We're all Dutch

When I married into the Lengacher family, it didn't take long for me to be introduced a very addictive card game that's a old Mennonite family favorite - Dutch Blitz. It's a lot like Speed if you've ever play that, but with it's own special cards with cute little Dutch (Pennsylvania Dutch- I'm assuming) boys and girls on them.

Back in 2008 during our first visit to Guatemala we went on a trip to Semuc Champey with some friends from our language school. It just so happened that on of them had gone to school at Eastern Mennonite, the same college that Ben attended for 3 years. Of course she too was a menonita and low and behold, she had brought along a set of Dutch Blitz cards. Anyway, long story short, we were all sitting around a picnic table in the middle of nowhere, reading the directions (which happen to be written in a very stereotypical Dutch-like language) and laughing all the while, when a couple from Holland overheard us. Intrigued, they wanted in on this game that we all thought was so fun and soon become more competitive about it than even we were. Who would have guessed that we would ever have an opportunity to play Dutch Blitz with real Dutch people??

Fast forward a few months to Antigua where we have found a new set of friends who also know and love Dutch Blitz. None of them are Mennonites, but apparently it's quite popular in the mid-west as well. And thanks to Ben's Aunts Sharon & Mary Lou, we now have our own set that we brought along with us, secretly wishing that we'd find friends who wanted to play - and we have!!

We played our first game in Antigua at Dani's birthday party a few weeks ago and we're pretty sure, it won't be the last time we see those pumps, carriages, pails & plows flying around the table!


For those of you who don't know the first thing about the game, I'm sure you'll get a kick out the of this rhyme that's written on the box.

It's a Vonderful Goot Game!

Dutch Blitz is such vonderful goot fun
For young folks - and old vones too.
Vhy you should see the vones who plays:
They gets in such a stew.

Easy to learn - exciting to play,
For two or three or four.
And this for sure is vone such game,
That ain't gonna be no bore.

So now, sit down with your friend or kin
And try this game to play.
Chust bet that vhen you get started vonc't ,
You'll play for most the day!