Thanks for the article, y'all!

Why the fuck isn't the internet going nuts that an Eastern European man is appropriating Dutch food? Seriously, fuck these two, I hope their stupid pancake stand goes up in flames and I hope the North Koreans drop the bomb directly on The Stranger for giving these violent colonizers any column spaces. You've been warned.

You know what, I haven't been to Golden Gardens more than once this summer yet. Damn.

Sorry bucko @2, folks can tell the difference.

@3 apparently, you are the only one who can't :)

Isn't it cultural appropriation for a non-Dutch person to sell Dutch food?

Seriously, I grew up around tons of Dutch immigrants and I look forward to trying this place. If they're looking for suggestions on new items, how about oliebollen? That's the taste of my childhood ... so yummy.

Ballard's West edge, not East.

I was just finishing up a big ol' rant about Americans' habit of appropriating and screwing up foreign foods (below), when I decided I'd better first take a look at Miri's website.

http://mirisseattle.com/about/

It's a detailed and prominent explanation of poffertjes. It is surprisingly reverent and explained in detail that there is a classic Dutch way (sweet), and that she's experimenting with other combinations for a Northwest twist. Essentially, they're doing just as I suggested in the 6th paragraph of my now irrelevant screed.

The rest of the menu looks rather nice, too, and is strikingly similar to what you'd see at a beachside café on the Noordzee, with it's trendy mix of Dutch and Middle-Eastern fare.

Even the meal-size salad, called “Big Ole’ Salad” (with an extra "e", for some reason), would be recognized as a “maaltijdsalad” in the Netherlands: a big bed of greens, some other vegetables, some toasted seeds, something wet and savory like soft cheese or lentles, and an optional protein on top. Mmmm, lekker.

So I stand corrected. Seems like the Poffertje is in pretty good hands at Miri's.

PS: Miri seems to think the word "poffertjes" is hard to pronounce. Why? They're "little puffs". POFF-er-tjes. The first 2 syllables rhyme with "offer", with a more British, never-twangy, "o" sound. The last syllable is "chəs", like the last syllable in "righteous".

PSS: Here's what I was GOING to say, before I checked their website. Maybe it's still relevant as a warning about cultural appropriation gone wrong, but I think I was wrong about Miri's. Anyone with strong opinions about about kebabs or humous can weigh in about that.

BEGIN EMBARRASSING RANT * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I don't mind the cultural appropriation per se. If there aren't any Dutch people selling poffertjes, then sure, let someone else do it.

But if you call them Dutch poffertjes, please get it right…

'"they are very versatile and can be served with heirloom tomatoes, marinated zucchini, and pesto."

Sure they can. But no. No they can't. While pannekoeken can be sweet or savory (think ham and cheese, not mediterranian vegetables and pesto), poffertjes are sweet. Grilled zucchini and pesto on poffertjes is the equivalent of putting whipped cream and marshmallows on a pizza.

While it is possible to find "twists" on poffertjes on Pinterest pages and in Dutch women's magzines—where they are sometimes treated like blinis and accompanied by smoked salmon and cream cheese or even skewered with mozzarella and tomato to make a "fun" canape—this is no way to popularize "Dutch" poffertjes.

Unless Miri's gets an explicit OK from her in-laws in Rotterdam, certified with a brass engraved plaque on the wall stating that only the sweet version are authentic, then these are just a personal fantasy. She should call them My Own Poffertje-Inspired Food Idea. MOPIFIES.

Americans—and caterers especially—can't seem to resist taking something nice that people have fond attachments to, and f*king it up to make it "more awesome". Novelty rules. In a competition-obsessed culture, this is what you get.

If it's a local hit, and—backed by desperate venture capital—makes the jump from food truck and county fair to malls and airport food-courts, then it's cemented in the public imagination. This is what people know, and what they come to expect. This is how we get Starbucks and Pizza Hut in Rome.

Seriously, stop it.

END EMBARRASSING RANT * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *