Amayzine Questionnaire
Odette Schoonenberg
The title of the book ‘A Spoonful of Love’ might immediately tell you that this is not just any book. Odette Schoonenberg, owner and founder of So PR, wrote the cookbook for everyone who is dealing with or has dealt with cancer. Because some days food didn't taste good to her and on other days she kept eating like Holle Bolle Gijs just to avoid feeling nauseous, she says herself. A beautiful book by a beautiful person. That calls for a Questionnaire.
Your nickname?
“Miss O. I got that by chance with a Sinterklaas surprise. Fashion journalist Michou Basu gave me a surprise in the form of a perfume bottle named Miss Eau. That quickly became Miss O.”
Your fashion icon?
“Marlene Dietrich meets Audrey Hepburn.”
First job?
“I worked at Miss Etam when I was fifteen. That was still the company of my great-uncle, so it was a kind of unavoidable family tradition.”
Your favourite among shops?
“Oh dear, I love small, unique shops and remarkable concepts. Preferably with a bit of edge, then you really step into a different world.”
What do you eat when calories are not a factor?
“Fortunately, those never play a role. But I once had to gain ten kilos from my doctors, that was a fascinating challenge. I was there with croissants and sandwiches with peanut butter, but that was a while ago. Now I eat really healthy again and also for ninety-five percent vegan, so calorie-rich for me is kibbeling, a whole tub of pistachios, or a delicious rhubarb crumble.”
Never have I ever...
“A thousand things yes, but also a thousand things no. But mainly: never have I ever thought that at forty-five I would face the confrontation with three types of cancer. And that I would deal with it as I have done.”
Who do you swap wardrobes with à la minute?
“With no one. I have such a pronounced taste that is just as eclectic as I am. I wouldn't want to impose that on anyone.”
And what do you do when no one is home?
“Crazy dances, I love them. But, I sometimes do them when someone else is around too, haha.”
Your very first designer piece?
“A very complex, self-assembled metal dress by Paco Rabanne. How eighties. Or maybe it was the black, wide Cerruti pants. Oooh, I am so revealing my age here.”
“Unfortunately, the word cancer is one of the first things I think of.”
Do you have a beauty secret?
“Yes, my way of eating. Beauty literally comes from within. And I can see it on my skin. If I've been a bit sloppy for a few days, then I immediately have, hop, blemishes.”
Who would you like to have coffee with?
“With the Obamas. What beautiful, special, intelligent, sincere, loving, civilized, and driven people they are. So sad that they have fought for something that now seems to be gradually being dismantled.”
No one knows this about you?
“I have to drag myself through that moment every morning. Unfortunately, the word cancer is one of the first things I think of. Not consciously, but inevitably.”
This must remain fashion forever?
“The oversized white cotton blouses. I love the boyfriend look. Haha, but I also love oversized cotton pajama pants.”
Which label should we fall in love with? “SET, my absolute favorite. A wonderful brand.”
Ultimate moment of relaxation?
“In and on the water. A swimming pool, the ocean, a mountain lake, or a mega hot tub. I relax in the water.”
Your spirit animal?
“A chimpanzee, which perfectly embodies my inner Amélie meets Pippi Longstocking character.”
You want a ticket to?
“The Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan. I love blossoms. When the first ones bloom, I skip down the street.”
Name the last three things you bought:
“The cookbook ‘Love & Lemons’, beautiful bowls from Dassie, and a totally unexciting, yet practical and sporty swimsuit. I swim every day, otherwise I get neuropathy, which is a result of the chemo.”
What are the first three hits when you Google yourself?
“A spicy blend. So PR, that's my company. My cookbook ‘A Spoonful of Love’. And yes, also my columns for Vrouw.nl from 2015 with titles like ‘Cancer never lets you go’.”
Favorite movie-book-series-music of all time?
“The movie Amélie, the book ‘The Chosen’, and Twin Peaks as a series. My music is Brel meets Blondie, while Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill crawl behind the piano with Harry Connick Jr.”
If your bag could talk, what would it tell us?
“Please, please, please, can someone clean up that mess? I have a typical women's bag, it contains everything you've ever needed or never needed.”
What is on your bucket list?
“Pfff, a lot and at the same time nothing. I am so aware of my vulnerability and no matter how humble you are, it's the superlative of everything. So I would want to write a thousand cookbooks, make amazing trips, and live to a hundred. And especially that last one. I know that a wish is worth nothing if you are not healthy. Getting up every day is a very big gift for me.”
Fashion rule you live by?
“Don't follow the rules, create them!”
Odette's book will be in stores from Thursday, April 13, but you can reserve here a copy in advance.
