Please note that since writing this blog post, Bickers aan de Werf has closed down
A recent acquaintance of mine insightfully asked, ‘why can’t we just be friends?’ She wasn’t, in fact, offering me a gentle let-down after I’d just propositioned her for sex. (I hadn’t, incidentally.) She was wondering out loud where the concept of friendship had got lost in this world of myspace, facebook and blogs, where being in a network or group has replaced the need to be part of the playground gang twenty years ago. In this vein, our latest ‘group’ is called The Supper Club, a not very subtle reference to the hip white-clad dining experience reserved for the rich and beautiful people of Amsterdam.
A motley crew of myspacers, facebookers and internet dates, our first meeting was held at Bickers aan de Werf: a venue in the so-called ‘Centrum’, yet whose location on the Prinseneiland feels almost coastal. The water lapping beneath our feet as we sat on the wooden decking, the large sea-going cruisers reminding us that none of us could afford to live in the area, we exchanged indefinite numbers of air kisses, handshakes and glasses of rose.
A couple of our members had been to Bickers once or twice before and, amazingly, were greeted like old friends by the lady who came to take our drinks orders. As the air grew colder, we moved inside to a long, high table with surprisingly comfy chairs – surprising because it looked like the aforementioned furniture had been made out of disused scaffolding. Interesting.