10 things you probably didn’t know about the Dutch and the Netherlands
I lived in the Netherlands for a couple of years, and had a Dutch boyfriend for almost 4 years, so I know quite a bit about this quirky country and its unusual inhabitants (and I mean that in a good way). I’m going to share some pearls of wisdom about the Dutch and their country that I gleaned during my stay, and limit it to 10 because I could easily write 100 and bore you to death. Hope you enjoy.
1. Holland and the Netherlands are not synonymous. Holland is just one section of the Netherlands, largely the western coastal region, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Haarlem, Leiden and the Hague. However, other famous Dutch cities like Utrecht, Groningen, Maastricht, Den Bosch and Leeuwarden are *not* in Holland.
2. The Dutch love sprinkles on toast. I’m talking the sprinkles kids put on ice cream, but Dutch adults put it on bread. For breakfast. It’s called “hagelslag”, and De Ruijter makes the best kinds. Another variant, “muisjes” – little mice – are candied anise seeds; also delicious on buttered toast. You can get either pink, female, or blue, male, varieties. I’m not joking.
3. The Dutch will only eat one hot meal a day. If you arrive at a Dutch friend’s house around dinnertime, they might ask, “Heb je al warm gegeten?” which means “Have you eaten something hot already?” If you had a hot lunch, your friend will prepare a (cold) sandwich for you for dinner. You can not eat 2 hot meals per day.
4. Dutch “g” “ch” and “r” are all pronounced more or less the same (although the Dutch insist they’re different) – a harsh, guttural “kh” sound (like you’re clearing phlegm from your throat). So the word “gracht” (canal) combines all three “kh” sounds in one word…that sounds really, really awful: “khkhakht.” This is why “Grolsch” (the beer) sounds like “Khkhols”, not “grolsh”.
5. The Dutch love speaking English. See #4. Seriously, they all speak perfect, although heavily-accented, English. They will pronounce “idea” eye-DEE, and they will resist pronouncing it with 3 syllables in English, no matter how many times you correct them. On a related note, “I have no idea” is “geen idee”, which sounds a little like “rainy day” when pronounced correctly.
6. The Dutch loathe the Germans. Some pretend they don’t, some are openly proud of it, but they all look down on them. An example: I was walking along a beach (Schevengingen) with a Dutch guy, and we saw a guy furiously digging a hole in the sand. My Dutch friend sneered. I asked him why the guy was digging a hole. He said, “Because he’s a dumb German.” I pressed, but what for? Is he building a castle or something? “No, he’s just a stupid German! He can’t help it! The morons just love digging holes for no reason!”
Another story. A Norwegian friend flew down to Germany, rented a car there and drove to Rotterdam. He had parked on the street, and a cop approached him while he was in his car, and told him, in German, that he wasn’t allowed to park there and began writing him a ticket. When he looked at his driver’s license and saw he was Norwegian, he tore up the ticket, said, “Park wherever you want” and “Welcome to Holland!”, all in English.
7. The country is drenched with rain year round, but the Dutch never use umbrellas. They use raincoats and rain “suits”, but they never use umbrellas (too hard to ride your bicycle with one; plus, it’s *really* windy all the time). The Dutch will happily put up with wet faces and heads. The “wet look” is permanently “in” there.
Another oddity is no matter how much it rains and floods temporarily, all the water’s gone in about 20 minutes. I think it’s because the ground is mostly sand; the water just drains away. The cement blocks used as a road surface are taken out every few years, the sandy ground is pounded flat with this sand-pounding-machine (seriously) and then they replace the cement blocks.
8. The Dutch have strange snacking habits. They eat fries (what they’re famous for) but they’re often drenched in mayonnaise or pindasaus (basically spicy peanut butter). They also love frikandel (all the scary remnant parts of animals they can’t sell elsewhere, pressed into a vaguely hotdog shape, and then deep-fried until dark brown; yes, it looks like a piece of shit), kroketten (deep-fried lumps of dough wrapped around meat, that look like dried-up old turds), and cheese souffles, which are greasy but I have to admit, pretty damn tasty. The most famous purveyor of this junk is a chain called Febo; you buy everything out of an automat. They’re everywhere, especially inside train stations, and open late when you’re coming out of the clubs at 3am.
9. You heard about the Dutch using free bicycles provided by the government? Nope – that’s the Danish. The Dutch love using bicycles (called ‘fietsen’, pronounced FEETS-un), but in every city, theft is rife and you have to use 2-3 locks to prevent even a piece of shit bike from being stolen. This is why the average Dutch person doesn’t spend more than $50 for a bike – it’ll eventually get stolen. Junkies in the Amsterdam red light district will sell you a bike for 10 euros (25 guilders before the euro changeover), but be careful; if you buy one and a cop sees you, you go to jail.
There are specially-designated “fietspaden” (bike paths) all over the country, and pedestrians can not walk on them. If you hear a bell ringing–that’s how the Dutch tell people to get out of the way–then pay attention! You’re about to get mowed over.
10. The Dutch are not big potheads. Despite it being legal there (along with “magic mushrooms”), you almost never see a Dutch person getting high. You see TONS of foreigners – Brits, Americans, Germans, etc – smoking out in Dutch “coffee shops” (“coffee shop” means marijuana; “cafe” means coffee, so pay attention to what the establishment calls itself), but it’s pretty rare to see a Dutch person there. The legalization is tied to a very Dutch concept called “gedoogbeleid” which is difficult to translate but means permissiveness-because-there-are-bigger-fish-to-fry. The Dutch live below sea level, so they have plenty of dams & dikes keeping the water out. To relieve pressure on this system, a little water always trickles through – that’s okay as long as they can keep the floods out. This is often why the Dutch are said to not care about trivial drugs like marijuana and magic mushrooms – so they can focus on hard drugs like cocaine and meth (which are very much illegal).
There’s my list. Let me add something that I found in a tourist brochure given out at the Schiphol (SKHIP-hull, not Shiffol!) airport, which I think totally captures the Dutch attitude (I’m paraphrasing because I don’t have it here):
- Please keep in mind that not all of the women you see in the windows in the Red Light District are really women.
- If something bad happens to you, please find a policeman/policewoman and explain the situation to us. Please do not be embarrassed – we have really seen it all before. You couldn’t possibly shock us.
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
Hey, I liked reading your article. ^^ But although I kind of agree on the whole concept of Dutch ”hating” the Germans, it’s not just in The Netherlands. They are looked down on in many European countries, or at least I’ve noticed. For instance; when I went to Madrid and went to the market, a Spanish man asked us whether we were German, we said no, then he asked us if we were Dutch and we said yes, he immediately said ‘Much better!’
Also when I went to Greece, they were always aware whether you were Dutch or German. Really, they’re just easily looked down on. I think it’s lame.
Comment by Dewi — November 20, 2008 @ 8:04 am
“Trivial drugs like magic mushrooms”? You´ve obviously never ingested them. Trivial indeed. Nuclear is more like it, but in a good way.
Comment by Michael — December 2, 2008 @ 5:38 pm
As a Dutch person, lemme clear something up about the Holland-Netherlands dilemma and our ‘bad education’.
Holland is not the Netherlands. The netherlands are divided into Provinces, sorta like States. Two of these provinces are North and South Holland. People from those two provinces often refer to the Netherlands as ‘Holland’. People from other provinces get homicidal when you do.
Cause it’s less trivial then Mushrooms! 😉
By the way, Mushrooms are banned since three days ago
Comment by Anastasios — December 4, 2008 @ 7:03 am
One another dutch person adding / correcting stuff in here ^^’
I loved reading this, it totally made my day. It’s so weird that someone else finds our natural habits so strange xD
Anyhow, first I wanted to add:
A lot of dutch indeed make fun, or look down on the Germans. But there is also a big part of us who don’t. Mostly, we’re just making fun of the stereotype. Belgium on the other hand, is having a rougher time on the jokes. We are all truly convinced that they’re dumb.
Second,
I don’t know where in the Netherlands you’ve been, but in general, umbrella’s are used (that sounded bitchy, I don’t mean it in that way ^^)
Third and last,
The dutch 14 till 25 (excluded exceptions), nearly all smoke, or have smoked pot. We áre true potheads. The reason you can’t tell, is because we are all safely at home, tucked in behind the TV getting screwed up.. or secretly in the shed, if the parents are home^^
The ‘foreigns’ you see on the street getting stoned, are on the street because there are smoke detectors in hotels ^^’
But you were right about the language. I don’t like it too. It sounds so rough and primitive.
Comment by Lot — December 11, 2008 @ 7:36 am
Hey,
1) The Netherlands and Holland ARE synonymous! Some foreigners think Holland is only the western region, this is also true, the word has two different meanings in our country. It’s the name of the region and of the country. Some people think it’s only this region cause these province’s are called North Holland and South Holland, but Holland can also mean the whole country.
2) This is true. But about the pink and blue mouses, They’re especialy meant for if there’s someone born. They will then put in on rusk and give it away to friends, family, etc. who come to look for the baby. And they use the pink one’s when a girl’s born, and the blue one when a boy’s born.
3) strange, have never had such a situation. It’s true that dutch people eat twice a day cold and once a day warm, but if you get somewhere else, and they’ve got a warm lunch you can just eat warm with them, just say that it doesn’t matter for you to eat warm twice a day.
4) Maybe you’ve thought about the Japanese “R” and the Dutch “G”, cause they’re about the same, but there’s a big difference in the sound of the Dutch “R” and “G”! The dutch “R” is like in the french word “grand” and the “G” is like the sound the sound you make when you clear your throat to spit… And then the difference between the “G” and the “CH”, There’s almost no difference, but the “CH” is pronounced somewhat softer. But you can’t say the “G” is pronounced as “kh”!
5) Dutch people know the basic English words which they will normaly need to ask something in English, but if you’re gonna use difficult English words like (don’t know how to spell it) “dendro chronological” they will look weird, and they won’t know what your saying. Most dutch people don’t know how to pronounce the english words correctly, but now we’ve got some school’s where you get more english. This extra lessons are then used for the right pronouncing of word’s and are given by teacher’s from Great Brittain and the US which came to holland. I’m at such a school and I’m also thinking many time’s that people have got a weird way to pronounce this words. And last thing about this, “geen idee” isn’t pronounced like “rainy day”!
6) Okay, this german who was digging a hole is just stupid. There such many German people who’re digging hole’s and we dutch people don’t get why they would like to do this….. Maybe they want their bombs back from the WW||? And about that police, I don’t believe that they said “Park wherever you want cause these rules are there so it doesn’t become a mess at the street, but I can believe the thing about the German car. Many people in Big Cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam just still hate german people because of WW||, especially the older people hate them because they just destroyed a part of their life. So, this can be true.
7) Yes, our country IS rainy but people use umbrellas, they just don’t have these always with them because then they’ve got to walk with that stupid “heavy” thing, which isn’t heavy at al, and maybe it won’t even rain. Dutch people sometimes are just thinking very easy, A typical dutch expression is “Waarom moeilijk doen als het makkelijk kan”, which means, “Why should you do difficult, when you can also do it easier”. And most people just don’t care about rain, It doesn’t matter for them if their hair gets wet.
8) The frikandel is just made of pork. But, in the kroket are remains of meat they can’t sell elsewhere but these parts aren’t scary. It are just the little piece’s of meat which they just can’t use for a normal hamburger or something else. They’re just to small. They also use meat of Horses in there. But they don’t use any eyes, casings, etc. anymore, they did in the past but thats already 20 years ago. And the automats are especially in big cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam, They’re just saver because of all the drunk people who get from the clubs….
9) fietsen are just bicycles, It’s the dutch word, and you pronounce the “ie” more like the “e” in the english word “we” than like in “feet”. The Big dutch cities like Amsterdam are criminal citie’s, bikes are stolen everywhere, but if you go to friesland, Groningen, Drenthe, Flevoland, Overijsel, Gelderland, Limburg they almost never steel a bicycle. And if you buy a bike from they junkies you do never go to jail. You just have to pay about €250,- I think. But you can’t get in jail for such a thing. “fietspaden” are just meant for cycling people, not for walking people. You can walk next to it in the grass, but not on it, because you the block the cycling people.
10) Yes, a coffee shop is a “soft drugs store”. Just go to a café, restaurant, bar or a coffeecorner. “gedoogbeleid” doesn’t mean the thing you said, it just means “tolerance policy”. Soft drugs are just less dangerous then Hard drugs, so, they allow soft drugs, to get no smuggling, In country’s like belgium, soft drugs are also allowed….. So.
Pronouncing of schiphol: schip like “sgip” and the “ol” like “al” in always.
Hope you now understand it better…..
Comment by Xander (dutch guy (friesland)) — January 6, 2009 @ 1:59 am
I lived in Holland for 10 years. I have family there….I found flaws with almost every one of those points….Listed below.
1.) There is no section called Holland, it is called Noord Holland or North Holland. She is wrong here..
2.) They do not toast their bread before putting any sprinkles on it. They put butter and sprinkles, not toasted..I have neevr seen this. She is wrong again
3.) This is also wrong. no one has ever asked me if I had eaten anything warm. They may have asked if I had eaten if I was lucky….In the smaller villages back in the 50s and 60s they used to eat their dinner at lunch and have a smaller meal in the evening. Some old people may still do this…Wrong again.
4.) That’s pretty much true….
5.) Again that depends on where you are. Most Dutchies speak English better then most European countries but this way of speaking is for people who rarely get to use their English. They live in the little villages and smaller towns..kind of like the people ion our country who live in villages…they can’t speak english either.
6.) I know the Dutch don’t like Germans but I doubt it is that extreme….
7.) They do use umbrellas and I dont think I know anyone who has ever used one while riding a bike. The streets stay wet just as long as anyones elses streets…maybe the streets just dont hold as many puddles but I have never noticed anything liek this.
8.) Accurate…
9.)I have had over 30 bikes in my 10 years there and never went to jail..Im sure you will get in trouble but you wont be going to jail…
10.) It is NOT legal and I have seen plenty of coffee shops with ONLY dutch people in it…..maybe the crap tourist shit holes that this chick went to were filled with whack tourists…
Comment by Adriaan — January 28, 2009 @ 3:41 pm
I learned new things about Holland. I need it because my friend lives there.. Hope to visit the place soon.. Anyone???
Comment by Janice — January 29, 2009 @ 12:03 am
I miss my Old MAn who lives in Holland soooooooo much!!!!
Comment by Janice — January 29, 2009 @ 12:08 am
Enjoyed living in Holland, and hope to get back ASAP. before I moved there my friend, (who has lived there for 4 years) warned me that the Dutch will correct you when you do something wrong, be it not changing lanes; quick enough while driving or walking on the bike path. I soon found this to be true but I also came to understand why they do this; the country has over 16 million people living there, and it is pretty well organized, so if someone steps out of line then they are quick tocorrect them so that order can be mantained.
I came to respect and appreciate this kind of order, and being back in the U.S. I miss my Holland, my Netherlands.
I lived some of the time in Hillversum, and in Nederhorst for @ 7 months. I enjoyed the ease in getting around from place to place, and once I got the hang of having no North, South, East, and west on the signs; getting around was easy. I loved the fact that there were no big-ugly-yellow-school buses, for the school children. Instead there were groups of children walking or riding there bikes to school.
I loved the way that the homes windows are not closed off from the world, instead they are displays for plants, and crystal wares. I felt like a peeping tom, at times but I just couldn’t keep from wanting to see all the wonderful displays that were in the windows.
I have so many wonderful, and truley beautiful memories of Holland, and The Netherlands, I really feel that America could learn a lot from the way the Dutch run their country, just for starters; in America there is a well known problem with people not paying enough attention to motorcycles on the roads, but in Holland/ Netherlands, the motor-sports are given the right-away, this makes it easier to remember them, just like using caution for scooters, and pedistrians. Cars even move aside for the motor-sports to pass by them. It also makes it more appealing for people to choose the motor-sport as a mode of transportation.
I could go on, and on about this magical place.
Comment by marsha — February 22, 2009 @ 10:05 pm
Very fascinating short article on the Dutch and the Netherlands. thumbs up!!
Comment by coach charter — February 22, 2009 @ 11:21 pm
LOL LOL LOL
you made my day!!
you’ve got a very funny way to describe us.
I’ll save the comments for a rainy day,
they’ll probably make me laugh too.
Comment by Sissy — February 24, 2009 @ 4:34 pm
hagelslag – I have had this before, my friend is from Holland and brought some sprinkles here to Costa Rica.
It is great, seriously,
Comment by Jim Gaudet — February 24, 2009 @ 4:43 pm
Awesome article. That was seriously very entertaining and informative. I might have to go there someday, now. 😀 Thanks again!!!
Comment by Fuzz Martin — February 24, 2009 @ 4:52 pm
Even a German will not try to digg holes in a rocky beach in Portugal. But they will in Holland, parts of France, Spain, the one sandy beach in the Algarve in Portugal, in Italy, the two sandy beaches in Croatia and then they sometimes try to run the border to Greece dressed up like Mancunians -no-one ever told them that one will be considered being Russian when doing so- , from which they usually are extradited immediately by Greece radical commie bastards who have other stuff to do than attending to Germans, like setting Athens on fire, or manically trying to shag as much scandinavian girls as they possibly could each holiday season. Having that said, I’m Dutch and I grew up near the German border and I can assure you, the traditional grudge is a mutual one, a cultivated one and, nowadays, has little to do with war other than tribal rituals around soccer domes involving slight beatings on the heads, that what the average Brit would consider to be day-care brawls.
Yous truly,
Tony
Comment by Tony — February 24, 2009 @ 5:10 pm
I am a Dutchman living in Germany (Nordhorn). The overall tenor of article is correct. Always like those pieces,
But I have some remarks:
Germans
Generally the Dutch don’t despise Germans and Germans are well accepted in the Netherlands.
Germans are most disliked in Rotterdam (I know, I have studied on the Erasmus and lived in Rotterdam). Probably because of the bombardment on 14 May 1940. The next places are all tourism places in the West of the Netherlands. The more you come to the German border, the dislike disappear.
Dutchman really hate to lose a soccer game to Germans. On the border Dutch will drink a beer in German bars after a win.
Drugs.
If you should go the the Bijlmermeer in Amsterdam you will find stoned Dutchmen. Be very careful there driven a car because they may not see you. General Dutch are used to smoke pot and know when they have had enough better than the not-used-to-smoke-pot foreigners.
Food.
What about the ‘Bitterbal’. Is a small ‘Kroket’. On every business drink and also in Dutch embassies abroad the ‘bitterbal’ is an absolute must.
Never had Dutch raw fish the ‘Herring’. Served nearly everywhere, but please ask the Dutch where to buy/eat one. Especially the tourism location have very bad quality (Keukenhof etc).
Comment by Harm Frielink — March 3, 2009 @ 9:13 am
I’ve been to Amsterdam once for a week. I was watching tv and a public message regarding AIDS prevention aired. Two 14 year old children were sitting naked hand in hand. They each masturbated to climax. What an incredible way to make a point.
Comment by Warren — March 13, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
Being Dutch myself I always love reading about my own little quirks. As several people pointed out in the comments the article is not 100% accurate, but it gives a nice impression.
I think the reason for all this discussion about Dutch habbits comes from the versatility within thw country. That’s also the thing that strikes me most about The Netherlands (being from Noord Brabant, to me Holland and The Netherlands are not the same).
It’s a pretty small, densely populated country. However there are significant differences in both culture and speech between the various provinces. Dialects differ from town to town (however dialect are slowly fading). We even have 2 provinces that have their own language: Limburg an Friesland. I am not able to understand either of them although I live about 120 km away from Limburg.
What I find funny about a lot of Dutch people is their ‘sense of distance’. When travelling to the next best city they feel that they have to go a long way. To put thing into perspective: the two large cities in The Netherlands that have the most distance between them are Maastricht and Groningen and that’s no more than 350 kilometers (about the distance some Canadians have to travel to visit their neighbours 😉 ).
Comment by Boy — March 19, 2009 @ 3:37 pm
Where is my bicycle? I want my bicycle back.
Comment by Federale — April 30, 2009 @ 7:53 pm
hey esteban. wrong usage of the word superfluous
Comment by Randy — May 21, 2009 @ 8:09 pm
4. Dutch “g” “ch” and “r” are all pronounced more or less the same (although the Dutch insist they’re different) – a harsh, guttural “kh” sound (like you’re clearing phlegm from your throat). So the word “gracht” (canal) combines all three “kh” sounds in one word…that sounds really, really awful: “khkhakht.” This is why “Grolsch” (the beer) sounds like “Khkhols”, not “grolsh”.
Not correct. Please see the phonetic inventory of the dutch language.
Comment by SnakeDoctor — May 24, 2009 @ 5:12 pm
Ha, this list is perfect! I’m glad to see I’m not the only Dutchwoman who likes DeRuijters on toast! 😀
Love that you also mentioned that hardly any Dutchmen are stoners. THANK YOU. You can imagine the teasing when I say I’m Dutch…
And I can understand why we hate the Germans – if you were a Hollander during the Nazi occupation, you’d hate them, too. They did horrid things to the Netherlanders, things that shouldn’t even be repeated.
Comment by Rachel Hekman — July 6, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
[…] continue […]
Pingback by 10 things to know about the Dutch and The Netherlands | Traveling and Tourism Guide at TravelZones.net — July 19, 2009 @ 6:56 am
Guys,
I have lived in different places in the world, but one of the nicest cities is Rotterdam. It’s the 2nd largest city of the Netherlands and has a very nice mixture of old and new architecture. It is also the only city that has a ‘skyline’ in NL. Amsterdam is amazing, but you definitely have to visit Rotterdam also!
Comment by Casper — August 2, 2009 @ 8:40 am
A couple of years ago they did a study and we eat a lot more patat frites than the Belgians.
The best breakfast for little kids is of course sandwiches with peanutbutter AND chocolate sprinkles! 😉
“either pink, female, or blue, male, varieties” You do realize these are just to celebrate newborns? if that’s a girl, the guests get pink, if boy then blue.
“If you arrive at a Dutch friend’s house around dinnertime”
Ah, the story that Surinamese people tell each other about this is that whenever THAT happens the Dutch won’t invite you to dinner, but ask you to wait and will give you a book to read or something.
Other things Surinamese people say about the Dutch is that they’re dirty because they don’t shower everyday and are stingy, cos they ask a cigarette back you might have bummed from them.
“Dutch “g” “ch” and “r” ” ….
not true of the “R”!! Unless you go to the deep south, Limburg.
Dutch R varies between a fat (English) one and a rolling hard one.
The Dutch are/were filled with numerous tourist stories of “they treated me harsh until they discovered I wasn’t German” with they=other Europeans. I’m not sure that’s really true.
I lived in Germany for 6 months and I’ve met just 2 germans which were slightly stereotypical.
There are about 1.5 million dutch with a german or belgian parent … Dutch animosity towards Germans is definitely not as strong as it used to be, but now and again someone might mention it.
Hey, we DID have a “witte fietsen plan” back in the 60s but they got stolen. Now Paris and Barcelona have succesfull projects with electronic protection.
Most of the Dutch are always trying to impress tourists with their (non fluent) English. The more educated ones speak French too. And we all more or less understand German, but we don’t speak it that often.
ha ha the portugese comment on beach holes! insightful! maybe it’s not a windy beach?
and a coffeeshop is a place for getting softdrugs, no matter how you spell it. There’s no official spelling for it. there are some chains where
Holland vs the Netherlands is explained best here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland#The_image_of_Holland_at_home_and_abroad
Comment by Bij Lobith komt de Rijn Ons Land — August 6, 2009 @ 4:45 am
Ive been to the netherlands twice and Ive seen some of these behaviors. But just like anywhere else, a generalization is just that. For example, I live on the Cheyenne river sioux reservation, and we make fun of the standing rock reservation. South dakotans v north, west river v east, etc, etc. Pretty much any border, physical or political is bound to create a rivalry. I actually had a conversation with an english chap and a dutch bartender about this, and jerry (who spoke with such rapidity, that I would have to pull myself out of reverie to try to catch everything that was being said) said that his town had rivalries with a town about 15 km away and couldnt understand anything they said. He said this and then admitted that we must have a hard time understanding him. The barkeep and I readily agreed.
But anytime someone writes something that sums up an area in ten points is, by nature, going to be riddled with inaccuracies. I just cought a program that had the top ten \lost\ cultures in the world. Well by jimminy, they threw the spotlight on lakota! Now we call ourselves lakota, but the program, and most people in america call us sioux. Thats a name the french trappers bestowed on us. We call ourselves lakota. But the names sioux, or indian dont cause us to get riled up. It also said that outsiders can jump in and jump around like fools at our \powwows\ (WACIPI). Again, someplaces yes, some no.
As for their education, they were going through a cold spell when i was last there. It was mid march and the locals fell all over themselves apologizing for the weather. Freezing rain was thankfully keeping most people indoors. After being apologized to five or more times, we said that the weather was just fine. We were asked where were from and said south dakota, and recieved an understanding , \Ah the dakotas! You have snow until the middle of may over there!\ Color us impressed!
That being said, holland (hehe) is a great place to visit. The people are friendly. Im not sure about this but they seem to enjoy laughing at stoned beyond social functioning tourists (at least they sure did when my friend took a long slow fall onto his face from the terrifying height of 10cms), and in all is one of the warmest, most polite, and enjoyable countries in the world. Hope to return!
Comment by Danial — August 13, 2009 @ 5:43 pm
Thanks for this nice article, made me laugh 😀
Very funny reactions as well, although, also some really stupid ones, especially from some Dutch people adding ‘corrections’ which are totally untrue.
What is true though is this line from the posting above mine:
‘Hey, we DID have a “witte fietsen plan” back in the 60s but they got stolen.’
That is indeed exactly what happened and after reading section 9 in the article I think this is really hilarious 😀
Love to be Dutch!
Comment by Dutchie — August 20, 2009 @ 5:46 am
Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities, and I don’t go for the drugs or the filthy hookers. The last time I was there I bought a bike for 9 Euros and had it stolen 2 hours later, which I thought was a good deal!
Comment by William Wallace — September 7, 2009 @ 12:25 pm
Interesting facts, that makes me want to travel to the Netherlands even more.
Comment by Anonymous visitor — October 21, 2009 @ 6:43 am
Does anyone find, dutch and german people seem to have a very high arrogant attitude, why is this? A good example is your trying to help someone with what there doing even know they have never done it before but yet will still tell you what is wrong and right being completely wrong themself. Why is this so? Both Dutch and Germans.
Comment by Iron Sword — October 21, 2009 @ 5:54 pm
Patatje oorlog ?!
Comment by Ivo — October 25, 2009 @ 4:14 pm
Imagine how many prejudices and untrue facts americans would have to defend on a page like this. I am an American,I live in Vermont. But most people don’t know where Vermont is, alot of people think its Canada. I visited Holland over the summer with my boyfriend and we had a great time. I just wish there was some way we could squash the stereotype that all Americans are lazy and stupid, It’s simply not true. It really other countries that have closed minds about us, I admit there are so many things I am ashamed of our country for, but you have to understand, its ignorant people led to believe the governments lies. Please stop thinking we are uneducated and lazy, im sick and pissed off of always hearing that, you sound just as ignorant when you group a whole country together like that.
Comment by Irena — December 13, 2009 @ 5:09 pm
While we are trying to plan another trip to Europe I found this so funny it left me in fits of laughter LOL! I really didn’t know as much about the Netherland region, I have been a tourist for sometime know so these are probably not the selling facts but that is true everywhere but when we visit a new place it is good to hear about cultural habits, offering a wider variety of activities on our trip, so thanks again for this article…… A Canadian wrote Kelly Green….
Comment by Belgium Tour — January 12, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
Lived in Amsterdam 1969&70. The people there (all of them) were so gracious and tolerant it changed my life forever. Thank you Nederlanders!
Comment by Daniel Bee — February 5, 2010 @ 8:38 am
These really were 10 things I didn’t know about the Dutch. Man, I’m smart now! 🙂
Comment by Cherrye at My Bella Vita — February 19, 2010 @ 3:33 am
how’re the women, looks-wise?
Comment by dejay — February 20, 2010 @ 7:09 pm
The Dutch have an American accent,,– due to american television- but they might mix accents up because dutch students can learn so many languages at school. – English (obliged) and French or German (obliged) but also Spanish, Chinese, Latin, Greek, Arabic.
The Dutch do use umbrellas though. O THE MOST INTERESTING FACT I’VE NOTICED; THEY CAN ALL CYCLE WITHOUT THE USE OF ANY HANDS. and it doesn’t matter whether the surface is hilly or flat or whatever,, they can turn etc without hands. Fascinating,,
and about the hatred towards the Germans, that’s because of soccer,, trust me 😉
@ dejay
Dutch women often tall, blonde and blue-eyed.stunning
Comment by Ava — March 6, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
Yeah… a real Dutch girl here.
I seriously cracked up about the “Germans digging holes” part, because it’s totally true! Our hatred towards Germans is probably caused by a combination of WW 2, Soccer & their lack of fashion. I don’t think we HATE them. Were just slightly annoyed by them..? And it’s certainly not EVERYONE that hates them..
By the way, most of us don’t have such a bad accent at all. I’m in America right now as an exchange student & most people don’t even notice I’m foreign until I tell them! It’s really funny.. hehe.
The reason why we can all bike without hands is because we have to BIKE TO SCHOOL. YES. No whimpy things like a schoolbus in the Netherlands. Doesn’t matter if it’s snowing or raining you have to bike anyway, EVERY DAY. So after a while you get bored and learn yourself how to bike without hands or just 1. I mean, come on… how would you entertain yourself?
And I love Hagelslag! Who sais it’s only for kids?
Anyway, love this article! You just made my night!
Comment by Marjolein — March 18, 2010 @ 8:27 pm
“The dutch are no potheads”. I noticed that too, they all said that the whole drug thing was just to get more tourism to the country, and that most people who smoked in cafés were British and American boys…
Comment by Sofia - As We Travel — April 14, 2010 @ 1:51 am
My wife is Dutch, so I know all about the chocolate sprinkles, stroopwaffels, and poffertjes, which I love. Especially the ones with the Grand Marnier. and you are right about the English. I make jokes that the Dutch national hobby is correcting Americans’ grammar. I think the Dutch dislike most other Europeans, but especially the Germans because of the war. During the war the Germans confiscated Dutch bicycles, and it’s still a joke when a Dutch person sees a German to yell, “Hey, where’s my bicycle?”
Comment by MinniePearlJam — May 16, 2010 @ 12:59 am
Ok, so i have seen allot of people posting here that Weed is not legal in holland..
To corect you all in your stupidity,
It IS legal, but in small sizes, you can have around 2 plants for own use.
And its a very popular medicine for people who can’t sleep well, or have other problems, they use weed to relax.
The relation with Holland and Germany is pretty different i live just besides the german boarder in a dutch city called Enschede and we usualy only use germany for their cheap gass and illegal fireworks.
Holland is not a different part then The Netherlands.
Noord Holland (North holland) is a “Provincie” (State in America)
we have 2 words for Holland: The netherlands and Holland.
but it is basicly the same thing.
Thats all.
If enyone comes to Holland, have a good day/week. and i hope you enjoy our weed.
Comment by G.S — May 25, 2010 @ 12:23 pm
Nice post,
tough point 3 and 7 are nonsense. its not like we are some kind of alien species (yes im dutch) with totally different habits. the world today is mostly international and we DO have umbrella’s and DO eat more hot meals a day occasionally. (tough a farmers habit is to eat hot in the afternoon and always cold, bread, in the evening). if you really want to know stuff about The Netherlands (indeed not Holland) ask a dutch guy!
greetings
ps sry for the bad grammer, as i said im dutch, and only 17 years old.
Comment by Nanko — June 18, 2010 @ 2:36 am
Man on man. I had no idea how many stereo types that were associated with me. I lived in Holland for about 5 years at one time. I had plenty of friends, good neighbors, as long as I did NOT mention, that my father was in the US Air force.
In my case, they liked me as a friend, but as a future NCO, it was just cold, unmoving, nervous, silence. Well that was just my case. I’m not sure having a military background applies to all of Holland, or just those select people I met.
I wish I kept up with speaking dutch, now that I think about it.
Comment by James Loveland — June 20, 2010 @ 12:13 pm
Well, this was most certainly interesting to read being Dutch and all.
I’m not entirely sure about the umbrellas part though. I rarely if ever see raincoats etc. We have like 10 umbrellas lying around in our home (they’re practically fashion accessories) and my friends are the same.
As for hating Germans, some hate them, most don’t. It depends on what kind of people you meet. The ‘common man’ is more likely to hate outsiders. The French however are hated quite a bit more and the feeling is mutual. Apparently we argued with them once about being the biggest ‘Cheese’ country in Europe…. Meaning we get tickets for doing absolutely nothing and vice versa. It’s sure entertaining though, especially considering it’s probably the Dutch nr. 1 vacation destination.
As for the sprinkles, we usually eat those colored once when a baby is born. Pink for a girl and blue for a boy, the new parents pass those around. Kind of like birthday cake ;p
And no, our country isn’t exactly made out of sand. It’s dark topsoil/sludge. Half of our country (more or less) was ‘raised’ out of the water. In other words we added land. So it’s pretty diverse, but yeah, a lot of sand XP
Comment by Denise — August 1, 2010 @ 11:47 am
Hi,
Dutch guy speaking here^^. I will try not to say some stuff that has already been said, but some stuff may be already said because there are sooooooo many replies.
Anyway, just to clarify, drugs are actually ILlegal here. We just have a particular policy on this point. Drugs are illegal, but there are no sanctions on using/growing them, up to a certain point. And it is not because there are bigger fish to fry, but because our government can regulate this better.
About the generalization, we have a lot of jokes about foreigners, especially our neighbors, but those are just jokes about stereotypes. We have a lot of jokes for instance about Belgians being stupid, but we know this isn’t (always:P) the case.
A typical breakfast and lunch (and with typical I mean there are always exceptions and people who do otherwise) consists of multiple slices of bread. And on these slices of bread we put almost everything, from chocolate sprinkles to coconut bread (yes, it is actually true, we put bread on bread:P), from tuna salad to plain mackerel. For diner a typical Dutch meal consists of potatoes, some vegetables and a piece of meat, all covered with gravy.
Also, here is a fun fact: in the Netherlands there are actually more bikes than there are people :O
Comment by lollio — August 12, 2010 @ 1:26 am
A line said by a Dutch guy – had to laugh for an hour:
‘If it’s illegal we make it legal. So we can keep an eye on it anyway’.
I just wanted to say that i adore the Dutchies. I don’t understand why people call them arrogant. Perhaps because they just say whatever they think and act the way they want to act – some people are not used to that kinda beheviour and call it rude, i rather call it normal. Also they have a great sence of humor and they are willing to help, a bit rude and they have lovely weird habits.
Like putting loads of ‘hagelslag’ on bread, going on bike everywhere – no matter what kinda weather it is, and trying to make profit of everything (like taking food home which is left in a restaurant to save some money!)
Well, that was it. Good story!
Comment by Danielle — August 23, 2010 @ 3:14 pm
For the people who visited holland and heard sirens.
Those sirens are warning systems that have been implied since WW2 and are tested daily at the same time to see if they work. Its’ funny because when we hear them EVERYBODY checks their watches to see if its time to test them, if not then you have to go home and lock the doors.
From someone who is happy to be dutch.
PS its not holland, its the netherlands. The full name is also Koningkrijk der nederlanden(Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Comment by Gibity — October 2, 2010 @ 7:13 pm
hey guys…… I’m an 5th generation Indian living in Fiji… iv always had a passion for Europe and plan to visit and explore the continent after I finish up with my medical school….. but the thing is the only languages i know r Hindi and English…..British accent English….. but I’v read that nearly a third of all Europeans have some knowledge of English…. would this create problems for me during my travels???
Comment by fjij indian — November 14, 2010 @ 4:30 am
Most Dutch do not hate Germans and vice versa. In fact, many Dutch entertainers are very popular in Germany and many German enterainers are very popular in the Netherlands.
While the Dutch have an accent when speaking English, who doesn’t? Even Americans from different states have an accent. One should keep in mind that most teachers that teach English are Dutch, not native speakers. And even if they were native speakers, it wouldn’t make a difference.
Most jokes are meant to make fun of the Belgians. Belgians make Dutch look like idiots and vice versa. I think the Dutch outsmart the Belgians, though. It’s a fact!
Belgians call the Dutch “gierig” (stingy, misery) although, in truth, the Dutch donate more per capital then any other country. Belgians don’t even come close.
About any joke that the Belgians tell can be reversed to make the Belgians look bad…and vice versa once again! LOL
While Belgium has indeed great beers (I’m not a beer drinker myself), the Dutch have the world famous brand of Heineken. It’s easy to get Heineken all over the world but not so when it comes to Belgian beer(s).
You left out a very important aspect of Dutch culture: haring (herring) and cheese.
In the 60s, Belgians would drive or take the bus to the Netherlands to buy cheese, butter and cigarettes, as they were cheaper across the border.
Comment by Geborenopdeverkeerdekantvanhetbeloofdeland — November 20, 2010 @ 10:15 pm
HAHAHA, this is sooo funny!
I would loved if you did wrote 100 things!
The accent is so true, I’m Dutch btw ..
Words like ‘tongue’ or ‘mouth’ are impossible for me to say correctly ..
It comes out like ‘tonk’ and ‘mout’ or ‘mouf’ with a really hard F
And I also say I-DEE
And yeah, we don’t like Germans. Please don’t ever tell a dutchman that the Netherlands and Germany are the same ..We hate them for many things but mostly their TERRIBLE LANGUAGE !! (No, Dutch isn’t the most beautiful language, I know) but German is just AWFUL.
If you don’t believe me, check this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRe3gLoE0wU
ANTON AUS TIROL UWHUAHA
Thanks for sharing this!! It’s so typical and funny :p
Comment by Dyana — January 5, 2011 @ 8:38 am
well, i have to say that i never experienced any hatred in the netherlands although im german. i always try to speak a little bit of dutch (my dutch friends always teach me new stuff everytime i visit them lol) and i get along well and if i dont know a word i just speak english and theyre always willing to help me. so i wouldnt say dutchs hate germans.
and i have to say that dutch and german are alike. surely not the same but alike. i live close to the dutch border and its easier for me to understand dutch than swiss german for example. and by the way (concerning the comment above mine) tirol = austria. austrian german is different from normal german. i know german sounds mean sometimes (depends on who’s speaking it) but its not super awful. there are languages that sound worse.
Comment by stefanodhiwvoh — February 7, 2011 @ 5:52 pm