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I am thrilled to announce that in November 2021 my book “Belgian Café Culture” (Authentieke Belgische Cafés in Dutch) is getting a 5 year anniversary edition with a new cover!
This book is a plea to carefully handle the fragile café heritage of Belgium. For too long have we taken these little cafés for granted. Not enough have we stopped to think about their history and their relevance in our culture. They are part of our social and cultural patrimony in Belgium. When I walk the streets, everywhere I look I see forgotten and lost cafés.
When I read in the papers that a much-loved café was going to close down I went to visit it, to talk to the people there who were about to lose their local. I was probably one of the last to document it. Nothing could be done; the owners of the building wanted to renovate the café and there is wind of a more hipster implementation. For this reason alone a lot of authentic cafés have had to go.
But the need for modernisation is not the only reason why so many old Belgian cafés disappear. The ones that have been in the family for generations often disappear because there are no children who want to take over, or because no-one dares to take over an old-fashioned café. The cafés that have been closing in the last 5 years mostly become residential dwellings. All that remains are the memories of those who used to drink there.
A café can be the centre of a community, where people laugh and cry together over a glass of ale. Where disagreements are settled with words and sometimes with the fist. But where people often help those who are in need. Listen to those who would otherwise only have silence as a reply. Births and weddings are celebrated, but so are the dead.
Photo Exhibition in Antwerp
From 3 december until the end of januari you can visit the exhibition “Op Café” with Regula’s photo’s from the book at Luddites Books & Wine, first floor in Antwerp. For the occasion you will receive a complimentary Vintage 2016 Vintage Rodenbach with every purchase of her book. All books are signed by the author.
The book was featured by the BBC Radio 4’s The Food Program and on Radio 1 ‘De wereld van Sofie’.
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When I met Leza to write down her story for my book she had just turned 90 years old. Her café was packed with flowers and a few days before she was driven around the village in an open top oldtimer accompanied by the sixty ‘Dworpse Bikers’ who congregated in her café every sunday.
Leza was also famous outside village borders of Dworp. Beerlovers and café tourists knew her for her excellent beer pouring skills. Leza was able to pour four pints of geuze beer at the same time and did this with the concentration of an eagle. With her 91 years she still served her customers at their table, taking small steps in her little slippers.
When Leza visited ‘In de Welkom’ as a child, she never thought she would ever live there but years later she could not imagine herself anywhere else. As long as she could she would open the doors to her café.
On 8 december the doors closed and Leza was no longer.
What will happen to her precious ‘In de Welkom’ I do not know. Leza didn’t know this either before she passed. I can only hope that this iconic café will remain open for decades to come so that Leza can live on in the stories that are told.
For the many young customers Leza was a grandmother, for the others she was a dear friend. Never has there been a woman in Dworp who was loved more than Leza was.
Sleep well Leza. Sleep well Barbara.
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