face it, though. Your first impression in Beverwijk is Kitsch. You never imagined so much gilt existed on so many cheap dinner sets, so many chandeliers and so much plastic… unless you’ve been in Istanbul, the conjuncture of East and West, where Asia meets Europe in a welter of style, colour and neon. The black market is actually a scale model of the expat manager’s operating milieu. Not for the chi-chi, who prefer to wait till masterchefs discover products in far-flung villages of the globe and serve them up on crisp white table-cloths with crystal. It’s for the discoverer who steps out of her comfort zone without the stamp of approval from trend-setters, a temple to the entrepreneural spirit.
As you enter, you are assaulted by Young Turks, professional naggers who want you to eat at their restaurants, as thick on the ground as business coaches on the internet, and as bewildering. They all claim their shoarmas are The Real Thing. But they are. The shoarmas here are not the dried-up geriatrics of Amsterdam. They are huge chunks of fresh Turkish bread dripping with halal lamb. Shoarma for afficionados. This is a nursery for business. Here, a 28-year-old investment manager with two bachelors degrees sells Afghani goods on weekends to other Afghanis. A text-book example of leveraging networks and cultural capital. You don’t want to be a wage-slave? You want to build a business but don’t have connections and euros? Use what you’ve got. Lakshmi Mittal left the deserts of India’s Rajasthan and is now the richest man in Britain.

Europe’s past and future are present

Behind the counter of one stall is a 14-yearold boy whose father gave him money at age 12 to travel by car, boat and foot to escape the hell-hole called Helmand province. ‘Do you miss your family?’ you ask. ‘I’m in contact with them a lot,’ he replies, without a hint of self-pity.
His journey via Iran, Turkey and Greece, to northern Europe echoes that of western civilisation itself, which began in Iraq and developed its root-language around Turkey before moving northwards. This whole market is a museum of European history, with its iconic Arab trader. Its foods may be exotic to the modern consumer, but they starred in our literary tradition before we discovered the Americas and got spoilt on potatoes and corn.

‘Which of these dried figs have the best flavour?’

A customer studies the mind-boggling varieties of figs, dates and olives on offer. The vendor points to the ugliest figs, and you recall Jesus cursing the fig tree and John the Baptist surviving for his forty-day-and-night passion in the desert on figs and locusts. How many varieties of olives are there, for goodness sake? Pommegranates are split open on fruit stalls so you can taste their seeds. They evoke the Greek myth of Persephone eating six pommegranate seeds from the king of the underworld, thus condemning Europe to six months of winter every year.

Rice in endless variety

Breadfruit is being sold by a Tamil trader. It’s what led to Mutiny on the Bounty. Captain Bligh went to fetch the amazingly calorie-producing plant called breadfruit fromTahiti so slaves could be fed in Caribbean colonies and produce sugar to fuel Europe’s 17th century development. Bligh’s mission got interrupted by the Mutiny. The breadfruit’s value to the world food industry is still in the future. But that’s only a matter of time. As TS Eliot put it, ‘Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future’. The wrinkled little curcuma roots being sold in Beverwijk are a basis for cosmetics to come. Scheherazade’s descendants buy them as a beauty product and the Indians are turning them into a commercial product. This ‘black’ market is not only a museum but a map to the future.

A launch pad for business

Owner and manager of the Beverwijk Bazaar, Suzanne Tromp-Van Kampen, grew up on this market. In the early 1980s, her father set up a little flea market on the site of the former flower market in Beverwijk. Within 30 years it had turned into a phenomenon both in The Netherlands and far outside it. Suzanne took over control of the company three years ago.
The Beverwijk Bazaar now has over 2,000 tenants selling goods in 10 halls. Tromp-Van Kampen therefore accommodates more retailers than the nearby municipality of Haarlem. But neither she nor her father has ever got much co-operation from the government. ‘They’ve always tried to get us out of here,’ she says. ‘But they never succeeded.’
The cause of this enmity with Beverwijk’s municipal authorities is simply the market’s name. The Black Market suggests tax evasion. ‘But nothing illegal ever took place here,’ Suzanne maintains. ‘The name was just chosen because it had mystique. Everyone wants to check out the black market. The name has panache.’
Socialites from surrounding ritzy neighbourhoods are among the 2.5 million visitors that visit the market every year looking to snatch a bargain or just have a day out. Suzanne refuses to disclose how much the market earns each year. She says only that every visitor spends roughly 40 euros. That amounts to approaching 100 million each year. And it doesn’t include the 2.50 entrance fee for the Eastern Market.
The Beverwijk Bazaar has always been an international space. Turks, Moroccans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians and Arabs thread their way amongst each other. But the market’s owners have chosen to keep the different nationalities in different halls. The Turkish Market, for instance, which was begun in the 1980s, has remained the locale for Arabic goods.
‘The cultural differences are too big. Arabs trade differently from Dutch people. I was afraid of losing all my Dutch traders if we didn’t keep them separate.’
A Chinese pavilion was set up a few years ago, but it didn’t really take off. The Chinese prefer to control their own market, says Tromp-Van Kampen. She’s planning to open a new hall next year totally dedicated to eating spaces.
Tromp-Van Kampen regards her bazaar as a hatchery for new retail business in The Netherlands. ‘You can rent a table for less than 20 euros per day,’ she says. ‘If it is successful, you can get a stand for a couple of months, and after that a shop for longer.’
Each month nearly 30 new entrepreneurs try their luck at the market.
‘Once they’re successful here, they often open a shop elsewhere in the country. The Beverwijk Bazaar can be the launching pad for a very lucrative business.’

Last year the unique Amsterdam-based dessert restaurant Sucre moved from a small spot on the Amstelveenseweg to a monumental building in the Hobbemastraat. Lots of things changed at the same time. But one thing stayed the same. Chef Peter Scholte still does what he is best at: creating tastebud- blowing desserts.

A restaurant with a menu composed of only desserts. That was what Peter Scholte dreamed of for years. But, usually, dreams don’t come true out of the blue. So, till he thought he was ready to open his own place, Scholte travelled the world working for some of the greatest chefs and learning the tricks of the trade. Then, in 2008, inspired by the Espai Sucre restaurant in Barcelona, he opened his own dessert restaurant in Amsterdam. ‘That was something unheard of in The Netherlands at that time, and some people were really pessimistic about our chances of survival’, he says whilst selecting fresh ingredients for a dessert. ‘In the beginning guests came out of curiosity. But the word spread that our desserts were definitely worth trying and slowly we gathered a loyal following. Up to ten desserts wasn’t a problem for some of our regulars.’ But what is the secret behind Scholte’s desserts? He is crystal-clear about it. ‘My desserts are so much more than only sweetness! All desserts consist of sweet, sour, salt and bitter ingredients. The bitter element could be a touch of orange, the sweet part the bottom of caramelised cheesecake, the sour ingredient marinated raspberries and the salty element the salt in the filo dough. With that I create a complex taste bud experience.’
Asked where he gets his inspiration to create a dessert, Scholte says that at the moment he is totally inspired by the American hype for desserts in a specific colour. ‘We serve them in white, purple, yellow, black and green and I really like it! And not just for the good looks’.
He shows me the tropical ingredients that make his yellow dessert: mango, passion fruit and ginger. Apple and pistachio form the main components in his green dessert, for the purple one he uses blackberries and lavender and the black one consists of chocolate, black sesame and espresso.
Scholte emphasizes that he likes this way to compose desserts. ‘It also gives me the opportunity to mix classical French cooking with influences from other parts of the world. Needless to say what I learned while working at elBulli plays an important in it. Like the nuance of textures: I like to play with that in desserts.’ Patisserie ‘marks’ Although, at the beginning, the majority of his clientele just chose a dessert, later on more and more guests asked for normal dishes. ‘And yes, my main dishes are strongly influenced by the way I do desserts. I like to use sweet, often forgotten vegetables like salsify and parsnip’.
In the same way he started doing starters. ‘I like the one with lobster with a sweetsour mango chutney and a foam made from lemon grass and ginger. I think it is a good example of a starter with lots of patisserie ‘marks’ on it.’
Over the years the menu of Sucre kept growing. Not surprisingly, the restaurant on the hectic Amstelveenseweg became way too small and it was time to move on to something bigger. So last year Sucre opened up in a monumental building on the Hobbemastraat, just around the corner from the glitzy PC Hooftstaart. The building that in the past housed the prestigious but surprisingly short-lived Vossius restaurant of Robert Kranenborg. ‘This building made it possible to enlarge my dream,’ says Scholte. ‘Now you can choose between the low key loungy sitting room where we serve desserts or you can have a high tea with a ‘dessert’ twist, or just have a cocktail after work. The restaurant on the second floor caters for guests who come for a full dinner. But if you’re in for a quick coffee –some say the best organic coffee in townor ‘take away’ a freshly made dessert you go to the small shop next door. Did this change the way Scholte is cooking? ‘Not at all. I still do everything with the special Scholte dessert touch!’

SUCRE
Hobbemastraat 2, Amsterdam,
020-4701910
www.sucrerestaurant.nl

Course menu: € 69,-
Desserts from: € 7.50
3-course lunch from: € 25,-
High tea: € 22 ,- p.p.