The Belgian ‘Girlie Beer’ That Won Me Over

and led me to a gourmet hotdog

My partner Chris and I got on the elevator in my parents’ apartment building in Canada with one of their neighbors who lived on the floor above them. He recognized us from previous visits and started chatting with us a bit.

“How long are you visiting for?” He asked.

We had come back to my hometown of Canmore, Canada, to help my parents move into an assisted living facility. We explained to him that we were helping them move, and then we were heading off to Europe for the winter.

“Oh great, which countries are you visiting?”

“We are starting in Belgium, then moving on to Holland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France. After that, we aren’t sure.” I told him.

The elevator bell dinged and the doors opened. We stepped into the lobby as he stayed on, heading down to the garage level.

“That sounds great. Have a wonderful trip.” He called out as the door rolled shut.

A few days later, it happened again. We got on the elevator and the same man was standing there.

“Did you say that you were headed to Belgium?” He asked.

“Yes, we are,” I told him.

“Well, they say it is a ‘girlie beer,’ but my favorite beer in Belgium was the cherry beer. Make sure you try it when you are there.” He said a bit sheepishly. I should mention that this man is about 6'5" (196 cm) and likely about 250 pounds (113kg) — not a small man.