Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Plop Pudding


I noticed an advertisement today for "Plop Pudding" which I guess is an instant pudding mix. The only problem I have is the name. Especially when I look at the chocolate pudding. I don't think of pudding when I think of the word "plop." Ewwww.

UPDATE: I should point out "Plop" in this case is referring to a children's TV show in Belgium and the Netherlands. I had googled it myself before writing about it, but neglected to provide the detail. Still, I can't help but think of the US "plop."

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Have these songs caught on in the US?

We have a dance music channel here that actually shows music videos! That's shocking enough, but what makes me laugh is the unabashed suggestiveness of all of them.

See below for "I'll do you like a truck" and "Day and Night." They get lots of regular airplay here. I'm sure there are similar videos in the US, but it's harder to find an actual music video there!



Monday, March 16, 2009

The Molen Windmill

I had a friend in town this weekend and she wanted to see a windmill, so we took a tour of the Molen windmill in a nearby neighborhood. It's still working to this day, and you can take a tour of the inside of the windmill. You can see everything from the archimedes screw that pumps water from one area to another to keep the country from flooding, to the sails whizzing past you on the outdoor platform. It was my 4th trip to the windmill, and I'm sure it won't be my last.



We were also able to try on Dutch wooden shoes, which are still worn in the countryside today. They're great for farming as they're cheap to make and long lasting. Most importantly, they're waterproof and fashionable.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Web 2.0 Red Light District Style

On the web, I'm sure you've seen sites like Yelp and Trip Advisor where customers rate their experience with a vendor. Here in Amsterdam I recently saw a news article where people could rate their experience with specific Dutch prostitutes. According to the Dutch newspaper, the site has been very popular. I guess there really is a web site for everything!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Only the Dutch would put a dog turd statue in a childrens playground


The Keukenhof Gardens hold an amazing tulip filled flower show every spring. While reading a Dutch newspaper I saw an article that the Keukenhof was considering buying a Dutch artist's 14 foot tall plastic dog turd statue for their childrens playground. I know there's a lot of dog crap on the ground here, but I wouldn't have thought that they'd make it into a plaything. Then again, there are restaurants in China that serve food in a toilet bowl!

Cadbury Eyebrows Commercial

The other day I was stumbled across a link called "Cadbury's Eyebrows Commercial." I couldn't help but click. Here's what I saw. Now that's talent! :-)

Sunday, March 1, 2009

The Royal Dutch Army has standards

I was reading an MSNBC article today and stumbled across a "weird advertisements" link. The link showed this recruiting ad for the Royal Dutch Army, in which a boy pretends to "shoot" his family with a banana at the breakfast table. At the end of the ad, two checkboxes appear on screen that say "qualified" and "unqualified." The box for "unqualified" gets shaded in. The message implies that if you're a violent lunatic, you need not apply, as serious soldiers keep the peace. Great ad.