Hondje Zakje

Adding a "je" to just about any word in Flemish makes it a little . . . well . . . little, or it makes it sort of a term of endearment.  In the same way we sometimes do in English, like "girly" or "cutesy" or "bootylicious".  

Okay, maybe not that last one.  

Anyway, the Flemish do it ALL the time.   

For example, a "kopje koffie".  Not just a cup of coffee, but a little cup of coffee.  

They even have built-in spelling rules for this!  

A "jongen" is a boy.  A "jongetje" is a little boy.  Notice the change in spelling - drop the "n" and add "tje".  

Perhaps you could say the same about 'licious, but this can literally be done with nearly every word in Flemish.  And it IS done with nearly every word in Flemish.  They LOVE this.  Lovalicious.

tafeltje - little table

stoeltje - little chair

hondje - little dog

kusje - little kiss

And the all important - een beetje - literally, "a little" - I'll have een beetje more, alstublieft (please).

Well, you get the ideatje.

Hondje zakjes (doggy bags) do not exist in Belgium.  One would never think of asking to take leftover food from a restaurant.  Never.  Food preparation, presentation and quality is very important here and eating something as a leftover is unheard of.  It just wouldn't happen.

Until now.  Maybe.

In an effort to combat food waste, the city of Ghent is trying something radical - the doggy bag.

In our local newspaper . . .

A third of all food produced annually is discarded.  The city of Ghent and a popular consumer magazine are trying something new - the doggy bag.  In the United States, it has long been customary to ask for a doggy bag.  In Belgium, this is not yet the case.  With such a bag, the guest may take home what remains on their plate.  The magazine will appeal to other restaurants to promote the idea.  At this moment there are already 46 which are recognized with a sticker on their window.  The restaurant industry welcomes the initiative, but hopes that a clear legal framework is created: it is the consumer who is responsible for the freshness of the food as soon as it disappears from the restaurant.

The magazine decided to have a contest for people to choose a name for the concept and with more than 6,000 votes, this won . . .

You knew there'd be a "je" in there somewhere.  Lekkerlicious!