The name for a favourite treat – what does it mean?
Growing up we spend a lot of time with our Oma and Opa (Dutch). We would have tea and Mices with Oma... and until recently I haven’t thought twice ‘what is mices’.
In Holand (and at the Dutch Toko – downtown Guelph) you can purchase sprinkles for your bread. My favourites are CHOCA viokken (chocolate flakes) and DeRuijter (white powder- black liquorice flavour) .
Last week I was downtown Guelph and thought there is no better time then the present to stop in for a gander at the Dutch Toko. I quickly made my way to the Mices isle and picked up a box of my two favourites.
Today I decided I would have some Mices when I sat on my couch finishing up my day... but thought where the heck did the name mices come from, since it doesn’t mean anything in Dutch. I called my Oma, and with a little laughter she proceeded to tell me that Mices came from Popeye. ‘I hate my mices to pieces’.
It turns out the correct term for Sprinkles in Dutch is Muisjes. Which in literal translation means mouse droppings... or for the powdered white mices which I love it would be Gestamtemuijes... crushed mouse droppings.
Isn’t is hilarious that all these years can pass and you think nothing of the terms your family uses... and then you wish you hadn’t asked J