19. Oliebollen
Sometime in November the weather gets cold enough, or people have waited long enough, and the oliebollen stalls open up. Stalls is too diminutive; the places serving oliebollen are carnival big.
The common oliebollen is a ball of fried dough, dipped in powdered sugar. You can get them filled with apple or bananas or rummed raisins, but those are for heretics and the unclean. The only appropriate variation is ham and cheese, which is itself covered with cheese, because ham and cheese is right and good.
There are three oliebollen purveyors in Haarlem. The one near the post office with the largest. The one near the station by the exit we never go out. But the one you want is in the Botermarkt. Ham and cheese, and an elderly couple who will tell you to tap the machine with your card and demonstrate with their open palm. Tap. Tap. Tap.