editor's letter
Why is it that I can already hear Hettie saying “I told you so”?!
The Word is Nicholas Lewis
Indeed, never has Belgium – and our cherished capital city more specifically– seemed so vacant and, well, dead-like. Countless interviews have been cancelled, photo shoots delayed and features re-planned due to our country’s total standstill during the month of August.
Advertising Benoit Berben Editor-at-Large Hettie Judah
She had warned us, but we knew better didn’t we?! The power of learning by personal experience huh? Never again…
Design Delphine Dupont + pleaseletmedesign
Altough we did manage to concoct one mouthful of an issue, so get your bibs out. Our back-to-school issue sees us uncover Belgium’s less tourist-attractive culinary side with an account of radical urban gastro-invasions, doing a day’s worth of rounds with the country’s highway-bound fi sherman and get our grease-fi x at some of our favourite snacks around.
Lithography Olivier Dengis @ Mistral Photography / Illustration Geneviève Balasse Jean-Baptiste Biche Ulrike Biets Pierre Debusschere Arnaud De Harven Kris De Smedt Sarah Eechaut Sven Laurent Denis Meyers Sarah Michielsen @ Outlandish Opération Panda Yassin Serghini Sam Sisk Gaëlle Sutour
We attend to our bad conscience with a look into Europe and Belgium’s shameful waste record whilst very contrarily have ourselves one futurefantastic food fight for our fashion pages. Hum, we wondered about this obvious confl ict of directions but, hey, everybody is human. Our slightly more light-hearted and lifestyle-led pages see us having loungeshaped cakes made especially for us courtesy of Belgian Master pastry-makers Wittamer and Fabrice Collignon, setting ourselves a misty-eyed night shop challenge with larger-than-life food buff Hughes Belin whilst we team up with photographer Arnaud De Harven for a trip around the world’s tastiest streets – all this from 1000 Brussels. And this isn’t to mention our spice-induced Showstoppers selection, our study of the link between food and colour and our winked reference to the country’s love affair with chocolate spreads.
Writers Alex Deforce Collette Hutchinson Hettie Judah Laura Vannerom Karen Van Godtsenhoven Geraldine Vanhout Randa Wazen Nicholas Lewis
We weren’t about to do it Ready, Steady, Cook-style now were we?! Before we leave you to get grease stains all over the following pages, allow us to remind you of the need to re-subscribe on our website if you want to continue receiving the magazine at home as of January 2009. At a mere €18 for six issues, you really don’t have any excuses not to, if you ask us. In the meantime, enjoy your meal.
Thank You’s Melisande McBurnie Phuong Nguyen Coralie Rutten Séverine Vaissaud Mum, AJ & UK
© Fred Bastin
The Word is published six times a year by JamPublishing, 107 Rue Général Henry Straat 1040 Brussels, Belgium. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without prior permission is strictly prohibited. All information correct up to the time of going to press. The publishers cannot be held liable for any changes in this respect after this date.
Nicholas Lewis
On this cover Bubble Black
THE FIFTH WORD — 7