Belgium: Spotlight on Brussels

Brussels 

Although a seemingly bland city that houses the headquarters of both NATO and the EU, Brussels does in fact have a lot to offer by way of culture and history. Not to mention the country has a great sense of humor.

The Manneken Pis

Since the early 1600s, an adorable statue of a boy peeing into a basin has been standing in this city.
The one located on the street is not in fact the original, as the statue has been stolen a number of times. There are many legends surrounding this bronze figurine, my favorite are the more heroic tales of a boy pissing on a fire which ultimately saved a castle from burning down. Or even better, the story of Julianske, who saved Brussels in the 14th century when it was under siege by foreign powers. The attackers planted explosives near the city wall, Julianske, overhearing the plot pissed on the fuse to disable the explosive and thus saved the city. I think statue reflects a great deal about Belgian humor.


The Belgian Waffle

The original Brussels waffle gained popularity at an expo in 1958. After attempting to bring it to America, the man trying to introduce this delectable treat realized that most American's had no idea Brussels was the capital of Belgium and thereby changed the name to Bel-Gem waffles. A rose by any other name is fluffy, sweet and those beautiful golden edges make most hearts skip a beat.

Belgian Comics

Who doesn't love comics?! A classic means of expressing some of our most intimate fantasies and nightmares, comics have been an important part of Belgian. This becomes clear not only from the famous Tintin series but the pleatora of comics that have become the operative street art of Brussels. There is a whole route that you can follow through Brussels that takes you through a tour of outdoor murals.  

Smurfology 

Smurfs! Of course Smurfs are another famous Belgian Comic franchise. Appropriately enough, Belgian's fascination with medieval times sets the stage for this classic childhood favorite. There are however theories that try to burst that good blue bubble. A french sociologist writes in " The Little Blue Book: A Critical Political Analysis of the Smurf Society" that the comics are racist and anti semitic. He critiques episodes where the Smurfs turn black and evil and of course there is Gargamel, a textbook depiction of a grumpy Jew with a hook nose and a cat name Azarel, a Jewish name for the devil. But don't let that ruin your childhood nostalgia for this classic.