Catymology

Yo, cats and catted ones! Darcy here.

We're deep in the Year of the Pig, according to the Chinese calendar. So what did I do to celebrate? First, I flew to Amsterdam and booked a room at the Flying Pig Hostel. I know you're gonna ask me, "Why Amsterdam?" No good reason, except the distinguished airline that hubs in my fair city has daily flights there, and since they're operated by its European partner, you actually get something good to eat--like little sandwiches made with ham, and a bottle of Heineken.


The Flying Pig is the place to be if you love to party. The management boasts that it's

"the best place to meet other travelers, there are regular theme-parties and we sell the cheapest beer in town! Then move to the Leidseplein (square) where you can refuel at one of the many pubs or coffee shops. Move next-door to bring your evening to a climax in the so-called pop-temple the Paradiso or in the famous milk factory-club Melkweg!"

So, what cat doesn't like a milk factory? As it turned out, the milk factory is a club, a cinema, and a media center--but I'm getting ahead of myself.

First off, I was hungry, so I settled in at D'Vijeff Vlieghen,where I dined on fillet of suckling pig marinated in butter milk ! (You're beginning to sense a theme here, aren't you?)

After dinner, I overheard a bunch of young folks at the hostel who were going to the Melkweg to dance to Poptrash. It sounded intriguing:

Poptrash is een dansavond die volledig draait om leuke platen, gestoorde dj’s en de kater waarmee je de volgende ochtend op je werk komt. Gastheren The Punchout DJ’s presenteren je een opgefokte mix van rock, electro en hiphop. Platen die je dondersgoed kent, maar die nooit worden gedraaid door het maffiose volk in Hilversum. Want POPTRASH heeft schijt aan de afgezaagde hitjes die je op elke semi-alternatieve studentensoos naar je hoofd krijgt geslingerd!

But since I don't speak a word of Dutch, I rummaged through the web (free WIFI access at the hostel!) for a translation:

Poptrash are a dancing evening which twists entirely for leuke plates,
disturbed dj's and the tomcat with which you come the next morning on
your work. Hosts The Punchout DJ's present a bred mix of rock, electro
and hip-hop you. Plates which your dondersgoed know, but are never
twisted that by the maffiose people in hilversum. Because POPTRASH
have schijt to the afgezaagde hitjes which you swung on each
semi-alternatieve get studentensoos to your head!

So, I was in for disturbed dj's and the tomcat? What tomcat? If you go to a Poptrash event, you get up the next morning with a tomcat? What about those of us who prefer to come with the ladies? This was getting very confusing. But I chalked it all up to a translation program written by a drunken smoushund, possibly one who'd been listening to too much Duran Duran. But then I found this video on YouTube.

Or, hey, I could have gone to Tannhauser, but, I didn't fly all the way to Amsterdam to listen to opera. Suffice to say, those disturbed dj's sure know how to dish up the irony.

When my head stops ringing from the studentensoos, I'll fill you in on all that happened on my flight home. For now, I'm outta here!

Darcy X

Labels: travel