The country of Belgium has produced a variety of fine foods, amazing folklore and, of course, the incomparable Henri Carton de Wiart. He's real. Look him up. It is also the original home of feather bowling, which can best be described as Belgium's version of bocce ball.
Brussels? I'm a big fan of your sprouts.
My friend Tim mentioned feather bowling as an idea for this little project thing I'm doing. I don't know if y'all know about it? Anyway... we went to Cadieux Cafe in Detroit last night to try it out. There are a few things to know about Cadieux Cafe. The first is that it is the Belgium-iest place on earth. Other than Belgium. The second is that its the only place in the country where you can go feather bowling. And the last major thing you absolutely need to know about Cadieux Cafe is that its known for its mussels.
They're the tiny, hard-shelled, miniature chickens of the sea.
In all seriousness, the mussels were fantastic. I was surprised they were featured so prominently on the menu, but apparently that's "very Belgian", according to my mom. So that's good to know, right? But we weren't there for the mussels. Or delightful Belgian ambiance.
We were there for this. Oh the glamor.
The game was fantastically fun and perfectly designed for either a large or small group of people. Not unlike bocce, teams stand on opposite sides of the court and take turns going back and forth. It is played on a long, dirt track that curves downward in the middle. Think of a halfpipe, but with significantly less steep sides. That is part of what makes it an amazingly fun and different experience from bocce. A lot of the strategy relies on manipulating the shape of the track to get a better shot.
And sometimes it just defies the laws of physics for fun.
If you notice, the things you roll aren't round like with bocce. That's because the cheese-wheel shape allows you to run them up along the sides of the track. They will naturally run back and forth before coming to a stop. This does a lot of things. First and foremost, it looks really freakin' cool. Secondly, it makes it easier to adjust your throwing strength. Not unlike bocce, it is very easy to throw too hard. Finally, it allows you to get around a block set up by the other team.
Your block means nothing to me.
The game is a lot of fun - especially for families. It is really easy to get into and it does not take much skill to make it look like you know what you're doing. Wanna see what I mean?
Newb.
Scrub.
Rockstar.
In all seriousness though... it was a ton of fun. There is only one place in the country that you can go feather bowling and I would highly recommend that you do it! Its very chill, but when you get one right by the feather it feels so good. Feather bowling was delightful. Cadieux Cafe is one of those places that everyone should experience before they die. And the bartender was totally the nicest dude ever. And so, in conclusion, go feather bowling or we won't be friends anymore.
Also. Epic.
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