“Zeg maar Oma, iedereen noemt mij Oma. Toen ik pas een restaurant had, kwamen hier wel studenten helpen afwassen om een bordje rames te verdienen. Die noemden mij Moesje. Nu zijn ze dokter of hebben carrière gemaakt en ze komen nog steeds. Hun kinderen zijn Oma gaan zeggen, zo is het langzaam aan voor iedereen…
While in the airplane to Amsterdam, I already imagine sinking my teeth in my favorite snack and street food. The number one snack destined to meet its fate is the kroket, named after the French croquette. The Dutch kroket, is cylindrical shaped, deep-fried, breaded and filled with a creamy meat ragout (usually with beef, broth,…
Like a blast from the past, I saw a picture of my oma Keasberry featured in a 1973 edition of Prinses, a weekly Dutch magazine. I had never seen it before and was happily surprised. My facebook friend Cindy posted a snapshot of the pages soon after she had found it in her late fathers…
Today, Dutch media reported: Iconic Dutch singer and actress Liesbeth List has died at her home in Soest aged 78. List, who sang the work of such greats as Jaques Brel and Charles Aznavour, became most famous for her partnership with actor and singer Ramses Shaffy who died in 2009. Their biggest successes include such…
Our family restaurant Djokja was located on the north side of the Ferdinand Bolstraat, considered a main arterial to the city center of Amsterdam. In the 1970’s residents fought a fierce battle to get rid of the cars. I remember it well, in 1975 burning car wrecks were placed strategically at each end of our block…
People change and neighborhoods change. The place I always called home in Amsterdam, is now someone else’s house. People move in and people move out. Wherever we go, we will always carry the memories created in that house with us. Whenever I am in the city I try to go back and check out the…
Although she lived on the other side of the world, I took comfort in the knowledge that I could always start a video call via my smartphone. Or I would actually make that trip to Indonesia one of these days and give her a big warm hug again. That door is now forever closed. Suddenly, you are confronted with aspects of…
Mijn favoriete Toko Ramee in Amsterdam bestaat inmiddels meer dan vijftig jaar. Ter gelegenheid van het vijftigjarig bestaan in 2011 werd een boekje uitgebracht waarin het verhaal vanaf het begin van de populaire Toko Ramee staat. De relatie met Toko Ramee en onze familie gaat terug naar de tijd van het voormalig Nederlands Indië. Mijn…
Voordat mijn moeder naar Amerika emigreerde werkte ze al bij restaurant Djokja in Amsterdam. Onlangs vertelde ze mij het volgende verhaal waar ze nu nog hartelijk om kan lachen. “Je maakt wat mee!” zei ze. Het was het jaar 1957. Op een dag besloot zij om met haar nicht Erie lekker te gaan eten bij…
Restaurant Djokja, founded in 1954 in Amsterdam by Mrs. MA Keasberry-of Beekom, also known as grandma (OMA) Keasberry. IN DUTCH: Restaurant Djokja, opende haar deuren 1954 in Amsterdam. Opgericht door mevrouw MA Keasberry-of Beekom, beter bekend als Oma Keasberry.