Smoked on the water: the eel trader reviving an old Amsterdam tradition
(The Guardian Netherlands)

In the Dutch capital, one man is rolling back the years - and his slippery business is booming. Words: Kees van Unen. Pictures: Julie Hrudova`Eeeeelll, freshly smoked eeeeelll!` These words are once again echoing along the canals of Amsterdam. Half a century after the city´s last parlevinker - or boat-based travelling salesman - dropped anchor, Bas Oosterbaan is reviving the practice.Early every morning, the 57-year-old skewers a dozen slippery specimens and raises them above the fire to let the smoke do its work. Later he casts off and sets course along central Amsterdam´s canals in search of customers. Related: Amsterdammers v tourists: `It`s worst when they throw up in your plant box` Continue reading...