by Jeannette Berndsen
OH WELL, in America everything is different than in the Netherlands. The European wine culture is just not there, which may open you up to big surprises.
We went to listen to a band playing in the countryside of Homosassa, Florida. It was in Citrus County, which is also called Nature Coast. So there was a band playing there and it sounded absolutely amazing, kind of like the Rolling Stones. We sat on our folding chairs we brought and had a good time. Glass of wine? my husband asked. Yes, please! Dancing was also allowed.
He returns with a wide smile, with plastic cups filled to the brim, 1 with white and 1 with red wine. Types of wine were nonexistent except for the color, and there were also no glasses. A bit of panic, we do have plastic cups, is it okay if we put the wine in there?
Ah yes, of course, what the hell, the cup gets filled to the brim with wine. Really?
So that’s how we drank wine from a plastic cup for the first time in our lives, and because they were totally topped off, we had more than enough. Never again will I forget that band and that wine and the beautiful surroundings where we once again saw the difference between the Netherlands and America, maybe I should say Europe and America.
Integration means utterly enjoying all the differences that make life fascinating.
* Jeannette Berndsen is an artist in West Palm Beach, Florida.
