7 WEIRD things Dutch people do (that they think are normal)!
It's not unusual to assume that the way things are done in your country is also the way people in other countries do things. In this video, I share some Dutch habits, aspects of Dutch culture that Dutch folks generally assume are commonly also the same elsewhere, but they are in fact not.
Many of you are aware of my love for coffee and have asked to buy me a coffee over the years, so here's a link: buymeacoffee.com/dutchamericano
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I like to share my experiences of an American expat in the Netherlands. I describe both the unique and everyday aspects of Dutch culture, and life in Holland while enjoying every bit of it!
Blog website: www.dutchamericano.com
Instagram: DutchAmericano
Get in touch: dutchamericanonl@gmail.com
Suggested videos:
8 Dutch habits that have made me more sustainable: kzhead.info/sun/gLCYgp1_qWltdXk/bejne.html
Expectation vs REALITY of moving to The Netherlands from the United States: kzhead.info/sun/hbh9dJdlhoBsoqs/bejne.html
6 Things Americans do that Dutch people find weird!: kzhead.info/sun/pLaYo6iRomWrgI0/bejne.html
8 more things YOU DON'T DO in the Netherlands: kzhead.info/sun/f6-YfNCmnnmNfqM/bejne.html
The Dutch concept the world NEEDS to know about: kzhead.info/sun/fcZtic-wi3mJqZs/bejne.html
As someone learning Dutch, Im very impressed with how casually you said "aansprakelijkheidsverzekering"
I was actually more impressed with her beschuit met muisjes!
@@Freeze014 I am impressed too, and as a dutch person I absoluty detest the beschuit met muisjes, especially when they are topped with margerine 🤢
@@listeningtothevoidlandverraad !! Gij zult duelleren tot den dood waarna gij buiten den stadsmuren gedragen zult worden
As someone also learning Dutch, I just learned how to count to twenty this week. So words like that make me want to cry...
oh ew, margerine. @@listeningtothevoid
My son rode his little bike into a very expensive parked car: after seeing the repair-bill, we were very happy with our liability insurance.
@@taurusnltaurusnl4686 It's NOT mandatory. A limited liability insurance covering liability AS A car driver only is mandatory if you drive a car. Apart from that no liability insurance is mandatory. So the son was covered by a non-mandatory personal liability insurance not by the mandatory car driver liability insurance.
@@endthisnonsense7202 i stand corrected
As a Dutch person who’s been living abroad for 5 years now, I love seeing these videos. Makes me appreciate my Dutch weirdness 😂
The “eetsmakelijk” (“enjoy”) made me smile. I actually love that and its true. I’m someone who will say that to a random eater in the street. Some appreciate it when you say it, others, also Dutch people, look at you like “mind your business, can’t you see I’m eating?!” 😅. I love it when someone says it to me, gives me a sense of community I guess.
Very often people, including myself, just say ‘Smakelijk ‘.
Friendliness is underrated, people who cannot appreciate it are probably not very nice.
My Dutch husband told me 45 years ago that eating while walking through the streets was considered rude. And that was the reason that some Dutch people would say “eet smakelijk “ to you. Not as a polite statement but more as a reminder that you were breaking the Dutch etiquette rules. In a half century, food etiquette has changed (especially with fast food so available), but I believe there are still Dutchies who find “eating on the street” not acceptable. 🤷🏼♀️
@@lindaschekman4732 we absolutely do Linda, we don't care if people eat on the street, and when we see others enjoying whatever they are eating we wish them a delightful meal.
@@lindaschekman4732 I am 55 years old and never heard of that rule of etiquette. But maybe i am raised different. Also times have changed and 45 years ago you didn't have food stands where you could buy kibbeling or vietnamese loempia's. I know one thing the parents of an ex girlfriend told her, you don't smoke on the street while walking, only inside (how times can change). And BTW i thought it was ridiculous she couldn't smoke in public at that moment. Now i think just don't smoke or vape at all. (I wish i could quit tbh)
The reason many people dislike it when Oliebollen and other holiday specific food and decorations are sold earlier and earlier every year is because it takes away the fun and holiday feeling of it. Look at it like lighting firework all year long, it takes away the fun at new years eve (or 4th of July for Americans :)) because you get used to it, you only do it a little bigger on those days, but it's not special anymore. Or the pumpkin spice foods which is mostly consumed in fall (or autumn?) and winter. If you eat/drink it every day of the year it's not "special" anymore.
I get that, but there's one thing I'd like to have all year round anyway: Chocolade kruidnoten. I'm so sad now that Sinterklaas is over.
Al meer dan 25 jaar liggen de kruidnoten half augustus in de winkels. Maar omdat het zo leuk is om te klagen (another Dutch quirk), onthouden mensen dit niet 😅
@@Loes-kk7zn Nou hier in het dropje niet. Die lagen er vroeger pas rond oktober/november. Zodra kerst voorbij is liggen de paaseieren overal al..
9:25 VENTILATION! Open windows are very healthy for you. Even in winter, cold air heats up faster & it improves your health. Ask the Norwegians, Fins & Swedes. Most of us don’t have indoor circulation or air conditioning, so for us fresh air and air flow is extremely important. Also; because of our climate open windows & “ventileren” prevents mold.
You can buy oliebollen all year at the funfair (kermis). So if you are really craving for them just check if there's a funfair somewhere. Eet smakelijk 😉
Teabags do come in different sizes (or the amount of tea in the actual bag) the ones made for a while pot of tea can also be used for several cups. The ones made for 1 cup can be used for 2 if you're not a big fan of strong tea.
I make a full tea pot with just one little (two grams) bag. I just don't like strong, bitter tea. And if i leave that teabag in too long, I still end up with too dark tea for my liking. 🤣
As far as I know, in the US there's only one size tea bag which servers only one cup. Here we have "large" teabags that will make a can which is about 5 - 6 cups. So it's not weird at all if they use one tea bag for 6 cups of tea.
One bag for a teapot that fill 6 cups is fine. Do not use it in 6 cups. That is inappropriate.
@@AlbertZonneveld wait... dipping a piece of paper filled with tea in a few cups is inappropriate? LMAO...... what a BS. it is a bag of leaves that gets dipped in hot water so it releases it's flavor... how tf is that inappropriate. You don't come in the kitchen much do you?
@@mavadeloBut the tea bag doesn't release it's flavour evenly, so every cup will taste slightly differently.
Explain the phenomenon 'UItwaaien ' ! Preferably on the beach during a (snow) storm and you feel like ' a whole new human being' :) !
Uitwaaien has been featured several times in Ava's earlier videos!
It is something you like or not, i don't like it. I would be the one sitting at a bar, drinking a beer and look at al those people who do it, come in at the bar, order a hot choco because they need to warm up (or something like that) But you have to do it at least once in your life to experience it, and the whole new human being, i don't get it, the one thing i got out of it, is i don't like it, its ridiculous, it's cold so why ? I end up drinking warm choco (coffee, tea) or something else , i also could buy without all the suffering. (if you do it to wake up, take a (cold) shower) Just my thoughts.
@@erikaverink8418 Don't over think it. You either do it and get a kick out of it or you gladly stay inside 😉
Belgian here. I also sleep with my window open all year around... Obviously, I sometimes need to use the heater to get the temperature back up. But I found that sleeping with the windows open, really benefits the air quality in the room, and I feel like i slept better than with the windows closed. I do have one of those famous European windows that I can just tilt a bit, so it's just slightly opened... ;)
Most modern windows have ventilation strips so you dont need to open them to get a bit of fresh air.
It depends where you live, I have seen a video where they tested the airpolution. When your house is along a busy road it is better to keep the window closed.
@@TheSuperappelflapIt is still advised to do 1 time a day.
@@lienbijs1205 most houses also have mechanical ventilation. carbon mono and dioxide sensors are usually installed and they turn on the ventilation automatically when needed.
@@TheSuperappelflap The people I know in Belgium don't have that They have very old houses in a bad condition.I have lived for a while close to Brussels. Also our rented house was in a bad condition, even had mouses.
Did you know ventilation in cold weather can actually save you money? It helps to get rid of moisture in the air, leaving it easier to heat! Bit I'm sure that argument no longer holds if you ventilate as long as a whole night 😅
Sleeping with open windows is in fact customary in the Netherlands. It will not cost much as we hardly heat our bedrooms in winter.
In the longer run, it prevents mold from forming, which saves you money and hassle on painting and repairs.
You are right, it sounds stupid.....but it works😂😂😂
In Germany it is more or less a rule that you have to „ventilate“ your house every day. It is preventing mold in your house and in clean air the heating works better,
Health organisations recommend a minimum of 10 minutes a day.
You are spot-on about the food for special occasions here in the Netherlands. Back in the day when I bough beschuit & muisjes, people in the store started to congratulate me, because they (correctly) assumed that I became a father.
Well, as a 55 years old dutchman I can testify as a kid we always had beschuit & muisjes for breakfast and lunch if one fancied it, not just the day my sister was born.
Sitting inside in the summer is wasting sunshine and we already have a limited supply of that.
Hey Ava. Just to let you know. Beschuit met muisjes: the 'Muisjes' are aniseed, in a colored sugar coating. The aniseed is said to help breast milk production. And the stem of the aniseed sticks out like a litte tail, hence the name muisje. And of course I missed the 'Gestampte muisje', which is basically icing sugar flavoured with aniseed. Of course not really crushed mice. 😛 Love your videos.
They are actually the crushed version of the white and pink muisjes. That's why there's still E120 in it and it's not suitable for vegans.
@@nik6071E120 sounds sooooo much less sketchy than ‘squished beetles’
In Germany most people have Christmas eve and both Christmas days off. The time from December 27 to 31is called between the years and also very often used to take left over vacation days. PS: This year, because of the weekends, you get free from Dec 23 to Jan 1 for the price of 3 days.
Hey ! This video is about Holland ☝️ 😂😂 But i like your comment 😂😂😂
That's pretty much the same over here. Except that Christmas Eve isn't really an official thing. So it is possible you still have to work
Thank you for saying MOST people
@@TheSeNaBi The people who work in Shops, Restaurants or public transport have of course a completely different situation. My father worked in church, playing the organ - so guess what this means around the Christmas time or on weekends. But anyway, this year a lot of the people in Europe can get 10 days free/vacation in a row for the cost of 3 or 4 vacation days. I'm sure a lot will make use of the opportunity.
@@pleun315 Hey! You have to say Netherlands! 🤣 Also, I live in walking distance to the Netherlands and think it's almost the same on the other side of the fence. At least with vacation days.
Damn Ava, the way you pronounce beschuit met muisjes is absolutely unbelievable! It is even more impressive while you drop it casually within an English sentence, that is extremely difficult. Probably few Dutch native speakers would be able to pull that off.
As a dutchman myself im very impressed by how well you pronounce words. Especially since from what i gather you've only been here for 4 years. I do have to say that i have never had strangers say eet smakelijk to me. Its really usually a dinner thing
I do that, saying 'Eet smakelijk' to strangers in the street. But only if they have just taken a bite and now feel the urge to reply. I'll also keep the door open for you when you're just a bit to far away still and now feel the need to hurry. I'm just polite like that ;-)
Saying "eet smakelijk" is very VERY kleinburgerlijk / stijfburgerlijk. It'd make me puke instantly 🤮
Eet smakelijk is often considered impolite, because it's an imperative. The prefered form is moge het u (wel) smaken.
@@frederik4404and when kakkers call everything burgerlijk it makes me puke ;)
@@EdwinHofstra i have never heard that before. I live in drenthe and everyone always says eet smakelijk or simply eet ze. I don't know if its different in the rest of the nation but at least up north its considered polite.
What I found weird in the Netherlands is when you rent a spare room in someone's house, most people want you to bring or buy your own furniture for that room. In my case I was only there on a 6 month job and found it a ball ache having to shop around for a bed frame, matress, desk, chair and clothes rack when first arriving in the country. Months later had to list it all for sale and deal with all the buyers before leaving. Never had this situation anywhere else in the world. Other than that, loved my time in Nederland and miss the beers whilst snacking on bitterballen.
Most Dutch people would want to pick out their own furniture when renting a room. For short stays it can be annoying. We do have furnished apartments for rent, but they come at a premium. With a room, if you assk the person youre renting from they can probably get you a spare bedframe they werent using. I have 2 bedframes in my guest room that are rarely used. A desk would be more difficult though.
Dutch here All you have said is true😂😂😂
@@tanjavanoost9564The whole moving to the Netherlands was an unforgettable saga. So many funny situations happened 😂😂😂. I do look forward to returning again.
@@TheSuperappelflap At the time I was looking in 2017, it was near impossible to find somewhere furnished, let alone available for only 6 months. People wanted longer staying tenants. I was lucky to finally find a place 9 days before I was due to arrive, after 3 months of searching and applying prior to that. I almost had to cancel moving because I hadn't secured a place yet. I was also lucky the person I eventually rented from offered to pick me up from the airport, took me places to buy the furniture and helped me with the BSN registration stuff I needed to also do. The moving sagas aside, I had a great time in the Netherlands.
@@taridean the housing market was already terrible back then, its worse now.
I think the most dutch thing is watching videos about dutch things. We love doing that xd
our way of national pride
I just recently realized that two Christmas days is uncommon outside Northern Europe. Now I understand why you all consider Christmas such a heavy choir, because you can't spread out the family obligations over multiple days. Makes life a lot more bearable serving both sides of the family while having kids.
Nice episode, funny to hear how people from abroad think of us. There is one nuance I would like to bring on: we don't complain about the oliebollen being sold too early in the season. It's the pepernoten being sold in august already, while the celabration of Sinterklaas is on December 5th and Sinterklaas arrives on a weekend in November. It's a real tradition to complain about the pepernoten, not the oliebollen. The oliebollenkraam usually come in the streets in October when the season of fun fair (kermisseizoen) is over. The owners of Merri Go'Round and shouting ground attractions store their attractions and make their money with oliebollen until January.
Not sure about that. There are real conversations about the first oliebol of the year
The stalls (some of them) with oliebollen go to the fairs (kermis) in spring and summer. And about opening windows in winter: it is scientifically proven that refreshing the air for (at least) half an hour a day actually saves energy. Fresh air heats up quicker and feels warm quicker as well. Besides that: it is better for optimal humidity levels and actually prevents airborn illnesses.... which is why we were told to air more often during covid? And also our heating systems are different. We usually dont have an airconditioning system that combines heat and filtering the Indoor air? Love the video's keep them coming.
A funeral insurance is a blessing in the sky. You pay like 13 euro a month. But financially all is taken care of when you die. This helps relatives with not that much money to be able to still have a respectfull funeral. You can even fill in forms like what you want if you die for the funeral to be like. We had a lot of funerals, like my parents/grandparents all died past 12 years, so that's quite expensive, but thanks to that insurance we basically didn't have to pay anything. Also it helped that there was a erfenis..
13/m waar zit je dan? die van mij had het opgehoogd naar 50 in de maand, dat was ook de goedkoopste die ik vinden kon. toen heb ik het maar gestopt, de groeten zeg, een begravenis kost toch geen 50k.
"blessing in disguise", not "blessing in the sky" ;-) I think a funeral insurance *can* be beneficial, but I also think the premium is way too high. My boyfriend pays like 15 euro/month, for about 15 years now. He's not even 40. Imagine how much he will have paid when he is 70 (better yet, calculate: 15 euro * 12 months * 50 years = 9000 euros!)
You get a funeral insurance so your children will not have to pay a lot of money when you die. Me mother had a funeral insurance, my father not. When he died, we got in financial problems (I live in another country, and earn in another currency than Euro. I lived relatively comfortable of my wage, but paying a funeral in Euros was not in my budget)
Cold but no rain, bit out of wind with a decent heater. Sitting outside for a drink can be good to do In the summer its more the case of, it can be to humid or without any shade so its not nice to sit in that for to long Insurance wise i learned by having to see a dentist in the States, just to check if my broken off moler was fine. I am so glad with my insurance, because it covered so much that i didnt have to pay. And compared to the States, my insurance is super cheap. Also dentists in the States like to do things that are far from neccesary or even needed, they like to earn as much as possible of you. (learned also that quality and level of dental care in the States is horrible)
The hair flip with aansprakelijksverzekering was glorious!
Insurance are actually for damages you can not pay yourself. Red wine on a trouser of your friend is mostly not a problem. But if you crash with your bike into someone, or your dog bites someone... Health insurers will come to you for the costs. And even the costs are lower in the Netherlands than in the usa, it still can be a lot of money
(Dane here) 'Funeral insurance' is probably just a pay out to cover the expenses of your funeral. In Denmark all those insurances are normally combined. You just tick off those you want.
As a Dutchie. You are right. It seems just logical . Otherwise your familie has to pay for all the expences that isn't fair
Have to respond to the “only fries” thingy, Eating only fries is quite uncommon, unless your a kid, usually we have some snacks like cheese soufle, kroket, or the dutch favorite a frikandel with some sort of salad and apple sauce for the kids
Yes Ava, the window in the bedroom is always open and the radiator in that same room is always CLOSED. I heat 2 rooms, the living room and the bathroom. Everything else can go without. And on the insurance thing, the liability insurance covers a very broad field. My cat jumped from the balcony onto the hood of my neighbor's car. There was a dent. Insurance covered the bill. A friend had an antique wheelbarrow in their home with a plant on top. I tripped over my own feet and crashed on top of it : Covered by insurance. And people are allowed to wake me up for ................. an oliebol.
You have a radiator in the bathroom? How luxurious. I dont have one. Neither do my parents or anyone else I can recall ever visiting. I only heat the living room, unless its winter and Im hanging laundry, then I open the radiator in the laundry room. Oh and obviously if its freezing I open all the radiators and put the heat at a comfy 16 degrees so the CV tubes dont freeze.
@@TheSuperappelflap Didn't realize it is that uncommon, a radiator in the bathroom. I'm certain to have a look around in families homes bathrooms. Regardless, my home has one, so do my neighbors.
@@Jila_Tana The downstairs bathrooms with just a toilet are nearly always unheated, they have tile floors and walls for easy cleaning which don't provide any insulation, so it would cost a lot to keep those tiny rooms heated. Upstairs bathrooms, can have a radiator, my mom has a heated towel rack, but it had to be custom installed and was very expensive. I have a small heater with 3 infrared tubes on the ceiling. It broke recently so I will have to replace it. Its generally not necessary though, the heat from the hot bathwater heats the small room very quickly. I have also been in plenty of bathrooms with a bath or shower that dont have any type of heating.
@@TheSuperappelflapI don't think I've ever seen a home *without* a radiator in the bathroom. Not the toilet downstairs, but the actual bathroom.
@@jlammetje youre welcome to come visit my house
As far as I know the aansprakelijkheidsverzekering (you have absolutely mastered C2 level with that one ^^ ) is mandatory. Suppose you veer off the sidewalk after a gezellig terrasje and force the fuel tanker behind you to drive into the hospital across the street. That is going to be hella expensive. You absolutely have to be verzekerd against such mishaps.
There are two different types of liability insurance in the Netherlands: Wettelijke Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering and Persoonlijke Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering. The first one, as the name suggests, is legally required and covers damage caused when driving a motor vehicle. The second one covers damage caused by you, your spouse or your child in all other circumstances and is not legally required but still highly recommended.
OMG, that was funny, @hardanheavy I can already see it happen. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@taichistudent And personal liability insurance also covers bicycle accidents, or damage by your pets.
no it's not
@@taichistudentNope, the name wettelijke aansprakelijkheidsverzekering comes from the fact that you've got insurance in case you are "wettelijk aansprakelijk" (legally liable) if you cause damage to something or someone. It doesn't say that the insurance is mandatory. If you prefer to pay for the damages yourself if something ever happens, you can. WA verzekering is only mandatory for car insurance. It's the cheapest kind that only covers damages to others if you cause an accident, unlike the all risk version that also covers damage to your own car.
As a 70 year old person I learn from this videos often about the changing habits in our country. Like beschuit with diverse colored muisjes. It’s also remarkable how much habits we have in common with Germans. Topics as open windows and being outside also appear in videos of expats in Germany.
I am a Dutch-speaking Belgian AKA Flemish and we the Dutch and the Germans historically come from the Germanic people so it is logical that there are many similarities but we also have our own peculiarities
[Like beschuit with diverse colored muisjes.] Something this 55 year old Dutchman learned from this video too, I certainly never came across it. It must be a very tiny part of the population that does this.
Really enjoying this new more dynamic format! Also some interesting talking points
Hey Ava! Cold fresh air actually heats up faster! Just you know 🙂
We open windows because the moist air is more difficult to heat than dry air. So the moist has to leave.
Eva, A "Tompoes" is called in English (French) a "Napoleon" pastry. The icing on top is a "Fondant" icing, in short almost all sugar, and The Dutch color the fondant orange for Kings Day. I just got back from The Netherlands, first trip back in 40 years and it was amazing. Two things that struck me were how fundamentally in 40 years very little has changed, I was expecting to enter a country that I no longer recognized and that was not the case. And second, how in Amsterdam, nearly everyone including Dutch people use the English language as the first language. In the trams and trains I would eve's drop on conversations near me and it was all English. I would approach people in the Dutch language and they would answer back in English. In three coffee shops (selling coffee, not something else) there was a young expat-y counter helper, there to try to study or back-pack travel and see the world and they didn't speak a word of Dutch. So you have retailers hiring "customer interaction job type" people who don't speak the language. This was, of course, not a problem for me but it concerns me. I have this thought that if the language goes, so goes culture.
Eavesdrop*
Amsterdam is Dutch Disney world for tourists. It’s not a real place. As a Dutch person I refuse to acknowledge Amsterdam.
@@MarceldeJong Yeah Marcel, but I was showing the country to my kids and we had to do 2 days of Amsterdam. I grew up in Maassluis near Rotterdam, that is my city. We did a day in Den Haag and Scheveningen, a day in Rotterdam, a day in Maassluis and had an Airbnb for 3 days in Delft. It was great.
@@michelledonovan162 Michelle thank you for the correction, it is a phrase that I sometime speak but rarely write.
Dutch is still #1 language in NL, very much so. We just switch to English fast as soon as we hear somebody that might not be fluent in Dutch. Or we switch to German, of to French, or to body-language LOL. And YES, I know this is frustrating for people that would like to learn our beautiful language. So Ava, add this to your list: "We tend not to be too loyal to our own language"
Op mijn werk heb ik een bakje voor mijn theezakje met daarop de woorden 'Moniques zuinige zakje'. Voor je het weet gooit een collega het zakje weg. Zonde! 😅
I am always curious when I see the videos of expats, who are explaining Dutch habits. I learn a lot about their habits as well. But in many videos, I notice that not everything they claim is actually correct. Your video was spot on, and I enjoyed it very much!
I mean, you turn the heater off in the bedroom and sleep with your windown open. That's how my family does it anyways. Bedroom window is open all year round :) Cracked open a tiny bit in the winter, and wide open in the summer. Fresh crisp winter air in your bedroom is good for you. Improves sleep quality, which therefore improves your immune system, and your nose doesn't get stuffy in the morning.
My American and British friends used to joke, “The Dutch bless the water with the tea bag,” miming a priest with incense while actually dipping the tea bag in the water two or three times. As we do. 😂
But then again the anglosaxons need stronger tea as they always dilute tea with pints of milk.
@@endthisnonsense7202😂😂😂
I have never ever seen a teabag shared between people here in the Netherlands ever. Maybe a Northern thing? Tompouce are available throughout the year, but instead of the orange top on Kingsday, it is pink and often served at birthdays or other happy occasions. Oliebollen, go to a kermis (carnaval?) and there are always oliebollenkramen there. It is not just a new year's eve treat by any means here. We always get oliebollen when de kermis is in town. Not meant as a dis. Apologies if my wording wasn't very tactful. Love your videos.
If I'm with others and we drink tea from those small bags that you can make one or two cups with I often ask if I can have the bag after them, otherwise they dip it into their tea one or two times for less than 3 seconds and throw it in the trash.
mostly northern but not like 5 people that's even for dutch standarts cheap. at most 3.
If I get a teabag that says "1 cup" I just put it in the teapot for 15 minutes and sure enough it has plenty of tea leaves in it for a whole liter of tea. So ye it is common to 'share' a 1 cup teabag.
Airing the house makes the house easier to warm. Stale air doesn't heat up that well... And the most common air pollution at home is partical matter.... So, open those windows and doors now and again (at least half an hour once a week).
This is peculiar because the major examples of people eating very simple home cooked meals that surprise me most are all from situations I have seen in the US, through social media and in vlogs. I have seen so many examples of people eating mac and cheese for dinner, pasta with just meat, or even just bland pasta entirely by itself, or just a piece of chicken with nothing else. This is quite different from the quick every day dishes with a combination of spices, vegetables and meat that I am used to having and preparing. Even though I am certainly not a cooking fanatic. There must be a lot of variation between people in each country making up a large amount of this discrepancy. When it comes to the fries, with sauce and a snack, and when it comes to pancakes, you are certainly right, however. These are very simple dishes that are enjoyed with a minimal combination of ingredients. But those dishes are usually served in moderation.
I, as a cheap Dutch student, consider foods like mac 'n cheese or pasta-pesto full meals.
@@infj4w511 This week I made 2kg of lasagna for a total of 12 euro. Some other dishes are even cheaper. Few months ago I cooked moussaka for under 10 euro and it was 8 meal portions. Pea soup is also very cheap to make. Meal prepping is key. You need to have plenty of vitamins and fiber in your diet for studying. Cooking is also a fun and rewarding hobby, and you can impress people (girls) with it.
@@infj4w511 as a cheap Dutch student, I would eat pasta, with big tomatoes ("vleestomaten") cut in pieces, salmon flakes and creme fraiche. It's not too expensive, but tastes pretty good, and is easy to make 🙂
No but the window thing makes sense because we don't have airconditioning so opening the window will reduce the moisture level inside and that will make the heating more efficient so it costs less money
A lot of those things I don't do as a Dutchie 😄 I actually never noticed the tea thing much, only that bags get used two times max. I always let it sit for ages myself, but that's because I like those fancy, and dear, Celestial Seasonings ones and keeping them in for such a short amount of time feels like an absolute waste of money to me 😋 By the way, in some towns scouts sell oliebollen in like summer to raise money for club house maintenance and materials needed for their activities.
Because it’s not typical Dutch. We are the number 5 country of coffee consumption per capita in the world. We consume 8,4 kg coffee per year and 0,78 kg of tea per year.
@@jannetteberends8730 Biggest tea drinkers in Europe are the Ostfriesen (not the English) but they're only a minority in Germany.
Nice to meet a fellow Celestial Seasonings drinker, my favourite is the Green Tea with honey ginseng lemon flavour and just discovered the Madarin Orange Spice infusion. What is your favourite?
you have teabags for 1 glass of tea and 5 6 glasses of tea
@@jannetteberends8730 I go through half a kilo of coffee powder at home per month and then Im not even counting the coffee I get at the office, the train station or in restaurants. I read somewhere that after Scandinavian countries we drink the most coffee in the world.
As a Dutch person, I cannot drink the hot water with a flavour that some people call 'tea'. I need my own tea bag and it needs to soak as long as possible!
In the Netherlands it is mandatory that you have certain insurances. Everyone needs a health insurance. And if you own a house or a car you also need certain insurances. So if you happen to have an accident and somebody needs hospital treatment or there is expensive damage, the insurance covers that. If you cause an accident you are held accountable (aansprakelijk). That means you need to pay for the damages you caused. Without an insurance you could pay for someones hospital bills for the rest of your life.
I've never seen a single teabag used to serve multiple guests. I would interpret that as the host not actually wanting to have guests. I would interpret that as being unwelcome. Otherwise, you could make a full pot of tea. That would be a perfectly viable option to serve your guests and still be needlessly thrifty with a single teabag. I do for myself reuse a teabag for a 2nd cup, but I'm not serving any guests when I do that.
It sounds like something students might do, because they don’t have a teapot or a limited supply of teabags (I guess) 😂
@@MacXpert74yes that's true actually
I was laughing my ass off when you talked about the tea back dipping phenomena. So true and familiar
In Canada Dec 25 and 26 are holidays. If they fall on weekends many people get the next Monday off. In the US I think only Easter is a holiday, but we also have Easter Monday.
a funeral insureance is good to have for those left behind, that they dont have to worry about the costs. usely parents starts for the kids, and when the kids are older and move out. they take over.
I think you can buy funeral insurance in Canada but I don't know anybody who has it. Maybe it is sold only to immigrants from the Nederlands. I do know people who prepay their expenses to a funeral company so their children don't have to pay later. I think it avoids some taxes too.
A problem with those old insurances is that by the time you need them, they have a ridiclously low value. That is, compared to what you need to pay for decent funeral services nowadays.The one insurance company that didn't insure a fixed value but a package of services (Yarden), had to renege and limit the actual value of the services to prevent going bankrupt.
Hey Eva, ik heb je pas net ontdekt, maar wat maak je leuke video's. Je maakt me heel bewust van dingen die ik heel normaal vind. Je hebt een fijne energie en humor. Leuk! Ga lekker door ❤!
Just found your videos ! And you are soooo right about us dutch (mostly, not the tea thing tho! i know nobody who does that with tea...) and you're funny and I like your video présence. Keep going!
Hahahah i know lots of friends/family who do this with the tea bag
Hi Eva, watching you for years now and I must say your Dutch improved a lot and sounds great, well done! Would be nice if you did an episode in Dutch. Are you ready for that? Sure you are. 🤪
At my childhood home we used to do the teabag thing, but only within our family. If we had guests, people got their own teabag. And for the refill we would just ask "do you want a fresh teabag?". As an adult, I just give everyone a little dish to put a used teabag on, and put the container with new teabags somewhere nearby so people can use them as they want.
Hi Eva, interesting observations, especially the one of the open-window-policy we almost all practice in the Netherlands! First question from the Dutch perspective is: how do you ever get fresh air if you don't open your windows? Airconditioning is not fresh air in our opinion and besides not many people in the Netherlands have it. A nice, but already very old prejudice about Americans in this context is: They heat their bedrooms in winter to such high temperatures that they sleep under sheets and in summer cool it down to such low temperatures that they use a blanket!
Oh but sitting under a tarp while it's raining IS enjoyable. Try it sometime and close your eyes so you can focus on just the sound of the rain on the tarp or a plastic roof for example. It's really calming :)
1. No. We like to sit inside. Unless we are only having a drink on the terrace. Which is mainly in summer. 2. Better to have insurances that are very cheap. Than having to go in debt for the rest of your life. Or leave it to family/friends to pay for your funeral. 3. Only when having dinner with family. And rarely. 4. Nope. 5. Old tradition. 6. No, we don't. You can do 2 glasses of tea with 1 bag if you like it lighter. That's it. They're made for a teapot/kettle. But teapots are rare these days. 7. You want mold in your house, keep all your windows closed. You want clean, fresh air in your house. Easier to heat! Humid air (from cooking, showering, laundry drying) is a LOT harder to heat than cold fresh air.
No way I handle tea in that way at my home! But I recognise what you're saying. That's why I drink coffee when I'm elsewhere and can't control the brew.
We have liability insurance, legal insurance, insurance for damage to our houses or furniture, car insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, bike insurance, laptop insurance, funeral insurance, etc. There's a whole category of insurance that targets electronics, you can choose the amount you want to insure, for example 6000 euro so you can cover your laptop, tv, phone, amplifier, desktop computer etc, in case they break outside of warranty, or get stolen, stuff like that. Do note, most of these besides the car (if you own a car) and health insurance, are optional and many people dont have them. Its not always profitable to be insured for something. For example if you need dental work it may be cheaper to pay out of pocket instead of being insured for a year. Its not just about the money either, its good for peace of mind. I dont have any legal issues but I have a 15 euro legal insurance, so lets say I order something online and it isnt delivered and I have a dispute, I can threaten the company that I have legal insurance and they are suddenly very eeager to resolve my problem. Or if I ever have a dispute at work or with a contractor, I know I wont need to spend ridiculous amounts of money on lawyers.
Well Ava, quirky as we Dutchies are we are not always wrong ;-) Refreshing your interior once in a while removes an enormous amount of condense and bad fumes that are released from cooking, breathing and other life necessary activities 😛 You can always dress up to be warm! Especially at night fresh air helps to sleep deep and healthy! That's also the whole idea about sitting outside when it does not rain. Or when it is raining under a tarp with "terras verwarming" 🙂 Ehhhmmm if you complain about Dutchies always drinking coffee or tea.. Americans do the same: you drink "on the go". And there is another unhealthy habit of the Americans: To not sit down and enjoy your food! Everything needs to be "on-the-go" ! 😬
The eet smakelijk is a bit of a quirky half joke because we know it's a bit uncomfortable but also a bit nice hahaha
Right, it can actually also be used in a cynical way, to sort of express that you find it inappropriate to eat there or to eat that specific thing there.
I immediately recognized myself, I always do this but it's meant kindly 😂 A kind word is just for free.
i did not know this was uncommon in other countries... when i was in spain and did this i was looked at as mentaly unstable. is was verry awkward but i meant well.
Yeah, true it's quite uncomfortable to have someone who's a stranger to greet you in that way, it looks to me like you are caught unguard of your own behaviour( snacking on the street, which is not culturally correct in Europe).
Yes, I once had a boss who frequently organized lunch meetings. He had a habit of deliberately asking questions or response to people who were chewing. Funny dude, and a real good boss by the way.
I... Hate our skimpy teabag habit so much😂 Not in my house! My tea has colour, and more importantly, flavour!
Luckily we have the oliebollenstand the whole year very saturday at our market! And they really have the best ones: super fluffy and less bready and dry!! :) Grerat video again
You would think differently re the liability insurance, if you were the owner of a (large) dog. Not only may it bite, but it might cause a traffic incident of sorts. And perhaps mention that health insurance and basic car insurance are obligatory.
Oliebollen are actually doughnuts the way they're supposed to be. There is an urban legend that when the Dutch first arrived in New Netherlands, they brought with them the recipe for _oliekoeken_ (which is another name for oliebollen). The legend goes that when the British colonists tried to copy the recipe, they couldn't get the _oliekoeken_ to cook fully and subsequenty decided to cut out the middle part...
I live here....and i dont like em 😂😂😂 give me an appelflap 🎉
@@pleun315Appelflappen are nice when somebody else makes them. The kitchen gets so sticky!
@@EdwinHofstra met oliebollen bakken gelukkig niet ....🤪
I have never had to share a teabag or had to use one twice. But I have seen other people do it, and have had two or three guests who wanted to reuse their teabag but I didn't let them! Funeral insurance is a very good thing. It takes away that sudden financial burden from your family. Funerals are expensive! I also have "inboedelverzekering" but I'm not sure what it does. Something with the stuff in my house. The KZheadr "Exploring the Foreign" had a funny bit with his Dutch father-in-law, with the old man telling him about the many different insurances he should have.
Tea bags come in sizes, there’s 1 cup version and whole pot version. The latter can be used a few times or several cups (6-8 mugs depending how strong you like it…if multiple people are there, just make a pot though…if you’re alone pot makes no sense as it’ll get cold).
Maar daar heb je dan weer ‘theelichtjes’ voor!😅
Well insulated tea pot stays warm for a long time. Sometimes I have a cup at night and the next morning the tea in the pot is still warm. The "1 cup" bags are fine to use for a whole pot, just leave it in there for 15 minutes. After you take it out the tea will continue to get stronger as well. After 2 hours it will be very dark in color. Its just a scam to make you use more tea than necessary.
We love the ice cream shop good quality ice cream in the dorpstraat de bilt across the bike shop. We love to take a break there after a bike ride/tour even in winter, they got a nice cosey bench outside. A place to chill out a bit no matter what season. Greating from da low lands from us living in your beautiful area.
My mother use to have a little top window open in her window throughout the year. It could be freezing in there. She also used to go around bare feet, including out on the balcony to hang out some laundry to dry.
Don't forget about first and second Easter day as well. About the funeral insurance, my parents already had it for me since I was young. Not sure if since birth, but it was passed on to me once I left the house.
Smart, my parents did the same .when you start later in live its more expensive
hi the tompouce you can get all year around, no problem and their coating is normally pink, just for kingsday they'd be orange. fun fact is that the oliebollen actually were the ancestors of the donut! the opening the windows is actually a good thing, cause it helps you to refesh the air in side. fresh are is easier to keep warm so basically you loose nothing
Hello Ava,...of course there are regional differences. You are used to the Netherlands above the "great" rivers ... de grote rivieren... Some things you describe do not occur in that form in, for example, Limburg, where I live. And believe me... I have many acquaintances in the North, I have also worked there for a long time, but it always remains a culture shock for me... as a Dutch person Greetings from the periphery of the Netherlands ;-)
In Limburg hebben we sowieso beter eten. Dat komt omdat vrijwel iedereen vroeger boer was en hard moest werken (daarom was er ook vrijwel geen honger tijdens de 2e WW) Daarna kwamen de mijnen, wat betekende dat de financiën beter werden maar toch velen een groentetuin en wat vee hadden zoals mijn beide grootouders. Dat herken je nu nog bij bruiloften. In de dorpen word nog iedereen uitgenodigd en is er de hele avond volop lekker eten: dat heb ik in het noorden wel anders gezien :) Mijn ouders werden een paar maanden geleden bij een ver familielid in Friesland op een bruiloft genodigd: ze kregen 2 consumptiebonnen: moesten daarna de drank zelf betalen: was een complete cultuurshock voor ons 😛😛
Gênant gewoon! Nodig iemand dan NIET uit! Ik kom uit de randstadrand 😉, maar ik zou het niet in mijn hoofd halen om iemand uit te nodigen voor mijn bruiloft en dan zelf voor zijn drank te laten betalen. (Aan de andere kant: dat was misschien een manier om het aantal lallende en kotsende personen in te dammen? Had die kant van de familie soms al een reputatie op dat vlak? 🤣)
@@WatZouJeHiervanVindenIn Limburg we have the same food as in the rest of the country. The mining region of the province, doesn't represent the whole province of Limburg.
@@SjoukePThe Randstad, Brabant, Gelderland and Limburg have a lot in common. The north not so much with the rest of the country. The three northern provinces also don't have that much people living there
Yeah, teabags around here are usually for a full pot. It's a bit weird though to fill cups of hot water and then dip the teabag into each one of them. Most people will just make the pot and pour from that, guess you married into a group that like to do things differently. Oh and my bedroom is currently around 12°C (54F), coldest room in the house and I really do like it that way. Actually hate summer as it makes me feel like I'm drowning in my own bed.
A teabag should be in a pot for 3 minutes, not 30 seconds like a lot of people seem to think.
In the summer I put a mattress in my living room which is a few degrees colder than the rest of the house, I have a flat roof that gets really hot. And keep the blinds closed on the south side permanently.
One insurance almost no dutch person has is flood insurance. I remember this seemed to surprise some foreigners seeing the fact that most of this country is below sea level. We are culturally extremely confident though being the masters of watermanagement. The possibility doesn't even register really. Though it probably should with rising sea levels. PS: we don't have 2 christmas days. There's also christmas Eve, the evening before first christmas day. When you have to many loved ones to visit it's ideal. First and second is reserved for the most important people, but christmas eve is considered acceptable.
The thing with flood insurance is that you dont need it unless you live in a new built house in an overflow zone next to the major rivers. Old towns are built on sand ridges, and if the dikes break then you have a lot more to worry about than insurance. The dikes are also rated to withstand 1 in 10.000 year storm surges along the coast so the risk of it happening in your lifetime is less than 1%
Loving these vids
The tea bag is meant for a whole kettle of tea so you can use it for several cups.
😂yes. you can even see it on the package.. and that with a logo, she doesnt even need to read it..
I would like to correct several things. Tompouce is not a typical King´s Day thing but the Oranje (orange) tompouce is. Tompouce is simply a popular Dutch pastry so people have found a way to commercialise it. And about oliebollen: yes, they are a typical food for NYE but they are also traditionally eaten at fairs, fe the august ´Kermis´ (fun fair)
The thing I see Dutch people do the most when saying "Eet smakelijk!" is either nodding or holding up their slice of bread a bit higher as an indication "I heard you, but my mouth is full you know!" :P It is funny you mentioned that some people look at you weird, it really depends on the person how they respond, and the funniest is when it happens when you mention it to tourists who do not look touristy but are not yet capable of understanding Dutch enough and with a mouthful you hear a muffled"What?" :P The tea thing is not something I am used to, though I'm not a teadrinker myself: my parents always draw tea from a bag or loose leaves for about 3-4 minutes, or more if that what the strength for the tea they like requires. I once made a cup of tea at local television for 2 colleagues during a show (they were in the technical room doing the switching and working the remote camera's) and they both looked at their glasses like "The hell is this?" and one nearly choked on the first sip. The same happened with coffee though, my mom likes a reasonably strong cup of coffee (2 cups of coffee take about 4 scoops of coffee powder if I recall correctly) so when the colleagues asked for coffee and I gave them the end result they also considered it way to strong. They both are the kind of people that dip the bag in the water and be done with it, and use it for the next cup. My mom calls it "Water with a little bit of taste." or "Water met een smaakje".
I laughed so hard on your tea bag mention.. I light my tea very light, so only hold it in there for like 5 to 10 seconds :P so yeah, I can use a bag multiple times.
For us, Wednesday/Thursday was fries day, sometimes with a snack, but 99% of the time just fries with mayonaise. Easy and fast. We sometimes also had it just as lunch.
Niet eens appelmoes erbij? 😂
I remember one kid in my street I used to play with, they always had fries with fried chicken for lunch on wednesday. They were all fat. My parents never had a fryer.
"Beschuit met muisjes". The confetti treats are anise seeds coated with coloured and uncolored sugar. Anise is good for a mother's milk production. This is the Netherlands, we do most things for a reason (being efficient and what not)
if you open your window in winter to get fresh air and get moist out.your home warms up faster and its done in austria too. as a kid i slept with open window with -20 celsius
as being just a guy from holland. your videos are intresting from what people here think "what is normal". i have one small point for your videos, show a bit more the outside. also i hope you have a nice stay here, and feel welcome. and off course not every thing is fantastic in holland.
About the windows in winter, open them BEFORE you starting the heating. Let two windows on opposite sides blow air through for maybe 5 minutes when there is a bit of wind. Fresh air heats up quicker and more easy than stale air. ^^
PS. Here on my island we also drink a lot of kinds of fresh herbs/teas fresh from the garden. Some like it stronger others less strong. So it depends on the amount of litres of water you can vary the strength. It is better to make it in a larger teapot or large pot and make it draw/pull a bit longer if you have to serve more people than dipping it per cup. Because the tea strength will be even per cup. Dipping per cup can cause the first cups to be stronger than the last cups also depending on the length of time you keep the bag in the cup. So one large teapot or pot is better and you can reheat it and reuse during/later on in the day.
I definitely liked your 'aansprakelijkheidsverzekering'. Flawless and effortless!
Oliebollen is more of a 'winter food', I think. My father would start making them on New Year's Eve, and make them, 'on demand' during January and February. I suspect it was also because they're cheap to make, and we were not exactly rich in the 1960's.
Here in the south there is always an oliebollen stand on every kermis fair in the summer. So, for me it's just as much a summer snack (I don't consider it as food) as it is a new years snack.
If I remember correctly, there is a correlation between the Dutch oilballs and the American donuts donuts where, invented by a young man who got oilballs from his mother, but they were not fully baked. So he made a whole in the middle, and when they were baked they were fully baked. Nowadays, the ingredients between both differ quite a lot. Also, did you know that in the 18th century there was a third Christmas day and even a fourth existed for a short while. So actually, we gave up half of Christmas.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me….
The way I heard it, early Dutch settlers wanted to make oliebollen, but since they only brought basic kitchen utensils, the lacked the scoop to take them from the oil. So they stuck the dough on the end of a stick and baked them like that.
The way I heard it, early Dutch settlers wanted to make oliebollen, but since they only brought basic kitchen utensils, the lacked the scoop to take them from the oil. So they stuck the dough on the end of a stick and baked them like that.
@@EdwinHofstra I dunno, you put them into the oil with regular dinner spoons, and why not extract them with a couple of dinner spoons or regular wooden cooking spoons as well? Have to do it one at a time but using the holes would also be that.
I’m English and have lived in the Netherlands now for three years. Like you, I’m loving it! But I have to say that to me it’s America that sounds the weird place. But you didn’t mention the best difference. Living in the Netherlands you can bike everywhere. The bikes are superbly designed for everyone to use. And you don’t have to battle with the traffic. Cycling in the countryside on the numerous cycle tracks is an absolute joy. how weird that in America bicycles are hardly used! That said, England isn’t much better.
i'm originally from the UK as well, but have been living here for 44 years
Interesting. I am an Aussie tea drinker and the teabags would bother me. I hav one pack only of green tea bags which are mostly used at picnics. In my family we use leaf tea made in pots . I live alone and i have infusers to put inside mugs or cups and when the tea is brewed the infuser is removed from the cup and the contents put in the compost bin.
Ha dit was een leuke vlog. Mooie foto's van mijn woonplaats 😂. A little confronting but there you have it: "s'lands wijs s'lands eer". Enjoyed it a lot. 👍👍
Loved the video and insights, as usual! (wife was in stitches after the 'open windows' observations) I recognize and can confirm a lot of things (as a born and bred Dutche), and my wife (expat from South America) recognizes and confirms even more, but neither has ever encountered the teabag-sharing. MAYBE using a teabag for a pot of tea to make two mugs, but not the teabag-hopping. We can however confess to the limited-ish time a teabag spends in a mug or pot, yes... 😐
3:56 my good lady, many insurances as the aanspraleijkheids verzekering are mandatory. Also car insurance, you are caught driving without insurance, you get a whopping big fine by the police..Health insurance is also mandatory.
Open windows in winter and the energy bill? Stale air has a higher humidity (breath) and costs more energy to heat, especially for central heating and good insulation. That's why venting your house for say 30 min a day is actually very energy efficient.
Hello! Greetings fromTexas! I lived many years in Europe, including in Deutschland (Germany). Although I didn't live in the Netherlands (NL), I have visited the NL a number of times. I always enjoyed my visits there. Many of the cultural norms that you have experienced in the NL are also the norms in neighboring Germany, such as the opening of windows in the winter. In Germany, it's not uncommon to see die Bettwäsche (the bedding) airing out from opened windows. Anyway, I enjoy hearing about your experiences in the NL. (Auf Deutsch) Alles Gute! = All the best! P.S. Mijn beste wensen voor Nederland!
Totally off topic, but what shade of pink is that on your wall? Its beautiful!
😂 never heard of 1 teabag used for each cup. What part of NL does that? Not in my region 😅
I've seen it plenty of times. People usually ask tho
Unfortunately, those people that do carry umbrellas seem to have forgotten all about parapluie etiquette (that's French for 'goede manieren met een regenscherm' 😉). Rule#1: When passing someone, move the umbrella out of the way, upwards and/or sideways, or by (partially) folding it for a moment. Rule#2: umbrellas often have a semi-sharp point, so treat them like any dangerous object and keep the point in a save direction, and for Pete's sake, don't swing it. Rule#3: the umbrella, like the walking stick, can be used a baton to indicate your intended direction, especially when crossing the street while not on a zebrapad.
MOre about umbrellas. In very windy Netherlands it is not the best option.
Sitting outside is done in most of Europe. And yes, if there is no place, you look elsewhere. Many insurances is also a thing in at least Belgium and Germany. Eating fries only? Belgium. Opening windows to sleep? Germany has this. Multiple Christmas days is standard in Belgium and Germany and probably other countries as well. So these are pretty normal, even though I do not live in The Netherlands. The only thing that stood out was the multiple use of teabags. I have seem people make coffee a second time with the same filter in The Netherlands.
Coffee a second time with the same coffee powder? That is disgusting. I would only ever attempt that if the stores were closed, I was all out of coffee and extremely desperate. Yuck. Ive never seen Dutch people do that. We love our coffee fresh, strong, and boiling hot. Always put an extra scoop in the filter coffee machine. 3 small cups = 4 scoops. With a top on them.
using a tea bag 6 times? Never experienced that. 2 times is the max (with me)... Love how you pronounce 'aansprakelijkheidsverzekering' . Correctly!
Groeten uit België, with the window "half open", drinking tea I used 3 times already today, while writing this. Luckily I didn't need my "aansprakelijkheidsverzekering" yet (maybe at New Year's Eve when spilling "oliebollenvet" at the dress of one of the guests). I figure we Belgians have a lot more in common with the Dutch than what I initially thought. Our food is (sorry Dutch people) unarguably better though, especially "Belgische frietjes van de frituur" 🤭
Iedere zichzelf respecterende patatzaak in Nederland verkoopt niet voor niets vrijwel altijd uitsluitend "Vlaamse frieten" (ook al is het enige er aan dat echt Belgisch is de naam.......).
They sure are. Two parts ossenwit, one part reuzel, right? But our oliebollen are better than your smoutebollen! (Living in Belgium currently, and just filled my balcony with beer. 😊)
Thanks for sharing this. I’m going to be a bit blunt: your latest videos are a bit intense. I thought it was just me so I scrolled back to some of your earlier videos and you do sound more laidback in these. I still think it is awesome to hear your stories and I’m amazed by the fact that you never say uhm or interrupt yourself or have sentences fizzling out half way.