On Tuesday, January 15 of 1957, I had to do my usual chore of Grocery Shopping, in the Frost. This was Little Me back than in Horst, The Netherlands, with typical low skies and kind of foggy weather. Standing next to the driveway fence, at the age of almost 6. My Mom was pregnant with child #6 and my brother Harry was born 3 weeks later. It always fell upon me, to do the shopping chores, on foot or on my kick-bike. I do remember getting frosty white fingers when toting the heavy shopping bag home with me for one kilometer or 0.6 mile one way over a cinder street on foot. That's what life was like, back than. A kick-bike is no good on icy cinder roads!
It was quite an adventure to go to our local Albert Heijn grocery store.
Do you remember that they had to weigh the beans, the flour, the sugar etc. and taking it out of those wooden bins into a paper bag?
This photo below, I just bought and down loaded, from Nationale Beeldbank in The Netherlands and it shows the very first Albert Heijn grocery store in The Netherlands. The one I walked to, looked very similar.
If you would like to have a better view, look at this video clip from the→(click) Beeldbank in The Netherlands with a good showing of the interior at such a local grocer kruidenier in the 50s.
This was before Super Markets came along...
The actual Albert Heijn where I went, at Schoolstraat 5 in Horst.
That very store got opened in 1936...
Every time when I went shopping I did get a paper cone with candy. Most of the time it were cinnamon or peppermint cushions.
My younger siblings were eagerly waiting for my return as I did bring home this loot of candy.
At those days there were no sweets for us otherwise.
Toversleutel sells them still ←(click it)
These are the old fashioned cinnamon cushions or kaneelkussentjes in Dutch.
It is quite interesting to see the Old Dutch candy that got sold by the scoop.
Eucalypta > Oud Hollands Snoepgoed > Schepgoed ←(click it)
Was the Dutch selection of candy in above link different from what you grew up with?
My French born American friend Véronique from the blog: French Girl in Seatle just did a great post: Les bonbons de mon enfance. Candy of my childhood.
Véronique inspired me to do this post...
Hope you enjoyed this sweet journey of nostalgia!
rather sad how much the world has changed since then. no 6 yr old would be sent on their own to the store these days...
ReplyDeletelove those soft peppermint candies. or cinnamon as the case might be.
Dearest Theresa,
DeleteThat is indeed a sad reality! Back than you could totally trust your surroundings and adults did watch out for each other's kids.
Glad that at least I grew up that way and keep fond memories forever.
Hugs,
Mariette
My great aunt always had a tin of those when I was a child - you just morphed me back to a happy place, Mariette. Thank you for that! <3
ReplyDeleteDearest Stacy,
DeleteIt is always good for being morphed back to a happy place. Glad we share the same fond memory!
Hugs,
Mariette
What a sweet little girl you were, Mariette, and a good little daughter and sister, too! I love your little store to shop in and it does bring back some memories for me, too. I would ride my little bike to the store for my Mother and buy milk and bread - 25 cents for each back then. There were glass bins of what we called 'penny candy' that we could choose from, very similar to yours. I always bought the red hots and sugar babies and bazooka bubblegum! I was a little older - age of 9 - with 4 little sisters. Lovely memories you have stirred up, Mariette! Hugs xoxo
ReplyDeleteDearest Karen,
DeleteGuess, being the eldest plays a role here too. I got my first bike at the age of 11. Always went to school on foot, the full 2 kilometers or 1.2 miles and that four times a day as we did come home for lunch break. That was a lot of walking each day! Sweet memories indeed; it is the very fabric our lives is woven with...
Hugs,
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletedu bist so beständig, und das liebe ich
ganz besonders an dir und deinem schönen Blog.
Herzliche Grüße
Elisabeth
Liebe Elisabeth,
DeleteDanke, ich versuche immer die Dinge im Leben so zu schreiben wie sie sind.
Lieber Gruss,
Mariette
I used to do the shopping for my mother in a grocery, the owners were María and Miguel and then I had to buy the dairy milk in the milk shop and the fish in the fish shop. I spent the whole morning when I was on holidays doing the shopping.
ReplyDeleteMarina
Dearest Marina,
DeleteThe milk man and the baker came home to home, that was easy but for meat and fish I had to go to another store as well.
Hugs to you,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteLovely you look so cold and I wonder if the heavily looking bag mght be a shopping bag.
Oh, this post reminded me that I was doing same chores when little. Lovely to read that your siblings were waiting for you to come home with the loot of candy. I did remember my mother gave me small extra money to buy some sweets. Yes, back then really safe for me to do these chores with no traffic danger with kind neighbors and store owners.
Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*
Dearest Miyako,
DeleteYes indeed that IS my sturdy and heavy shopping bag! Even more heavy when filled up with groceries and I had to tote it home. So glad to warm my cold hands near the stove once I got home... Indeed times have changed and not always for the better.
Love and hugs to you likewise.
Mariette
Hi Mariette,
ReplyDeleteYou were so little to be walking all alone...but then in those days life was safer. What a dear child you were. What a special treat to get candy at the store, I remember my Mom making candy for us when we were children.
I love love your camellia's they are one of my most favorite flowers. I have two camellia bushes in my front yard and they are not doing well at all, I do not think since they have not produced any flowers yet this year and I see other plants blooming. Maybe mine will be a late bloomer.
Always enjoyable visiting you. Have a sweet Valentine week!
Elizabeth
Dearest Elizabeth,
DeleteGuess I got raised to become very independent at a rather young age. Not much time to play but participating in the serious things of life. Loved to see Mom happy and I got her praise of course! Siblings happy and after my hands got warmed up again I felt great.
Nature can be harsh on our shrubs and plants. Our daffodils don't bloom this year... only green but no buds. Guess that is the price from such hot and dry summers.
Happy Valentine week to you as well.
Mariette
Hallo Mariette,
ReplyDeleteeine kleine Süße warst du und schon damals tüchtig. An solche "Tante Emma-Läden" kann ich mich auch noch erinnern und an Himbeer-Bonbons, die für 2 Pfennig einzeln verkauft wurden. Alles wurde aus großen Behältnissen in kleine spitze Tüten abgefüllt. Schöne Erinnerungen an eine damals (aus Kinderaugen) heile Welt.
Liebe Grüße,
Johanna
Liebe Johanna,
DeleteWenn man die älteste ist dann ist es lediglich erwartet um die Mutter soviel möglich mit zu helfen. Es hat mir im späteren Leben sehr geholfen und nichts ist zuviel. Schöne Erinnerungen indertat.
Lieber Gruss,
Mariette
Dear Mariette,so beautiful memories from your childhood!You look so cute!We have cinnamon candy here,in Australia we call candy,lollies!Wishing you a sweet Valentine week!Hugs!
ReplyDeleteDimi..
Dearest Dimi,
DeleteFunny that they call them lollies in Australia; that is a Dutch word for lollipops, those on a stick.
Sweet Valentine week for you!
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteSo sweet memories, I did grocery shopping as well when I was little. It was such a beautiful memories. My mom bought me a small bicycle . there is no problem sending little kids to go for shopping. The reality now especially in advanced countries quite dangerous to send children outside,Children kidnapping etc,quite scary.
Oh my old traditional grocery shop such a fond memories, the still fascinating
my mom had a shop like that
thanks for sharing Mariette.
have a nice week
hug
Mariette,come mi piace questo post!Che bella la bottega del droghiere con tutte quelle belle confezioni e barattoli!Come eri carina e dolce tu che a soli sei anni andavi a fare la spesa.Grazie per aver condiviso!Baci,Rosetta
ReplyDeleteCara Rosetta,
DeleteGrazie per il tuo dolce commento. Infatti quelli sono grandi ricordi dai tempi passato con tanto di nostalgia. Che a volte ci manca e vuolevamo ricreare alcuni di esso dentro le nostre case...
Baci,
Mariette
Hello Mariette, You have presented a pleasing picture of a old-fashioned way of shopping that luckily is still within living memory. I have seen the peppermint cushions, but not the cinnamon ones, which I would probably prefer.
ReplyDelete--Road to Parnassus
PS, I tried to play the video, but I couldn't get it to work.
Hello again, I just tried the link you sent, and got it to work (I had to switch to Internet Explorer). A nice recreation of the old grocery stores and what it was like to shop in them. No problem understanding it even not knowing the language--in fact, I enjoyed listening to the Dutch cadences. Thanks, Jim
DeleteGlad it worked the second time around!
DeleteNo thanks at all, you're quite welcome.
Mariette
Cara Mariette, che belli i ricordi di quando eravamo bimbe!
ReplyDeleteun abbraccio dall'Italia
Anna
Cara Anna,
DeleteBelli ricordi dell'infanzia sono sempre preziosi, tutta la vita!
Buona settimana di San Valentino.
Mariette
Wat leuk Mariette, dat je zulke oude foto´s nog hebt.
ReplyDeleteJeetje ik moet er niet aan denken een kind van 6 alleen boodschappen laten halen, maar ja het was een hele ander tijd natuurlijk. Nog bedankt voor je verjaardagswensen!
Nicole
Lieve Nicole,
DeleteDe foto's hebben mijn ouders nog maar ik heb ze ooit geleend om te scannen toen we in Limburg waren. Inderdaad was het een hele andere tijd...
Fijne Valentijnsweek nog!
Mariette
Dearest Mariette... to have such wonderful memories captured forever in one's thoughts is wonderful to have darling photos priceless!! I always enjoy these wonderful travel back in time posts. I know from your writings life was not easy for you ~ yet you raised yourself (and your siblings) and grew into one of the most beautiful (inside and out) ladies I am blessed to have come into my life. Wishing you a wonderful week..xo C. (HHL)
ReplyDeleteDearest Celia,
DeleteGrowing up post WWII was no luxury but there were numerous happy moments. Thanks for your kind compliments. So glad to have met you as you are a true role model after all you lived through.
Happy Valentine's week to you both!
Mariette
Liebe Mariette, dein Posting war eine sehr interessante Zeitreise in die Niederländischen späten 50erJahre. Ich selbst war zu dieser Zeit ja noch nicht auf der Welt, doch mein Bruder ist Jahrgang 1948, er kann sich natürlich auch noch besser als ich an solche wunderbaren, leider fast ausgestorbenen Läden erinnern (bei uns heißen sie Greissler). Und ähnlich aussehende Bonbons gab es in unserer Kindheit auch, sie sind sogar noch immer erhältlich und sie heißen hier "Krachmandeln" (allerdings sind sie nicht mit Mandeln und auch nicht mit Zimt oder Pfefferminz gefüllt, sondern mit Schokolade). Durch ihr seidiges Äusseres wirken sie richtig edel: http://www.austriangrocery.com/de/heindl-pischinger/heindl-kleines-fuer-zwischendurch/heindl-wiener-krachmandeln
ReplyDeleteDanke für dieses schöne, nostalgische Posting, Traude
Liebe Traude,
DeleteDiesen Laden hier oben gibt es noch immer aber er ist jetzt so gross und eine Super Market! Ja in gut 50 Jahre hat sich wahnsinnig viel geändert aber ja, es waren ja auch post WWII Jahren und bis 1960 ging es immer hoch. Heutzutage geht es immer runter und auch die Moral ist bei lange nah nicht die gleiche. Danke für den Link; toll sind die Wiener Krachmandeln aber ganz anders wegen die Füllung.
Lieber Gruss,
Mariette
You look so precious with your little hairdo Mariette! Those were the days, when children could safely walk the streets. In England, my mom would send me to the Green Grocers with her order book...I remember feeling so grown up even though I was only about 6! We also had a little sweet shop and I used to get sherbert pips in a paper cone, good memories! This was the 70's though and in small town England so who knows, maybe kids there still get to do those things!
ReplyDeleteDearest Victoria,
DeleteYes, in England it's called Green Grocers and yes, Mom wrote her listing in the very same order book. Once a month that got paid off. A matter of mutual trust; all the way and safe walking for a little child on his/her own... The world we live in has changed and not always for the better.
Hugs to you,
Mariette
Now days we would not dream of sending a 6yr old to do the shopping........you were so cute as a child
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo-Anne and you are so right about this kind of sad fact. Times have changed.
DeleteHappy Valentine's week!
Mariettee
Leuke post Mariëtte. Ik ken zulke winkeltjes dus niet van vroeger, ben iets jonger. Leuke foto van jou. Boodschappen doen deed ik wel graag, want dan kreeg je een kauwgombal of snoepje bij de kassa.
ReplyDeleteLieve groet,
Beste Willy,
DeleteJa, dat zijn fijne herinneringen aan vroeger, ook voor jou vanwege de extra beloning! Toch een geraffineerde manier van klantenbinding...
Liefs en een fijne Valentijns week.
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your story from your early childhood memories. I also have very good childhood memories. You look so young in the photo and the bag would have been very heavy to carry back home. The grocery shop is very different to today's grocery shop. It would have been very personalized in the service back then compared to today's busy lifestyle. If we wanted milk or rice we had to go to the shops to buy. I can remember that we grew all of our vegetables and fruit at home. We could pick the fresh fruit from the tree and eat it straight away. These days I would not dream of sending a young child to the shops unless accompanied by an adult.
Hugs and love to you always!
Dearest Michiko,
DeleteYes, times are different and far more hectic and a lot less personal! My Dad too grew all his veggies and fruits, also veggies for the auction as a market gardener. It was a healthy lifestyle back than and a very close knit family with a large safety net for children.
Hugs and love and admiration to you dear lady!
Mariette