Don't judge a face by its make-up

Today's beers: Cobra (an Indian beer) and Duchesse de Bourgogne

Living abroad has been an enormous learning experience. It is one thing to visit Brussels and say "wow this city looks mismatched and run down" but it is another thing to actually live here. Once you arrive and unpack luggage for an extended period of time, the situation changes. I no longer look at the Mannequinn Pis like a tourist, I see it as a rather curious national symbol. I now understand why this tiny little peepee boy is the Belgium symbol. Would I have understood that as a tourist? While I detest the graffitti, I have come to understand that cartoons and defacing public transport and buildings is a Belgian past time and acceptable.

This brings me to something else that is uniquely Belgian and that is the Conservatoire Africain. Founded in 1876, the organization consisted of the Belgian Bourgeoisie who wanted to help their fellow citizens during a famine here in Belgium. Africa was in vogue at the time so someone came up with the idea to dress up as Africans in festive costumes to maintain secrecy. The volunteers known as Noirauds would put on a black face and go through the streets of Brussels asking for money. Today, in 2010, every second weekend in March, this very bizarre tradition lives on. You will see men dressed in dapper costumes with black faces asking for money. Today the money goes to underprivilaged Belgian children. Older Belgians recognize and think nothing of these good doers but for the younger generation and foreigners like me, you get a jolt. In the US anyone with a black face would get their ass kicked. Americans find this extremely politically incorrect and offensive but in Belgium, this old Belgian charity is part of the society's fabric. Queen Paola has been a patron of the charity since 1959.

Sunday, at the train station, I encountered one of these men. Other than the bizarre black face, his costume was very dapper. He was waiting for the train like the rest of us. I sort of sneaked up to take a picture but he saw me and montioned to me. So I went over and came face to face with one of these Noirauds. He was jovial and let me take a picture. I told him I read about the charity and would like to make a donation. Unfortunately, it was too late. They were no longer allowed to accept any donations as the collection was officially over. But I received a pamphlet and a smile. While it was very jarring to see a white man in black make-up, the lesson is not to judge a person by how they look no matter how politically incorrect it may be.
If you are interested in learning more about the charity check out http://www.noirauds.be/

In the spirit of keeping an open mind, I am having Go Anderlicht review two beers. He is a loyal reader and is also interested in beer:

While waiting for our takeout dinner from our favorite restaurant, I ordered a Cobra, a beer from Bangalore, India that claims to be "Premium Beer, Extra Smooth" and "the world's most celebrated lager." Well, I beg to differ. It tasted like butter, and felt like grease going down my throat. That combination works well for some foods, but certainly not for beer. Not quite sure what the brewery was thinking with that one. Very cool bottle, though (picture below).

The other beer that I tried was Duchesse de Bourgogne, a 6.2% alcohol dark, reddish Belgian beer, that claims to follow the "Flemish Art of Brewing." It was a bit sour, quite fruity, not horrible, but not my favorite. Melissa couldn't drink it, but I finished it easily.

Why does Melissa give me the bad beers to review?