May 4, 2025

Belgium was the first to fall to The Third Reich.

During the “Hunger Winter” of 1944 tens of thousands of people died from malnutrition. Families ate soup made from wallpaper paste. People were digging up tulip bulbs to eat.

Food was rationed, hidden, coffee was a memory. The Nazi’s did not just take away the land, they took away the joy of gathering in a cafe and ordering the usual. They took away the habit of stopping by the fish market and ordering something salty and fried. They took away the ability to talk openly to read a newspaper that had not been censured.

When liberation came Belgians were not just celebrating the fall of The Third Reich, they were celebrating the ability to order a full plate of food again. The old recipes were brought back out, the cafes reopened, the people were able to gather again. The first fresh herring of spring was the real taste of freedom.

But the ability to eat Belgian chocolate again was not just a snack, it was a statement. The type of chocolate that snaps in your mouth, melts on your tongue and makes your eyes close without wanting to. Chocolate was not only a treat, but it was also a tradition. Chocolate not only tasted good it made you feel good. A gift of chocolate was not just a sugary substance it meant that life could be sweet again. Even today, chocolate is displayed in shops like the best of diamonds to be found at Tiffanys on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

I have pretty much tried to eliminate sugar from my diet, but tomorrow is Liberation Day in Belgium celebrating the end of World War II. With that said, I thought I would liberate myself and indulge in some Belgium chocolate!

It seems like we weren’t the only ones who wanted to celebrate!

I thought I’d share some recent dinner photos of Chongae looking very French.

Thanks for traveling with us.