My Favorite Belgian Television Show
Belgians will not be impressed, but my current favorite (Belgian) television show is something called Komen Eten, which translates to “come eat”. I believe it was originally a British television program and VT4 has adopted the format and moved it to Flanders (not Wallonia, mind you…basically almost anytime I use the word “Belgian”, I’m using it interchangeably with Flemish, unless otherwise stated. Seriously, they might as well be two different countries. Picture the North and the South circa 1850, being held together by an umbilical called Washington D.C. and that’s the current state of the country…well except that the Africans in Belgium are here by choice).
What it is is a show where 4 different “contestants” host and cook a dinner at their home for the other 3 contestants. Each person makes a menu and on their night they cook and decorate the table nicely for everyone else. Simple, right?
Yes! Very simple! A nice 40 minute show where I get to see different recipes, hear different dialects and learn some new expressions and words both conversationally and food wise. It’s a very visual show, which helps me to understand as well. It’s so much easier, for me anyway, to follow the contestants as they shop, cook, look around their host’s house and then rate the evening and food as opposed to watching something like Terzake, which is usually a bunch of people (intelligent people, usually) sitting around a table discussing current events, which is a good thing, don’t get me wrong, it’s just very hard for me to follow a show that gives no visual cues on the topic being discussed. Plus the vocabulary is also a bit beyond my current word bank and while I have an easy time learning kitchen vocabulary, I definitely have a harder time absorbing the Dutch words for “nuclear fission” or “circumvented despot.”
Here’s a little excerpt from one of the episodes of the show. I doubt most of you will understand it, but maybe you can see, between the subtitles and the slower talking how I can actually relax and enjoy watching this show as opposed to getting a migraine trying to follow it.
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Come Dine With Me is the English version of this show. It was actually one of my favourites back home as it was on every evening when I got home from work. I have been known to watch four hours of it in a row when staying with my mum. The celebrity ones are the best – the model, Caprice, had half naked women swimming in a tiny pool as entertainment. Very odd.
I can totally understand why you like watching this. Not only do you get to listen to more understandable language but you also get to listen to the contestants bitch about each other (if it’s anything like the UK show). I wish the Walloons did a version. I did spot Monk in French the other day but it’s not quite the same.
I love watching it, but unfortunately I forgot this evening, and I won’t be home tomorrow either!!
I think it’s a great way to learn Flemish. You know what else I was thinking this afternoon?
Why don’t you read magazines, like Flair or Libelle? Or the paper, is that too hard for you?
I knew food was universal!
I’ve been studying Spanish and people are always telling me to watch Spanish telenovas. I read kid’s books in Spanish, I have to say I’m learning a lot
damn , I just commented and while saving internet explorer crashed….and clearly it was not saved. Darn.
I’ve watched it last year several times and it’s quite entertaining. But I must say that the formula quickly grew old on me: very often the cooks were either overly nervous or even more often arrogant and too self-confident despite the questionable menus they were preparing. I don’t like too much the self-defined critics that the guests become because they are in competition with each other….although sometimes they are surprisingly nice to each other as well.
The main reason I don’t watch is “Thuis” however. I’ve watched that series for about a decade now if I’m home and it’s programmed at the same hour. How do you like Flemish fiction??
Sorry I’ve been so bad at keeping up lately! Glad to hear you are looking forward to coming home, and trust me, he will want you to come back.
Seems that the two of you have some of the same ‘issues’ we have.
Keep up on the TV watching! Cool show too.
I’ll be back, sooner then a month next time. Promise.
there was a show here called ‘diners night out” that was very similar, but like all decent shows…it was canned! can’t wait to see you next month