The Slice: We all could have been in Dutch

Spokane might have been different.

Maybe not better. Probably not worse. But different.

After a fire wiped out much of the city in 1889, Dutch investors played a key role in rebuilding Spokane.

From what I have read, that influence lingered into the next century. But eventually the Dutch stamp on our little metropolis faded.

Anyway, I have occasionally wondered: What if movers and shakers from the Netherlands had maintained or even stepped up their interest in Spokane?

How would our city be different today?

Maybe there would be a bustling Little Amsterdam district.

Perhaps we would be obsessed with speed skating and tulips.

You wouldn’t be able to turn on public TV without seeing another Andre Rieu concert. (Oh, wait. That has actually happened.)

Maybe a few Spokane newborns would have names like Johannes or Wilhelmina. Or Jacob or Emily van Whatever.

Perhaps this column would be called “The Wooden Shoe.”

We might have Rembrandt Auto Sales and Van Gogh Discount Home Supplies.

We could have the Hans Brinker Performing Arts Center and the Mata Hari diner.

There might be the Big Holland All-You-Can-Eat Buffet and Rotterdam Pizza.

Instead of Bulldogs, Gonzaga’s teams could be the Fightin’ Dikes. Instead of Eagles, EWU’s squads could be the Dutch Doors.

In a nod to The Hague, we could have area communities named The Millwood and The Athol.

Or not.

Maybe it’s best to remember an old Dutch saying: De molen gaat niet om met wind die voorbij is.

The windmill doesn’t care for the wind that’s gone past.

Or, as we like to say here at The Slice, laten ons beslissing naar voren. (Let’s move on.)

“Slice answer: “When my mother tries to mess with my Christmas card list, et cetera, she gets ignored,” wrote Sue Swanson.

She fully expects her own daughter to do the same someday.

“Reader challenge for those 7 years old or younger: What might be the names of some of the individual reindeer games?

“Make up your mind: You know those message screens on the front of STA buses? Well, the other day, a reader named LuAnn noticed one that flashed “United We Stand” and then “Division.” And then “United We Stand” and then “Division.” And on and on.

“Today’s Slice question: Has this happened to anyone else? My Spokane-loving sister-in-law in Michigan had to retrieve her old Christmas tree lights from the trash when her fancy new ones proved to be blindingly bright.