Festive food fight

Stuffed foxes prepare for battle. (Photo: Hans Stakelbeek/FMAX)

Peering down the hallway and into Virgiel’s main meeting room, the scene recalls that of a misty autumn day. Yet it’s the middle of winter and time for celebrating the New Year. Each year the student society’s herendispuut (men’s club), Van den Vos Reynaarde, celebrates the new year with the requisite oliebollen (fried dough balls) and powdered sugar. Although an oliebollen borrel (party) at this time of year isn’t so strange, this particular party certainly is. The festivities start at midday when members cook oliebollen according to a secret recipe. “We’ve used this recipe since the club started 20 years ago”, explains Paul van Tricht, ‘voszitter’ (or chairman) of Van den Vos Reynaarde. 
After an afternoon of toil in the kitchen, the table is soon overflowing with oliebollen and powdered sugar, ready for the party. The Vossen (Foxes), as club members are known, can choose to cover the oliebollen with powdered sugar beforehand. “But experience has shown that it’s better to throw a cloud of powdered sugar into a flame”, says Van Tricht, “as this creates a blowtorch-like effect.” In addition to the fiery clouds, many of the stuffed red-brown foxes get covered in powdered sugar and end up looking like arctic foxes!
As expected, after a few bites of oliebol with garlic or pepper, the atmosphere in the room quickly changes, becoming more like a paint-ball battlefield where oliebollen are sent flying through the air. “It’s important that there’s enough ammunition”, says Van Tricht, who confirms that this society room is ideal for actual ‘firefights’. “All the pieces of furniture in the room serve as excellent obstacles.”
Once all the pyromania and warfare dies down, the borrel ends with the chugging down of Bacardi-cola cocktails! And you can guess what that means…