4:45 'In the US smoking is really dying out ' . FYI : Accroding WHO on wikipedia in US smoking went from 33% to 23% between 2010 and 2020. A similar drop happened in NL. Not as much drop as in Ozz or Canada (23-28% to 13%). Maybe there are big differences within US. Like Cali or NYC at 'Canadian' levels , but in , say , West Virginia a still high percentage ... Maybe you 'see' more Dutch smoke, because more people are out on the street (And outdoors is the only public space where one can smoke) while in US you see in general less people on the street (smoking or not ). ( Still annoying to be on a terrace in smoke fumes , without but especcially with your pregnant girlfriend. good luck with the baby !) .
@DutchAmericano Can you also make a video about the negative consequences of expats on Amsterdam? They make it impossible for the regular Dutch to live in their own city.
@@rjdverbeek Blaming foreigners ? Of course Expats and speculative foreign real asset firms have a negative effect on housing affordability , but may be you should look at 'ourselves' , or for that matter 'our government' . The austerity cuts that the government of Mark Rutte did in 2012 caused a Real and Nominal shrink of Dutch GDP ! ! (Something foreign financial organisations warned for ). After this one 'shrink year' it took 6 years for the Dutch gdp level to come (relative) par with Belgiums again. In those 6 years housing construction was rock bottom. Construction firms did release personell all over. In those years were 40-60k houses less built, compared to before. 6x 40k is 240k. Compare that with 450k units shortage in the current housing stock ! A good deal of our housing shortage (and housing price surge all over the country !) is to directly to blame on the policies of Mark Rutte's coalitions ! Additional to that 'Mark Rutte' closed many elderly homes ( "Modern Elderly want to remain 'independent' .... yeah right). With an upcoming wave of aging retirements ! This means that many elderly, instead of being able to move into a small apartment , remain living in a family sized home or apartment ! (And a similar story is with psychiatric patients who were forced to live in a regular home, instead of a supervised institution. >> In 5 years the police had to respond to 887k calls of 'confused individuals' . That equals plm 486 x per day coppers have to show up with a psychiatric nurse, because they can't deal with it properly themselves...)
If you are invited at 1230 just ask if you will lunch together or not. Dutch people like to plan and are direct. They don’t find it strange when you are practical around it.
This!! A lot of problems Americans often experience in the Netherlands can be solved by using some honest practical blunt Dutch communication :) Just ask ;)
I as a host will set meeting appointments with the comment "at lunch time" " after lunch" "we will have dinner" "after dinner" "at coffee time" making clear what my intentions are.
Agreed. It's not about being thrifty. It's just how appointments are made. If someone asks you for an appointment at 12:30, and he/she doesn't mention lunch, then it's without lunch. Simple. If the idea is to have lunch, it'll be mentioned, like "you wanna have lunch tomorrow, say 12:30?". And if it is not mentioned, and you think it would be a good idea, you'd say something like "sure, sounds great. Shall we make it a lunch date?", or something like that. The rule is simple. If it's not mentioned, don't assume it is implied. It could be, but it's usually not.
it's literally just about having the plans clear. if lunch wasn't talked about, assume there won't be lunch, if lunch seems like a good idea, ask. even more last minute, send a text or call asking if they also want to grab lunch or not.
I think the lunch/dinner thing is because people tend to go to the supermarkets regularly to buy fresh food, and you buy the exact amount you need as to not be wasteful. If someone unexpectedly stays over, you won't have enough. Also smoking is definitely more common here than in the USA, but still not nearly as common as in southern Europe. Also it's true that getting a driver's license is super expensive, the tests are difficult and rules are strict, but that does mean that people who have their license do actually know how to properly drive.
Have you seen the tv show ‘slechtste chauffeur van Nederland’ (Dutch worst driver)? Not everyone with a driver license knows what to do. I know those are the exceptions but holy moly, how did they pass?! They probably got it with a stick of butter.
I think that some of these culture shocks are also depending on where you live in the Netherlands and are more extreme in the larger cities. I for example call the restaurant for dinner for an reservation an hour before I left my house. Especially in the weekends, because I know that it could be busy. During the week I gamble that it is not needed. Beside this I always ask someone if they need some lunch if I meet with someone around lunchtime or ask if they need something to eat. Only with dinner I expect that they already have eaten or I expect that they just ask for it before.
Different germans told me often that dutchies cant drive. They are annoyed by dutchies on high way. Same for some swedish people in the hills they told me also that they were afraid of dutch tourists while the swedish/ locals where being on there bikes. They didnt like the tourist season that much anymore because of that. But when I was biking a swedish driver passed me like an idiot. However maybe dutch drivers drive the best in dutch city s Although I don't know depends a lot of the driver I think
On the driving here, some of my american friends driving here ( and especially in germany ] described it as being in a video game where a single mistake takes you into the neverworld, and a lot of them got a zillion tickets for speed limits, left lane driving, driving into one way streets the wrong way and so on, They learned eventually but sometimes in the beginning they did manage to get me into cardiac arrest when switching lanes in germany without double checking only to find out that there was a porsche approaching in that lane with 240 + km .
Well that happens when you get a driver's license in a box of serial as a gift. Seriously I did the USA driving test just to try and it was shocking how little they are required to know before getting to drive a deadly machine.
And that Porsche doing 240+ km/h still has to take care and check when moving a lane to the left as there might be a car approaching at 300+. But most accidents on the German Autobahn happen when tourists doing 130 km/h (or even a bit less) crash into the back ends of trucks going their max of 80 km/h.
You are right, when you are invited at 12:30 with the intention of having lunch together, this will be mentioned with the invitation. When lunch is not mentioned, you better assume that it is not planned to have together.
Why not just ask to be sure and to prevent misunderstandings? I don't understand why this is treated by some people as if asking for some clarity is 'not done'..
I am Dutch, and I learned at a very early age as a child that I had to leave my friends and go home when they had lunch or dinner. It would be very unpolite to stay. But sometimes I was allowed to wait when they had dinner or lunch, or in a rare occasion I was invited to have lunch or dinner together with the family. Coming from school, I always got something at 03.00 or 04.00 pm with tea from the parents of my friends. At that time, I could always go to a friend's house to play. Nobody had a phone, except businesses, so there were no play appointments made. People could not automatically afford to invite children for lunch or dinner. Parents cooked the precise amount that was necessary for their own family. Visitors left before diner or lunch or said they had already eaten in order not to embarrass their hosts, who could not provide food for visitors. Of course, there were occasionally invitations for lunch or diner, but not at every visit. Today, people can afford to invite visitors for diner or lunch, but it is not automatically included.
I'm from the Netherlands and lived in the US(NJ) for many years but they hardly ever invite you to their home to have dinner or lunch. Maybe for Thanksgiving and everyone brings some food. Mostly you meet at a restaurant. The way you learn to drive in the Netherlands is much safer. Here at your driving test you don't even have to go on the highway.
Yeah, but Jersey is full of 'Jersey Dutch' who are more likely to make friends with a Dutch person who shares some part of their eating culture. 😉 Even though a lot of those Jersey Dutch are actually of Scandinavian descent.
Americans smoking less than Dutch people is just anecdotal perception. I mean you're technically correct, 11% of Americans vs 13% of Dutch people smoke daily. But I think we can agree that's a minimal difference. But there isn't a huge difference and if you add e-sigs and vapes the numbers get even closer where 6% of Americans vs 4% of the Dutch. So the Americans vape more than the Dutch per 2022 data at least.
Specially in Utrecht with that many restaurants, bars and cafe's you will see more smokers... It's forbidden to smoke inside. Personally I don't know many people that smoke, not my colleagues, family and friends 🤷🏻
I think it has to do with the places you are allowed to smoke. In the US you can’t smoke in most public places so it’s less visible compared to the Netherlands.
don't forget that the 11% of Americans who smoke are spread across a country the size of Europe vs 13% packed into a country smaller than most US states. The difference will be very noticeable.
@ That’s… not how percentages work. US urban centers also tend to be denser than Dutch ones so in cities the US ones should feel more sm9key by that logic.
I like that getting access to a two ton murder mobile requires a bit more than a booklet and a parent teaching you all their bad driving habits. even if it costs more. A lot of Dutch parents (at least in my days, I'm 46 now) had a deal with their kids if they didn't smoke before 18, they'd pay the license. Mine was paid for by my employer.
What i felt more often about your experiences is that its very colored by the fact that it is like in the Randstad. I live in the country side and we dont make soo many appointments and you will be asked if you want to lunch or dine too (gezellig!) and yes we have cars and drive and no we dont say all what we think. So it differs a lot, depending where you are in this little cosy country.
I agree it is a matter of where you are also we in the south would ask you if you wanted to stay for lunch or dinner if it was getting near that time of day. Maybe not all the time but we it does happen and probably more of then then when you live in the west of the country. But then it might be rhey would order food and not prepare it themselves.When you are invited specifically often it is rpepared by the ones who invited you.But hardly anyone has a lot of food in store in case someone ends up staying for dinner.
@@vboyz21 it depends whether you use British or American spelling the Americans often drop the U they write colored while British write coloured so both are correct
oh shut up, everyone knows the CBR test is a scam run by the Dutch government, they will milk as much money out of you as they can, literally every question is a trick question. They will do anything to NOT let you pass the exam so u spend more money
Just came out of the states and the majority are pretty good drivers no worse then europeans but there is a much larger % that don't seem to get it. Also they use very different rules that ussualy aren't that safe but allowed. So not disagreeing with your statement just giving a bit of nuance. And yes the amount of entitled aka asswholes and people that just have very bad habits is way bigger so i do like the european system way better even if its a tad expensive to get youre licence.
Exactly. While this isn't necessarily 100% correlated to the rigorousness of our driver education system, the Netherlands had 31 road deaths per million inhabitants in 2020, compared to 124 in the US. We just seem to care more about people not dying in traffic than in the US. This also applies to European safety standards for cars being stricter than in the US. Also our road infrastructure in generally much safer with bike lanes, pedestrian paths, and traffic calming measures including roundabouts that Americans generally hate.
Agree! If every culture cared as much less people would die and less traffic violations/tickets given. It should be an investment of time and money! Means you hecka earned it! 😎👍🏻
Yes a drivers license is expensive and you have to take a lot of lessons but it will make you a much better driver. That is because the car is not facilitated that much. Pedestrians and cyclists are, the streets are narrower, parking is different, so it's not the same. btw in Germany a drivers license is even more expensive but most German drivers are really good at it.
Most Dutch people don't like surprises, we like to be prepared for everything.With us, everything usually has to go as planned, I think that is in the DNA of a large part of the Dutch.
There's a theory I read about Northern Europeans and food and it's about the fact that in the old days you would stock up on food to last you from late autumn to late spring. That's like 6 months of the year were there's no food growing, and it all depends on how much you managed to store, salt, pickle and dry. And in bad years this meant you went hungry from March to May. So having people drop by and eating from your stock is not really a good idea unless you are 100% certain they will return the favour. Hence people only accepted it (if at all) from really close family and friends. This could have been further exacerbated by Calvinism, with it's focus on hard work and stinginess, but it's also possible that Calvinism just matched they customs of these lands which made it easy to adopt, I don't know.
@@youteacher78Exactly! I'm getting so tired of everything being ascribed to Calvinism. There's a reason it was popular in Northern Europe, where people (or at least, the top layer of society) were Arianist christians until they were forcibly converted to catholicism.
By the way, when my children bring friends home without prior notice, we will always invite them for dinner. Although I might not have counted on their participation me or my wife will give our food and claim we already had some dinner before or we want to eat something else. Later privately, I will ask my children to please give me an hour warning when they want to bring their friends to our house, which of course, they will forget again next time. 😂 But what I hate even more, is when they let me prepare food for four persons and I find out that all have other plans for dinner and I am stuck with all the food. For me that is very disrespectful towards me or my wife.
The only people complaining about the cost or effort of a Dutch driver license are the ones without one. Trust me, when you are on road yourself, you’ll be NOT in favor lowering the bar or the cost of getting one.
@@pinut187 No, they aren't. I passed my theoretical exam the first time. The practical exam took a bit more, but I completely agree with me failing it until I passed.
I agree. I am surprised on her position on the cost of drivers licenses. The high cost for getting a drivers license is a feature, not a bug. Plus, if you can train with just any "experienced driver" (will usually be a family member), then that person will likely be soft on you and also they can pass on their bad driving habits to you. It is obvious that if you are trained by a professional that you will be a better driver, which improves road safety. It is very strange to me that she seems to be arguing that people should be able to get a drivers license for a couple of 100 euros, trained by a family member. Yeah, no thanks. (And I don't have a drivers license btw but I like the system.)
@@pinut187 If anything the theory and practical exam should be harsher, there are still people (a small percentage) on the road that shouldn't be there.
Think it has more to do with the shopping they tend to do. Fresh food is usually consumed the day it is bought. Basically there are no leftovers, hence everything is planned, you shop when you need it.😊
Hi Ava... yeah... lunchtime/dinnertime appointments can be a bit of an issue when you expect to get fed when eating is not explicitly communicated. And now your drivers licence. Roads are too busy to allow crappy drivers on them, so you've got to know the rules. Those trick questions are sometimes situations you can find yourself in in a real setting... and then you also heve to make the right decision. Indeed, the drivingschool decides when you're fit for the exam. They are not too keen on people failing their drivingtest, for it's a bit of an endorsement for the school to have high succes-rates. A very long time ago it was allowed to drive with an experienced driver after your first drivingtest, but when I got my driverslicence over 45 years ago that rule already was abolished. The reason the USA is more liberal on that issue perhaps has to do with the fact that you almost need a car overthere to survive.. here we have good public transport and you also can bike or walk.. I hope the pregnacy of your wife goes well ... good luck to the both of you !
My mum was an Indo (part indonesian born and raised in Bandoeng), My father was Dutch. In the Netherlands, whenever the Dutch family came over, my mum would cook up a feast and they didn't leave the table until all the food was gone. And trust me, my mum cooked enough for an army. If we (mum, dad and three kids) visited them, they would wait with the lunch or the evening meal until we were gone. We lived at least an hour drive away. If we visited my mums family there would be delicious food coming out of the kitchen all day long. I'm a 70 year old Indo, and i'm still pleasantly suprised if i visit someone just after lunchtime and they ask if i want something to eat.
My parents were both always very welcoming. If guests were there they could always join for a meal and share what was there, even if it meant we got smaller portions. It was (and is) simply a matter of good manners and being a good host. It came natural to my mother, so not all Dutch people are so stingy, but unfortunately a lot of them are and blissfully unaware of how unhospitable they come across. Afterall if your parents did not teach you and most of your family and friends are the same how could you know? I remember when I was a teenager staying with a friend on a sunday afternoon, when the mother served a 3 o'clock snack ( a sunday tradition for them) to the whole family except for me, it did not even occur to her to make the other portions a bit smaller and serve us all. I do not care about the food, it is simply incredibly rude.
The real reason is that we consider it impolite to impose oneself onto others. When you know this rule then it explains a lot about all kinds of cultural things. Historically eating together has never been such a big social event as it is in other places in the world. Or if it ever was, then that died out at one point (and it also did in the rest of northern Europe). So if you meet right after lunch time thats convenient because both parties will already have eaten and one party doesn't need to host the other (how inconvenient!). If staying around for dinner is desired it should specifically be mentioned when setting up the date so we can plan accordingly. Going somewhere after lunch time and expecting there to be lunch is like you actually expecting things to just fall out of the sky (and is considered a bit rude in the traditional dutch ways). The whole 'being modest is polite' versus 'please let me treat you' difference in cultures around the world just keep talking past each other and have a hard time understanding each other. Like, countries where an entire buffet is made on the spot for a surprise guest might find it rude that Dutch people won't have anything for you if you come around on the spot, and they love to go on and on about that, but you never hear those kind of complainers about how showing up unannounced and then also demanding to be served all kinds of things are both incredibly rude in our culture.
When I visited the US and rented a car, the first thing the satnav said to me was : depart in western direction. I was like : how should I know where the f west is ? I am in this country for just one hour.
Look at your watch, and look at the sky. Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Generally overhead at noon. It should be very easy. It always has been for me.
Something I do notice with the reservation culture here is that when I visit another country, restaurants can have lines outside where you wait to get seated, and I often hear about this in the US as well. Over here, I have never had to wait to be seated all my life, either there is a table available or there isn't. Which IMO is quite neat compared to standing in the cold, I guess that's a sort of reverse culture shock for me.
Im dutch, i live in Limburg naar noord Brabant. The southern part of the netherlands we always have food and drinks for guests here. But i guess de randstad is a bit different
When Dutch want to eat together lunch they will ask you for lunch, if they don't ask you for lunch they have other plans...just ask in front what the plans are. Dutch directnes 😉
I don't know who your friends are, but they seem to be living in the sixties. People who come over to our place around lunch or dinnertime will always be invited to join us and all of our friends are like that. Mind you, we also have friends with Indonesian roots where it does not seem to matter how many people come to eat, somehow there is always enough for everyone. But even the modern Dutchies are now much more welcoming and flexible in our experience.
I am living in Zuid Limburg (don't wanna say south haha) and I also mention to have lunch or dinner, or make it clear and if not, i can always join for a meal. To schedule appointments far ahead are also not common here, maybe in the Randstad go for dinner more often. Here my current week is full but next week always room for spontaneous visits and I wouldn't like it other way. I love spontaneous 😅
honestly, my thing is just that I don't really have a stuffed pantry and just plan for a couple of days what food is going to be. so I mostly won't be capable of feeding another person
Lunch is food you take to prevent to get hungry later, not necessarily something you celebrate. But don't hesitate to mention that you didn't eat yet, they will get you something, nobody would let you starve.
It's not common in the Netherlands that if you are a guest that you ask "Can I also eat here?" when it was not part of the original plan. Exceptions would be if you are a student and you are visiting another "studentenhuis" or you are a little kid. Or when you are willing to pay part of the lunch.
My bf passed his driver's exam last Tuesday. it was his third time and he spent about € 4000 but I have to say that at the first two attempts he did not have enough confidence. Also while studying for his third theoretical exam he began to see the logic behind the system and then he found it easy. The first two times he was just memorizing. I think that the theoretical exams are tough but driving in Europe is tough, especially in our cramped cities, and with our plethora of rules and road signs. For the practical exam I prefer the Belgian system where you, after 10 hours of lessons, can get a temp licence and can drive with an experienced driver next to you. That way getting more experience is not that costly.
Note that for tourists without a data plan, you can also download areas on google maps. You download a square on the map and you can then walk around there off line. That includes information. It will ask to be updated after a year. If you plan to visit multiple cities, just download multiple maps. They’re not that big.
Yeah, use some of that Dutch directness on the Dutch themselves. Bringing up if food is on "the table" when making plans (booking a slot in their calendar three weeks in advance. 😂) is just fine. Then both know what's going to happen. I've actually had the food thing explained, as a courtesy thing in case someone doesn't have enough or are having a rough spot economically. If it's simply not a thing, there's no awkwardness or breach of integrity to the person who has less than you by expecting food. And since you don't talk about money, it's polite not to assume someone is able to feed you. There are still people who remember the famine during and after the war, so it's kind of still in the back of peoples head. However, it's fine to offer. They might just have a coffee while you eat your lunch. Which is fine too. I'm actually very grateful to my Dutch friends for explaining so many of the "unwritten" rules. It's saved me a lot of grief. Now there will be comment's saying "This is not true!" but this is my friends truth. Others truths are valid too. 💜
Exactly. Most People Don't Realize How Bad it was Because of the War. Thanks for Being wise Enough to Mention it. Most Americans wouldn't Understand, They should Think back to 1929 and the Great Depression? And maybe then they could Relate to what You said. ❤ My Mom is from Utrecht. I have Been to the Netherlands 3 Times, and lived there with Relatives over my summer vacation, and speak Dutch fairly well. ❤I loved the time I spent there. All The Best to You and Your Family!
If you have a family of lets say 4 people and you make lunch/diner than you make lunch/diner for 4 people, we don't make more food than we realy need cause it's a waste to throw food away when you make more than will be eaten
9:52 - To answer your question. Look at our infrastructure and the amount of traffic. Priority 1 here is safety for pedestrians, cyclist and drivers alike. Instead of an expense see it as a community investment. Your driving school is responsible for applying qualified people for the practical exam. It's basically the same when graduating from school. You have to pass the exam in order to graduate. I'll give you a few tips: If you have an appointment plan ahead with google maps to see if any traffic jams are along your route. So you can adjust your travel time/route accordingly. Assume everyone on the road besides you is bonkers and you have to navigate through it safely. Do NOT text and drive (speaking form experience here), just put that thing on silent. Enjoy the ride, try to prevent getting frustrated. Be predictable towards other drivers. Those indicator lights are there for a reason. Learn to anticipate. When you have your license, consider becoming member of the ANWB (for me it's a "better have it and not need it, then need it and not have it" situation) And finally consider taking a "rijvaardheidstraining" to learn how you react and how to react when you get into a spin or run into a ditch.
Smoking in the Netherlands is actually down sharply. Only 10-20% smokers now, though higher among younger people than older ones. Driving lessons, yes they are expensive and the process is lengthy. But you get better skilled drivers overall as a result. Doesn't mean there are no idiots on the road but the percentage of them is lower than in the US. Lunch? If you visit a friend and you're still there at lunch time, you can expect to be offered lunch. But yes, don't just show up unannounced and expect to be fed. Heck, more than a few people don't eat lunch at all so won't have anything to give you.
I failed my theory exam twice back in the day. So did my son. Different from me though he aced his driving exam first try! The whole process easily cost more than 3500 euros but he is a very good driver now and drove half of the way to our vacation
I don’t know if the driving license exam are the same as it used to be, and that’s manual transmission car exam only, there was no other option like in the US that you can get a driving license without knowing how to drive a manual transmission car. Everyone who has a driving license in the Netherland knows how to drive a manual transmission car.
@@WPO_MASTER_CHIEF "Everyone who has a driving license in the Netherland knows how to drive a manual transmission car." That isn't true. If you have your lessons and exam(s) in a car with automatic transmission, you will get a license specifically limited to cars with automatic transmission.
Hey Eva, long-time follower and first-time commenter here. IT"S TRUE ABOUT THE FOOD 🤣🤣 I moved here 8 years ago from another culture where if you're invited at, say, 12:30, or 7pm, you will be fed. It took ... some time ... to unlearn that expectation here! I still like my life here. And it has become home. But yes, there are these oddities that still take some getting used to. Today I listened myself talking in faulty, foreign-accented Dutch (something, incidentally that Anglophones are better dealing with than the Dutch are) and realised "gee, now you're foreign everywhere aren't you?" because even in my country of origin, after almost a decade here I'm noticeably "non-local" now,. Oh well, might as well embrace it.
@@HansJongstra I don't know if it's out if the blue, I'm think if you're invited around lunch or dinnertime you can expect food, its just that 7pm and 12.30 are not food times for us.. well 12.30 maybe. But 7pm is definitely after dinner/tea time for me
Food will always be the question. I'm part of a big family so my parents had a big freezer. Just in case. If you invite someone you will make sure it is LUNCH or DINNER. In both cases you can expect a great meal. If the invitation doesn't mention food? Don't count on it. Unless they're from Surinam or another Caribbean country.
Inviting people for lunch is not very usual anyway, at least not that I'm aware of. "Food invitations' are usually for dinner. And then, what would you expect from a dutch lunch? it's often just some bread with cheese and a glass of milk :D
As an expat, I’m thrilled that it’s so hard to get a Dutch drivers’ license. How many people die on US roads each year, where it’s so easy to get one? Anyone operating heavy machinery should be extensively trained.
You know Dutch culture has permeated when the whole into of videos past is gone and just go straight to the point. 😅 Thanks for the many videos you’ve uploaded. I just moved to the Netherlands 2 days ago and I prepared a lot by taking into account your videos. So far, so good!
Coming over spontaniously is reservered for the hours between lunch/dinner or after dinner 😂 I learned, while already being a week on vacation in South America, that my provider also has e-sims. Also a good thing to always do, when going outside the country, set up a map of the area you are going to in google maps. And make it available offline, so you can always navigate even if you dont have connection. But when i am in America, i can still use my normal Dutch sim (Odido), because my plan also works in the whole of the US without extra cost. With the driving exams, all of our exams in general for anything are always loaded with "trick" questions. Where you really have to read it specifcally to know what they want for an answer, and sometimes you get the same question but worded differently. I have found out this has prepared me very much for all kinds of written exams i have gotten abroad. Compared to the people im taking the exam with, they are all stressed out because of that type of questioning.
The food thing has not only to do with the different frequency Dutch and US people are going to get groceries. Also storage space is more on a premium, most Dutch houses do not have a pantry or a cellar and there is usually one (smaller) fridge in the house. Not everyone has a freezer either. So we can't store fresh produce and meat as long as the average American would, and as such buy enough for our own needs for a couple of days, and so you will not always have enough to prepare a meal for unexpected guests. By making an appointment I'm noticed to buy some extra for the guests so that I can provide a decent meal. Of course there are exceptions, I live in a larger 1930s house which has a cellar, and I have space for a large freezer and an additional fridge, which find place in the laundry room. And that's another thing not standard in Dutch homes, most people have their washing machine and dryer in the bathroom or the garage, which is rarely used to actually put a car in.
You *can* insist on having your practical exam early, and they will usually (if reluctantly) let you attempt it. But you probably won't pass, and the exam itself is also expensive. The instructor riding with you isn't just telling you where to go, but is also constantly evaluating you and seeing if you're ready. I know some folks who didn't get their first exam until insisting after 40 hours of lessons, and then failing, but also one who got recommended to go for it after 15 hours and passed first try. It all depends on how comfortable (nerve-free and in control) you are in the car and how aware you are of everything going on around you, which is hugely important in a densely populated country where so many people take part in traffic on bike or on foot. They are very vulnerable, so it is imperative that drivers know what they're doing and what to look out for, or else they might kill someone. The cost is the result of that difficulty and responsibility. People need the lessons because they'd probably never pass otherwise, and they must take them seriously. And yet, there are still moments when I see a complete idiot on the road and think "heb jij je rijbewijs bij een pakje boter gekregen?!" There absolutely are still people on the road who shouldn't be, so clearly it still isn't difficult enough... They recently lowered the age limit for the exam from 18 to 17 (and the age for starting lessons from 18 to 16), and I am not a fan. I've been nearly killed twice now by kids piloting a deadly weapon with a phone glued to their hand.
Well, the thing with lunch or dinner invitations is more about the planning, if you invite someone you make sure there is enough food and that it is nice and tasty for your guest, it needs preparation, the groceries have to be done... etc... if you happen to have enough food, and its good enough to share with a friend, then sure you can invite spontaneously.
12:00 is standard lunchtime, and we're quick, so yes it's not uncommon for us to have finished lunch by 12:30. My advice is to just ask: have you finished lunch by then or do we lunch at your place? We are ok with that question, and the answer will probably be: yes let's lunch at 12:30 then. Likewise, if you invite us for 19:00, we assume you still eat at 18:00 and expect that you have already finished dinner when we arrive. So we eat at home. When in doubt: just ask. I was suprised about the smoking remark. Out of my 15 direct colleagues, only one still smokes, and in our close friends group (also ~15) nobody smokes. I also don't have any smoking family members. To me it feels like smoking is really dying out.
I guess my family isn't a typical Dutch one when it comes to lunch/dinner... My mom always said "if we can feed 4, we can also feed 5" so having one or two extra guests over for lunch or dinner was never a problem, and if we meet up around lunch or dinner time, I'll just tell you that I'll have lunch or dinner prepared for us all. I would be ashamed if I let any guest in my house starve or get thirsty....
❤my mom is from Utrecht, I have been to the Netherlands 3 times! ❤All my Friends and relatives did was try to feed us!😂❤🎉 The food and Hospitality was amazing!❤ All The Best to you and Your Family! 🌹💕🙏from Jinx the Wolf🐾🐾🐾... .. .🤠 🇺🇸
There is a difference between the south and the rest of the country. Opposit of the people 'boven de brug' (north of the rivers ) you're always welcome to share food, even if its unexpected.
It is better to say it is depending on the person. Iám from Brabant but I don't like it if you expect to eat but did not announced before hand. Actually good change I cannot even feed you since there is only what i need that day. And unexpected visit... 99% of the time i would not let you in
- About uninvited dinner: Especially dinner, it being the hot meal of the day, it is planned. As in: the quantities are planned. I will buy and prepare what I need, and no more. So when an unexpected guest arrives, I have too little. Also I will not have much stores to improvise. - On streetplans: Historically streetplans are not planned. They grow organically. House by house, for the last 2000 years sometimes. I am amazed that some Americans have no idea of the implications of that. So no, square grids will not be there. Before internet, when visiting a new town or city, I would litterally go to the last gas station before the town and buy a paper map. - Smoking: It is reducing quite quickly. You like smoking? Go to Southeast Asia. Or Turkey. On smoking and your pregnant wife: when the only smoke she inhales is on outdoor terraces, she'll be fine. The amount is just not enough to make a real difference. I say this as a non smoker. I dislike it too when I am eating and at the next table upwind cigarets are lit. But from a health perspective, it is just not enough to make a difference. - Reservations: Ofcourse the good places are fully booked! They're good. - On driving classes: Oh do come on! It isn't that hard. Yes, you need to make a real effort, and rightly so. In the end you are released to the world with a 1000kg lethal weapon! In cities with narrow winding streets, children playing, cyclists etc. So, yes, it is really necessary. We really laugh about American driving culture. Almost the same as with American gun laws.
@@wHiTeHaT44Of course you don't have provisions for a whole week! I go grocery shopping every other day, so I always have fresh food and I don't have to waste anything. It's not necessary to have enough in the fridge for a week.
@@wHiTeHaT44 If I buy something to eat the same day, or buy something just as fresh/not fresh and then keep it in the fridge for a week before eating it, it makes a difference in freshness don't you think? In the first case it's fresher than in the last case! And why should I want to have provisions for a week, when it's not necessary?
The food thing seems like miscommunication.When you arrange at 12:30 just make sure to ask about lunch beforehand. The other person might expect you to have eaten already so you can use the time you have together for more productive things or other activities. If you are not aware of this expectation and you expect to lunch together you will end up in the scenario mentioned. So mention breakfast/lunch/dinner upfront when making the arrangement so you both have the same expectations. Especially if the start/end time of the arrangement is near one of those.
If you want to invite some one for lunch, you want to go to the supermarket and get enough food. We like to be prepared for some one to visit and have enough to eat and drink. If you come over than mabe there is not enough food for lunch and then we are a little a shame. We like to give you a lovely lunch. Not only a sandwich peanut butter😊 So we just want to be prepared for your visit. And we want to clean the house before you come over. 😁 So if you call the day before or in the morning we can organise a nice lunch for you. We just want to do the best for our visitors. ❤
I'm born in The Netherlands. And even I don't understand nor appreciate that the Dutch don't invite their guests while they are at your house during lunch or dinnertime. I think it has to do with my Indonesian background, but that will never hapen in my house. 😜 I totally agree with you when it comes about drinking alcohol in the train. It's not "gezelllig".. Cause often people get louder and more annoying to other passengers. I think the Dutch way to get your drivers licence is better. Learning how to drive from a professional makes you drive properly, because the professional does not only learns you how to use the car. While, for example, when a parent learns you how to drive he/she might pass on all the mistakes they're making.
I was born Dutch. I understand it completely and it's just pathetic. Unexpected meetings and sharing food are two great joys in life, and most Dutch would actually agree with that. But they just can't bring themselves to adjust their schedules for it 😂
I grew up in a Dutch farming community, and they are warm, industrious, generous, accepting...and cheap. Especially working for them. A benefit is evryone knows how to drive-a manuual transmission too-by the time they're ten or eleven, boys and girls.Canada also has hardly any smokers; seeing those ashtrays looked like a trip back in time; especially as an ex-smoker. Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.
I lived in the USA for a long time and was never invited anywhere for lunch or dinner. Only at thanksgiving or Christmas that happened. Going out for breakfast together and everyone pays for there own food…….. so making this a big deal in the Netherlands ? Most times you are welcome to join food if you let them know before coming over.
Americans 'going Dutch' blaming the Dutch for their own stinginess. While in the Netherlands we have the 'Amerikaanse fuif', meaning people having to bring their own food.
It's simpel why you only can eat with us when you're invited. The Dutch like efficiëncy so we make the amount of food needed. And we buy the amount of food we need. And we eat early. For lunch is less of a problem then for dinner. Especially with dinner it can be a problem because if we have food at home for 4 and we need to feed 6 people then we don't have enough.
Hi Ava, Yep!... I feel your driving license woes!! I went to an accelerated driving school down in Eindhoven to get it over with in 2 weeks time. After my theory, I was done with waiting for months to get an instructor, so I had to go out of the randstad. it was worth it!
The thing about you being somewhere where people are about to eat; As many things in our Dutch culture, I think it all comes down to efficiency, really. As you may have noticed by now, the Dutch prices are high to the Dutch in the Supermarkets, and so the Dutch in general purchase exactly what they need to feed the persons of the household, No More. So expecting yourself to be invited for lunch (breakfast, diner) brings the supply of food purchased for the people of the household in imbalance, and so food given to you means someone within the household has nothing. It's not planned for. If it was planned for, your portion of food would have been an extra one besides the persons of the household, but it is a calculated expense, since it is planned for. The Dutch are so efficient with food because we do not like to throw away food at all, because in a way that equals throwing money away. So I'll draw the world-famous Dutch efficiency and planning card here ;-) This is what my guts tell me, I could be wrong, or maybe I am not.
In effect you are saying other cultures are more hospitable because either the food is so cheap for them they don't care, or they don't care about wasting it. Very convincing 😂 The reality is of course about priorities.
It is a very good thing that it takes a few lessons before you can get your drivers license. Dutch drivers are considered to be the safest drivers in the world. Unlike America, in The Netherlands we care for the safety of pedestrians, bikers and other people on the streets.
As a driving instructor watching your video's. The lesson cost is related to new cars(they cost around 30k depending on the brand) and the usage of them(fuel/insurance/maintenance) beside that you want to live also from teaching €/h. And besides we are one of the best drivers of the world. One time I corrected an Uber driver in the USA to avoid an accident. I had to explain after that why I did that and what my occupation is.
Including a meal into the meeting has traditionally been viewed as imposing. You don't assume someone wants to eat. Lunch is especially problematic, since some people are used to a warm meal, while others just put that one slice of cheese between some bread and call it a day. So, providing a meal imposes eating whatever is served on the other person, and expecting a meal creates expectations of someone to put in some level of effort. And, in both directions, it creates expectations of spending more time on the meeting. Yes, we're difficult. But then again, you already knew that, right? 😅
The 12:30 thing has more to do about being practical and direct (if it's not mentioned don't expect anything and take care of your self). We also don't have a culture of having lunch at someones house. When we want to lunch we do it at restaurants. So this combination makes that it turnes out the way it is.
To help you find your way in the city; if house numbers go up, you are walking away from the city center. If house numbers go down, you are walking towards the center.
Yes, and this is also true for rivers. Be careful of X-dijk en Jaagpad, because river X may well run the entire length of the province, and the numbers will go up to the city limit, and then down to the next city's centre, and up again to that city's limit, and down, and up, and... And not many people live at Jaagpad, but Jaagpad is a network that spans the entire country, so the numbering gets confusing.
In the south , under the rivers , they are more hospitable, when they’re came guests at my parents house a round dinner time the always were invited to eat with use . Sometimes friends of the family came unexpectedly in the evening . My mother asked if they had already have eaten , so not she baked some eggs . But did we go above the rivers , we don’t get always diner ore lunch . So it is more where you live in the Netherlands than typical Dutch . And in Limburg they are more hospitable .
Will check out saily. But indeed driving schools are planning the practical driving tests and you need to learn through them. These days kids can get their license at 17, but need to drive with a licensed adult besides them for a year and then get a regular license. I got both a Dutch driving test and had to do one in North Carolina as well to be able to drive there and insure my car. One thing for Dutch driving test: if you think you're going the wrong direction, as long as you continue all the steps to make a right hand turn, continue the right turn, even if you are supposed to turn left. As long as you check and make sure it's safe, no big deal. When I was taking the N.C. exam, was told if I went left when I should go right, I would fail. Have tendency to mess them up, so every time examinator told me to turn and I would hesitate, he'd point his thumb the right way, so I would pass.
I'm from Utrecht and actually have seen you walk around a few times but you took it to another level for this video. Looking at where you walked, you must have walked a lot that day! I actually don't know about the coming over lunch unannounced thing. Maybe it's the fact that a lot of people consider lunch just a sandwich if you're at home. You're right though, it's not really common practice to have lunch at someones place unless you specifically say so in advance. About the direction thing I actually had the same thing happen to me in the US and it just confuses me. Especially on highways, I went the wrong direction so many times as I'm used to the signs telling me what city i'm driving to and not whether it's East or West, I have no clue.
I did my training with the ANWB 10 dagen (days) system. I got both the theory and practice in one go, and the nice thing was I did it together with my sister. We both passed the first time. I just checked and they don’t seem to have the option of doing it in 10 days in a row. They do have a summer school of 7 weeks and the normal of 10 weeks. They have a percentage of people that pass the first time.
Meals in the Netherlands traditionally were the times of day when all economic activity stopped and the family got together to talk about their day, their plans etc. If you were not part of their very intimate circle, It was considered rude to intrude during these times. You can still feel vestiges of that tradition when visiting uninvited during lunch- and dinnertime.
I guess that in the Netherlands there has been a strong tradition to have your meals together as a family. I remeber that as a child we usually had breakfast, lunch and dinner together. On working days, my father would be excluded from breakfast, because he would leave early in the morning and have breakfast with his colleagues after having worked for about an hour. We would lay the table, have the meal together and leave the table when (about) everyone was ready. This got a bit more relaxed when we attended highschool, because we would not leave at the same time and some of us would have lunch (just sandwiches with 'pindakaas' or chees at school). But our evening meals we would still have together at the dinner table. In 1979/1980 we had an exchange student from the USA and she one time recorded us when having dinner because she never/rarely had a dinner at the table with her family. Also, it used to be if you visited some family for a birthday or such, it would either be in the evening (after dinner) or in the afternoon, but than everybody would leave around five o'clock to have dinner at home. I guess, because the Dutch are used to this, they feel akward to invite people (even close relatives) over for a meal, being afraid that they will fail to provide a proper meal. I think that past thirty years, the Dutch have become more easy about it, but it still depends a lot on where you live and to which social/economical group you belong to.
We just enjoy our privat space at home and want a meal without much social chitchat. You always are shocked, I am never shocked in a foreign land or cultur but surprised or wondered. My experience is that there is a lot less people smoking then 10 years ago. And we don’t need signs of not smoking at pregnant women, you just go stand a few meters futher away or just ask the smoker to move or put out his sigarette. Reservation is only at busy musea or restaurants in the weekends, go outside the big cities or go on working days. Around €2000 you can have your drivers license. We are a densly populated country with a lot of traffic, a lot of this traffic is bike’s and they are vulnerable.
Yes, the driving license situation is harsh. I preferred to fly all the way to Brazil, renew my Brazilian license, fly to Portugal, exchange it for a Portuguese License. After receiving it, I was able to exchange it with a Dutch one. I had to stay in both Brazil and Portugal and take a few flights, but it was considerably cheaper and way less stressful. There's only a few countries that exchange licenses with NL (unless you have the 30% ruling) but other EU countries are more flexible. Safety is nice, but they make it unnecessarily difficult and expensive. One thing I notice here is that we have a very difficult time to make more than 20 euros per hour, but we are rarely able to get anybody to do anything we need for that price. Someone's pocketing a massive difference even for basic things like gardening services.
I guess, when you come (uninvited) around diner time, people have already started preparing diner or have enough for them selves, but not for a visitor. About the drivers license ... in the US you can get that at 16 with a minimum amount of knowledge of traffic. Here, when you have your drivers license, people know you can drive. Cars are expensive, so you'll better know how to handle one on in busy city.
If you are invited, it is clear that you will join the meal(s). However, this can differ from place to place or sometimes regionally. Also for myself I like to know in advance what the guest prefers to eat and drink so that I can be sure that there is enough of it in the house. Just talk if you are not sure to prevent misunderstandings. Smoking in my area is just a question of knowing each other's preferences. I’m not a smoker, but it is no problem if someone wants to smoke, so again, just mention it. Up to the directions, yes we use to say f.i. go first to the right, after about 100 meters go left. At about 250 meters you will see a restaurant named "Gezellig", that is the place where you have to be and of course there is ample parking nearby.
Lunch thing is about being clear in your communications. Either you ask them, or expect what is logic. Assumptions are the problem in the world and are then interpreted as one pleases. We like it clear. So, ask if they plan on having lunch with you or not. That way you never go wrong, direct communication is key in The Netherlands with everything. Also, the Dutch drivers license is the most valued in the world and pretty much valid everywhere to drive with , due to these strict rules that comes with the high costs and course.
Maybe city people don’t know where the wind directions are but if you’re from a more rural background, you know where north or northeast is. Non alcoholic beers are awful. Only some German and Belgian ones are drinkable more or less. That’s because those two countries first brew beer and then extract the alcohol. The dutch brewers start the brewing process but stop before alcohol is produced.
Traffic in the Netherlands can be very intricate and complex, so you don't want any inexperienced drivers. The only way to get experience is by driving in real traffic. So the only way to do that with any degree of safety is with a professional instructor and a car with dual controls. You have no chance if you learn bad habits from the get-go, so yeah, you need lots of hours of driving with a driving instructor. Many people do get bad habits once they have their license and get overly confident or stop caring, so bad drivers still exist, some just throw everything they have learned away once they get their license, with some it wears away slowly. So yeah, you need many hours of training to have any hope of having any of the training stick long term. Driving instructors need to get payed a decent wage too, and their car isn't free either, nor is fuel, so yeah, lots of money. I'm of the opinion that the demands for the practical exam should be higher actually, and include bad-weather driving, so heavy rain, slippery surfaces, etc. I planned my driving lessens over the course of over a year so I would get a chance to have lessons on black-ice roads during the winter and driving through slushy snow. That hasn't really been much of a thing in recent years, but I'm glad I have that experience. Also once you have a license, make sure you drive regularly for at least the first couple of years so it becomes like a second nature, then you won't forget if you don't drive for a while afterwards.
The food thing has nothing to do with frugality but we need to know because we would like to serve something nice and put in some effort (other than a standard sandwich with peanut butter or cheese) and/or we want to know if we have to wait to eat together. Also we tend to shop and cook for the amount of people joining the meal. If we don’t know you’re joining it can sometimes be a challenge to have enough for everyone
@@TheKeystoneChannel In these cases, stereotyping is the trap. It is true that in smaller communities outsiders are viewed with some suspicion, but relatively quickly (though depending on the behavior of that outsider) they are more or less accepted. In large “communities” like cities, there is more indifference than acceptance or hospitality. My comment, however, related to the following phenomenon: whether you arrive in Groningen, Friesland, Limburg or Twenthe (or anywhere more than 50 km from the Randstad), people always inquire whether you had a good trip, there is coffee and something to go with it, etc.; conversely, you are referred to the coffee machine. Everyone from outside the Randstad is familiar with the curious fact that the Randstad people find the distance to the “periphery” objectionable, but at the same time it is perfectly normal for this group to dismiss the opposite trajectory for the non-Randstad people as unimportant. A drama like the one in Groningen (earthquakes due to gas extraction) or Limburg (idem due to mining) would lead to the greatest possible political upheaval if it had occurred in, say, Utrecht, The Hague or Amsterdam.
@@grewdpastor I am n0t ssure abotu that last thing, Ãmsterdam is breaking down in front of our eyes, even if people love to romanticise it, coming from abroad. I lived in small towns, Overijssel , Twenthe and actually over the world too...everything is ralitive and depending on cultural customs. In Twenthe it takes a while before they accept you all together even being a Dutch outsider. In villages it may vary, depending where on is. But we have so much neglect in the city now and that idiot mayor, people like foreigners think it is all paradise here. It once was for us, not anymore, but possibly still better than anywhere else. And in de Randstad we are so used to mixed cultures, we don't care anymore, can't adapt to everyone, we are just being our Dutch selves, or multi cultural selves. That is also a factor
@@TheKeystoneChannel The collapse of Amsterdam's canal docks is indeed sad and the result of years of neglect (as elsewhere in the city) by the OWN city government. People preferred to prioritize “fun,” “progressive” things. Examples abound, which I will not mention here to avoid improper follow-up reactions. The fact is that during my school and study years in Amsterdam (where I was born and raised) maintenance did take place. But I admit: that was in the 60s and 70s. The misery in Groningen and along the Twenthe Canal was caused by decisions on a national level, in which warnings from experts in the field were simply ignored. To be clear, all political parties from left to right have failed extraordinarily here.
I got my drivers license in 2,5 months because I HAD to have for going to work abroad. I bought a package: 20 lessons + examen access formalities. I bought 5 lessons extra, did 3 lessons a week. Steep learning curve. Passed theory & practice the first time. Yes you have to study that 'booklet'. Driving is serious business. This country is supercrowded, now 18 milj. people in an area about the size 1,5x Vermont. AndI think about 8 milj. cars, not counting the buses & trucks
Reservations for museums are usually not necessary, unless there is some blockbuster exhibition going on or if you want to go to one or two museums in Amsterdam that are very popular with tourists. In some (rare) other cases museums will try to push you towards a reservation, but if you choose the time of your visit a bit wisely, you can just ignore that. That is what I tend to do with Singer Museum Laren, for example. (They seem to love their reservations and I strongly dislike being that inflexible.)
Good luck on the exam! did you do the in between exam? for me it helped get comfortable with the final exam, and the positive is that during that exam you can already get done in some areas so the final exam becomes easier.
As a dutch guy i don't radomly have a lot of food in my home i don't directly need at the moment. Plus the drinking in the train is great to wind down after a better day .
Well the dinner thing you mention, as a dutchie, when I go out I always do that like spontaneous. The times I do reserve a table are always a disaster cause of train delays... But that just personal experience, and only in smaller towns than Amsterdam or Utrecht 😉
I used to work at MyCom, a computer store, and when colleagues got food from the kitchen during breaks, they never asked if anyone else wanted something too (since they were already going that way anyway). It's not that it pissed me of or anything, it just like distant and inconsiderate to me. But hey I'm half French so probably half crazy 😅
Talking about directions, my mother used to drive me nuts. She would say, talking about her trips and holidays to France and Spain, that something was left or right from one city or an other. Not using east or west. As almost all maps have north on the top, I would think of 'right on the map' as being east. She could easily mean any other direction, as she would be looking down from the Netherlands, or from where she was before, so going south, right would be west. And even traveling with her, I would never be sure which way she was 'looking' when giving directions.
In the South of the Netherlands, even if they didn’t expect you during lunch, they’ll add another plate and share their food with you. Especially if you were invited around lunch time.
The agenda is spot on haha I’m Argentinian and my boyfriend is Dutch and I must have gotten extra lucky with him and his flexibility. Bless that man and his patience because we are polar opposites in that aspect 😂
Guess i am the odd one then😅 i dont do breakfast or lunch so do expect to get that but my diners are always plenty full and able to feed 3 or 4 people or 2 for 2days. If i have unexpected eaters i wil have something for them👍🏻 food is to be shared, even if i would have 1 slice i would share, i have known true hunger were i had not been able to eat for a week... Nobody goes without food in my house🤜🏻
😂😂Getting a driver's license here in the Netherlands requires a lot more learning than in most other countries in the world.We have so many rules that you need to know, which is why people here drive much more responsibly than in many other countries.First of all because it is not cheap, and secondly I think we value our driving license more here because it is difficult and expensive.I have had my driver's license for 27 years now, I spent more than 4000 guilders during the guilder era.😅
I personally haven't had much trouble with getting seated without reservation. I've eaten out in Utrech many times without any problems. The only time you have to be wary is when going with a big group or during national holidays.
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If they consider you family you get fed even if it's just cookies.
4:45 'In the US smoking is really dying out ' . FYI : Accroding WHO on wikipedia in US smoking went from 33% to 23% between 2010 and 2020. A similar drop happened in NL. Not as much drop as in Ozz or Canada (23-28% to 13%).
Maybe there are big differences within US. Like Cali or NYC at 'Canadian' levels , but in , say , West Virginia a still high percentage ...
Maybe you 'see' more Dutch smoke, because more people are out on the street (And outdoors is the only public space where one can smoke) while in US you see in general less people on the street (smoking or not ).
( Still annoying to be on a terrace in smoke fumes , without but especcially with your pregnant girlfriend. good luck with the baby !) .
CONGRATSSSS to you and your wife!!
@DutchAmericano Can you also make a video about the negative consequences of expats on Amsterdam? They make it impossible for the regular Dutch to live in their own city.
@@rjdverbeek Blaming foreigners ? Of course
Expats and speculative foreign real asset firms have a negative effect on housing affordability , but may be you should look at 'ourselves' , or for that matter 'our government' . The austerity cuts that the government of Mark Rutte did in 2012 caused a Real and Nominal shrink of Dutch GDP ! ! (Something foreign financial organisations warned for ). After this one 'shrink year' it took 6 years for the Dutch gdp level to come (relative) par with Belgiums again. In those 6 years housing construction was rock bottom. Construction firms did release personell all over. In those years were 40-60k houses less built, compared to before.
6x 40k is 240k. Compare that with 450k units shortage in the current housing stock ! A good deal of our housing shortage (and housing price surge all over the country !) is to directly to blame on the policies of Mark Rutte's coalitions !
Additional to that 'Mark Rutte' closed many elderly homes ( "Modern Elderly want to remain 'independent' .... yeah right). With an upcoming wave of aging retirements !
This means that many elderly, instead of being able to move into a small apartment , remain living in a family sized home or apartment !
(And a similar story is with psychiatric patients who were forced to live in a regular home, instead of a supervised institution.
>> In 5 years the police had to respond to 887k calls of 'confused individuals' . That equals plm 486 x per day coppers have to show up with a psychiatric nurse, because they can't deal with it properly themselves...)
If you are invited at 1230 just ask if you will lunch together or not. Dutch people like to plan and are direct. They don’t find it strange when you are practical around it.
This!! A lot of problems Americans often experience in the Netherlands can be solved by using some honest practical blunt Dutch communication :) Just ask ;)
I as a host will set meeting appointments with the comment "at lunch time" " after lunch" "we will have dinner" "after dinner" "at coffee time" making clear what my intentions are.
Agreed. It's not about being thrifty. It's just how appointments are made. If someone asks you for an appointment at 12:30, and he/she doesn't mention lunch, then it's without lunch. Simple. If the idea is to have lunch, it'll be mentioned, like "you wanna have lunch tomorrow, say 12:30?". And if it is not mentioned, and you think it would be a good idea, you'd say something like "sure, sounds great. Shall we make it a lunch date?", or something like that. The rule is simple. If it's not mentioned, don't assume it is implied. It could be, but it's usually not.
it's literally just about having the plans clear. if lunch wasn't talked about, assume there won't be lunch, if lunch seems like a good idea, ask. even more last minute, send a text or call asking if they also want to grab lunch or not.
I think the lunch/dinner thing is because people tend to go to the supermarkets regularly to buy fresh food, and you buy the exact amount you need as to not be wasteful. If someone unexpectedly stays over, you won't have enough. Also smoking is definitely more common here than in the USA, but still not nearly as common as in southern Europe. Also it's true that getting a driver's license is super expensive, the tests are difficult and rules are strict, but that does mean that people who have their license do actually know how to properly drive.
The Netherlands has very busy traffic and complicated roadplans. You better know what you're doing!
Have you seen the tv show ‘slechtste chauffeur van Nederland’ (Dutch worst driver)? Not everyone with a driver license knows what to do. I know those are the exceptions but holy moly, how did they pass?! They probably got it with a stick of butter.
I think that some of these culture shocks are also depending on where you live in the Netherlands and are more extreme in the larger cities.
I for example call the restaurant for dinner for an reservation an hour before I left my house. Especially in the weekends, because I know that it could be busy. During the week I gamble that it is not needed.
Beside this I always ask someone if they need some lunch if I meet with someone around lunchtime or ask if they need something to eat. Only with dinner I expect that they already have eaten or I expect that they just ask for it before.
Different germans told me often that dutchies cant drive. They are annoyed by dutchies on high way. Same for some swedish people in the hills they told me also that they were afraid of dutch tourists while the swedish/ locals where being on there bikes. They didnt like the tourist season that much anymore because of that. But when I was biking a swedish driver passed me like an idiot.
However maybe dutch drivers drive the best in dutch city s
Although I don't know depends a lot of the driver I think
@@Jamlika That’s like saying The Netherlands is green. Too general and discutabel.
On the driving here, some of my american friends driving here ( and especially in germany ] described it as being in a video game where a single mistake takes you into the neverworld, and a lot of them got a zillion tickets for speed limits, left lane driving, driving into one way streets the wrong way and so on, They learned eventually but sometimes in the beginning they did manage to get me into cardiac arrest when switching lanes in germany without double checking only to find out that there was a porsche approaching in that lane with 240 + km .
Well that happens when you get a driver's license in a box of serial as a gift. Seriously I did the USA driving test just to try and it was shocking how little they are required to know before getting to drive a deadly machine.
Those people should not be allowed to drive on the autobahn IMO. Switching lanes like that (ESPECIALLY on the autobahn) is so so so dangerous.
And that Porsche doing 240+ km/h still has to take care and check when moving a lane to the left as there might be a car approaching at 300+.
But most accidents on the German Autobahn happen when tourists doing 130 km/h (or even a bit less) crash into the back ends of trucks going their max of 80 km/h.
You are right, when you are invited at 12:30 with the intention of having lunch together, this will be mentioned with the invitation. When lunch is not mentioned, you better assume that it is not planned to have together.
Exactly. It goes with the direct communication style the Dutch have.
Why not just ask to be sure and to prevent misunderstandings? I don't understand why this is treated by some people as if asking for some clarity is 'not done'..
unless I'm visiting my grandma this is true xD
I am Dutch, and I learned at a very early age as a child that I had to leave my friends and go home when they had lunch or dinner. It would be very unpolite to stay. But sometimes I was allowed to wait when they had dinner or lunch, or in a rare occasion I was invited to have lunch or dinner together with the family. Coming from school, I always got something at 03.00 or 04.00 pm with tea from the parents of my friends. At that time, I could always go to a friend's house to play. Nobody had a phone, except businesses, so there were no play appointments made. People could not automatically afford to invite children for lunch or dinner. Parents cooked the precise amount that was necessary for their own family. Visitors left before diner or lunch or said they had already eaten in order not to embarrass their hosts, who could not provide food for visitors. Of course, there were occasionally invitations for lunch or diner, but not at every visit. Today, people can afford to invite visitors for diner or lunch, but it is not automatically included.
Yes I remember this too.. "Wij gaan zo eten", was my cue to go home 😂
I'm from the Netherlands and lived in the US(NJ) for many years but they hardly ever invite you to their home to have dinner or lunch. Maybe for Thanksgiving and everyone brings some food. Mostly you meet at a restaurant. The way you learn to drive in the Netherlands is much safer. Here at your driving test you don't even have to go on the highway.
Yeah, but Jersey is full of 'Jersey Dutch' who are more likely to make friends with a Dutch person who shares some part of their eating culture. 😉
Even though a lot of those Jersey Dutch are actually of Scandinavian descent.
Americans smoking less than Dutch people is just anecdotal perception. I mean you're technically correct, 11% of Americans vs 13% of Dutch people smoke daily. But I think we can agree that's a minimal difference. But there isn't a huge difference and if you add e-sigs and vapes the numbers get even closer where 6% of Americans vs 4% of the Dutch. So the Americans vape more than the Dutch per 2022 data at least.
Specially in Utrecht with that many restaurants, bars and cafe's you will see more smokers... It's forbidden to smoke inside. Personally I don't know many people that smoke, not my colleagues, family and friends 🤷🏻
I think it has to do with the places you are allowed to smoke. In the US you can’t smoke in most public places so it’s less visible compared to the Netherlands.
especially her comment about it being more than ever. that's just false. smoking has been consistently going down especially in young people.
don't forget that the 11% of Americans who smoke are spread across a country the size of Europe vs 13% packed into a country smaller than most US states. The difference will be very noticeable.
@ That’s… not how percentages work. US urban centers also tend to be denser than Dutch ones so in cities the US ones should feel more sm9key by that logic.
I like that getting access to a two ton murder mobile requires a bit more than a booklet and a parent teaching you all their bad driving habits. even if it costs more. A lot of Dutch parents (at least in my days, I'm 46 now) had a deal with their kids if they didn't smoke before 18, they'd pay the license. Mine was paid for by my employer.
What i felt more often about your experiences is that its very colored by the fact that it is like in the Randstad. I live in the country side and we dont make soo many appointments and you will be asked if you want to lunch or dine too (gezellig!) and yes we have cars and drive and no we dont say all what we think. So it differs a lot, depending where you are in this little cosy country.
I agree it is a matter of where you are also we in the south would ask you if you wanted to stay for lunch or dinner if it was getting near that time of day. Maybe not all the time but we it does happen and probably more of then then when you live in the west of the country. But then it might be rhey would order food and not prepare it themselves.When you are invited specifically often it is rpepared by the ones who invited you.But hardly anyone has a lot of food in store in case someone ends up staying for dinner.
* coloured 😊 x
@@vboyz21
Colored seems to be correct
Colour is UK english, color is american english. 😉
@@vboyz21 it depends whether you use British or American spelling the Americans often drop the U they write colored while British write coloured so both are correct
Someday you will notice that compared to the US, Europeans are expert drivers. So don't complain about the costs. We want everyone to be safe.
oh shut up, everyone knows the CBR test is a scam run by the Dutch government, they will milk as much money out of you as they can, literally every question is a trick question. They will do anything to NOT let you pass the exam so u spend more money
Just came out of the states and the majority are pretty good drivers no worse then europeans but there is a much larger % that don't seem to get it. Also they use very different rules that ussualy aren't that safe but allowed. So not disagreeing with your statement just giving a bit of nuance. And yes the amount of entitled aka asswholes and people that just have very bad habits is way bigger so i do like the european system way better even if its a tad expensive to get youre licence.
Exactly. While this isn't necessarily 100% correlated to the rigorousness of our driver education system, the Netherlands had 31 road deaths per million inhabitants in 2020, compared to 124 in the US. We just seem to care more about people not dying in traffic than in the US. This also applies to European safety standards for cars being stricter than in the US. Also our road infrastructure in generally much safer with bike lanes, pedestrian paths, and traffic calming measures including roundabouts that Americans generally hate.
Agree! If every culture cared as much less people would die and less traffic violations/tickets given. It should be an investment of time and money! Means you hecka earned it! 😎👍🏻
I am dutch and live in the USA now, it's absolutely mind blowing to me how people drive here, it's crazy 😮
Yes a drivers license is expensive and you have to take a lot of lessons but it will make you a much better driver. That is because the car is not facilitated that much. Pedestrians and cyclists are, the streets are narrower, parking is different, so it's not the same. btw in Germany a drivers license is even more expensive but most German drivers are really good at it.
* driving licence
Most Dutch people don't like surprises, we like to be prepared for everything.With us, everything usually has to go as planned, I think that is in the DNA of a large part of the Dutch.
Yeah sometimes my grandparents drop by without first telling and it triggers everyone at home 😅.
There's a theory I read about Northern Europeans and food and it's about the fact that in the old days you would stock up on food to last you from late autumn to late spring. That's like 6 months of the year were there's no food growing, and it all depends on how much you managed to store, salt, pickle and dry. And in bad years this meant you went hungry from March to May. So having people drop by and eating from your stock is not really a good idea unless you are 100% certain they will return the favour. Hence people only accepted it (if at all) from really close family and friends. This could have been further exacerbated by Calvinism, with it's focus on hard work and stinginess, but it's also possible that Calvinism just matched they customs of these lands which made it easy to adopt, I don't know.
@@youteacher78 Fair chance some of that behaviour is still burried deep in our subconscious, culture and behaviour.
@@youteacher78Exactly! I'm getting so tired of everything being ascribed to Calvinism. There's a reason it was popular in Northern Europe, where people (or at least, the top layer of society) were Arianist christians until they were forcibly converted to catholicism.
By the way, when my children bring friends home without prior notice, we will always invite them for dinner. Although I might not have counted on their participation me or my wife will give our food and claim we already had some dinner before or we want to eat something else. Later privately, I will ask my children to please give me an hour warning when they want to bring their friends to our house, which of course, they will forget again next time. 😂
But what I hate even more, is when they let me prepare food for four persons and I find out that all have other plans for dinner and I am stuck with all the food. For me that is very disrespectful towards me or my wife.
The only people complaining about the cost or effort of a Dutch driver license are the ones without one. Trust me, when you are on road yourself, you’ll be NOT in favor lowering the bar or the cost of getting one.
* favour
Nah, there has been an investigation about that and indeed the theory driving test is too difficult. And the practical exam
is also.😢
@@pinut187 No, they aren't. I passed my theoretical exam the first time. The practical exam took a bit more, but I completely agree with me failing it until I passed.
I agree. I am surprised on her position on the cost of drivers licenses. The high cost for getting a drivers license is a feature, not a bug. Plus, if you can train with just any "experienced driver" (will usually be a family member), then that person will likely be soft on you and also they can pass on their bad driving habits to you. It is obvious that if you are trained by a professional that you will be a better driver, which improves road safety. It is very strange to me that she seems to be arguing that people should be able to get a drivers license for a couple of 100 euros, trained by a family member. Yeah, no thanks. (And I don't have a drivers license btw but I like the system.)
@@pinut187 If anything the theory and practical exam should be harsher, there are still people (a small percentage) on the road that shouldn't be there.
Think it has more to do with the shopping they tend to do. Fresh food is usually consumed the day it is bought. Basically there are no leftovers, hence everything is planned, you shop when you need it.😊
*broodje kaas has entered the chat
@@tedsteiner Yup, the typical Dutch lunch, surprising many foreigners.
Hi Ava... yeah... lunchtime/dinnertime appointments can be a bit of an issue when you expect to get fed when eating is not explicitly communicated. And now your drivers licence. Roads are too busy to allow crappy drivers on them, so you've got to know the rules. Those trick questions are sometimes situations you can find yourself in in a real setting... and then you also heve to make the right decision. Indeed, the drivingschool decides when you're fit for the exam. They are not too keen on people failing their drivingtest, for it's a bit of an endorsement for the school to have high succes-rates. A very long time ago it was allowed to drive with an experienced driver after your first drivingtest, but when I got my driverslicence over 45 years ago that rule already was abolished. The reason the USA is more liberal on that issue perhaps has to do with the fact that you almost need a car overthere to survive.. here we have good public transport and you also can bike or walk..
I hope the pregnacy of your wife goes well ... good luck to the both of you !
My mum was an Indo (part indonesian born and raised in Bandoeng), My father was Dutch. In the Netherlands, whenever the Dutch family came over, my mum would cook up a feast and they didn't leave the table until all the food was gone. And trust me, my mum cooked enough for an army. If we (mum, dad and three kids) visited them, they would wait with the lunch or the evening meal until we were gone. We lived at least an hour drive away. If we visited my mums family there would be delicious food coming out of the kitchen all day long. I'm a 70 year old Indo, and i'm still pleasantly suprised if i visit someone just after lunchtime and they ask if i want something to eat.
My parents were both always very welcoming. If guests were there they could always join for a meal and share what was there, even if it meant we got smaller portions. It was (and is) simply a matter of good manners and being a good host. It came natural to my mother, so not all Dutch people are so stingy, but unfortunately a lot of them are and blissfully unaware of how unhospitable they come across. Afterall if your parents did not teach you and most of your family and friends are the same how could you know? I remember when I was a teenager staying with a friend on a sunday afternoon, when the mother served a 3 o'clock snack ( a sunday tradition for them) to the whole family except for me, it did not even occur to her to make the other portions a bit smaller and serve us all. I do not care about the food, it is simply incredibly rude.
@@y.v.l. that is to my 74 years old dutch eyes INCREDIBLY RUDE.🤐
Same here, but the other way arounbd, father from Indonesia , mother Dutch
The real reason is that we consider it impolite to impose oneself onto others. When you know this rule then it explains a lot about all kinds of cultural things. Historically eating together has never been such a big social event as it is in other places in the world. Or if it ever was, then that died out at one point (and it also did in the rest of northern Europe). So if you meet right after lunch time thats convenient because both parties will already have eaten and one party doesn't need to host the other (how inconvenient!). If staying around for dinner is desired it should specifically be mentioned when setting up the date so we can plan accordingly. Going somewhere after lunch time and expecting there to be lunch is like you actually expecting things to just fall out of the sky (and is considered a bit rude in the traditional dutch ways). The whole 'being modest is polite' versus 'please let me treat you' difference in cultures around the world just keep talking past each other and have a hard time understanding each other. Like, countries where an entire buffet is made on the spot for a surprise guest might find it rude that Dutch people won't have anything for you if you come around on the spot, and they love to go on and on about that, but you never hear those kind of complainers about how showing up unannounced and then also demanding to be served all kinds of things are both incredibly rude in our culture.
When I visited the US and rented a car, the first thing the satnav said to me was : depart in western direction. I was like : how should I know where the f west is ? I am in this country for just one hour.
West is still West, no matter how long you are in the country 😜
Atleast in the US you can see the sun, so you'll generally know what direction south is 😂
Look at your watch, and look at the sky. Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Generally overhead at noon. It should be very easy. It always has been for me.
@@RocRizzo there is no reason for in NL
@@RocRizzo lets say its 12:00 and the sun is overhead. You still dont know where it rose if you just arrived in the country
Something I do notice with the reservation culture here is that when I visit another country, restaurants can have lines outside where you wait to get seated, and I often hear about this in the US as well. Over here, I have never had to wait to be seated all my life, either there is a table available or there isn't. Which IMO is quite neat compared to standing in the cold, I guess that's a sort of reverse culture shock for me.
You just have to wait for ages for your drinks and food here in NL :-))) (even the service is below sea level)
Im dutch, i live in Limburg naar noord Brabant. The southern part of the netherlands we always have food and drinks for guests here. But i guess de randstad is a bit different
When Dutch want to eat together lunch they will ask you for lunch, if they don't ask you for lunch they have other plans...just ask in front what the plans are. Dutch directnes 😉
I don't know who your friends are, but they seem to be living in the sixties. People who come over to our place around lunch or dinnertime will always be invited to join us and all of our friends are like that. Mind you, we also have friends with Indonesian roots where it does not seem to matter how many people come to eat, somehow there is always enough for everyone. But even the modern Dutchies are now much more welcoming and flexible in our experience.
I am living in Zuid Limburg (don't wanna say south haha) and I also mention to have lunch or dinner, or make it clear and if not, i can always join for a meal. To schedule appointments far ahead are also not common here, maybe in the Randstad go for dinner more often. Here my current week is full but next week always room for spontaneous visits and I wouldn't like it other way. I love spontaneous 😅
honestly, my thing is just that I don't really have a stuffed pantry and just plan for a couple of days what food is going to be. so I mostly won't be capable of feeding another person
Lunch is food you take to prevent to get hungry later, not necessarily something you celebrate. But don't hesitate to mention that you didn't eat yet, they will get you something, nobody would let you starve.
It's not common in the Netherlands that if you are a guest that you ask "Can I also eat here?" when it was not part of the original plan.
Exceptions would be if you are a student and you are visiting another "studentenhuis" or you are a little kid. Or when you are willing to pay part of the lunch.
@@dodec8449 in my circles it is. Letting people pay for eating at your place is absolutely not normal.
@@Harry_PP030 that's not what I am saying .. i meant inviting yourself to a meal
You're right "lunch" is often a slice of kaas between two slices of bread. Not actual cooked meal and social event. 🤭
@@Caprifool correct. Unless you go out for lunch.
My bf passed his driver's exam last Tuesday. it was his third time and he spent about € 4000 but I have to say that at the first two attempts he did not have enough confidence. Also while studying for his third theoretical exam he began to see the logic behind the system and then he found it easy. The first two times he was just memorizing. I think that the theoretical exams are tough but driving in Europe is tough, especially in our cramped cities, and with our plethora of rules and road signs. For the practical exam I prefer the Belgian system where you, after 10 hours of lessons, can get a temp licence and can drive with an experienced driver next to you. That way getting more experience is not that costly.
Note that for tourists without a data plan, you can also download areas on google maps. You download a square on the map and you can then walk around there off line. That includes information. It will ask to be updated after a year. If you plan to visit multiple cities, just download multiple maps. They’re not that big.
Yeah, use some of that Dutch directness on the Dutch themselves. Bringing up if food is on "the table" when making plans (booking a slot in their calendar three weeks in advance. 😂) is just fine. Then both know what's going to happen. I've actually had the food thing explained, as a courtesy thing in case someone doesn't have enough or are having a rough spot economically. If it's simply not a thing, there's no awkwardness or breach of integrity to the person who has less than you by expecting food. And since you don't talk about money, it's polite not to assume someone is able to feed you. There are still people who remember the famine during and after the war, so it's kind of still in the back of peoples head. However, it's fine to offer. They might just have a coffee while you eat your lunch. Which is fine too. I'm actually very grateful to my Dutch friends for explaining so many of the "unwritten" rules. It's saved me a lot of grief. Now there will be comment's saying "This is not true!" but this is my friends truth. Others truths are valid too. 💜
Exactly. Most People Don't Realize How Bad it was Because of the War. Thanks for Being wise Enough to Mention it. Most Americans wouldn't Understand, They should Think back to 1929 and the Great Depression? And maybe then they could Relate to what You said. ❤ My Mom is from Utrecht. I have Been to the Netherlands 3 Times, and lived there with Relatives over my summer vacation, and speak Dutch fairly well. ❤I loved the time I spent there. All The Best to You and Your Family!
If you have a family of lets say 4 people and you make lunch/diner than you make lunch/diner for 4 people,
we don't make more food than we realy need cause it's a waste to throw food away when you make more than will be eaten
9:52 - To answer your question. Look at our infrastructure and the amount of traffic. Priority 1 here is safety for pedestrians, cyclist and drivers alike. Instead of an expense see it as a community investment.
Your driving school is responsible for applying qualified people for the practical exam. It's basically the same when graduating from school. You have to pass the exam in order to graduate.
I'll give you a few tips:
If you have an appointment plan ahead with google maps to see if any traffic jams are along your route. So you can adjust your travel time/route accordingly.
Assume everyone on the road besides you is bonkers and you have to navigate through it safely.
Do NOT text and drive (speaking form experience here), just put that thing on silent.
Enjoy the ride, try to prevent getting frustrated.
Be predictable towards other drivers. Those indicator lights are there for a reason.
Learn to anticipate.
When you have your license, consider becoming member of the ANWB (for me it's a "better have it and not need it, then need it and not have it" situation)
And finally consider taking a "rijvaardheidstraining" to learn how you react and how to react when you get into a spin or run into a ditch.
Smoking in the Netherlands is actually down sharply. Only 10-20% smokers now, though higher among younger people than older ones.
Driving lessons, yes they are expensive and the process is lengthy. But you get better skilled drivers overall as a result. Doesn't mean there are no idiots on the road but the percentage of them is lower than in the US.
Lunch? If you visit a friend and you're still there at lunch time, you can expect to be offered lunch. But yes, don't just show up unannounced and expect to be fed. Heck, more than a few people don't eat lunch at all so won't have anything to give you.
I failed my theory exam twice back in the day. So did my son. Different from me though he aced his driving exam first try! The whole process easily cost more than 3500 euros but he is a very good driver now and drove half of the way to our vacation
I don’t know if the driving license exam are the same as it used to be, and that’s manual transmission car exam only, there was no other option like in the US that you can get a driving license without knowing how to drive a manual transmission car.
Everyone who has a driving license in the Netherland knows how to drive a manual transmission car.
@@WPO_MASTER_CHIEF "Everyone who has a driving license in the Netherland knows how to drive a manual transmission car."
That isn't true. If you have your lessons and exam(s) in a car with automatic transmission, you will get a license specifically limited to cars with automatic transmission.
@@apveening that is still pretty rare though. But probably it will become more common because all electric cars are automatic
Hey Eva, long-time follower and first-time commenter here. IT"S TRUE ABOUT THE FOOD 🤣🤣
I moved here 8 years ago from another culture where if you're invited at, say, 12:30, or 7pm, you will be fed. It took ... some time ... to unlearn that expectation here!
I still like my life here. And it has become home. But yes, there are these oddities that still take some getting used to.
Today I listened myself talking in faulty, foreign-accented Dutch (something, incidentally that Anglophones are better dealing with than the Dutch are) and realised "gee, now you're foreign everywhere aren't you?" because even in my country of origin, after almost a decade here I'm noticeably "non-local" now,. Oh well, might as well embrace it.
I don't think these are "oddities" i think it is so rude to expect food out of the blue.
@@HansJongstra I don't know if it's out if the blue, I'm think if you're invited around lunch or dinnertime you can expect food, its just that 7pm and 12.30 are not food times for us.. well 12.30 maybe. But 7pm is definitely after dinner/tea time for me
About the drivers license part, This is the reason there are more better drivers here then in the US.
I have been in the Netherlands for five years. There are plenty of bad drivers here. Just as bad as in the US.
* driving licence in Europe
Nonsense. The same thing was true twenty years ago, when getting a drivers license in the Netherlands didn't yet cost an arm and a leg.
@@davidschaftenaar6530 *driving licence, diver's licence is only correct in north American. At least spell licence correct 😅
@@vboyz21This! And make sure your pen works underwater. 😂
Food will always be the question. I'm part of a big family so my parents had a big freezer. Just in case.
If you invite someone you will make sure it is LUNCH or DINNER. In both cases you can expect a great meal. If the invitation doesn't mention food? Don't count on it. Unless they're from Surinam or another Caribbean country.
Inviting people for lunch is not very usual anyway, at least not that I'm aware of. "Food invitations' are usually for dinner. And then, what would you expect from a dutch lunch? it's often just some bread with cheese and a glass of milk :D
As an expat, I’m thrilled that it’s so hard to get a Dutch drivers’ license. How many people die on US roads each year, where it’s so easy to get one? Anyone operating heavy machinery should be extensively trained.
You know Dutch culture has permeated when the whole into of videos past is gone and just go straight to the point. 😅
Thanks for the many videos you’ve uploaded. I just moved to the Netherlands 2 days ago and I prepared a lot by taking into account your videos. So far, so good!
Welcome, enjoy and all the best!
@@benbos6625 danke! Almost 3 weeks have gone by and I feel very welcomed. I thank your nation and people for their kindness and support 🫶🏻
Coming over spontaniously is reservered for the hours between lunch/dinner or after dinner 😂
I learned, while already being a week on vacation in South America, that my provider also has e-sims.
Also a good thing to always do, when going outside the country, set up a map of the area you are going to in google maps. And make it available offline, so you can always navigate even if you dont have connection.
But when i am in America, i can still use my normal Dutch sim (Odido), because my plan also works in the whole of the US without extra cost.
With the driving exams, all of our exams in general for anything are always loaded with "trick" questions. Where you really have to read it specifcally to know what they want for an answer, and sometimes you get the same question but worded differently.
I have found out this has prepared me very much for all kinds of written exams i have gotten abroad. Compared to the people im taking the exam with, they are all stressed out because of that type of questioning.
The food thing has not only to do with the different frequency Dutch and US people are going to get groceries.
Also storage space is more on a premium, most Dutch houses do not have a pantry or a cellar and there is usually one (smaller) fridge in the house. Not everyone has a freezer either.
So we can't store fresh produce and meat as long as the average American would, and as such buy enough for our own needs for a couple of days, and so you will not always have enough to prepare a meal for unexpected guests. By making an appointment I'm noticed to buy some extra for the guests so that I can provide a decent meal.
Of course there are exceptions, I live in a larger 1930s house which has a cellar, and I have space for a large freezer and an additional fridge, which find place in the laundry room.
And that's another thing not standard in Dutch homes, most people have their washing machine and dryer in the bathroom or the garage, which is rarely used to actually put a car in.
You *can* insist on having your practical exam early, and they will usually (if reluctantly) let you attempt it. But you probably won't pass, and the exam itself is also expensive. The instructor riding with you isn't just telling you where to go, but is also constantly evaluating you and seeing if you're ready. I know some folks who didn't get their first exam until insisting after 40 hours of lessons, and then failing, but also one who got recommended to go for it after 15 hours and passed first try. It all depends on how comfortable (nerve-free and in control) you are in the car and how aware you are of everything going on around you, which is hugely important in a densely populated country where so many people take part in traffic on bike or on foot. They are very vulnerable, so it is imperative that drivers know what they're doing and what to look out for, or else they might kill someone.
The cost is the result of that difficulty and responsibility. People need the lessons because they'd probably never pass otherwise, and they must take them seriously. And yet, there are still moments when I see a complete idiot on the road and think "heb jij je rijbewijs bij een pakje boter gekregen?!" There absolutely are still people on the road who shouldn't be, so clearly it still isn't difficult enough...
They recently lowered the age limit for the exam from 18 to 17 (and the age for starting lessons from 18 to 16), and I am not a fan. I've been nearly killed twice now by kids piloting a deadly weapon with a phone glued to their hand.
Well, the thing with lunch or dinner invitations is more about the planning, if you invite someone you make sure there is enough food and that it is nice and tasty for your guest, it needs preparation, the groceries have to be done... etc... if you happen to have enough food, and its good enough to share with a friend, then sure you can invite spontaneously.
12:00 is standard lunchtime, and we're quick, so yes it's not uncommon for us to have finished lunch by 12:30. My advice is to just ask: have you finished lunch by then or do we lunch at your place? We are ok with that question, and the answer will probably be: yes let's lunch at 12:30 then. Likewise, if you invite us for 19:00, we assume you still eat at 18:00 and expect that you have already finished dinner when we arrive. So we eat at home. When in doubt: just ask. I was suprised about the smoking remark. Out of my 15 direct colleagues, only one still smokes, and in our close friends group (also ~15) nobody smokes. I also don't have any smoking family members. To me it feels like smoking is really dying out.
I guess my family isn't a typical Dutch one when it comes to lunch/dinner... My mom always said "if we can feed 4, we can also feed 5" so having one or two extra guests over for lunch or dinner was never a problem, and if we meet up around lunch or dinner time, I'll just tell you that I'll have lunch or dinner prepared for us all. I would be ashamed if I let any guest in my house starve or get thirsty....
❤❤❤
❤my mom is from Utrecht, I have been to the Netherlands 3 times! ❤All my Friends and relatives did was try to feed us!😂❤🎉 The food and Hospitality was amazing!❤ All The Best to you and Your Family! 🌹💕🙏from Jinx the Wolf🐾🐾🐾... .. .🤠 🇺🇸
Congratulations on your wife's pregnancy, and I wish all the best for your growing family. 👶
There is a difference between the south and the rest of the country. Opposit of the people 'boven de brug' (north of the rivers ) you're always welcome to share food, even if its unexpected.
It is better to say it is depending on the person. Iám from Brabant but I don't like it if you expect to eat but did not announced before hand. Actually good change I cannot even feed you since there is only what i need that day. And unexpected visit... 99% of the time i would not let you in
@@JustMe-sh8ndAlso from Noord-Brabant and I quite agree with you!
- About uninvited dinner: Especially dinner, it being the hot meal of the day, it is planned. As in: the quantities are planned. I will buy and prepare what I need, and no more. So when an unexpected guest arrives, I have too little. Also I will not have much stores to improvise.
- On streetplans: Historically streetplans are not planned. They grow organically. House by house, for the last 2000 years sometimes. I am amazed that some Americans have no idea of the implications of that. So no, square grids will not be there. Before internet, when visiting a new town or city, I would litterally go to the last gas station before the town and buy a paper map.
- Smoking: It is reducing quite quickly. You like smoking? Go to Southeast Asia. Or Turkey. On smoking and your pregnant wife: when the only smoke she inhales is on outdoor terraces, she'll be fine. The amount is just not enough to make a real difference. I say this as a non smoker. I dislike it too when I am eating and at the next table upwind cigarets are lit. But from a health perspective, it is just not enough to make a difference.
- Reservations: Ofcourse the good places are fully booked! They're good.
- On driving classes: Oh do come on! It isn't that hard. Yes, you need to make a real effort, and rightly so. In the end you are released to the world with a 1000kg lethal weapon! In cities with narrow winding streets, children playing, cyclists etc. So, yes, it is really necessary. We really laugh about American driving culture. Almost the same as with American gun laws.
@@wHiTeHaT44Of course you don't have provisions for a whole week!
I go grocery shopping every other day, so I always have fresh food and I don't have to waste anything.
It's not necessary to have enough in the fridge for a week.
@@wHiTeHaT44 If I buy something to eat the same day, or buy something just as fresh/not fresh and then keep it in the fridge for a week before eating it, it makes a difference in freshness don't you think? In the first case it's fresher than in the last case!
And why should I want to have provisions for a week, when it's not necessary?
The food thing seems like miscommunication.When you arrange at 12:30 just make sure to ask about lunch beforehand. The other person might expect you to have eaten already so you can use the time you have together for more productive things or other activities. If you are not aware of this expectation and you expect to lunch together you will end up in the scenario mentioned. So mention breakfast/lunch/dinner upfront when making the arrangement so you both have the same expectations. Especially if the start/end time of the arrangement is near one of those.
If you want to invite some one for lunch, you want to go to the supermarket and get enough food. We like to be prepared for some one to visit and have enough to eat and drink. If you come over than mabe there is not enough food for lunch and then we are a little a shame. We like to give you a lovely lunch. Not only a sandwich peanut butter😊 So we just want to be prepared for your visit. And we want to clean the house before you come over. 😁 So if you call the day before or in the morning we can organise a nice lunch for you. We just want to do the best for our visitors. ❤
Your walks are a great advertisement for Utrecht! Love that city, the place of my birth and my first 6 years.
@Dutch Americano He's absolutely right! Please stop...Utrecht is already way too busy hahaha 😛
I'm born in The Netherlands. And even I don't understand nor appreciate that the Dutch don't invite their guests while they are at your house during lunch or dinnertime. I think it has to do with my Indonesian background, but that will never hapen in my house. 😜
I totally agree with you when it comes about drinking alcohol in the train. It's not "gezelllig".. Cause often people get louder and more annoying to other passengers.
I think the Dutch way to get your drivers licence is better. Learning how to drive from a professional makes you drive properly, because the professional does not only learns you how to use the car. While, for example, when a parent learns you how to drive he/she might pass on all the mistakes they're making.
We, people from Surinam, have a huge freezer stuffed with food. It is compulsory to eat when you are invited to our house 😃.
I was born Dutch. I understand it completely and it's just pathetic. Unexpected meetings and sharing food are two great joys in life, and most Dutch would actually agree with that. But they just can't bring themselves to adjust their schedules for it 😂
I grew up in a Dutch farming community, and they are warm, industrious, generous, accepting...and cheap. Especially working for them. A benefit is evryone knows how to drive-a manuual transmission too-by the time they're ten or eleven, boys and girls.Canada also has hardly any smokers; seeing those ashtrays looked like a trip back in time; especially as an ex-smoker. Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.
I lived in the USA for a long time and was never invited anywhere for lunch or dinner. Only at thanksgiving or Christmas that happened. Going out for breakfast together and everyone pays for there own food…….. so making this a big deal in the Netherlands ? Most times you are welcome to join food if you let them know before coming over.
Americans 'going Dutch' blaming the Dutch for their own stinginess. While in the Netherlands we have the 'Amerikaanse fuif', meaning people having to bring their own food.
Off-topic: I love how your director and editing skills have improved. Keep up the good work!
It's simpel why you only can eat with us when you're invited. The Dutch like efficiëncy so we make the amount of food needed. And we buy the amount of food we need. And we eat early. For lunch is less of a problem then for dinner. Especially with dinner it can be a problem because if we have food at home for 4 and we need to feed 6 people then we don't have enough.
Hi Ava, Yep!... I feel your driving license woes!! I went to an accelerated driving school down in Eindhoven to get it over with in 2 weeks time. After my theory, I was done with waiting for months to get an instructor, so I had to go out of the randstad. it was worth it!
The thing about you being somewhere where people are about to eat; As many things in our Dutch culture, I think it all comes down to efficiency, really. As you may have noticed by now, the Dutch prices are high to the Dutch in the Supermarkets, and so the Dutch in general purchase exactly what they need to feed the persons of the household, No More. So expecting yourself to be invited for lunch (breakfast, diner) brings the supply of food purchased for the people of the household in imbalance, and so food given to you means someone within the household has nothing. It's not planned for. If it was planned for, your portion of food would have been an extra one besides the persons of the household, but it is a calculated expense, since it is planned for. The Dutch are so efficient with food because we do not like to throw away food at all, because in a way that equals throwing money away. So I'll draw the world-famous Dutch efficiency and planning card here ;-) This is what my guts tell me, I could be wrong, or maybe I am not.
In effect you are saying other cultures are more hospitable because either the food is so cheap for them they don't care, or they don't care about wasting it. Very convincing 😂 The reality is of course about priorities.
It is a very good thing that it takes a few lessons before you can get your drivers license. Dutch drivers are considered to be the safest drivers in the world. Unlike America, in The Netherlands we care for the safety of pedestrians, bikers and other people on the streets.
As a driving instructor watching your video's. The lesson cost is related to new cars(they cost around 30k depending on the brand) and the usage of them(fuel/insurance/maintenance) beside that you want to live also from teaching €/h. And besides we are one of the best drivers of the world. One time I corrected an Uber driver in the USA to avoid an accident. I had to explain after that why I did that and what my occupation is.
Including a meal into the meeting has traditionally been viewed as imposing. You don't assume someone wants to eat. Lunch is especially problematic, since some people are used to a warm meal, while others just put that one slice of cheese between some bread and call it a day. So, providing a meal imposes eating whatever is served on the other person, and expecting a meal creates expectations of someone to put in some level of effort. And, in both directions, it creates expectations of spending more time on the meeting.
Yes, we're difficult. But then again, you already knew that, right? 😅
The 12:30 thing has more to do about being practical and direct (if it's not mentioned don't expect anything and take care of your self). We also don't have a culture of having lunch at someones house. When we want to lunch we do it at restaurants. So this combination makes that it turnes out the way it is.
Meals are a family affair. Most prefer to eat with the family. So unless you agree beforehand, you make sure you have eaten
Youbare at the Van Asch van Wijckskade in Utrecht😉 about 1 km east from my house. So nice to see you walking through my, ahum, our town.
To help you find your way in the city; if house numbers go up, you are walking away from the city center. If house numbers go down, you are walking towards the center.
Yes, and this is also true for rivers. Be careful of X-dijk en Jaagpad, because river X may well run the entire length of the province, and the numbers will go up to the city limit, and then down to the next city's centre, and up again to that city's limit, and down, and up, and...
And not many people live at Jaagpad, but Jaagpad is a network that spans the entire country, so the numbering gets confusing.
In the south , under the rivers , they are more hospitable, when they’re came guests at my parents house a round dinner time the always were invited to eat with use . Sometimes friends of the family came unexpectedly in the evening . My mother asked if they had already have eaten , so not she baked some eggs .
But did we go above the rivers , we don’t get always diner ore lunch . So it is more where you live in the Netherlands than typical Dutch .
And in Limburg they are more hospitable .
Thanks for the saily tip! I’ll be heading to Thailand soon and this will work 🤍
😂 the Google navigation always stays with "go in north east direction" and I'm always like..😮 what?? No idea
Will check out saily. But indeed driving schools are planning the practical driving tests and you need to learn through them. These days kids can get their license at 17, but need to drive with a licensed adult besides them for a year and then get a regular license. I got both a Dutch driving test and had to do one in North Carolina as well to be able to drive there and insure my car. One thing for Dutch driving test: if you think you're going the wrong direction, as long as you continue all the steps to make a right hand turn, continue the right turn, even if you are supposed to turn left. As long as you check and make sure it's safe, no big deal. When I was taking the N.C. exam, was told if I went left when I should go right, I would fail. Have tendency to mess them up, so every time examinator told me to turn and I would hesitate, he'd point his thumb the right way, so I would pass.
I'm from Utrecht and actually have seen you walk around a few times but you took it to another level for this video. Looking at where you walked, you must have walked a lot that day!
I actually don't know about the coming over lunch unannounced thing. Maybe it's the fact that a lot of people consider lunch just a sandwich if you're at home. You're right though, it's not really common practice to have lunch at someones place unless you specifically say so in advance.
About the direction thing I actually had the same thing happen to me in the US and it just confuses me. Especially on highways, I went the wrong direction so many times as I'm used to the signs telling me what city i'm driving to and not whether it's East or West, I have no clue.
I did my training with the ANWB 10 dagen (days) system. I got both the theory and practice in one go, and the nice thing was I did it together with my sister. We both passed the first time.
I just checked and they don’t seem to have the option of doing it in 10 days in a row. They do have a summer school of 7 weeks and the normal of 10 weeks. They have a percentage of people that pass the first time.
The reservations to the restaurant actually is something of the last years. I hardly ever made reservations upfront in the past.
Meals in the Netherlands traditionally were the times of day when all economic activity stopped and the family got together to talk about their day, their plans etc. If you were not part of their very intimate circle, It was considered rude to intrude during these times. You can still feel vestiges of that tradition when visiting uninvited during lunch- and dinnertime.
I guess that in the Netherlands there has been a strong tradition to have your meals together as a family. I remeber that as a child we usually had breakfast, lunch and dinner together. On working days, my father would be excluded from breakfast, because he would leave early in the morning and have breakfast with his colleagues after having worked for about an hour. We would lay the table, have the meal together and leave the table when (about) everyone was ready. This got a bit more relaxed when we attended highschool, because we would not leave at the same time and some of us would have lunch (just sandwiches with 'pindakaas' or chees at school). But our evening meals we would still have together at the dinner table. In 1979/1980 we had an exchange student from the USA and she one time recorded us when having dinner because she never/rarely had a dinner at the table with her family.
Also, it used to be if you visited some family for a birthday or such, it would either be in the evening (after dinner) or in the afternoon, but than everybody would leave around five o'clock to have dinner at home. I guess, because the Dutch are used to this, they feel akward to invite people (even close relatives) over for a meal, being afraid that they will fail to provide a proper meal. I think that past thirty years, the Dutch have become more easy about it, but it still depends a lot on where you live and to which social/economical group you belong to.
We just enjoy our privat space at home and want a meal without much social chitchat. You always are shocked, I am never shocked in a foreign land or cultur but surprised or wondered. My experience is that there is a lot less people smoking then 10 years ago. And we don’t need signs of not smoking at pregnant women, you just go stand a few meters futher away or just ask the smoker to move or put out his sigarette. Reservation is only at busy musea or restaurants in the weekends, go outside the big cities or go on working days. Around €2000 you can have your drivers license. We are a densly populated country with a lot of traffic, a lot of this traffic is bike’s and they are vulnerable.
Yes, the driving license situation is harsh. I preferred to fly all the way to Brazil, renew my Brazilian license, fly to Portugal, exchange it for a Portuguese License. After receiving it, I was able to exchange it with a Dutch one. I had to stay in both Brazil and Portugal and take a few flights, but it was considerably cheaper and way less stressful. There's only a few countries that exchange licenses with NL (unless you have the 30% ruling) but other EU countries are more flexible. Safety is nice, but they make it unnecessarily difficult and expensive.
One thing I notice here is that we have a very difficult time to make more than 20 euros per hour, but we are rarely able to get anybody to do anything we need for that price. Someone's pocketing a massive difference even for basic things like gardening services.
I guess, when you come (uninvited) around diner time, people have already started preparing diner or have enough for them selves, but not for a visitor.
About the drivers license ... in the US you can get that at 16 with a minimum amount of knowledge of traffic. Here, when you have your drivers license, people know you can drive. Cars are expensive, so you'll better know how to handle one on in busy city.
If you are invited, it is clear that you will join the meal(s). However, this can differ from place to place or sometimes regionally. Also for myself I like to know in advance what the guest prefers to eat and drink so that I can be sure that there is enough of it in the house. Just talk if you are not sure to prevent misunderstandings. Smoking in my area is just a question of knowing each other's preferences. I’m not a smoker, but it is no problem if someone wants to smoke, so again, just mention it.
Up to the directions, yes we use to say f.i. go first to the right, after about 100 meters go left. At about 250 meters you will see a restaurant named "Gezellig", that is the place where you have to be and of course there is ample parking nearby.
Lunch thing is about being clear in your communications. Either you ask them, or expect what is logic. Assumptions are the problem in the world and are then interpreted as one pleases. We like it clear. So, ask if they plan on having lunch with you or not. That way you never go wrong, direct communication is key in The Netherlands with everything. Also, the Dutch drivers license is the most valued in the world and pretty much valid everywhere to drive with , due to these strict rules that comes with the high costs and course.
Maybe city people don’t know where the wind directions are but if you’re from a more rural background, you know where north or northeast is.
Non alcoholic beers are awful. Only some German and Belgian ones are drinkable more or less. That’s because those two countries first brew beer and then extract the alcohol. The dutch brewers start the brewing process but stop before alcohol is produced.
Traffic in the Netherlands can be very intricate and complex, so you don't want any inexperienced drivers. The only way to get experience is by driving in real traffic. So the only way to do that with any degree of safety is with a professional instructor and a car with dual controls. You have no chance if you learn bad habits from the get-go, so yeah, you need lots of hours of driving with a driving instructor. Many people do get bad habits once they have their license and get overly confident or stop caring, so bad drivers still exist, some just throw everything they have learned away once they get their license, with some it wears away slowly. So yeah, you need many hours of training to have any hope of having any of the training stick long term. Driving instructors need to get payed a decent wage too, and their car isn't free either, nor is fuel, so yeah, lots of money. I'm of the opinion that the demands for the practical exam should be higher actually, and include bad-weather driving, so heavy rain, slippery surfaces, etc. I planned my driving lessens over the course of over a year so I would get a chance to have lessons on black-ice roads during the winter and driving through slushy snow. That hasn't really been much of a thing in recent years, but I'm glad I have that experience. Also once you have a license, make sure you drive regularly for at least the first couple of years so it becomes like a second nature, then you won't forget if you don't drive for a while afterwards.
The food thing has nothing to do with frugality but we need to know because we would like to serve something nice and put in some effort (other than a standard sandwich with peanut butter or cheese) and/or we want to know if we have to wait to eat together. Also we tend to shop and cook for the amount of people joining the meal. If we don’t know you’re joining it can sometimes be a challenge to have enough for everyone
As for hospitality, there is a very simple rule: the further away from the Randstad the more hospitable . 😇🙃
Really, that is not always the case, smaller towns don't tend to like foreigners as much
@@TheKeystoneChannel In these cases, stereotyping is the trap. It is true that in smaller communities outsiders are viewed with some suspicion, but relatively quickly (though depending on the behavior of that outsider) they are more or less accepted. In large “communities” like cities, there is more indifference than acceptance or hospitality.
My comment, however, related to the following phenomenon: whether you arrive in Groningen, Friesland, Limburg or Twenthe (or anywhere more than 50 km from the Randstad), people always inquire whether you had a good trip, there is coffee and something to go with it, etc.; conversely, you are referred to the coffee machine. Everyone from outside the Randstad is familiar with the curious fact that the Randstad people find the distance to the “periphery” objectionable, but at the same time it is perfectly normal for this group to dismiss the opposite trajectory for the non-Randstad people as unimportant. A drama like the one in Groningen (earthquakes due to gas extraction) or Limburg (idem due to mining) would lead to the greatest possible political upheaval if it had occurred in, say, Utrecht, The Hague or Amsterdam.
@@grewdpastor I am n0t ssure abotu that last thing, Ãmsterdam is breaking down in front of our eyes, even if people love to romanticise it, coming from abroad. I lived in small towns, Overijssel , Twenthe and actually over the world too...everything is ralitive and depending on cultural customs. In Twenthe it takes a while before they accept you all together even being a Dutch outsider. In villages it may vary, depending where on is. But we have so much neglect in the city now and that idiot mayor, people like foreigners think it is all paradise here. It once was for us, not anymore, but possibly still better than anywhere else. And in de Randstad we are so used to mixed cultures, we don't care anymore, can't adapt to everyone, we are just being our Dutch selves, or multi cultural selves. That is also a factor
@@TheKeystoneChannel The collapse of Amsterdam's canal docks is indeed sad and the result of years of neglect (as elsewhere in the city) by the OWN city government. People preferred to prioritize “fun,” “progressive” things. Examples abound, which I will not mention here to avoid improper follow-up reactions. The fact is that during my school and study years in Amsterdam (where I was born and raised) maintenance did take place. But I admit: that was in the 60s and 70s.
The misery in Groningen and along the Twenthe Canal was caused by decisions on a national level, in which warnings from experts in the field were simply ignored.
To be clear, all political parties from left to right have failed extraordinarily here.
@@grewdpastor It is miserable here, they are so corrupt now, I'm sick of it to be honest
I got my drivers license in 2,5 months because I HAD to have for going to work abroad. I bought a package: 20 lessons + examen access formalities. I bought 5 lessons extra, did 3 lessons a week. Steep learning curve. Passed theory & practice the first time. Yes you have to study that 'booklet'. Driving is serious business. This country is supercrowded, now 18 milj. people in an area about the size 1,5x Vermont. AndI think about 8 milj. cars, not counting the buses & trucks
Reservations for museums are usually not necessary, unless there is some blockbuster exhibition going on or if you want to go to one or two museums in Amsterdam that are very popular with tourists. In some (rare) other cases museums will try to push you towards a reservation, but if you choose the time of your visit a bit wisely, you can just ignore that. That is what I tend to do with Singer Museum Laren, for example. (They seem to love their reservations and I strongly dislike being that inflexible.)
Good luck on the exam! did you do the in between exam? for me it helped get comfortable with the final exam, and the positive is that during that exam you can already get done in some areas so the final exam becomes easier.
As a dutch guy i don't radomly have a lot of food in my home i don't directly need at the moment. Plus the drinking in the train is great to wind down after a better day .
I don't do saily, I buy a local pay as you go SIM. Works quite nicely.
Learning to drive is difficult for a reason...
Well the dinner thing you mention, as a dutchie, when I go out I always do that like spontaneous. The times I do reserve a table are always a disaster cause of train delays... But that just personal experience, and only in smaller towns than Amsterdam or Utrecht 😉
I never have to make reservations for lunch or diner, but in very popular places or in big cities there is sometimes a reservation necessary.
I used to work at MyCom, a computer store, and when colleagues got food from the kitchen during breaks, they never asked if anyone else wanted something too (since they were already going that way anyway). It's not that it pissed me of or anything, it just like distant and inconsiderate to me. But hey I'm half French so probably half crazy 😅
Talking about directions, my mother used to drive me nuts. She would say, talking about her trips and holidays to France and Spain, that something was left or right from one city or an other. Not using east or west. As almost all maps have north on the top, I would think of 'right on the map' as being east. She could easily mean any other direction, as she would be looking down from the Netherlands, or from where she was before, so going south, right would be west. And even traveling with her, I would never be sure which way she was 'looking' when giving directions.
In the South of the Netherlands, even if they didn’t expect you during lunch, they’ll add another plate and share their food with you. Especially if you were invited around lunch time.
The agenda is spot on haha I’m Argentinian and my boyfriend is Dutch and I must have gotten extra lucky with him and his flexibility. Bless that man and his patience because we are polar opposites in that aspect 😂
Guess i am the odd one then😅 i dont do breakfast or lunch so do expect to get that but my diners are always plenty full and able to feed 3 or 4 people or 2 for 2days. If i have unexpected eaters i wil have something for them👍🏻 food is to be shared, even if i would have 1 slice i would share, i have known true hunger were i had not been able to eat for a week... Nobody goes without food in my house🤜🏻
Totally off-topic: I really like how your eyes really stress the story you want to bring across, like around 1:13 - 1:14 👀😉
😂😂Getting a driver's license here in the Netherlands requires a lot more learning than in most other countries in the world.We have so many rules that you need to know, which is why people here drive much more responsibly than in many other countries.First of all because it is not cheap, and secondly I think we value our driving license more here because it is difficult and expensive.I have had my driver's license for 27 years now, I spent more than 4000 guilders during the guilder era.😅
Heel veel succes🍀
* Driving licence 😊 driver's license is only correct in north America
I personally haven't had much trouble with getting seated without reservation. I've eaten out in Utrech many times without any problems. The only time you have to be wary is when going with a big group or during national holidays.