Eating oliebollen in June: possible because of the coronavirus crisis
From Oss to Dordrecht, the smell of oliebollen can already be detected everywhere in the country. In June, yes. Because of the coronavirus crisis, fairs are not allowed to open yet, so oliebollen bakers are forced to find another way to earn their income.
It is only because the markets are slowly getting back underway that we are not likely to see even more pastry stalls at their winter locations. Especially at the beginning of the crisis, permits for pitches were being applied for en masse. “The fairs are disappearing, and entrepreneurs still want to earn a living,” Dordrecht market supervisor Ruud de Dreu concludes in the AD.
George Reemer is one of those summertime oliebollen bakers. His beautiful stall stands in its old familiar spot: Van Eesterenplein in Dordrecht. Normally, he would be at the fair now, but his attraction—hook-a-duck and ball throwing—has not left the shed. “It has been sitting there crying for months,” Reemer says in the AD.
Nice and warm
But crying in a corner is not George’s style. So he has started baking again. Alongside his familiar oliebollen, you can also buy chocolate fruit, waffles, cream puffs, donuts and churros at his ‘Dordtsche Gebakkraam’. It is a little different, though. Warmer, especially. Because although the fans are running at full speed, temperatures above a deep fryer are naturally much higher in summer than in winter.
But fair weather or foul, the pastry stall—just like other stalls around the country—will simply remain. “We will stay as long as customers keep coming. We assess it month by month,” says George.
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