“Hospitality, n. The virtue which induces us to feed and lodge certain persons who are not in need of food and lodging.” ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1911
Having the opportunity to travel to Spain and indulge in tapas, Ireland for Sheppard’s pie, and France for crepes has been delightful for my taste buds but the dining experience, which has blown me most away, was a dinner party thrown by a 17 year old Belgian high school student and his family.
I suppose I should start from the beginning, Justin and Duke, two of my fellow Loyola peers studying in Leuven joined the Leuven Lions Football team back in September. The house was and has been very supportive of this cultural experience. With time, they have become very close with their fellow teammates and have begun inviting them to our residence, one of the teammates being Sam. The Lions are a semi-pro football team that has players ranging in age from 17 to 30, Sam, also known as “mini,” is the youngest of the group.
When I say he loves Americans, America, anything that has to do with the US I am not in any way exaggerating, the kid has dollar bills framed in his room and had us bring him fruit loops because he saw it on “How I met your Mother,” his favorite American TV Show. I rest my case. A few weeks back I was cooking dinner and Sam came in with his bright smile and funny laugh conversing with Justin and that is when I met someone who has become a close friend. I was asking Justin if he had any suggestions for ski attire for my trip to Switzerland seeing as my snowsuit didn’t fit in my luggage, nor did I intend on bringing it in the first place. But, when this opportunity of skiing in the Swiss Alps arose, I of course jumped on it. Sam nonchalantly chimmed in “I got ya covered,” two days later a beautiful winter jacket, snow pants, ski socks, hat, and waterproof gloves were carefully delivered to my door step along with some homemade waffles he had prepared for myself and my roommate Erika to try. Talk about ask and you shall receive, or mention and you shall be showered with gifts.
Sam started hanging around the house more frequently coming over after to school to play football with the boys, play cards, grab a bite to eat, he became the little brother figure in our household. He mentioned having a few of us over for a “real” Belgian meal and to meet his family, a few of us soon turned into eleven of us at his front door. It was the first time any of us had been in a Belgian house other than our professors, his parents and sister seemed intimidated by the amount of us and our fast paced English-speaking conversations. Sam on the other hand greeted us with the biggest smile all dapper in a button up shirt and ready to give us the grand tour of the house. The last stop being the loft that was fully equipped with a foosball table, pinball game, and various other games and toys. Laughter roared from the loft as all of us re-winded back to the days when we would invite our friends over to play. It was so comfortable being in a home again.
Sam’s mom soon called us down for appetizers and drinks and dinner followed soon after. Eleven of us sat around their long dining room table and Flemish stew and fries were served. The highlight of the evening being the automatic salt shaker complete with flashlight and stainless steel, everyone has now added that to their must have household appliance list. Sam’s Dad, Luke, found that and our dinner conversation in general absolutely hilarious and that is when his parents really opened up. Luke was exactly like his son, outgoing, hysterical, and hospitable. He loves beer and was sure to pick out one for each of us that matched our preference and that we had never tried before.
Following dinner we all gathered around the tv where the boys were playing playstation, grand theft auto to be exact. Soon grand theft auto turned into sing song, a voice competition via play station. The microphone was passed around singing Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” in unison. It was the smallest thing, but for whatever reason that moment got me a little chocked up. Everyone was all smiles, hysterical laughing, while Luke video taped the eleven of us singing in their living room. It is one of those moments I will never forget, I felt so at home. Midnight rolled around and we finally decided it was time to say goodbye. Sam of course came back to our house with us to spend the night with the boys, his “big brothers.”
As we departed his parents hugged each of us, saying goodbye to every single one of us by name. Then Luke said, “Next month when you come over for dinner, you’re cooking us American food.” We laughed, but he wasn’t joking. The hospitality and sense of friendship and fun touched me. It was one of my favorite evenings in Belgium thus far, it will be hard to beat.
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