walshieosFEBO - Yes, more fast food!
August 21st 2008 07:02
Location: Amsterdam and all over the Netherlands.
Cost: Generally ranging from about €1 to €2 for a single item.
Food: Croquettes, burgers, hot chips, fried stuff.
Tips: Try to keep your eye out for the fresh stuff. However, this isn’t so easy as will be explained later!
Wiki
Okay, now this place is definitely one of those eating experiences that you just have to try at least once, if for no other reason than to say that you did and to tell your family and friends when you get back home.
So, what is FEBO? The easiest way that I can think of to describe it is to try and imagine a hot fast food vending machine. Now, before you turn your nose up and walk away immediately, as I must admit would be a rather normal reaction, just give me a chance to try to explain why this place isn’t really as bad as it sounds, at least not so bad that you won’t try it once.
A typical FEBO store will consist of at least one whole wall that is full of individual heated compartments that are filled up from behind by happy little Dutch people (or plain happy little elves and pink elephants, depending on how many ‘coffees’ you’ve had). Down the back of the store is usually a counter where you can purchase other things like hot chips, deserts and drinks, but for now we will be pretty much just focused on the compartments.
So when you walk in to the store, head straight over to the compartments and have a look inside. Generally you will find such tasty hot treats as burgers, croquettes and all sorts of other deep fried parcels filled with random stuff.
What you then do is pick your desired delicacy, insert your coins, open the door, and start eating. That’s it. The major problem with this is that you don’t really know how long your food has been sitting in its little home. The trick is to try and wait for a fresh batch to be brought out. However, the smart people of FEBO have figured out that if they put out a whole heap of fresh stuff the old stuff probably won’t be touched, so what they do is actually pull out some of the old stuff at the same time and switch compartments as they put in the fresh goods. It’s kind of like a food version of the ball under the cup trick where you have to just try and keep your eye on the fried treat and make sure you know where everything is. Trust me, it’s much harder to do than you might think.
FEBO is a chain found all across the Netherlands, with a whole heap of them scattered across Amsterdam where I came across them. Of course, when you first see or hear about them, the first thing that comes to mind is, this place only exists for the munchies. Well, maybe that’s a correct assessment; God knows it must be a major source of their customer base regardless. But from what I have read and for all the people I have spoken to, I am assured that the Dutch themselves just don’t actually mind eating the stuff.
To be honest, I’ve only been to FEBO a couple of times, but I have tried both the croquettes and the burgers and, look, I’ve definitely eaten worse. It kind of reminds me of the canteen food they used to serve back in High School. If you’re not game enough for the compartments, the hot chips down the back are cooked fresh and are a great (and probably safer) choice.
Basically, for me, the whole concept of the place is just so intriguing that, even if you choose not to risk the food, when you’re in the Netherlands you have to at least stop by and take a look at the place, it’s well worth it.
Logo used courtesy of the official website at http://www.febodelekkerste.nl/
All additional photos courtesy of Wikipedia.
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