Another aspect to the party scene in Amsterdam which does not require smoking or drinking is eating! The site of the former Chocolata coffeeshop is now an Abraxas location. To those frequenting Amsterdam before the change, Chocolata was renowned for its cannabis edibles: chocolate bon-bons, cakes and muffins.

Thankfully the Abraxas coffeeshop has continued the tradition. In addition to a make-over in its inimitable Abraxas style, "space" cakes and other edibles have stayed a tradition with the location. Just in case you need reminding about the potency of the cakes, or are unaware that "space" preceding anything in Amsterdam means you are going to get high, edible hash and weed products from Abraxas have a warning label:

“!WARNING!”

Always start with a small piece!
Wait for the effect (45 -90 min) So you don’t take too much

Commence par predre un petit morceau!
Attend pour l’effet (45-90 min) Avant prendre trop

Cominiciare un pezzo piccolo
Aspetta di effeto (45-90) prima mangiare troppo

We opted for a brownie and a blueberry muffin. The staff informed us that the brownie was made with a half gram of hash, the muffin contained a half gram of weed . It turns out the place was still under a bit of construction and the old “Chocolata” sign was tucked away in a corner. I was tempted to make the staff an offer for the old sign, out of nostalgia. Perhaps I will run into it in the Hash and Marijuana Museum, for my sake it belongs there as a tribute. We split the cakes, each taking a half, and saving the remaining halves for later, it took real effort not to quickly eat the delicious snacks all at once. (one more aspect to be careful with when judging the dose of space cakes and brownies)    -Andy Journal entry

(oil on canvas 25cm x 35cm)