Bel-Gem Waffle as Madeleine

I don’t know the exact date, but some day this spring or summer will mark the sixtieth anniversary of one of the greatest things I ever ate. This happened at the New York World’s Fair in Flushing, Queens, which was a very big deal for a 10-year-old living in suburban Westchester County in 1964. I went there with my parents on several occasions, including once hearing President Lyndon Johnson give a speech at the Singer Bowl (later renamed Louis Armstrong Stadium, and repurposed as a tennis venue when the U.S. Open moved to Flushing).

But what sticks most in my memory are the Belgian waffles. From the start, these appear to have been the hot item at the Fair, and on our first visit, my folks and I hightailed it to the stand at which they were sold. And, like I say, they were great. You could order different toppings but in my recollection we always chose powdered sugar, whipped cream and strawberries. What a combination! The waffles were crisp on the outside and airy on the inside, the strawberries were colorful and juicy, and the cream had just the right level of sweetness, probably leading to the fact that even today, whipped cream is one of my two favorite foods. The powdered sugar was a subtle but probably important touch.

Language obsessive that I was and am, one thing that struck me was that a lot of people incorrectly called them “Belgium” instead of “Belgian” waffles. I only learned today that one reason for the error was a sign with a typo.