'Birds of a feather flock together', is an old saying that even today has some truth in it I gather. Not only for the flapping ones but also for the Canadians. One will find a large Chinese community in Richmond and surroundings where shops sometimes only carry billboards with Chinese characters on it. Delta, another town nearby, is also known as Delhi due to the large East Indian community that is centered there. And in my own neighborhood in Surrey the Sikh from Punjab are very well represented. I dare say that the aforementioned saying is true. Due to a lack of future in the Netherlands just after World War II, a large number of Dutchies made the decision to try their luck overseas. Australia, New Zealand 
and Canada found themselves confronted with clog wearing strangers from the old continent. But with a country as big as Canada there is plenty of space for everyone one would think. I would think so but found out that Dutchies also fall prey to the old 'bird' saying. There are quite a few of them around in the Fraser Valley, especially further down East, and on Vancouver Island. And have we gone out of our way to make ourselves feel at home. I found a shop that caters specifically for the Dutch immigrants and their descendants. Not the only shop of this kind either.
and Canada found themselves confronted with clog wearing strangers from the old continent. But with a country as big as Canada there is plenty of space for everyone one would think. I would think so but found out that Dutchies also fall prey to the old 'bird' saying. There are quite a few of them around in the Fraser Valley, especially further down East, and on Vancouver Island. And have we gone out of our way to make ourselves feel at home. I found a shop that caters specifically for the Dutch immigrants and their descendants. Not the only shop of this kind either. 
Realizing that Canada is different from Holland and that Canadians are different from Dutchies, an attempt to fuse both worlds together has been made. 'Fusion cuisine avant la lettre' so to speak, with the pancake as solid foundation.
Even for Canadians that suffer from cold feet there is a first step they can take. Vancouver houses 'the Dutch Bros', the countries largest privately owned coffee chain. Founded by the Broersma brothers and just having opened their third 
store in Vancouver. This may seem not all that many considering the size of the greater Vancouver area with 2.5 million inhabitants, but then we are talking about Vancouver in Washington State. Yep, same name, and also named after George Vancouver who explored the inner harbor of Burrard inlet in 1791 and subsequently gave various places a British name. Or named it after himself I would like to say. The point I would like to make is that wherever Dutchies end up, they do their utmost to share their cuisine with the people around them. How hospitable is that?
store in Vancouver. This may seem not all that many considering the size of the greater Vancouver area with 2.5 million inhabitants, but then we are talking about Vancouver in Washington State. Yep, same name, and also named after George Vancouver who explored the inner harbor of Burrard inlet in 1791 and subsequently gave various places a British name. Or named it after himself I would like to say. The point I would like to make is that wherever Dutchies end up, they do their utmost to share their cuisine with the people around them. How hospitable is that?
To make Canadians feel even more at ease among Dutchies and more at home with Dutch culture, I even saw that the opportunity is offered to dress up like an authentic Dutchie. And it does not take long to impersonate a fisherman from Volendam. But where the clogs are part of the deal, the fisherman's friend obviously is not. And that is a pity...
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