#dutch Christmas snack

[rosemund-tewkesbury]

#doughnuts #oliebol #oliebollen #Smoutebollen #croustillons #dutch Christmas snack #Christmas #dutch food #belgianfood

[girl-next-door-writes]

I Don't Want A Lot For Christmas

Characters: Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Steve Rogers has a crush on the newest member of the team and a Christmas miracle (of interfering Bucky Barnes) gives him an opportunity to get a little closer to her.

Word Count: 1105 words

Prompt: #17: “If you turn down the Christmas music, I’ll murder you.”

A/N: Starting off my Steven’s Greetings Christmas series is the lovely @princessmisery666 who chose this prompt for the wonderful Steve Rogers. It turns out, all my Steve Rogers prompts lend themselves to somewhat of a mini-series so feel free to follow this little adventure or read them as separate ramblings if you so wish.

 When Tony had suggested you all get together to decorate the tree, nobody had realised the scale of the job. Stark never did anything by half measures and the giant tree that had met you was a testament to that. Now, several hours later, Tony was hovering near the top of the tree, attempting to place a star up there, and the majority of the decorations had been thrown on there like it had been decorated by a bunch of toddlers on a sugar high.

“It looks like a car wreck.” Clint said, his arms crossed and a frown on his face.

“I think it’s perfectly in keeping with our merry band of misfits.” You smiled and Steve felt his heart flutter. The way your face was illuminated by the fairy lights made you look ethereal, and his mouth went dry.

Heading over to the bar, he grabbed a handful of chips from a bowl and shoved them into his mouth as he poured a very large drink. From behind him, he heard someone kick start the karaoke and chuckled to himself as Thor attempted to join in with Frosty the Snowman.

The karaoke gave way to a dance party as the night wore on, and Steve stayed in his spot by the bar, a contented observer to the antics of his teammates. There was one person who caught his attention more than everyone else though, and he watched you talking with Nat, teasing Pietro, dancing with Wanda. Everything you did was enchanting, and all Steve could do was watch, his desire to hold you close growing with each interaction.

“Maybe I’m getting old, or maybe it’s the super hearing, but how loud does Stark need his music?” Bucky grumbled as he reached for a beer beside Steve.

“If you turn down the Christmas music, I’ll murder you.” He hissed quietly to his friend, not taking his eyes off you for a second.

Bucky looked at him quizzically before following his gaze, a look of smug understanding settling on his features as he leaned against the counter beside Steve.

“You could go over there and dance with her you know. She’d love it. Oh, too late, Tony’s already swooped in.”

Your laughter rang through the air as Tony dipped you dramatically before standing up and jokingly complaining that his back had gone, earning him a playful punch in the arm from you. The interaction caused Steve’s heart to ache. What he wouldn’t give to be the one you were laughing with right now, but he was fairly certain you only saw him as the hard ass Captain, not Steve.

“Shit. He still pining?” Sam asked Bucky as he leaned over and grabbed a handful of chips from the nearest bowl of snacks.

“Yep. No clue why he’s so scared of a dame, but here we are.”

“I’m not scared of her.” Steve protested, much to the amusement of his friends.

“That would be so much more believable if your knees weren’t knocking.”

“And your hands weren’t shaking.”

“I think I preferred it when you two hated each other.” Steve huffed, turning to pour himself a drink. It was a shame alcohol didn’t affect him; he could have used some Dutch courage right now.

The music shifted, the beat slowed, and the dulcet tones of Bing Crosby filled the air. The familiarity of the song brought a smile to his lips, which faltered slightly when he heard you call from across the room,

“Come on, Barnes. Get over here and we’ll show them how it’s done.”

Bucky chuckled and held up his hands as he shook his head. “Sorry, doll, this one is more Stevie’s speed.”

Suddenly all the air seemed to have been sucked out of the room. That comment could lead to one of two responses; you could reject him, either ignoring Bucky’s suggestion or flat out refusing to dance with him, or, and possibly far worse, you could…

“What do you say, Rogers? Care to dance?” You held your hand out to him, a nervous expectant look in your eyes that made him want to hold you close and never let go.

Without saying a word, he put his drink down and, for a second, everyone thought he was going to just walk out of the room, but his feet brought him towards the tree, towards you. Slipping his hand into yours, he pulled you against his chest, his other hand coming to rest on your hip as he looked down at you with such a soft expression even Tony felt he was intruding on a moment.

The two of you danced for a while, then when the whole team moved to sit by the fire, he found you remained by his side. He stole occasional glances at you, a warmth filling him that had nothing to do with the flames which were now dying in the heath. The twinkling Christmas lights seemed to be dimming too, subtly indicating the lateness of the hour.

As people began to drift away, heading to bed, Steve found himself silently begging that you would stay just a little longer. He knew that this moment would be the greatest Christmas gift he would receive. This was such a magical time of year and, if he tried really hard, he could imagine you falling for him just as hard as he had for you. He was right there, always had been from the moment you’d met, and in all that time this was the closest you’d ever really been. He wanted to make it last as long as possible.

All good things, however, must come to an end, and as you stifled a yawn, Steve knew those four words he had been dreading were about to fall from your lips.

“I’m heading to bed.” You stretched, pushing yourself up off the sofa and he immediately felt the chill of your absence. “Goodnight, Steve.” You gave him a soft, sleepy smile before sending everyone else a small wave, but Steve was frozen. You had just called him Steve. Not Cap, not Rogers, not ‘old man’. You’d never used his name, and damn did it sound sweet coming from you.

Relaxing back against the sofa cushions, a lazy smile pulled at his lips, and he closed his eyes. Now that was a Christmas gift he hadn’t even considered.

“Come on, Romeo, time for bed.” Bucky patted his shoulder with a smirk and as Steve got to his feet, he knew he would be replaying moments from tonight over in his mind as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

#Steve Rogers #Steve Rogers x reader #Steven's Greetings #gndw fic

[eastwindmlk]

👻

🎃

🎵

alsjeblieft en bedankt

(I tried pronouncing that and it was terrible 😭)

👻 I have a few of these! I once ghosted someone because they kept asking me to pay them back 30 cents I owed them for buying me a snack while shopping.

🎃 Not so petty, Christmas. Petty, Dutch King's Day. I will not elaborate.

🎵 Baby it's cold outside. Because it once got stuck in my head for 5 weeks, in the middle of summer. So, I was sweating by behind off and all I could hear in my head was 'But baby it's cold outside'

Ask me more! Or join the petty crew!

#asked and answered #petty ask game

[sofarfarout]

Hassel drawing and some headcanons

I saw someone headcanon him as German and another person go with Dutch and ngl pretty based

Hassel Van de Walle

-54, gay, cis man

-Dutch or rather from some yet unknown Netherlands inspired region, accent is especially noticeable with strong emotions, sometimes grandpa gets so overwhelmed he starts blubbering in Dutch

-tall with a thick, sturdy build, strong upper body softened by age, comfort and lots of love, long dancer's legs, hairy arms, legs and chest, looks a little top heavy

-comfortable in his skin, was a little embarrassed when he first noticed his sweater vest fitting a little more snugly but he's come to accept it, nothing wrong with being a little chubby

-Pokemon are named after famous painters, Bosch the Baxcalibur, Martin the Dragonite, Grünewald the Haxorus, Claudel the Noivern and Abel the Dragalge, except for Flapple who is named Schatje, the little treasure from his little treasure

-a little hard of hearing from all the loud music as a younger man, please remember to speak up for Mr. Hassel! (that means you Larry)

-open to all kinds of music but especially likes symphonic metal and neoclassical, a student introduced him to bardcore and he is a big fan

-family is pretty well off and he didn't exactly go wanting, he had a sturdy roof over his head, warm clothes on his back and good food in his belly but his emotional needs were consistently neglected, was expected to suck it up and behave like a little adult, his father refused to deal with him if he was crying

-gives god tier hugs, Ol' Hass is a big hot water bottle of a man and he's got no problem giving students a big bear hug should they want one

-pretty good singer, a warm, strong baritone that you really feel in your chest

-favorite color is apple green, reminds him of all the good things in life and comforts him

-likes dramatic films that really make you feel, has a special fondness for animated films, some favorites would include Grave of the Fireflies, The Illusionist and Fantasia

-favorite places to be touched are his shoulders, back and hands, hand kisses make the old man melt

-just likes physical contact in general, except for his cheeks, father would roughly grab a young Hassel's face when lecturing him and he'd rather not have that

-ticklish on his sides, his neck and around his belly button

-early bird, doesn't like sleeping in, thinks mornings are especially beautiful and would hate to sleep through it

-sleeps in comfy pants or just his underwear if it's hot, his favorite pajamas have sleeping Frigibax on them, boxer briefs king, sleeps on his belly or kinda half on his belly half on his side

-light sleeper, snores a little and talks in his sleep

-smells like a mix of clay, old books, Home Depot and charcoal

-favorite food is apple crumb pie, sweet, comforting and full of love, not the sort of thing he'd often have growing up

-likes snacking when he's working on something, will absentmindedly eat a whole thing of strawberries or a bag of chips while drawing, prone to stress eating too

-can't tolerate spicy food at all, prefers a mix of sweet and savory

-used to dread holidays but since cutting his family out, he's come to appreciate them, still not terribly fond of Christmas but the mushy lovey dovey old man likes Valentine's Day

-wanted a Dragonite tattoo as a young man but never went through with it, has grown out of it

-various faded scars all over his body, most notable ones are a bite/burn from a Hydreigon's Fire Fang on his right bicep, a sizeable cut on his right calf from falling out of a tree as a boy and a small one on his left forearm from Professor Gible getting too rowdy, part of him still gets a little bit nervous around Hydreigon

-prefers autumn weather, perfect for walks and hot cocoa and not too chilly

-those trashy white woman romance novels at the grocery store are a guilty pleasure of his

#pokemon #pokemon hassel #i believe in chubby Hassel supremacy #let peepaw have a belly

[pb-dot]

Happy STS! Your characters are decorating. For what? You decide; Christmas, a party, the end of the world, etc. All that matters is they are together and they must decorate. Who claims overseer? Who disappears into the kitchen for snacks and never returns? Who spends two hours untangling lights or streamers?

Oh boy, party time! I'm going to assume both my Clockwork Boy and Impossible Brushstrokes peeps hang out in some sort of intercontinuity hangout lounge. Given these assumptions, there's no doubt in my mind Mina would learn of Christmas and decide that she should be The Best At Christmas. As a compulsive administrator, Mina would first recruit Delilah to deal with the interpersonal business and then immediately get to bossing people around to get stuff done.

13 and Jake would be put on tree duty, although they probably would have to be taught a fair bit about why on earth you'd drag a tree into your house. Tomasz would assist with this, but in general be little help, to the point where Delilah reassigns him to General Decoration Duty to prevent a fight from breaking out.

Creator and his creations, with a few notable exceptions, would opt out of the entire thing, considering it to be frivolous. 3 and 4, however, would gladly join the yuletide merrymaking, although their natural propensity for mischief and limited attention span would no doubt make them a mixed bag what usefulness is concerned.

Mara would make the kitchen her domain, and would probably rope Oscar into "helping her" (read: do most of the work) making yuletide treats and confections. Mara makes stirring the mulled wine her mission. The fact that she can do that while sitting on the counter with a glass of wine in her hand is surely a bonus.

As the merriment breaks out into merry chaos, probably because Mara starts needling Tomasz about certain Dutch Christmas traditions or 13 getting fir needles stuck in his gears, or the question of what the best Christmas dinner is, comes up at all, one lone figure perks above it all. One isn't particularly amused by all of this, but reasons such a gathering of people is worth spying on. That said, she could not help herself and swiped an incense burner from below to keep her company. It is, after all, a pleasant smell.

#writing #writeblr #sts ask #the clockwork boy #his impossible brushstrokes

[rabbitcruiser]

Snack a Pickle Day

Snack a Pickle Day is a day for snacking on pickles. Pickles, which usually mean pickled cucumbers when spoke of in the United States, are preserved in a brine or vinegar solution, and flavored with herbs and seasonings. The word “pickle” is derived from the Dutch word pekel, which means brine. The pickling process was invented around 1440, and many people were making pickles in their homes by the 1600’s. This was helped with the invention of the mason jar in 1858. Pickles are a low calorie food and high in vitamin K, but they may also be high in sodium. Each year Americans eat about 9 pounds of pickles.

How to Observe Snack a Pickle Day

The day should be celebrated by snacking on a pickle! Pickles can be eaten on their own or with a meal. They can be put on a hamburger,or chopped into a relish and put on a hot dog. Sometimes they are served on a stick, and sometimes they are even deep fried. There are many types of pickles to try:

Bread and butter—part of sweet family of pickles; has onions and bell peppers; sometimes have a waffle-esque shape; solution of vinegar, sugar, and spices; name comes from Omar and Cora Fanning, Illinois cucumber farmers who started selling the pickles in the early 1920’s and filed for the name in 1923; name derived from how they traded their pickles for things like bread and butter during rough years.

Cinnamon—bright red and flavored with cinnamon; sometimes a Christmas treat.

Dill—made with dill herbs or dill oil; have been served in New York City since at least 1899.

Gherkins—smaller and usually sweeter; made with Burr or West Indian cucumbers; sometimes “gherkin” is a generic term used for pickles in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Kool-aid—soaked in kool-aid and pickle brine.

Kosher dill—dill pickle with lots of garlic in the salt brine.

Polish—somewhere between kosher dill and sour.

Sour—fermented longer in brine, which makes them sourer.

Sour mixed—sour pickles cut and mixed with other veggie such as onions, cauliflower, carrots, and peppers.

Sour relish—made with finely chopped sour pickles with other vegetables; also called “piccalili.”

Sweet—usually made with vinegar, spices, and sugar; includes sliced sweet pickles, or “cross cuts”, which are cut crosswise into chips.

Sweet mixed—sweet pickles mixed with other vegetables.

Source

#Bacon Mushroom Mikeburger #beetroot #salmon #Mille Feuiilles #Ribelles #SnackAPickleDay #Fire Jumper Burger #13 September #Snack a Pickle Day #Chicago Hot Dog #Cubano Sandwich #El Paso Burger #Nacho Fry #Sourdough Chicken Melt #Hot Mex burger #travel #original photography #vacation #USA #Canada #Sweden #food #restaurant

[theworldofotps]

Letter From The Road

AEW Superstar: Adam Page Word Count: 403 ~A series in which I write letters from superstars to their partners or loved ones back home while they’re on tour.~

Wrote this for my sweet friend @damnnhausen I hope you enjoy babes I love you! ___________ Tag list:

@omg-im-such-a-masochist @damnnhausen @new-zealand-chic @writtingrose @sjwrites22 @sassymox @mrsacklesevansmgk @xladyxfatex @biforrollynch @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @demonqueen29 @itsicantbelievethis666 @lilred91 @xbreezymeadowsx @rebellious-desires @thiccc-rider-mcintyre @letsgivethisonemoreshot @alination @ava-valerie @shortyiceheart @serpantscorpio8497 @thatpanpal @thatnerdwriter @wrestlersownmyheart @vebner37 @cuzimacomedian @auburnwrites @aews-four-pillars @elevennbloom @seeingstarks @whenimakeitshine1234 @melblacc @alliwant456

If you wanna be added to the list lemme know. _________

Dear Princess, Writing to you from my hotel room, the electricity went out so of course I’m using that mini lantern that you got me for Christmas. I know I laughed when you gave it to me but it’s actually very useful considering I wanna save my phone battery. I can hear you now, babe every cowboy needs a lantern. It’s like a rule. Well my sweet it seems you’re right.

The storm is crazy. I didn’t even know we were supposed to get rain, I had just finished charging my phone when it went out. So thankfully I have a full battery. Thank god I already got a shower I imagine it would be hard with this small light. It’s enough to write by but not nearly enough to shower. Still haven’t tried going to the bathroom yet. I’ll let you know how that goes later.

Did I tell you how much I miss you? Not since this morning when I called you so I’ll tell you now. I miss you, the bed is so lonely! Nick and Matt wouldn’t even coincider a sleepover after you threatened them for trying to steal your spot. I still love you tho don’t ever forget that.

Can you believe our anniversary is already coming up? I’m going to spoil you rotten take off a whole week so we can spend it together. I want you to come on the road with me for a time too. We’ll have a blast and make loads of memories together.

I can’t wait to see you baby. It sucks not having you around all the time. But I know we’ll be together again very quickly and that makes it bearable.

Oh oh I have a pickup line for you.

Is that a magnet in your pants pocket? Cause that ass is drawing me in.

You gotta admit that was a good one. It gave me a good chuckle just now. I’ve got many more to use on you when we’re together again so be ready.

I’m gonna have some snacks from my bag and think up some more lines. I love you baby see you soon! I’ll be sure to send this out before we go to the next town. Hopefully the weather is better there.                                  Yours truly                                    Adam

P.s I can see to use the bathroom just wanted to let you know before sealing this in the envelope.

#aew #love letter #letters from the road #adam page

[true-blue-sonic]

HI HI BLUE!

In this last month of the year, the christmas decorations has already settled everywhere...

So I thought about Gold, after living almost her whole life in Onyx City, being in the past during this period.

Oh boy, the girl would get mesmerized after every step along the streets, seeing the different ways the Xmas lights can be positioned, let alone when it is not the only thing in the external decorations...

And more, what if the city have the tradition to put a great Xmas tree in the center? This girl could easily be 3 hours straight standing in front of it just admiring the structure, its colors and its lights while Silver would be regretting by not taking a camera to register the cute tenrec...

Well, I don't know how usual it is around the globe, but here by my country at least is quite common find 2~4 meters tall trees constructed with CDs or plastic bottles, I like to imagine Gold's curiosity while she examines this to understand how it was assembled...

Anyway, Merry Christmas in advance! 🎄🧑‍🎄

Hello there to you too!🍀

Indeed, I've seen them too: all the lights and prettiness ^-^ Tis the season... of cold icky weather too and by god I need those lights for some cheer in my own life because Dutch December weather is just dreary as all heck😩😂

I can imagine Silver and his friends from the past extensively told Gold about Christmas, but she never really managed to picture it: there's light on the streets and it gets decorated. Nice, street lanterns are a thing whole year round, and everything in the past looks pretty already anyway😂 (I love the idea of Gold on occasion being a horrid li'l sceptic only because she lives with Silver and he ain't always the most reliable source of information, lol.) So when the Christmas decorations are put up and Silver takes her to the inner city to see for herself this girl is blown away. She'd be amazed by how bridges are covered in strings of lights (with patterns they flicker in!!) and how there's all sorts of chandeliers and shapes made with the lights also. And the Christmas tree... she'd be unable to stop marvelling at it, especially if it's a large one🥺 With all the baubles and garlands stuff inside she'd indeed be spending quite some time in front of it! Enough for Silver to sneak back home for a sec and grab his camera after all, cuz he's just gotta capture his big sis being cute💕

That's a really interesting way they make trees in your country, I think Gold would indeed adore seeing how it is created and how everything fits together! In Holland it's common for organisations and stuff to place a Christmas tree inside their buildings (usually a fake one haha), though outside we're more of solely the strings of lights in the places I've been at so far. Though, we do have those Christmas markets and fairs in some cities; Silver and Gold can go there and enter the ferris wheel and eat winter snacks with hot chocolate! :>

Merry Christmas to you too if you celebrate, and thank you for the ask!🍀🎄

#silver the hedgehog #gold the tenrec #silver's gonna win her a bear or something in one of those stalls you need to play minigames in #he's OP he'll be able to get anything she wants lol #hmm in Holland we always eat oliebollen (lit. oil balls) during Christmas and New Year's Eve so I actually dunno what food is associated- #-with the holidays in other countries #well they can have oliebollen lol it's literally just deep-fried dough :>

[writerben01]

Religion and atheism on the workfloor

So, I want to put some of this to paper. A few weeks back, we had a Christmas celebration at work which was centred around nourishment in all senses of the word. We had a walk to nourish our need for exercise, during which we talked about suggested work topics to nourish our intellectual appetites, and were given a demonstration by our hospital’s kitchen staff for the most literal interpretation of nourishment. We ended with drinks and snacks and had a generally good time.

But I want to talk about the middle portion of the afternoon. The one that was intended as a deeper sort of nourishment, for which they had invited a Spiritual Care Professional to speak to us about the meaning of Christmas. And he was religious as hell, Christian to be precise, joined by a Muslim to make it more diverse. It was hell.

For context, in a Dutch hospital, the Spiritual Care Professional is available to talk with patients who are dealing with unsettling news. Often these are people who are dealing with terminal illness and need help accepting their diagnosis. Often this just means they need someone who will listen to them talk without saying much in return. Never to tell them what to do, just to help them realise what they want themselves.

It was to be a twenty or thirty minute session, and after five minutes it already felt like I’d spent an eternity with them. No, that’s not fair. The Muslim hardly did any of the talking, explaining some points of his religious when prompted, and I had no specific objections with him. It was the Christian who was the main speaker and my frustrations are with him.

I knew I needed to step away, but it was already too late. We were in a circle of about 20 to 30 people, only a third of which I was familiar with. These are not social situations where I can easily act in the best of times. When presented with something unfamiliar, I have a very brief window where I have the confidence to act differently than all those around me, to be the non-conformer, before the situation I’m in starts to drain so much energy that I can’t even fathom pulling unwanted attention towards me.

I don’t want to sound so pretentious to say I’m immune to his semi-intellectual rhetoric, but I have been exposed to the way he talked before and developed a dislike. Questions like ‘what does Christmas mean to you’ and then pondering like a Greek philosopher to explain inconsistencies. Presents are an integral part of Christmas, but that’s not a bad thing. After all, Christmas is when humanity got the greatest gift of all time: Jesus Christ. When we give presents now, that’s just in honour of that gift. Many people have dinner together on Christmas, because food and company are fundamental desires that humans have exhibited going back to ancient times.

It's… conjecture held up as explanations. Like reality does not matter, as long as we can feel better about our current situation for having thought about it. It’s something I do a lot in writing fiction, where there are other expectations from my audience. I don’t mind brainstorming these ideas and bouncing them around. I do mind when someone lectures at us and uses these brainstorming ideas as a way to pretend to be saying something profound from a position of power.

I do not care for it and I am not the audience for this kind of event. I would have much preferred a straight up lecture with actual knowledge about Christmas traditions, or even a public speaking event where I learned more about my colleagues through their own traditions. But not everyone can get what they want. I realise that. Like I said, I’m not the audience for this kind of event, and these events do not have to please everyone.

But then this man had to go on to expand the conversation towards those who don’t believe in anything higher than themselves or *smug grin* ‘at least those who say they don’t believe in anything higher’.

It was at that point that I clenched my fists and tightened my jaw. I knew if I were to speak, I would start yelling things I would soon after regret. I’m describing it like this because I do not want to downplay my emotions at the time. I was angry and insulted, which I not often am. I was annoyed at the situation, annoyed that I had not stepped away sooner, annoyed that even when something like that was said to me, I was still not walking away because I did not want to be rude. Because if I was rude I would be asked to explain myself, and I did not have any nice words to do so. And also, I felt a little bit betrayed.

One of the unspoken rules is that we don’t talk about religion in the workplace. And that serves me fine. I can work with Excel and make policies and we never have to talk about religion. So to bring religion into this space, in a public enough event that I don’t feel comfortable freely expressing my own feelings as an atheist, in such a way that it’s making me seethe, that felt unacceptable to me.

At the time, I was in no mood for drinks after work. I knew if I kept feeling that angry, I would simply walk out. I was lucky this event was sandwiched between the other two. I had already had fun with the walk which had lifted my mood, and the kitchen’s demonstration was a lecture on the effect of food on patient care including samples. It was distracting enough that it gave me time to set aside my feelings. I made it through the afternoon.

Instead of ruining the whole day, the insult was a sour note in an otherwise pleasant Christmas celebration.

Over drinks, I was asking what others had thought about the Spiritual portion. A close colleague said she had doubts going in, but felt like she could have a respectful discussion in the end. She was pleased with the experience.

So that leaves me, overanalysing, wondering exactly what set me off so much. Shouldn’t I be able to respectfully discuss religion? If my main complaint is that I can’t express myself without being insulting, then isn’t it my problem?

I had a streak of atheism interest in High School and college. And the recurring theme in atheism spaces is searching desperately for a good argument for god. And yes, there’s a lot of intellectual wanking going on in the atheist communities, by people who act that by virtue of disbelieving in god they are going to be smart and knowledgeable in all things. Which usually manifests in sexism and racism, to worrying degrees. That is to say, society has these problems to worrying degrees, the atheist community is no exception, but there’s a special kind of stubbornness from supposed intellectuals who have decided these behaviours can’t be wrong because they’re exhibiting them, and they’re too smart to have ingrained prejudices.

But avoiding all that toxic behaviour and sticking with the ‘good’ communities, for a lot of atheists there is a desperate need to find the best arguments for God and engage in them. And then a growing disbelief when we cannot find anything.

Each argument that pertains to prove something must have created the universe because nothing comes from nothing, automatically assumes that God came from nothing. There’s Pascal’s Wager, which posits that it’s always rational to belief in God when being wrong costs so little while being right is an infinite reward and avoids infinite damnation. Which is a decent argument, except for the part where it says nothing about which of the mutually exclusive Gods one should worship.

The more you dive into the logic, the clearer it becomes that religion has no good arguments in favour of it. And it is mostly about the vibes instead.

When I was younger, me and my siblings would sometimes lament that we wished we could believe in god, because we saw how much comfort it gave others. Culturally ingrained, we believed that faith is a beautiful thing and there is something precious lost if you don’t have the capacity for it. But over the years I’ve learned to reject that thinking.

It’s not that I merely lack faith in God. It’s that I went looking for evidence and could find nothing. It is that cherished facts held among those of the Christian faith don’t hold up to the tiniest bit of scrutiny. Do you know why we know Jesus was born on Christmas? The date isn’t in the bible. So when a priest three centuries after Jesus’ death needed to know when Christ was born, he used logic. Christ was the most important of humans, therefore he had to be born on one of the most important days. The equinox to be precise. It only made sense. And a thousand years later we’re still being taught this conjecture as fact. Even though most scholars now agree that considering all the descriptions in the bible around Jesus’ birth it’s actually more likely that, if Jesus even existed, he was born somewhere in March.

Faith, in the meaning of belief without evidence, is not a good thing. It’s what keeps us believing in wrong things. Homeopathy, charlatans, quacks, con-artists, anti-vaxers, covid-deniers. If you have faith without evidence, you are going to be consistently wrong and often taken advantage of. Why would this be a bad thing in all areas in life except religion?

It's considered rude to say that belief in God is on the same level as belief in the Fey, belief in superstitions, or belief in Santa. But I do not know another way of expressing my own views in these matters. We know, know, that humans start believing wrong things when left to their own devices. We know humans are unreliable narrators and can misinterpret and embellish. Sometimes, we just make things up. All of us should be naturally sceptical of any extraordinary claims that isn’t backed by evidence.

For me, there are two straightforward explanations to Jesus. Either there really was a person capable of performing miracles 2000 years ago who claimed to be the son of god, or there was simply someone with kind words that encouraged others to be better versions of themselves. Someone whose stories were exaggerated in the roughly 100 years between his death and the New Testament’s creation. In the same manner that humans have always exaggerated stories and people.

Isn’t the second option so much more likely than the first?

If I were to tell you that I managed to turn water into wine yesterday, would you take my written word for it? If there were twenty-six witnesses who also saw it happen, would you belief the written word then, knowing that there are inconsistencies between the witness testimonies? What is the Bible if not just the witness testimonies of a few people who claim they saw miracles happen? Why would that be enough to convince you?

And yet, we are faced with a conundrum. Because there are many, many people who are convinced. And who do believe in god. That is something that begs for an explanation. And so I have some thoughts. I think we are taught from a young age not to question religious beliefs as we do other beliefs, in part by viewing it as a personal(/cultural) preference instead of a factual question. I think religious communities carry many benefits and humans naturally avoid thinking about subjects that would carry negative effects if questioned. Much like we don’t like thinking about the ethics of eating meat, because thinking it through might mean becoming a vegetarian.

Mostly, I think it’s habit. It’s a rare thing to have Christian parents raise a Muslim child. Children aren’t usually raised with many religions from which they end up choosing the one that they think is most likely to be true. They usually adopt the religion of their parents and have to make a conscious effort to adopt a different faith.

A religious person might counter by asking if that’s even the right way to look at it. When there are no arguments to give, they shift away from asking whether it’s true, to asking whether it’s valuable to belief, whether believing it brings good things into the world, whether it makes people happy.

So I feel, in the end, that religious people do not care about Truth. Not when it comes to religion. It’s sacrilegious to think your own religion isn’t true, but it’s not something they actually care about. Truth is optional. The religious just need enough arguments that they can pretend they believe that it’s true, so that they can reap the other benefits.

How does that assertion feel to the religious person? To be told that they don’t really believe what they say they believe? To have my world view forced upon them?

I imagine it’s somewhat similar to being told I’m only ‘saying’ that I don’t believe in a higher power.

There are some Christians who cannot imagine a world view that does not include a higher power. So desperate are they to explain the conundrum of the atheist, that they assume we must have some other ideal that we hold up as God. They accuse us of having science as a religion, or that a belief in humanism is the greater force that we believe in. Doesn’t an atheist have any ideals or hopes or ethics? Of course we do. They’re just created without an appeal to higher authority.

This behaviour is a refusal to accept our answer. These religious people have concluded that something higher is needed in every viewpoint about the world, and therefore they do not belief us when we say for us there is nothing. For us, at least for me, believing in anything more is a delusion.

And I do not know how to convey that without stepping on people’s toes.

Christians and Muslims can get along because they do not talk about the natural implications of their believes. If you’re a Christian, you traditionally believe that you need to be a Christian to get to heaven and that otherwise you go to hell. For Muslims, it’s something similar. How do you have a conversation where you’re respectful to each other, but also believe the other person is going to spend an eternity being tortured for being wrong?

As an atheist I get along with religious people because our differences to do not come up in conversation. Because I limit myself from saying what I really think. Because the natural implication of my belief is not only that the most logical conclusion is that there is no God, but that all people who do believe in God are wrong and have not followed the logic in pursuing this question. And that I’m mostly fine if they all want to believe something that is most probably false, but that I’m tired of pretending the question of God is something unknowable and all answers are equally likely.

I’m sorry, but that’s just not how I see it. God probably does not exist. Me treating other religions with respect is avoiding the subject of how unlikely they are to be true. It is saying: you are entitled to your wrong opinions as long as you don’t bother me with them.

I can’t go back in time. I can’t speak out retrospectively in a workspace against the Christian who should have spoken from respect and avoided the subject. But I can imagine how it could have gone if I had a bit more confidence.

When he said: “How about those who ‘say’ they don’t believe in a higher power?”

Perhaps I could have said: “That’s me. And I don’t just say it, I truly believe in nothing above us.”

“Ah, but surely there is something. Just this morning I accidentally brought an extra can of cola with me to work, and one of my patients’ dying wish was to have a can of cola. How would you explain that?”

“Coincidence.”

“Yes, there are people who believe in coincidence as something bigger than us. Also called destiny or fate.”

“No. Not destiny. That implies there is a plan. I mean coincidence as in random chance.”

“Having faith in randomness is still faith. Surely not everything is random?”

“And in those cases I don’t believe in the randomness. And frankly, I don’t like how you’re conducting this conversation. Whatever appeal you wish to make against something higher, it’s a distraction. All the problems in the world are human made. And that’s scary. But it’s also empowering. Because that means all the problems can be solved by humans too.”

“Ah yes, humanism…”

“Humanism is a philosophy that I agree with. It’s not higher than me and I am at liberty of tearing it asunder and rebuilding it from scratch if it defies the values I hold dear.”

“Well, you say all this now, but what if you need support? If, like in my line of work, you find yourself terminally ill and with nowhere to go? What will you grasp when there is nothing left?”

“Then I’d rather have no hope, than the false hope you’re peddling.”

He would probably just shake his head, unconvinced and still thinking I was lying. And I would at least be able to point out that for someone asking me questions, he seems incapable of listening to my answers.

That did not happen. I grit my teeth and bit my tongue until we were allowed to leave. The others applauded. I did not.

To close, he handed us a poem printed on a small piece of paper.

I scanned it and there was some nice sentiment in there. They wished us happy holidays and spoke of light in darkness. Just enough symbolism to leave a bitter taste in my mouth. But that was not enough for them. It also had to mention God explicitly.

I accepted the paper without saying anything and left it on my desk to deal with in the New Year.

#Religion #atheism #Thelionwrites #TheLionRants #Needed to get my thoughts out of my head and onto paper #Now it's time to celebrate the New Year #Leaving old cares behind

[july-snek]

Gil and Josef wish you all a Happy New Year|. They usually celebrate New Year at Gil’s parents’ place. So this time they decided to bring some food with them to share. And this decision led these monster hunters to the greatest fight of all: The Dutch Christmas Food VS The Russian New Year Food. On the Dutch side we have: saté,stamppot and gevulde speculaas On the Russian side we have: “herring under a furcoat“ (it’s a literal word-to-word translation. And ofc I’m sure it has an official english name (most likely a “Dressed herring”). But Gil always calls it this way, because he liked Josef’s reaction at the first time he heard that name), caviar sandwiches and some other little snacks. Josef’s gevulde speculaas will most certainly win this battle, but Gil doesn’t mind, because he loves all these dishes anyway.

#art #artwork #artist #small artist #small art account #original #original characters #original character #original story #digital #digital art #Digital Illustration #digital drawing #new year #Happy New Year #new year 2023 #MonsterHuntersHere

[taylortruther]

Listen my bff and I have afternoon drives several times a week sometimes it ends up at a bar but most of the time it’s driving talking shit and a coffee/snack. We were genuinely afraid of trying Dutch bros because of all the ‘their employees are over the top’ allegations… and we finally went this year and we were like ok actually it wasn’t bad and we loved the coffee (no joke gave up Starbucks) the third time… that girl was a question away from asking for my hand in marriage

yeah i went once because one just came up by my parents' place, and it was normal! went again yesterday and this girl wanted to know if i worked from home, if i liked my job, my christmas plans (it's november 30???), like... when she started up i wanted to tell her that she didn't have to ask, i could tell she didn't want to either 💀

[rabbitcruiser]

Snack a Pickle Day

Snack a Pickle Day is a day for snacking on pickles. Pickles, which usually mean pickled cucumbers when spoke of in the United States, are preserved in a brine or vinegar solution, and flavored with herbs and seasonings. The word “pickle” is derived from the Dutch word pekel, which means brine. The pickling process was invented around 1440, and many people were making pickles in their homes by the 1600’s. This was helped with the invention of the mason jar in 1858. Pickles are a low calorie food and high in vitamin K, but they may also be high in sodium. Each year Americans eat about 9 pounds of pickles.

How to Observe Snack a Pickle Day

The day should be celebrated by snacking on a pickle! Pickles can be eaten on their own or with a meal. They can be put on a hamburger,or chopped into a relish and put on a hot dog. Sometimes they are served on a stick, and sometimes they are even deep fried. There are many types of pickles to try:

Bread and butter—part of sweet family of pickles; has onions and bell peppers; sometimes have a waffle-esque shape; solution of vinegar, sugar, and spices; name comes from Omar and Cora Fanning, Illinois cucumber farmers who started selling the pickles in the early 1920’s and filed for the name in 1923; name derived from how they traded their pickles for things like bread and butter during rough years.

Cinnamon—bright red and flavored with cinnamon; sometimes a Christmas treat.

Dill—made with dill herbs or dill oil; have been served in New York City since at least 1899.

Gherkins—smaller and usually sweeter; made with Burr or West Indian cucumbers; sometimes “gherkin” is a generic term used for pickles in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Kool-aid—soaked in kool-aid and pickle brine.

Kosher dill—dill pickle with lots of garlic in the salt brine.

Polish—somewhere between kosher dill and sour.

Sour—fermented longer in brine, which makes them sourer.

Sour mixed—sour pickles cut and mixed with other veggie such as onions, cauliflower, carrots, and peppers.

Sour relish—made with finely chopped sour pickles with other vegetables; also called “piccalili.”

Sweet—usually made with vinegar, spices, and sugar; includes sliced sweet pickles, or “cross cuts”, which are cut crosswise into chips.

Sweet mixed—sweet pickles mixed with other vegetables.

Source

#burger #fries #food #original photography #SnackAPickleDay #13 September #Snack a Pickle Day #Fire Jumper Burger #salmon #Chicago Hot Dog #USA #Sweden #Cubano Sandwich #El Paso Burger #Nacho Fry #Canada #travel #Sourdough Chicken Melt #Hot Mex burger #street food #restaurant #vacation

[tumbelercookies]

The leaving of cookies for Santa or St. Nicholas is a tradition that started during the Feast of St. Nicholas that the Dutch held each year. They would bring cookies to honor the saint, and to give travelers a snack for when they arrived from all over the country to praise the saint. . . #tumbeler #cookies #tumbelercookies #cookiegoddess #santa #christmas #cookie #santacookies #chocolatechipcookies #bestcookies #bestcookiesever (at Carlsbad, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmjVo58L8fd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#tumbeler #cookies #tumbelercookies #cookiegoddess #santa #christmas #cookie #santacookies #chocolatechipcookies #bestcookies #bestcookiesever

[snackative]

6 South Indian Snacks You Need to Try

South India is not only famous for its rich and diverse cultural heritage but also for offering an unforgettable experience with its lovely cuisine and assortment of snacks. Here are a few famous South Indian snacks that you must try at least once!

1. Murukku

Murukku is a crunchy and savoury Indian snack whose name is derived from the Tamil word for “twisted”. While Murukku is famous almost all over India, its popularity is highest in the southern states.

Murukku

It is made from a mix of urad dal, rice flour, sesame seeds, and bean flour, and a dash of cumin and onion powder is added for additional flavour. This deep-fried snack is best enjoyed during tea-time.

2. Upperi

Upperi (aka Banana Chips)

Upperis are commonly known as banana chips or plantain chips. They are cut into thin slices and fried in coconut oil. While they are still being fried, they are flavoured with salt. During the harvest festival of Onam, these chips are served during a vegetarian banquet called Sadya.

3. Bonda

Bonda comes in two mouth-watering variants. The first is made of spiced mashed potatoes, dipped in a gram flour batter, and then deep-fried. It is also known as potato or aloo bonda.

Bonda

The other variant is the South Indian version which is made of urad dal and special spices along with juicy coconut bits that are deep-fried into a tempting bite-sized snack. It is best accompanied with coconut or sweet and tangy tamarind chutney. This South Indian savoury is also popularly known as ulundubonda.

4. Kozhukatta

Sweet Kozhukatta

Kozhukatta, also known as Kozhukkattai, is a deliciously sweet dumpling that is made of rice flour and coconut shavings. Kozhukkatta is the name of the Indian sweet rice flour dumplings that are often filled with a thick concoction of jaggery and coconut. These dumplings are generally steamed and served as a breakfast item or even as a snack with tea. In some parts of Southern India, cardamom and ghee are added to the filling as well.

5. Paniyaram

Paniyaram

Paniyaram is another renowned delicacy that lets you have the best of both worlds. This snack, made from left-over idli batter, can be made as a savoury delight as well as a sweet dessert. It is also known as paddu, guntaponganalu, and gunduponganalu. These lips-smacking spheres are an apt match for your snack cravings.

6. Achappam

Acchappam is a South Indian rose cookie made with rice flour. It is a famous Syrian Christian dish that came to India through Dutch influence. It has become an essential snack for Christian celebrations, such as Christmas and weddings in Kerala. Specific variants also include jaggery, coconut, and cardamom to enhance the tempting flavour. It is made by heating an iron mould to a very high temperature, it is then dipped into the Achappam batter and released into the hot oil. The batter separates from the iron mould and fries into a cookie.

Achappam

Hungry already? Fortunately, you don’t have to hunt for these snacks to fulfill your cravings. You can safely order these South Indian snacks from the comfort of your home, and we’ll get them delivered to you anywhere across the world.

#indian snacks online #Indian snacks #yummy snacks sweets indian Snacks indian sweets online

[chefgerardmolloy]

“Poffertjes” or Dutch 🇳🇱 mini pancakes 🥞 Poffertjes are little pancake 🥞 puffs from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 particularly popular as a street food 🥘 during the festive🎄season & festivals 🎼 I came across them for the first time at a food 🍲 stall at the Christmas 🎅 markets in London 🇬🇧 A basic, slightly sweetened yeast based batter is simply whisked together until smooth 👨‍🍳 After resting at room temperature for up to 1 hour ⏰ until puffed & bubbly, the mixture is poured into small individual cavities of a special “Poffertjes Pan” The batter is cooked on each side until golden & served warm from the pan with a few dots of butter 🧈 & a sprinkling of icing sugar or indulge yourself with a topping of delicious hot chocolate 🍫 sauce 😋 #christmas #christmasmarket #streetfood #holland #poffertjes #dutchpancakes #chef #cheflife #eat #snack #treatyourself #instagood #instafood #tastyfood #pancakes (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClwrXdgog2y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#christmas #christmasmarket #streetfood #holland #poffertjes #dutchpancakes #chef #cheflife #eat #snack #treatyourself #instagood #instafood #tastyfood #pancakes

[leadingonlinebakerystoreinindia]

Succulent And Flavourful Food Items To Gift On Birthdays

Giving a gift shows how much you care for the person and appreciate them. It is critical to understand their preferences before choosing a gift. Everybody knows a foodie constantly raving about the newest restaurant and culinary trends. Choosing presents or gift baskets for a foodie can be difficult because there are many possibilities. Here is a compiled list of presents to satisfy a foodie's taste buds:

 Basket of chocolates

 Chocolates consistently rank at the top of the most cherished food presents ever. Everyone enjoys a quick bite of chocolate. When you gift chocolates, it is without a doubt the best present. Additionally, you can purchase decadent and exquisite chocolate confectionery gift boxes for your loved ones. They are beautifully wrapped and presented in festive boxes.

 Crunchy cookies

 One of the most popular gifts today is a box of cookies. Cookies that are flavourful and crunchy are little bites of delight. Cookies like chocolate chip cookies, double choco-chip cookies, butter cookies, and others are great options if you are searching for a tasty snack for a foodie. The best gifts are cookies since they are easy to find and give.

 Puffs

 Crispy, flaky, and utterly delectable! Based on old family recipes, meat and vegetarian puffs are lovely gifts. You can choose from various puff options, such as the flaky and cheese puff stuffed with roasted chicken, cheese, herbs, and the traditional bechamel sauce. The curried veg puff is a fantastic vegetarian choice, made with various veggies cooked in a creamy curry sauce and topped with white sesame seeds.

 Pastries

 A slice of heaven is usually a delicious treat and a fantastic present. Sending an assorted box of pastries in tantalising flavours like black forest, red velvet, Dutch truffle, opium, red velvet, cheesecake, pineapple, puff pastry, and more is the perfect way to make your loved ones happy. Anyone can be amazed by these tasty little morsels, so there is no need to hesitate before delivering various pastries and brightening their festivities.

 Brownies

 Brownies are baked chocolate dessert that is the ideal balance of gooey and crunchy. It is made with pure couverture chocolate and is a rich, fudgy brownie that melts in your mouth. They come in various flavours, including chocolate chip, cookie, millionaire, overload, walnut, chocolate, and raspberry, and depending on their density, they can be cakey or fudgy.

Flavourful cakes

 Cakes are the best options for pleasing a sweet tooth. You can purchase delectable and fresh cakes for events like birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and New Year. Choose from delicious flavours, including opium, hazelnut praline, chocoholic, pineapple, cheesecake, dutch truffle, black forest, and more.

 These food items from a chocolaterie or a baking shop as gifts will surely melt the hearts of your loved ones. They make lovely gifts for everyone. Delight their palates with sumptuous food choices that match their preferences.