Hundreds of slip soles were eaten on Monday evening in Purmerend. Friends for Purmerend Foundation invited 600 underprivileged singles to fifteen different restaurants for an unforgettable evening under the name ‘Tongen in Purmerend’. The name of the event immediately caused hilarity among many of the older visitors. “I don’t think it’s there yet.”
Many of the older ladies are looked at a bit askew by their children when they tell them that they are going to ‘Tongen in Purmerend’. “When I say that, they must laugh terribly. You tongues?”, let a visitor know. Another lady laughs slyly from behind her glasses “some make jokes about it because they think otherwise”. But real tongues are no longer in it for most, they think. “No, we’re not going to start that anymore and we’ll keep it that way, freedom-happy.”
It’s the Week Against Loneliness. 1 in 10 Dutch people say they feel very lonely. Another 1 in 3 Dutch people feel moderately lonely. Throughout the week, activities are being organized in Noord-Holland to bring people into contact with each other. And if there is one thing that connects, it is sharing a meal.
“We are spoiling them tonight”, says Jeroen Riemeijer, the organizer of ‘Tongen in Purmerend’. It’s not just about the week of loneliness for him, because he thinks that the guests really deserve some extra attention.