Topic: Wooden Shoe

Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak open the show discussing the correct Dutch pronunciation of Gouda cheese versus the Americanized version. Dvorak references a Scandinavian cooking show and notes that Gouda, Holland, is famous for exporting candles in addition to its namesake cheese. The hosts joke about Dutch names and the phonetic differences between European and American English.

In a "Real News" segment, the hosts report on the theft of a 13-foot, two-ton giant wooden shoe from a tourist landmark in Holland. The thieves reportedly sent an email promising to return the shoe after the mid-February Carnival. Dvorak mocks the police's inability to trace the email and the general absurdity of the tourist attraction.

The international perception of the Netherlands has shifted from windmills and wooden shoes to a reputation for drugs and tourism. Domestic critics argue that the Dutch government has sold off its industrial base, leaving the country with little manufacturing or independent banking following the sale of ABN Amro. Shopping districts like the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam remain busy, but local shoe manufacturing has nearly vanished.