Wednesday 7 April 2010

little vending doors full of fried goods (bads?) - hooray cv

FEBO is an institution in Amsterdam. I don't think I had ever eaten anything from there (believe it or not, in all these years) until this last weekend. However, I've always wanted to go for a photo session (a better one than this telephoto shoot above, that is) 'cos I find the concept fascinating. You stick a couple of euro in the slot and get a kroket, frikandel, cheese soufflé, burger or similar fried snack. You name it, it's there. De FEBO is the King of the Fast Food Automat in The Netherlands (I've just read there are 54 in the country and 22 of them in Amsterdam alone. 22!)

But this Easter w-end the opportunity suddenly arose. My mate E, visiting from London, and I were roaming around China Town and the old area (mainly trying to stay dry 'cos the weather was crap), when she mentioned she was a bit peckish. It was hours before we were to meet the rest of our party for dinner and brunch seemed a very remote memory indeed. I started thinking where we could go for an early evening snack when... Bingo! It hit me there was a FEBO bang in the middle of the Red Light District, just a few dingy and cobbled streets away. Perfect tourist attraction too.
Knowing my mate I was sure she'd totally love the tackiness of it. She did. You just don't get to open a little window on the wall and get a croquette out of it that very often, do you now?
Anyway, the first pics are rubbish as I was trying to capture the hand of the man filling the little compartments but he was too quick and I missed every time. What a job, ei (his, not mine.) I love the second shot, though. Us in the street, burning our tongues and holding our respective croquettes in all their glory; amidst tourists and prostitutes, during a dry spell on one of the wettest days ever. Hooray.

And hooray is exactly what I thought when I read this week's cv theme. How very convenient. Hooray, hooray and hooray again. Go, go, visit them all and check for new players on Jane's sidebar (it'll take you at least a couple of days, I'm telling you.) 
Oh yeah, and this was jyg's choice and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with. I can envisage lots of cool and shiny Japanese stuff.

39 comments:

  1. Excellent: I love this vending machine!
    How were the croquettes???

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  2. I am famous!
    E

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  3. of course you are, hun.
    what you also are is very lucky I didn't post the one of you pulling a rather silly face in front of the vending machine (but you know I'm big on discretion on these here bloggy parts ;)

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  4. What a great post - so funny and well written! I will have to try those machines next time I am in Amsterdam! Wow - it looks cold there still! Fingers crossed your weather warms up!!!

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  5. Haahaa.....fried food from a vending machine...that made me smile and I think it was the perfect opportunity to try it out on unsuspecting visitors!!

    I haven't found any vending machines that I want to photograph - the only one I see regularly being the coca cola one at the end of our corridor at work and they sure as hell don't need any free advertising! I guess I could post the tea ones from Japan last year.....

    Will go over and see what Jgy comes up with!

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  6. Exactly. The first time I went in Amsterdam (i am crazy about this city), I was fascinated by those... things... Yes, the food is not good, but it's so fun to buy it (and catch the hand!!!). We don't have those "machines" in France...
    !-)

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  7. i tried to hunt down the automat in nyc for this one, but it closed last spring. how was the taste? xoxo

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  8. great ... I would love to try the kroket

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  9. I remember looking like an excited kroket :)
    E

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  10. um... can´t believe i´m going to write this... but that looks really good:) thanks dearie!

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  11. hahahahaha fried?? really?? and how was it?

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  12. Love the automatic fast food chain, so decadent, so bad(s), but let's face it, so much better than a drive thru: at least you have to do some walking to get to it:)

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  13. Haaa-HAAA! I'll bring mine- you bring your's and we'll all be a little less (or maybe more) peckish afterwards!

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  14. The machines look so clean and shinning and I have to agree with Jane the food looked good. xo

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  15. I love your machines, reminds me of the Automat in nY from my childhood.
    I hope you're not disappointed, i ended up experimenting with black and white and posted sepia-y pics and not shiny at all...oh dear, I may have to find something shiny as a PS for you!!!xo

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  16. Febo! Good old Febo! I only eat a kroket when i'm drunk-ish, they are the best when you are drunk-ish after a bit of dancing in Paradiso or De Melkweg.

    Thanks for bringing best memories back!

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  17. Oh my god! I haven't seen anything like this before. Very cool! And your writing, superb!

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  18. Oh no you didn't.

    Prostitutes, tourist, and no-food food stuff and you didn't call me? I think it would be hard to take this tour without doubling over with laughter (or stomach pain?) and peeing my pants. I hope afterward a chemical bath was in order.

    E - you have nice finger nails :^)

    Hooray for the ninja - another amusing adventure!

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  19. Delicious, het heeft gewoon iets, alleen op rare momenten trek je iets uit die dingen en dat is precies de charme I guess

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  20. Wow! THe kitsch factor hear is astronomical. Love it! I haven't seen anything this elaborate stateside.

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  21. who knew there were automats in amsterdam!? guess we needed you to tell us that - in your very funny way. tell your friend i like her rose pin.

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  22. Must I throw a meteorite on it ? No, first, I have to taste ;)

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  23. you did what???!!!

    you actually ate something of/from/at febo????

    you... you...

    YAK!!!

    ;)

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  24. "in all their glory" :-)

    I leave here giggeling - as always.

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  25. mmm. fried vending food. can you get mayonnaise with that? ;)

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  26. Hilarious! This is perfect!

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  27. FEBO! oh febo, you of yummy meat-filled greasy goodness, which i never could eat (stupid meat!). here's my pal peter grabbing some febo after a night of beers. next year, febo, next year.

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  28. The food was burning hot? How did it taste?

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  29. No comment...jajaja.
    All is said...so just should try that touristic atraction next time...taking care not to burn and could not speak the rest of the day.

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  30. I'm curious too ... how did it taste:)

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  31. fantastic fast-food-idea!!! LOVE that... cannot believe that it tastes well.

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  32. This seems like an open sky cafeteria!? That kroket doesn't look too bad actually...

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  33. oh the greasiness and convenience!!
    I've never seen this before - very interesting.I'm not sure I'd be daring to try it out but your food in the photo looks quite nice!

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  34. no idea whether anyone comes back to read comments. haven't mastered the art of commenting as of yet (so many other unmastered arts, as a matter of fact... but I ramble.)

    okay, mine (chicken) tasted precisely how I expected it to. fast-foody, greasy, filling and piping hot!
    could be much worse, really. one eats that kind of fare (only in finger food size) with beer in the pubs over here anyway.

    at the febo, you can order over the counter, like any ordinary chippy ("frituur" in dutch) but it's the automat that kills me. the concept's just hilarious ;)

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  35. Febo?? Geweldig! Heel soms trek ik iets uit de muur..en tja meestal als ik t eenmaal in mijn mond heb denk ik...? Waarom...waarom doe ik dit? Het is slap en vies meestal maar ja het is de charme he? Leuk en dapper!

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  36. oh, geez, i read that one incorrectly, thought you said you got a COQUETTE out of the vending machine, not a CROQUETTE... i was doing mental gymnastics trying to figure that one out...

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  37. Perfect! I'd eat 3 right this minute!!

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  38. mmm looks so delicous! I would love to try it!

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