WijnSpijs – Wine, beer and bike

WijnSpijs (wine food) and its sister incarnation BierSpijs is a culinary tour that will lead a group of hungry people over a course of a Sunday afternoon. It’s a fun way to discover restaurants in your neighbourhood while enjoying curated dishes complimented with a matching drink.

Around 100 local foodies will take part in their respective cities in The Netherlands with tickets purchased in advance. Each person is given access cards and directions. You go at your own pace and follow a route that will take you to six or seven restaurants.

It’s a sublime opportunity for chefs to showcase their talent in preparing a sample dish with a complimentary glass of wine (or beer at BierSpijs) while providing exposure to their establishment.

So why would someone who blogs about bikes and the like cover a food event? Well for one, I consider WijnSpijs to also be a bike event. Organizers state that you visit restaurants while you walk with your own company. But this is Amsterdam and I’ll be damned if I’m going to walk anywhere.

My wife raised a concern that we will drink a lot during the course of the afternoon at BierSpijs. We knew what to expect since attended WijnSpijs earlier in the month. The ratio of food to alcohol heavily tips the scale in favour of the latter. I pleaded with her that a bit of beer in her system will actually help her bike better or at the very least make it more exciting. Thankfully our solution was even better as she would hop onto my back rack and I would pedal to each place. It’s also the best way to keep conversation while riding and I was more than happy to oblige.

But isn’t riding a bike with high levels of alcohol in your system dangerous and irresponsible? Well in my defence, it’s not drinkfest, nor am I racing or carving through traffic or operating a two ton vehicle. I’m riding a bicycle at a leisurely pace while breathing in fresh air. Furthermore, who is going to stop me? I’m on a bike!

While I will leave my critique of the food at the table, I really enjoyed these events. Besides sampling a variety of culinary delights and discovering new neighbourhoods, I’m reminded about how Wijn & BierSpijs will only compliment living with bikes.