Neat to Eat ~ Gestreken Mastelle

In the city of Gent, in Belgium, is one of the

smallest storefronts I have ever seen.  It is 

the space of a closet ~ by that, I mean the 

closets of our youth, not the closets in today's

McMansions.  I "discovered" it by scent, I

could smell that irresistible aroma of butter

and cinnamon, it made me think of an apple

fritter.  I turned the corner and came upon

this young man.  He was a good looking guy

with a fabulous sales pitch ~ he could sell ice

to eskimos.

Gestreken Mastelle are traditional treats in Gent.

They sort of looked like a flattened bagel.  In the

old days you would cut the bun in half and add

butter and brown sugar and heat it with your

clothes iron.  The name means "ironed buns" in

Dutch.  This guy was using something like a 

panini press and you can get them now with all

sorts of savory fillings, like salmon and brie.

We had been climbing through castles and

churches and cobblestone streets and a

snack seemed like the perfect thing.  We got 

out our euros and then noticed everyone in the 

crowd had their euros out as well.  Needless to 

say, it would have been a long wait and we 

needed to move on.  So, sadly, I didn't get to

taste this treat ~ but it is a reason to return

to lovely Gent someday.