Food service in Belgium IS good. We just don't want our waiters to hound over us asking us if everything is okay every five minutes and interrupting conversation. Here, we want waiters to come when we ask them to, take our order, bring our order timely and leave. No fake laughing or acting like they're happy. This way, when someone actually smiles and seems upbeat, it comes across as genuine. Whenever I'm in the US, I can't help but get the feeling every waiter is acting happy because they are told to. Its disingenuous and not pleasant at all.
grimmen 444 I also don't really know where he gets the whole "getting orders wrong" from. I don't know what restaurants he's going to that this is more than a "once in a while" occurrence.
Indeed. I'm Belgian too and when I go to the U.S. waiters ask you ever fucking 5 minutes whether everything's OK, or if you'd like to have something to drink, or if you need something? I get that they're trying to be nice but just let me eat…
Arne Maeschaelck They are being nice, but at the same time, they also really want that tip... It's the usual thing of a foreign country not being the same, so it must be bad.
True, the only time i like to see a waiter is when he/she takes my order, brings the food or drinks and finally brings the bill. that is what i expect, i don't want them to hover arround me, i feel like watched. This is a Belgian talking.
+woltersworld belgian people who rely on public transport on a daily basis are not that happy because the trains and busses are always late :p It is cheap tho, 1.30€ for a 1 hour bus drive and for 20€ you can go from one side to the other side of the country by train
As a Belgian waitress, I am a bit offended. I did go to the US before and I hate it when they interrupt all the time to ask if everything is ok. Here we have a routine of how we serve customers. First we ask if they want an appetizer, if so we will let the food wait and keep an eye on their drinks before telling the kitchen to let the food come. In the meantime we ask them what they want to drink with their food. And by the time they get their drinks, the food will be ready. And if something is wrong, people will wave at us or call us, it's not a big deal. We walk around and look and smile at the people to let them know we're there. And well we are only human. Of course we can make a mistake, but that doesn't mean it's bad service. Before judging, try to imagine yourself doing our job. People really underestimate it. Hell, I underestimated it.
I as a belgian have only ammiration for you and im sure that's for all of the other belgians the same. I wouldn't stand it if someone interrupted my meal or conversation whole the time.
Sorry, but it is a bullshit system. Don't expect the same system in the whole world. Doesn't matter how a person is paid (and believe me, in Belgium there is a huge bullshit in HORECA, maybe even bigger at the moment than in USA), according to your own salary, if you are happy with the service - you should tip, that is all. If you are not - you don't. People shouldn't be depended on the customer's mood, they have to be paid minimum or more. If somebody is willing to pay a bonus - they should do it. It is simple as that. And such videos are truly hurting to the people working in hospitality. We all are doing our best doesn't matter which country we are working in.
I heard it before. Belgium is boring, it's quiet, it's dead... But you're just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Belgium has a lot of festivals and stuff in the summer, for only being such a small country... You can't judge a country from it's mayor cities only. Minor cities and even villages are way more beautiful, i bet you haven't seen 't meetjesland or 't Zwin before. Just the sound of the wind, the smell of the sea... or even the hills from South-West-Flanders. Tiegem is a small village on top a hill, looking down upon De Schelde. and the sloping landscape. It's a touristic place for cyclers. They really like just the view. If you like Tiegem, there is even De Kemmelberg, Dranouter (village), way more then the normal tourist can see
The service isn't good only for Americans. There is no one else that complains about service but Americans. It's because french and Belgian waiters are professional, they're not slaves. If you want to be served, you have to ask. Waiters aren't going to hang around your table to serve you, they have better things to do
You learn inn the school for 4 years, that you as a waiter are not to serve your people, because you have something better idea to do??? Are you serious? And you guys are wondering why people are saying that waiters are rude in Belgium. Their opinion comes from somewhere, right now from your own mouth. As I know, I do not have to ask, because by the time I step into any restaurant, people there always ask me. Just tell in which restaurant are you working and very simply I never set my feet there.
@@agotapongor2069 They meant that the servers won't be hanging around you, they would be for example bringing drinks to other people, or serve other people, it's quite an efficient system
I really don't get all the bashing Belgium is receiving in the comments area. From my experience: people are reserved, but nice and polite. Streets and public services are clean. Trains arrive on time (unless there's a strike, which is rare as far as I can tell), same thing for buses. Education (KULeuven) and health care systems are top notch. The food is very enjoyable, the beer and the chocolate are excellent. I also noticed everyone complaining about "bad" customer service, I can't relate to that: from my experience, people were polite and professionals. On the other hand, prices are high, weather is shitty (during the cold season at least). Anyway, I think the bashing Belgium is getting is unjustified. I actually think that Belgians smile too fucking much, which is very annoying from my perspective.
I'm from Beglium and I can tell you loads of people look dirty at you but you still have a few that are really kind and polite but that happens rarely and busses really can come too late over here I can tell you I got that problem today and it wasn't a strike it just happens loads of times some other people told me they had the same problem as well with other busses today
the public transport is so great because the country is one of the highest population density countries of the world. but there is a saying in Belgium: you have a higher chance of being hit by a bus than the bus actually arriving on time :p.
This is an old comment, but I'll give it a shot in hopes of a reply: How often is it that you come across German spoken? I know it's predominantly spoken on the East side and from what I've heard, with a distinct dialect. I'm asking because I plan to be learning German for college reasons, but know that Belgium is easier to get a Visa (if you can find work).
Standard German is used in the communes of Eupen, Lontzen, Kelmis, Raeren, Bütgenbach, Amel, Sankt-Vith and Burg-Reuland. Aside of standard German, they also speak German dialects (even though the dialects of the first three towns would be considered more Dutch). Bordering communes of which the inhabitants speak a Dutch-German dialect, but the standard language is French are Baelen, Welkenraedt, Blieberg/Plombières and Aubel. A small part of the commune of Gouvy and the whole region of Arelerland originally (and currently as minority) also speak German dialects. Nevertheless, only just less than 1% of the population speaks standard German as their prefered language.
R. V. B. You are well informed i see and most of your informations are right. BUT!?! Are you sure about the 1% . We sure are a small part of this country but i really think that 1% ain‘t enough.
Around 76,650 people in Belgium are registered as German-speaking and Belgium has a population of around 11,358,000 people. Making a calculation, it turns out the percentage is even smaller; (76650/11358000)*100= 0.67%
The chocolate is terrific too. I found the tram drivers are extremely, unexpectedly helpful. We were staying at an old fashion Alpine Inn type of place, with shared baths, pine walls, A-frame ceilings etc. after taking the train from Paris, we got on the right tram, got off at the right stop but could not see the hotel. The driver leaves the tram, at the light and walks us to the hotel. Belgians are like the French with smiles and kindness
you mean unlike the french ! I lived 9 years in france and in 1 day in brussels I've seen the difference ! Belgians seemed tp be much more firendly and warm, no comparison with the french who are really cold, indifferent and even very rude somentimes.
They should be lucky that in WW2, the american took Belgium and not the Russians, cant believe that Belgium people still allow their country to have a king after they lost their country to the Nazis.
Ward Brown True the Russian won Europe but they lost any good history written about them because of all the terrible crimes they committed, the allies in the west return all the countries back to its original owners, while the Russian oppressed all their oucpied territories.
As a citizen of the "Great" Belgian country, I disagree with the public trasportation. Trains and metros are all in all very reliable, but sometimes the busses can be late for about 10 - 30 minutes. And they tend to go on strike A LOT! Especially in Walonia. Great video tho! love it!
Have you ever even tried to travel with public transport in the USA? Trains between Washington and New York every two hours and only with reservation, not for a seat but to get in. There was no platform so we had to climb in with luggage and backpacks. We had several unexplainable stops and arrived in NYC one hour late. So compared to the USA, public transport in Belgium is heaven on earth.
As a Belgian I have to point out that the beers he mentioned are considered to be in the lower end of the scale. Instead, go for Tripel Karmeliet, Gouden Carolus, Rochefort, Delirium Tremens,... The northsea shrimp is something very specific and unique to try as well.
Waarom Delirium Tremens, dat bier is nu ook niet zo goed. Tis niet eens heel bekend, hoe is dat één van de eerste 4 aanraders dat je weet. Van de bieren dat hij had gezegd, Stella is een goede pils, kvind het beter dan Jupiler, ma kzou inderdaad aannemen als toerist dat je iets specialers wilt dan een gewone pils. Leffe is een goed budgetbier voor stoofvlees, en tis ook niet per se slecht om te drinken (vind ik, kheb al andere meningen gehoord). Als toerist zijn er wss betere opties dan Leffe. De rest ken ik niet genoeg. After that short discussion, I'll also give some of my own recommendations. I wholeheartedly agree with the other recommendations, but other good ones are Westmalle Tripel, Sint-Bernardus, Chimay and West-Vleteren. La Trappe also is good, but I think it's over the border with the Netherlands. The Trappist beers are often considered the best, so with them, you can't really go wrong, though Orval really does have an odd taste, and how much I enjoy it differs each time I drink it. (It used to be my favourite, but I liked it less when I drank it after a few years, nowadays, I've started enjoying it more again, though not as much as when it was my favourite beer) If you're a bit more experimental, you'll find local beers everywhere, so if you'll look around for long enough, you'll definitely find something you like, even if you don't like to walk the paths frequently taken.
@@daandevos122 Delirium niet bekend? Dat heeft al eens de prijs 'best beer in the world' ontvangen. Huyghe is verrevan mijn favoriete brouwerij, maar Delerium hoort erbij... Ik wou gewoon wat verschillende types aanraden, ipv vier tripels of vier bruine... Mijn favoriete bieren van het moment zijn Ouwen Duiker en Wilde Beest, maar dat lijkt me een pak moeilijker te vinden voor buitenstaanders, en IPA's hebben ze elders ook, dus...
@@ozirc Heeft Delirium waarlijks die prijs al gewonnen, dat wist ik niet. Kwist niet dat het zo'n bekend bier was. Tis niet dat ik delirium niet moet hebben, maar ik ken vrij veel mensen die het niet zo'n goed bier vinden, en ik heb het eigenlijk alleen nog maar in 1 cafe in Gent gezien. Kheb ook nog niet echt erachter rondgekeken in winkels of zo, maar kheb het nog nooit zien staan. De glazen zijn wel echt goed, daar moet ik het eens mee zijn.
Also you can define belgium's food quite easily , the french cuisine , but with more harty meals and portioned like a german or a texan would . Flemisch carbonnades are to die for !
I'm born here, and I toured all of Belgium with an American girl... It was great, seeing my country through the eyes of a tourist made me appreciate it so much more... When born around all the medieval architecture and stuff, it seems normal, but it really is magnificent compared to certain regions in the world. So is this video!
I'm from belgium myself and it's crazy how many people go to spain or to france while you can do so much stuff here, there's alot to do in the regional capitals (like bruges and ghent and antwerp for example.) you can go to the coast, you can go to the ardennes (large forested area, you could camp there.) you can go to theme parks. it's all here.
Not like Always, it even improved the last years, ok not like perfect, but who is ? is it a crime that a train arrivés 5 minutes late ? i take trains to work every day and i can live with it. the problem with our railways or bus services is the lack of information when something is wrong or went wrong.
That's also true, but i believe no matter what the lack of communication is a problem. When your stuck in a train, people like to know why ? When you're standing on a platform to wait for a train that doesn't show up, you'll like to know when a train will arrive. I spent lots of hours on platform with no communication.
I live in Ghent/Belgium :p and honestly.. good public transport? It sucks! Okay, maybe we have it in almost every village, but.. It's ALWAYS too late! The busses, trams and even trains are never on time, they're always delayed! And the fact that you can go from east to west or north to south in 2 hours, is just because it's a small country :) not because the public transport is so good. The service in pubs and restaurants is not bad at all. It just depends on where you're going. Our cities are booming though :) I see more and more tourists passing in the streets every day :-) Come and visit!
lisa laeremans Yeah, my Belgian friends told me every Belgian would disagree with me on this one :) but compared to other countries we travel to... Belgium does pretty good :)
Wow, then public transport is real bad everywhere :p Something else I thought of by the way, about drinking beer in Belgium: you can drink beer at age 16. I heard that the age for drinking alcohol in America is 21, so that would be a big difference too.
Belgium transport is not always late man! -.-" you have bus/tram and train throughout the whole country. there is no place you can't go, you might have to wait sometimes because there is something that we call Traffic... Btw, go to Ghent at night!! beautiful lights
Also keep in mind he's comparing public transport to the public transport in the US. There are probably plenty of things we can still improve to our public transport if we compare it to some of our neighbouring countries, but it really isn't all that bad as we usually think it is.
we do have great public transport if you compair to the U.S. reason? Our country is as big as Michelle Obama's vegetable garden ;-) almost every place in Belgium is connected by public transport. We have trains, busses, tram's, metro, ... In the US they only have deacent public transport in big cities.
Few corrections: 1) The new public transport is nice and clean but the older buses en trains feel like they have never been cleaned. And also if you are in a hurry don't depend on the public transport. 2) Belgium is know for its beer but Hoegaarden en leffe are the basic ones 3) The service you get depends on where you go. Don't go to ghetto ratchet places and you will be fine. As for tipping, you should tip if the service was good, nobody expects you to tip lots of money, just tip what you can miss and it's totally fine 5) Don't expect people to accept your 500€ & 200€ bills in a restaurant or small stores, unless the amount you have to pay is very close to those two bills
So happy you don't forget to travel to our little country! It's relatively small but we have some amazingly beautiful cities, great food and a lot of fun things to do. Also very happy to hear that you love my hometown Ghent 😄
Some fine beer you may want to try in Belgium: - Affligem Patersvat - Chouffe / Chouffe Soleil - Maredsous Blonde / Maredsous Triple - Tripel Karmeliet - Trappe Quadruple - Barbar - Noir de Dottignie - Chimay Bleue - Orval - Pêche Mel Bush (non-exhaustiv list ;) ) For the regular pils I recommend Maes or Vedett you can find a lot of those in Brussels in places like the Delirium & the Floris (same street - very touristic - you can also drink absinthe in the floris) or in little cafés like Moeder Lambiek and less touristic spots. theres also fairly large choice in the regular supermarkets. Enjoy!
I wonder what experiences you had with waiters. Though I have to admit that in tourist areas, the quality of the service (and the food) is often lower. As new tourists arrive every day, the bars and restaurants don't have to bond with their clients as regular bars with local clients. So as a tip, I'd say to avoid eating on grand squares or on busy places, but try to find a bar or restaurant in a smaller street (or a smaller village), and you'll be served well.
And sweets are awesome too. I’ve been living in Austria for the past few years now and one of the things I miss most about Belgium are the sweets. Seriously, they’re amazing. Everything from Lotus, pralines, other chocolate, waffles, it’s great.
I live in Brussels and I mention you forgot our chocolate. We have one of the best and we have tons and I mean tons of chocolate shops. Mostly we even have chocolate fountains where jou take a marshmallow and put it under the hot chocolate fountain. Its freaking delicious I once tried it and its amazing!! The thoughts of it alone.😋
Yay beers! Belgian beers are great. We're not very chauvinistic, except when it comes to beer. Seriously, now, America has some great small brews as well, but they're quite hard to get here. Not every Belgian beer is as good, but we do have an enormous choice and variety, such as wheat beers, cherry beers, redbrown ales, sour ales, abbey style beers... Other specialty dishes are Flemish stew (stoofvlees), américain (minced raw meat with pickles and oignons), Gentse waterzooi, boulettes liégeoises (meat balls with a brown sauce made with typical syrup made of pears and apples), paling in 't groen, and the chocolates. Public transport is great, but could be better, on some lines, last trains run before 10 pm, there are delays, etc. The biggest advantage of Belgium, is it's size. You can get everywhere in a couple of hours driving or travelling, and one medium sized historic city is already visible from another one. In restaurants, a token tip is generally enough, but don't feel to guilty for picking up all of your change. You mentioned Dutch and French, but there is a small German community as well, to the east, close to the German border and Aachen.
barvdw+ My mother who was from Wallonie made the best carbonade. Aachen=Aix la Chapelle! Charlemagne was born in what is now Belgium(Herstal). As far as the trains are concerned I found them to always be on time, to the minute (as posted on the clock).
Our public transport is really bad. If the bus/metro/tram/train comes it is mostly always late, and they don't always come. There are a lot of strikes too, so than they absolutely don't come. The service in restaurants is really good. I have heard that in the US waiters are constantly coming to you asking if everything is okay and constantly interrupting you while you're dining. In Belgium that is seen as rude, so I think that is maybe why you would think the service is bad. We also have a little part where they speak German. When we tip we mostly give 1 or 2 euros.
When you visit Belgium, don't limit yourself to the big city centres (Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven,...) but also explore some of the beautiful countryside (Heuvelland, Westhoek, Flemish Ardens, Kempen,...). A nice drive through these relaxing landscapes is strongly recommended, as you could really discover the true Belgian spirit.
Olivier Demeyere+ You are right. The last time I was in Belgium, we took a bus tour of the Valley of the Meuse. We visited many small towns and the masterpiece was the visit of the Chateau de Godefroy de Boullion. It was great.
The thing is, most Belgians don't even know what good beer is. So they would recommend things like Hoegaarden, Stella or Leffe to foreners. Whilst we have some great brewerys like Dochter vd korenaar, Struise brouwers, Chimay, het anker.. But i would say in all fairness, the world has been catching up with our beers for a few years now. My favorite beers are actualy beers from other countries. Countries like Holland, Estonia and aspecially the US are making awesome stuff.
I'm a waiter in Belgium. I actually do appreciate a tip for my service. It's not about the money you're giving, it's about the appreciation you're showing for the job. BUT, indeed, it's your own personal choice, bad service is bad service, but good service shouldn't be left unnoticed. And btw, Public transport sucks.
Tom Bylemans every Belgian hates the public transport and all the tourists love it... and when I filmed this a guy came up to me and told me that all the locals hate the public transport and all th etourist love it andhe didn't understand why :) it was pretty funny
woltersworld That's what I was going to comment on... The public transport is amazing if you go from city to city, but in the countryside you might have have to walk an hour to catch a bus passing by twice every day. And strikes are becoming more common; the train operater's union is now striking every Saturday during the summer.
Overall, you cover it... BUT service isn't bad, it is that they don't pester you to get out. Cultural difference. It is understood that you will probably be there for some time... as far as 'wrote it down improperly' that has not been my experience. In tourist centers it may be different, but throughout the country, I have found that service has been better than in France or Germany. I also find that the general population, while aloof, will equally engage once you make the effort -and- once you initiate the effort, they are awesome! Belgium is a gem often overlooked... make the effort, it is worth a visit.
It's gunny being a Belgian, the public transport is really good (train, tram, bus and even metro at some cities), a lot of Belgians complain about it for being late al the time. But just one car driving terrible costs a lot of time for a bus. Too many people crossing the train tracks costs the trains a lot of time, and even some trains stay stationed while waiting at other trains to lake sure the people can get from one train on the other. I almost never had to wait a lot of time...
Public transport is awesome compared to here in the UK. I should have been there this week. Sadly we had to cancel. Right now I should be having my evening meal before heading up to the Mennin Arch. Probably have went to Poperinge or Oostende tomorrow. I believe the train to Oostende is 22 or 24 mins past the hour. It always left on time
I don't agree with you on the "bad service". First of all you can walk into any place and speak 4 different languages ( dutch, french, english or german ), and expect a response in that language back which is quite nice and you don't see in many other countries. Other than that I usually see very ( in a real way, not trying to get a very big tip) friendly servers and you can get in and out most places rather quickly, and had a very nice meal.
Things that is worldwide know in Belgium is ; - Chocolate - Beer - Waffles from Brussels or Liege/Luik - Waterzooi - 3 spoken languages Dutch/Flemish ( same language) , French and German - Old architectures - Nice bike trips to do - Great museums like Hergé ( Tintin ) , Victor Horta, Adolphe Sax , etc... I'm Belgian but there are alot things i hate in my country 1. Shops closing too early at 5pm or 6pm then all is kinda death , only supermarkets Delhaize/Carrefour are open to 8pm and some nightshops but carefull with those alot of their food are out of date . 2. The living in Belgium is kinda boring ( maybe because i live in here for too long ) but really wish someday Belgium could somewhat wake-up and be like America or other modern countries that is 24/24 lively . 3. The cabs are overpriced for tourists here + the busses alot of the times you don't have a seat so for people from a certain age isn't recommended at all . 4. The Restaurants half of them are way to overpriced for whats in your dish ( alot of the time it isn't fresh but only frozen stuff ) so be careful where to go eat . Belgium has mostly French Cuisine but slowly starts "finaly" to be more open to other Cuisines Thaïs,Japanese,Vietnamese,Africans,etc.... 5. The Mc Donalds burgers are not the same as those you have in America way too small and overpriced in Belgium , i love more Americans burgers they are more tasty . 6. The French spoken side of Belgium doesn't talk English very well so that is why the world only know Belgium language is Dutch/Flemish because for 75% they go to the Flanders . 7. The Traffic in Belgium is horrible careful if you rent a car some hours of the day are impossible surely in Brussels and around Nice video 'woltersworld' greets from Belgium
defiraphi What's waterzooi? Also It is not known for many that German is also an official language in Belgium (not spoken that much). Also it is known for way more things such as mussels, Atomium, Brussels capital of Europe, Brugge Venice of the North, diamonds, Manneken Pis, Brussels sprouts, pancakes, comic strips llike Tintin, Smurfs, etc.. and much more.
We as Belgians think it’s crappy (I don’t) but actually when you compere to other Europeans country’s we do a pretty good job! I mean I went on a train travel vacation in France and we had delays every single day! Here Belgium I haven’t one in 2 months and travel with the train everyday
If you really want to taste the top of the beer of Belgium, don't drink Leffe, Duvel, Hoegaerden, and all of the famous beers, but check out the artisan beers ... www.dedollebrouwers.be/ Trappist beer (made by monks): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer Urthel: www.urthel.com/en/home.htm Alvinne (site in dutch :-) ): users.telenet.be/biertoeren/AlvinneBieren.html Let us know if you've had some of those ;-)
Hey Woltersworld! I am an Belgian teen boy and I like to says that your video of Belgian perfect is! And it's true the public traffic is very good! But if you going ride with your car on the E40 (Belgium's importants expressway) you will think, what is this. We have always so manny traffic jams so i could say if you wanna ride from Blankenbergen to Antwerp it takes maybe 2 hours. But after 6PM it takes 3-4 hours! RIDICOULS! (sorry if my English isn't good! I learn it now allready 2 years in school)
As a belgian, i can tell the story of a school exchange program, between a flamish school and a wallonian school, and the pupils spoke English to each other, instead of French and Flamish, wich the teachers wanted to do
It's actually really refreshing to see someone rave about our public transport because all I hear in Belgium is people whine about it! :') But I like it as well!
J Biafra I take the train and tram every day, I take the bus a few days a week too. I've traveled like this since 5 years and I really can't see why people always seem to cry over it...
+Ruby-Lou Well depends on what line you take then i guess. I had to take one between 2 midd sized cities daily for a few years. Not crying about it but it was unpleasant. Used and still do bus, train, tram and outside of the rushhour is rather good. Tho during rush hours i prefure being in my car with the radio, coffee and a smoke without having to hear " sry " every 7 seconds when somebody bumps into me.
Just wanted to add a couple things about the beer. Most Belgian beers are higher in alcohol content than the beers you would find in the U.S. or Germany or I guess the rest of the planet. The Belgian beers I prefer are Chimay, Westmalle, Duvel, etc. Most are 8% alcohol and some are more than 10%. So one "triple" Belgian beer is really like drinking two regular American beers.
believe me I'm from belgium and I can tell you the public transport here is really bad loads of busses are way to late or just don't show up I got that problem today by coincidence and some other womens told me they had the same problem today with other busses but for the rest I have to say that you informated yourself pretty well about belgium :)
Michael Masillon I'm happy about our food it's good plus we have a lovely country though well depends where you are in belgium but I love it though hahaha ;) we still are positive people :p
Dina De Ryck : so true ! A friend of mine married a french girl. When they came to Liège, she was always amazed that despite the economical situation and poor state of the town we were still smiling in the streets.
+ChrisDroven Ahhh, those flemish who never put a step outside their lil' town/village and pretend to know the rest of the country. Yeah, I know that in Flanders some schools make trips to Charleroi and say "look, it's Wallonia" but having a friend who married a flemish girl she was amazed of what Wallonia REALLY is and so far of the shit your fucking nationalists placed in your school books. Her words ! Obviously, you never went to Visé (close to Maastricht, thus Limburg), Spa, Oreye, Namur or the Ardennes. In your eyes, what is so good in Flanders for tourists except Brugge or the Winn ? Flanders has become a huge land of concrete. At least, the dutches succeed to keep their "cachet" while being modern. I'd rather go to Maastricht than Riemst. And FYI, I'm from Luik and we have more in common with the folks from Limburg than a folk from Antwerpen has with them. So, culturally, I'm more close to a flemish than I am from a folk from Namur or Charleroi. You know the expression ? If the flemish nationalists didn't have the walloons, they would fight amongst themselves. Anvers Limbourg ;) Cheers from my shithole.
Michael Masillon LOL.... first of all im not neither flemish or belgian i am from italy and for my bad luck it happens to spent 3 years in belgium and it was by far the worst years in my life... belgium in general is a shithole except the flemish dutch speaking areas...in dutch speaking areas the situation is way more better then the rest of the country brussels and french speaking areas in general suck really bad... the society-people in the french speaking areas are like a 3rd world's country society rude, vulgar, prejudging ,closeminded people everywhere... but i guess you grew up in belgium so you are somehow used to that vulgar behavior mentality people have.. and probably because of this you cannot see or maybe... accept the truth.(that belgium sucks) most people who raised in belgium usually respond to the negative comments for belgium like this "ah we have the best country in europe and it is your idea that belgium sucks" lol the downsides of belgium is not the weather or the country looks, belgium in general is not a bad looking country. its the people who live there making belgium look like a shithole with their behavior and mentality....the way they stare,talk,or act its pure 3rd world mentality.... and is also by far one of the most worst depressive countries to live.
Great video ! From the Flemisch side here :) You missed that our cabs are way more expensive ! Seriously :D And the beer ! You mentioned Stella, thats bad :D Go for Jupiler :) You also missed the great chocolate :D And we do tip, if we feel the waitor deserves the tip. Witch doesn't happen that often :D We also have 3 languages, a part of belgium speaks German as wel. Great video though, enjoyed watching it! ( Sorry for the grammar foults :p )
+Tiff Poppe Really dude? Jupiler? Duvel, Orval, Triple Karmeliet, Rochefort, St Bernardus, Westvleteren (the fucking winner of the best beer in the world), etc, etc, etc... And you send the guy to taste Jupiler. No wonder Belgian beer is not as famous as it deserves, if Belgians tell people to drink Jupiler.
As a Belgian I have to respond to the bad service. Yup, We suck at that. It's not just a tourist thing :D And this: how can coins not be worth anything? Why do they exist? I don't get it.
+Katia Smets American coins aren't worth much at all. Unless its a quarter dollar coin, most Americans wouldn't even bother to pick one up off the sidewalk. I wind up dumping my change in a big bottle or bowl for months or years until it's worth it to cash it in for bills.
America does use dollar coins, they're just not common. Usually you have to go to a bank or post office and ask for them specifically. They're rare enough that a lot of people just wind up collecting them. I certainly do unless I accrue a huge amount of them. ...beyond those though, especially because many people don't carry coin wallets, change is so small in amount here that it's tedious to carry it.
Excellent as always, Marc. Two minor remarks. - Nothing about Antwerp in any of your videos on Belgium? Seriously? :-) - About the language thing: the country is bilingual, the people aren't. Over 95% grow up monolingual, like I did, and learn the 'other' language at school as a foreign language. Learning foreign languages is much more a part of the cultural identity in the north than it is in the south. Some years ago there was a survey by two universities (one Flemish, one Walloon) on how many people in either part were capable of expressing themselves somewhat decently in at least two foreign languages. Flanders: over 60%. Wallonia: less than 20%
I'd consider service pretty good, messed up orders aren't the norm and happen only with unexperienced waiting staff. Also while tips aren't needed, it's just nice to give them.
The service is not super? Yeah if you go in busy tourist places and expect respect without giving it back and behave obnoxiously. There's more to Belgian food than beer, mussels and fries... Fish and seafood in general is very traditional here. Also don't eat chips just anywhere, there are certain places famous for them, check the best places for them before you pick any random place. As for the beer, there's so many different kinds and Belgians are especially famous for their fruit beers as well (kriek - cherry, framboise - raspberry, pêche - peach, these are just the classics) The Belgian public transports suck and are way too expensive for their service, take it from someone who's lived in Belgium for over 20 years. Trains are almost always late, busses too, trams too, and they are cheaper than other european countries' but they are shit, pardon my French. Also, there are three national languages, not two; Flemish (and not Dutch as mentioned in the video, Dutch is in the Netherlands), French and German.
Surya T Well, officialy, dutch is the official language not flemish. Tho, like in wallonia, flemish is more used than dutch. Recently "Le Soir" made a pool about "wich belgian french are you using", with no surprise mine was legian.
Service in restaurants or bars is not bad, it might be in some tourist areas but try any restaurant, taverne, bistro, bar ... in any not tourist area and you'll see the service is excellent!
It's funny about the bad service... Every time I go in the US I'm thinking the same. Why does the waitress needs to interrupt you 5 times while having dinner to ask if your ok ??? And then they want a tip for annoying the hell out of ya 😂
Hey about the service/waiter thing, I've never had that happen to me before, so I guess you just had some crappy waiters ^^ Greeting from Belgium! Great video!
waiters in any big touristic city are like that. i once sat down in miami beach and we ordered coctails the waiter didnt even ask size and it wasn't on the card, so she gave us the biggest size wich costed 40$ each wich led to us having to pay 100 dolar for 3 coctails. never had anything like that in belgium but i agree that some touristic places have extremely unfriendly waiters. In louvain where i live its not like that at all. Also 100% true that belgium has top grade food. since it has the same orgins as the french cuisine, the food quality is simular; last year a belgian restaurant was declared best of europe.
***** too big. that bitch gave all of us a four man coctail yet we hadnt asked for it at all. the card said 19 bucks for a coctail and there weren't any other prices/sizes on it. that bitch even had the guts to give herself 17% tip on it. while we clearly said we were only giving 10%
@@bjornsantens9030 there are more Arabic speaking people in Belgium than German.. The fact that German is even an official language is a relic from a bygone era..
I've been working as a waiter and we do get paid a fair amount (as a student). And I do everything in my power to make the guests have a perfect time at the restaurant. So when you say not to tip, this really hurts... Some people do really work excellent so a tip once would be nice.
Im from belgium myself. Everything he said is true! Wolter, thx for ur honest review and next time ur in belgium and we cross eachother, i'll pay u a beer!
Indeed there are, but bear in mind that this video is aimed at tourists. Well the East cantons are great places to live, work, etc., they're not what you'd call a tourist attraction, so if you're visiting Belgium as a tourist, you're not likely to even come close to Eupen or St. Vith. Well, unless you're going to the Belgian Grand Prix.
i live in the german part... oh my god we are so Little People, we all know everybody in our area. But however, we all speak French fluently so german is actually not really worth beeing said at this Video. (sorry for my bad english)
Service isn't actually that bad .. But as you said . We dont need to slave away to have tips because they are payed 18+ dollars an hour . So it's ok as long as you respect them . It's by no means a low wage job in belgium , on the contrarie .. They go to shool for 4 years to get the degree to be able to serve people . (in restaurants that is ) in bars they are pretty trailorpark style agreed .
The service is mostly good and the most people in Flanders speak french but in Wallonia they speak only a little bit duch. Belgium is a really nice country and you should go to Lier, Antwerp! 😄
Michael Masillon a flemish person speaking french can actually sound like perfect french only when The person in case has a really strong accent that Fucks up their cillibles it can sound weird in The end we alsk speak english dumbfuck
We speak 3 official languages in Belgium. There is also a little German part (app 50.000 inhabitants) that even have an own government (like Flanders and Wallonia). I am from the Flemish part, but I think it's sad that they always forget them because they are the only ones who feel like 'Belgians'. In the North they are more Flemish and in the South they are more Walloon. So please remember them next time.
It is a Little bit weird they you said that Belgian people think it is your fault when they give you the wrong stuff, because i live in Belgium and i never heard of that
He just had that one experience. It was probably an honest miscommunication and the waiter didn't want to give in and said that he wrote down exactly what he asked.
+Pedolf Titler you have indeed a lot of students that work, and just want money, and they can be pretty salty from time to time, but... who isnt? they just dont care as much about the job, because thereare a lot of them that just want the money
No, every country has a good and bad thing. In America the service is much better, but Belgium is good too. We can arguing about service, but not about that in Belgium they do not have public restrooms.
Belgian here. I can only say that we are a pretty laid back people. Stores and restaurants etc do try their best to serve people right. If they blame the customer for a wrong order then that's horrible. Most of us will understand at least a little english, lots of us understand it well. I do think that Brugges is a good place to go. Or better yet, our beach. I live about a short bike ride away from Brugges and can say that I prefer the other cities, the people in Brugges seem a bit stressed. Better on the side of the coast. Our police will always try to help you, our hospitals and doctors are great, don't worry. Our food and bread contains less sugar then the food in the US. Perhaps the waiters seem unfriendly because they are paid a good wage and don't have to survive with tips, It allows them to be more honest. It can be a very stressfull job, I believe the people in the US pretend to be happier doing the job so they get better tips because the need them.
In the US, here where I live, you can choose food with more or less sugar or without added sugar, low fat or no fat. Wide variety. Stop saying that waiters are rude in Belgium because their salary is more. It is annoying to say.This is not an excuse for me. Here are nice people , waiter or no, just because they are nice people. A little smile and nice word instead rude does not cost any money. Yes, Belgians can be more organized and care more about everything. It is not a crime and if they improve toward a good way it just will be fine. One example: in the neighborhood at night people were very loud, music, dancing, singing, yelling, etc... We could not sleep. Nobody cared, so we had to call the police. The whole street could not sleep, but nobody called the police. They did not care, even not about themselves. This can be a problem.
Nice and pretty accurate video you've made! As a Belgian, I just didn't really agree with what you said about public transport (as our buses and trains are hardly ever clean or on time), but then again that wasn't really your point and indeed, you can get anywhere in Belgium by public transport. Also, many, many thanks for not calling our fries "french fries". That's by far our biggest frustration, they're not french but Belgian! :P
Personally, I'm *so happy* America lost. Merely because we both know Americans would've never let it go, and the next cup isn't for four years. We'd be watching "How America Won The Cup" at our local theatres in 2015.
Because of the beer's you mentioned it is very clear you have only been in touristic places. Do not expect great service in touristic restaurant's and bars. Great video, very funny to hear we have great public transport because we mostly hate it. :) And actually maybe should not complain.
I will move to Brussels and do not speak French yet. So if I accidentally ask you in English for something, just tell me that you are the devil from the youtube and I will ask somebody else. Haha!!!
We just came back and the found the people to be VERY friendly and helpful. People came up to us to offer assistance and we didn't even ask! In the supermarket, you scan your groceries in your cart and hand the scanner to the cashier and pay!! Not in America!
No In America you do not work for the store as customer. They scan your stuff, they weight your stuff, they pack your stuff and if you need help, they help you carry your heavy bag.
+Arne Maeschaelck You must be proud after a sentence like that, but we south people love OUR country (yeah we do still share it, whether you like it or not) and that means Flanders too. We are aware that some regions of Wallonia are making us weaker overall, but please don't assume we are all lazy and parasites. Xoxo from a guy studying in Louvain la Neuve, raised in Luxembourg.
+Nicolas Dewaele I'm sorry, but I have quite a lot of friends in wallonia and they all speak French (and a little English). I live in Flanders and I speak Dutch AND French AND English very well. It disgusts me that people from wallonia come here and automatically start talking French, they don't do any effort at all to speak Dutch. I'd never speak Dutch in wallonia, and if I would, I believe more than 90% won't even understand, or won't even want to understand me. I sure know people that take the effort to learn Dutch as well. And let's be real here: I think Flanders (and Brussels) is just more important in general. Not necessarily the language, but Flanders itself… Not tryna be rude, but tryna be realistic over here. Xoxo from Leuven
Lieg toch niet, ik heb honderden vlamingen gezien dat nog niet eens frans konden spreken. Wilt ge gratis anti wallonië reclame maken nu ookk aan de buitenwereld? Hou het in belgïe. Walen zijn warmere gastvrije mensen vergeleken met vlamingen waar ge soms uw polsen wilt oversnijden met zo een hatelijke afgunstige associale kutmentaliteit.
+Scorpion MK City mentallity isn't countyside Mentality, stop generelize. I know some french, i'm just not good at it, because i suck at languages, even my native language...
I live in Belgium and I never had any problems with service/waiters, i think they are all friendly but not pushy like in the US (i actually hate when waiters come every five minutes to check if everything is okay, it's so annoying 😂)
Hahaha this is so funny to watch as a Belgian, btw I am from Leuven where you are filming this :p And what you say about tips, please never give tips.. It's included in the price so you're giving money you really don't need to give. Just pay the bill here in Belgium nothing extra and everybody is happy!
+SofieBollenn Ge kunt wel fooi geven, was da nu voor een comment? Als een serveerster u heel vriendelijk behandeld, je bent snel geholpen, snel afgeruimd. Kortom, ze heeft haar best gedaan om het zo aangenaam mogelijk te maken, dan verdiend die toch zeker fooi? Fooi word nog steeds in een fooipotje gestoken, niet op de loonbrief gestort. If the waitres diserves a tip, tip her for godsake...
+Tiff Poppe is voor niets nodig... je wordt hier genoeg betaald (for sure als student) om gewoon je job te doen, en normaal gezien ga je je best wel doen als je ook maar iets van positieve reacties wil achter laten... een fooi is niet nodig, het is niet je loon. bijna alle fooi gaat nog niet eens naar de persoon zelf... je kan het wel doen... maar in amerika is het een "must" om een fooi te geven van (10-25% fzoiets kweet ni) van de prijs van uw bestelling... daarom dat ze meer aandringen, heletijd vragen of alles inorde is, en glimlachen hele tijd om zo aardig mogelijk over te komen, om zoveel mogelijk fooi te krijgen... ze worden betaald van de fooi die ze zelf krijgen. als de prijs van het eten naar benede gaat en mensen niet betaald worden, dan geef je fooien... het is hier al duur genoeg om te gaan ete... (niet overal ofc)
Food service in Belgium IS good. We just don't want our waiters to hound over us asking us if everything is okay every five minutes and interrupting conversation. Here, we want waiters to come when we ask them to, take our order, bring our order timely and leave. No fake laughing or acting like they're happy. This way, when someone actually smiles and seems upbeat, it comes across as genuine. Whenever I'm in the US, I can't help but get the feeling every waiter is acting happy because they are told to. Its disingenuous and not pleasant at all.
you're goddamn right.
grimmen 444 I also don't really know where he gets the whole "getting orders wrong" from. I don't know what restaurants he's going to that this is more than a "once in a while" occurrence.
Indeed. I'm Belgian too and when I go to the U.S. waiters ask you ever fucking 5 minutes whether everything's OK, or if you'd like to have something to drink, or if you need something?
I get that they're trying to be nice but just let me eat…
Arne Maeschaelck They are being nice, but at the same time, they also really want that tip...
It's the usual thing of a foreign country not being the same, so it must be bad.
True, the only time i like to see a waiter is when he/she takes my order, brings the food or drinks and finally brings the bill. that is what i expect, i don't want them to hover arround me, i feel like watched. This is a Belgian talking.
The public transport is amazing, said no Belgian ever :)
It's only the tourists who are happy about it :)
+woltersworld belgian people who rely on public transport on a daily basis are not that happy because the trains and busses are always late :p It is cheap tho, 1.30€ for a 1 hour bus drive and for 20€ you can go from one side to the other side of the country by train
+CharelJos Said no native ever. No one likes their local transit. Compared to other places it's pretty good.
The public transporting is amazing boom and I'm a Belgian-American
+Electron Charge But they are on strike to often.
As a Belgian waitress, I am a bit offended. I did go to the US before and I hate it when they interrupt all the time to ask if everything is ok. Here we have a routine of how we serve customers. First we ask if they want an appetizer, if so we will let the food wait and keep an eye on their drinks before telling the kitchen to let the food come. In the meantime we ask them what they want to drink with their food. And by the time they get their drinks, the food will be ready. And if something is wrong, people will wave at us or call us, it's not a big deal. We walk around and look and smile at the people to let them know we're there. And well we are only human. Of course we can make a mistake, but that doesn't mean it's bad service. Before judging, try to imagine yourself doing our job. People really underestimate it. Hell, I underestimated it.
I as a belgian have only ammiration for you and im sure that's for all of the other belgians the same. I wouldn't stand it if someone interrupted my meal or conversation whole the time.
Sorry, but it is a bullshit system. Don't expect the same system in the whole world. Doesn't matter how a person is paid (and believe me, in Belgium there is a huge bullshit in HORECA, maybe even bigger at the moment than in USA), according to your own salary, if you are happy with the service - you should tip, that is all. If you are not - you don't. People shouldn't be depended on the customer's mood, they have to be paid minimum or more. If somebody is willing to pay a bonus - they should do it. It is simple as that. And such videos are truly hurting to the people working in hospitality. We all are doing our best doesn't matter which country we are working in.
Cut in US they work for tips. That's why service is times better in the US.
I heard it before. Belgium is boring, it's quiet, it's dead... But you're just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Belgium has a lot of festivals and stuff in the summer, for only being such a small country... You can't judge a country from it's mayor cities only. Minor cities and even villages are way more beautiful, i bet you haven't seen 't meetjesland or 't Zwin before. Just the sound of the wind, the smell of the sea... or even the hills from South-West-Flanders. Tiegem is a small village on top a hill, looking down upon De Schelde. and the sloping landscape. It's a touristic place for cyclers. They really like just the view. If you like Tiegem, there is even De Kemmelberg, Dranouter (village), way more then the normal tourist can see
ESC World EUROVISIONNNNNNNN :3
The service isn't good only for Americans. There is no one else that complains about service but Americans. It's because french and Belgian waiters are professional, they're not slaves. If you want to be served, you have to ask. Waiters aren't going to hang around your table to serve you, they have better things to do
What? Waiters is Belgium are not to serve people, because they have better things to do??? You really should not say that.
You learn inn the school for 4 years, that you as a waiter are not to serve your people, because you have something better idea to do??? Are you serious? And you guys are wondering why people are saying that waiters are rude in Belgium. Their opinion comes from somewhere, right now from your own mouth. As I know, I do not have to ask, because by the time I step into any restaurant, people there always ask me. Just tell in which restaurant are you working and very simply I never set my feet there.
nicely said couldn't said it better myself
Try a real Michelin! 2 or 3 waiters waiting, without the begging!
@@agotapongor2069 They meant that the servers won't be hanging around you, they would be for example bringing drinks to other people, or serve other people, it's quite an efficient system
Wrong way:french fries right way: belgian fries
Andreas Inniger with mayo ;)
Andreas Inniger no in belgium it is : frieten not belgian fries
Haha ya
Andreas Inniger the 'french' part stands for the way of cutting them, not the country. so belgian fries don't exist. right way: french fries.
666Dubhe you have no idea !!!
Iemand Belgisch hier?😏
Ik!
West-Vlaamse
Ik 🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪
Lara Unicorn IKKE
ik LEUVEN
West-vlaanderen🙌🙌
"The public transport in belgium is amazing" said no belgian ever XD
Because it's not true they always late
bro im from belgium buth i wanna go to the US its so fk beautiful in the US🙏
Hm.. no. that's just.. not true at all.
It is amazing... WHEN they ride on time. Which is... almost never.
I really don't get all the bashing Belgium is receiving in the comments area.
From my experience: people are reserved, but nice and polite. Streets and public services are clean. Trains arrive on time (unless there's a strike, which is rare as far as I can tell), same thing for buses. Education (KULeuven) and health care systems are top notch. The food is very enjoyable, the beer and the chocolate are excellent. I also noticed everyone complaining about "bad" customer service, I can't relate to that: from my experience, people were polite and professionals.
On the other hand, prices are high, weather is shitty (during the cold season at least).
Anyway, I think the bashing Belgium is getting is unjustified. I actually think that Belgians smile too fucking much, which is very annoying from my perspective.
In the hot season its also pretty cold
amber bouchier Talk to them and see them smile
I'm from Beglium and I can tell you loads of people look dirty at you but you still have a few that are really kind and polite but that happens rarely and busses really can come too late over here I can tell you I got that problem today and it wasn't a strike it just happens loads of times some other people told me they had the same problem as well with other busses today
kaatje P. Most summers the temperature doesn't go under 20°C and extremes over 30°C aren't that uncommon. I wouldn't call that pretty cold..
kaatje P. Don't worry global warming will resolve that !
the public transport is so great because the country is one of the highest population density countries of the world. but there is a saying in Belgium: you have a higher chance of being hit by a bus than the bus actually arriving on time :p.
thumbs up if you're Belgian!
Along the Lane Dutch but my gf is belgian
I am belgian
Hallo
@@creepar3428, and racist!
Ik ben van belgie
Why do they always forget there also is a German speaking part in Belgium. Belgians have 3 official languages, which are Dutch, French and German.
This is an old comment, but I'll give it a shot in hopes of a reply: How often is it that you come across German spoken? I know it's predominantly spoken on the East side and from what I've heard, with a distinct dialect. I'm asking because I plan to be learning German for college reasons, but know that Belgium is easier to get a Visa (if you can find work).
only 1% of the belgians speak german, so, unless you got to Eupen, you wont find anyone
Standard German is used in the communes of Eupen, Lontzen, Kelmis, Raeren, Bütgenbach, Amel, Sankt-Vith and Burg-Reuland. Aside of standard German, they also speak German dialects (even though the dialects of the first three towns would be considered more Dutch).
Bordering communes of which the inhabitants speak a Dutch-German dialect, but the standard language is French are Baelen, Welkenraedt, Blieberg/Plombières and Aubel. A small part of the commune of Gouvy and the whole region of Arelerland originally (and currently as minority) also speak German dialects.
Nevertheless, only just less than 1% of the population speaks standard German as their prefered language.
R. V. B. You are well informed i see and most of your informations are right.
BUT!?! Are you sure about the 1% . We sure are a small part of this country but i really think that 1% ain‘t enough.
Around 76,650 people in Belgium are registered as German-speaking and Belgium has a population of around 11,358,000 people. Making a calculation, it turns out the percentage is even smaller; (76650/11358000)*100= 0.67%
The chocolate is terrific too. I found the tram drivers are extremely, unexpectedly helpful. We were staying at an old fashion Alpine Inn type of place, with shared baths, pine walls, A-frame ceilings etc. after taking the train from Paris, we got on the right tram, got off at the right stop but could not see the hotel. The driver leaves the tram, at the light and walks us to the hotel. Belgians are like the French with smiles and kindness
French aren't as friendly actually.
you mean unlike the french ! I lived 9 years in france and in 1 day in brussels I've seen the difference ! Belgians seemed tp be much more firendly and warm, no comparison with the french who are really cold, indifferent and even very rude somentimes.
Yes, the whole world knows that!!!
dude never ever compare me with a french one because i fuck you up you go crying back to your country
If the public transport in Belgium is good then what is the public transport like in the US? Holly Shit!
That is a question I approve.
Yes, some place, cities in US have a good public transport, others don't.
Stijn de Heus i know its bad with us (belgium) but the USA is far worse...thats why they have so much more cabs
Yh really! Right?
The US public transportation is almost nonexistent
don't forget we also got a german part
+bob cramer Don't mention the war
They should be lucky that in WW2, the american took Belgium and not the Russians, cant believe that Belgium people still allow their country to have a king after they lost their country to the Nazis.
+jason4275 Well americans seem to think they won the world war all by themselfs :P when in actuallity the russians beat germany
Ward Brown True the Russian won Europe but they lost any good history written about them because of all the terrible crimes they committed, the allies in the west return all the countries back to its original owners, while the Russian oppressed all their oucpied territories.
Ward Brown I'm American, and I know better. My grandpa was a three War veteran, but when he fought in World War II he fought in Japan, not Europe
As a citizen of the "Great" Belgian country, I disagree with the public trasportation. Trains and metros are all in all very reliable, but sometimes the busses can be late for about 10 - 30 minutes. And they tend to go on strike A LOT! Especially in Walonia. Great video tho! love it!
Have you ever even tried to travel with public transport in the USA? Trains between Washington and New York every two hours and only with reservation, not for a seat but to get in. There was no platform so we had to climb in with luggage and backpacks. We had several unexplainable stops and arrived in NYC one hour late.
So compared to the USA, public transport in Belgium is heaven on earth.
As a Belgian I have to point out that the beers he mentioned are considered to be in the lower end of the scale. Instead, go for Tripel Karmeliet, Gouden Carolus, Rochefort, Delirium Tremens,... The northsea shrimp is something very specific and unique to try as well.
Blazakske it's delicious just the name is really not it 🤣😅
Waarom Delirium Tremens, dat bier is nu ook niet zo goed. Tis niet eens heel bekend, hoe is dat één van de eerste 4 aanraders dat je weet.
Van de bieren dat hij had gezegd, Stella is een goede pils, kvind het beter dan Jupiler, ma kzou inderdaad aannemen als toerist dat je iets specialers wilt dan een gewone pils. Leffe is een goed budgetbier voor stoofvlees, en tis ook niet per se slecht om te drinken (vind ik, kheb al andere meningen gehoord). Als toerist zijn er wss betere opties dan Leffe. De rest ken ik niet genoeg.
After that short discussion, I'll also give some of my own recommendations. I wholeheartedly agree with the other recommendations, but other good ones are Westmalle Tripel, Sint-Bernardus, Chimay and West-Vleteren. La Trappe also is good, but I think it's over the border with the Netherlands. The Trappist beers are often considered the best, so with them, you can't really go wrong, though Orval really does have an odd taste, and how much I enjoy it differs each time I drink it. (It used to be my favourite, but I liked it less when I drank it after a few years, nowadays, I've started enjoying it more again, though not as much as when it was my favourite beer)
If you're a bit more experimental, you'll find local beers everywhere, so if you'll look around for long enough, you'll definitely find something you like, even if you don't like to walk the paths frequently taken.
@@daandevos122 Delirium niet bekend? Dat heeft al eens de prijs 'best beer in the world' ontvangen. Huyghe is verrevan mijn favoriete brouwerij, maar Delerium hoort erbij... Ik wou gewoon wat verschillende types aanraden, ipv vier tripels of vier bruine... Mijn favoriete bieren van het moment zijn Ouwen Duiker en Wilde Beest, maar dat lijkt me een pak moeilijker te vinden voor buitenstaanders, en IPA's hebben ze elders ook, dus...
@@ozirc Heeft Delirium waarlijks die prijs al gewonnen, dat wist ik niet. Kwist niet dat het zo'n bekend bier was.
Tis niet dat ik delirium niet moet hebben, maar ik ken vrij veel mensen die het niet zo'n goed bier vinden, en ik heb het eigenlijk alleen nog maar in 1 cafe in Gent gezien. Kheb ook nog niet echt erachter rondgekeken in winkels of zo, maar kheb het nog nooit zien staan.
De glazen zijn wel echt goed, daar moet ik het eens mee zijn.
Also you can define belgium's food quite easily , the french cuisine , but with more harty meals and portioned like a german or a texan would . Flemisch carbonnades are to die for !
Fries, chocolate, waffles and beer.
I'm born here, and I toured all of Belgium with an American girl... It was great, seeing my country through the eyes of a tourist made me appreciate it so much more... When born around all the medieval architecture and stuff, it seems normal, but it really is magnificent compared to certain regions in the world. So is this video!
I'm from belgium myself and it's crazy how many people go to spain or to france while you can do so much stuff here, there's alot to do in the regional capitals (like bruges and ghent and antwerp for example.) you can go to the coast, you can go to the ardennes (large forested area, you could camp there.) you can go to theme parks. it's all here.
As a belgian I can say the public transport is bad, trains and busses are always to late ALWAYS :)
Not like Always, it even improved the last years, ok not like perfect, but who is ? is it a crime that a train arrivés 5 minutes late ? i take trains to work every day and i can live with it. the problem with our railways or bus services is the lack of information when something is wrong or went wrong.
***** and when something went wrong, your stuck in a train for many hours if there is a problem( you can 't go out of the train ffs)
That's also true, but i believe no matter what the lack of communication is a problem. When your stuck in a train, people like to know why ? When you're standing on a platform to wait for a train that doesn't show up, you'll like to know when a train will arrive. I spent lots of hours on platform with no communication.
***** true
MatisseLovesGaming ikr
I live in Ghent/Belgium :p and honestly.. good public transport? It sucks! Okay, maybe we have it in almost every village, but.. It's ALWAYS too late! The busses, trams and even trains are never on time, they're always delayed! And the fact that you can go from east to west or north to south in 2 hours, is just because it's a small country :) not because the public transport is so good. The service in pubs and restaurants is not bad at all. It just depends on where you're going. Our cities are booming though :) I see more and more tourists passing in the streets every day :-) Come and visit!
lisa laeremans Yeah, my Belgian friends told me every Belgian would disagree with me on this one :) but compared to other countries we travel to... Belgium does pretty good :)
Wow, then public transport is real bad everywhere :p
Something else I thought of by the way, about drinking beer in Belgium: you can drink beer at age 16. I heard that the age for drinking alcohol in America is 21, so that would be a big difference too.
Belgium transport is not always late man! -.-" you have bus/tram and train throughout the whole country. there is no place you can't go, you might have to wait sometimes because there is something that we call Traffic...
Btw, go to Ghent at night!! beautiful lights
Also keep in mind he's comparing public transport to the public transport in the US. There are probably plenty of things we can still improve to our public transport if we compare it to some of our neighbouring countries, but it really isn't all that bad as we usually think it is.
we do have great public transport if you compair to the U.S.
reason? Our country is as big as Michelle Obama's vegetable garden ;-) almost every place in Belgium is connected by public transport.
We have trains, busses, tram's, metro, ... In the US they only have deacent public transport in big cities.
Few corrections:
1) The new public transport is nice and clean but the older buses en trains feel like they have never been cleaned. And also if you are in a hurry don't depend on the public transport.
2) Belgium is know for its beer but Hoegaarden en leffe are the basic ones
3) The service you get depends on where you go. Don't go to ghetto ratchet places and you will be fine. As for tipping, you should tip if the service was good, nobody expects you to tip lots of money, just tip what you can miss and it's totally fine
5) Don't expect people to accept your 500€ & 200€ bills in a restaurant or small stores, unless the amount you have to pay is very close to those two bills
So happy you don't forget to travel to our little country! It's relatively small but we have some amazingly beautiful cities, great food and a lot of fun things to do. Also very happy to hear that you love my hometown Ghent 😄
Thank you. I have a bunch of new belgium videos but my hard drive fried so I'm hoping they can be saved. I will find out in August.
Some fine beer you may want to try in Belgium:
- Affligem Patersvat
- Chouffe / Chouffe Soleil
- Maredsous Blonde / Maredsous Triple
- Tripel Karmeliet
- Trappe Quadruple
- Barbar
- Noir de Dottignie
- Chimay Bleue
- Orval
- Pêche Mel Bush
(non-exhaustiv list ;) )
For the regular pils I recommend Maes or Vedett
you can find a lot of those in Brussels in places like the Delirium & the Floris (same street - very touristic - you can also drink absinthe in the floris) or in little cafés like Moeder Lambiek and less touristic spots. theres also fairly large choice in the regular supermarkets.
Enjoy!
I wonder what experiences you had with waiters. Though I have to admit that in tourist areas, the quality of the service (and the food) is often lower. As new tourists arrive every day, the bars and restaurants don't have to bond with their clients as regular bars with local clients. So as a tip, I'd say to avoid eating on grand squares or on busy places, but try to find a bar or restaurant in a smaller street (or a smaller village), and you'll be served well.
And pay alot less I live in menen you pay like 120€ for four in a restaurant in Brussels but here in Menen I pay like 60 like holy!
And sweets are awesome too. I’ve been living in Austria for the past few years now and one of the things I miss most about Belgium are the sweets. Seriously, they’re amazing. Everything from Lotus, pralines, other chocolate, waffles, it’s great.
I live in Brussels and I mention you forgot our chocolate. We have one of the best and we have tons and I mean tons of chocolate shops. Mostly we even have chocolate fountains where jou take a marshmallow and put it under the hot chocolate fountain. Its freaking delicious I once tried it and its amazing!! The thoughts of it alone.😋
Yay beers! Belgian beers are great. We're not very chauvinistic, except when it comes to beer. Seriously, now, America has some great small brews as well, but they're quite hard to get here. Not every Belgian beer is as good, but we do have an enormous choice and variety, such as wheat beers, cherry beers, redbrown ales, sour ales, abbey style beers...
Other specialty dishes are Flemish stew (stoofvlees), américain (minced raw meat with pickles and oignons), Gentse waterzooi, boulettes liégeoises (meat balls with a brown sauce made with typical syrup made of pears and apples), paling in 't groen, and the chocolates.
Public transport is great, but could be better, on some lines, last trains run before 10 pm, there are delays, etc. The biggest advantage of Belgium, is it's size. You can get everywhere in a couple of hours driving or travelling, and one medium sized historic city is already visible from another one.
In restaurants, a token tip is generally enough, but don't feel to guilty for picking up all of your change.
You mentioned Dutch and French, but there is a small German community as well, to the east, close to the German border and Aachen.
barvdw+ My mother who was from Wallonie made the best carbonade. Aachen=Aix la Chapelle! Charlemagne was born in what is now Belgium(Herstal). As far as the trains are concerned I found them to always be on time, to the minute (as posted on the clock).
As a Belgian guy, I approve of this video
+Sebastiaan De Bruyn thank you!
+woltersworld I'm Belgian and I think your video is very interesting.
+Wolters World as do i
only the servifs or i just only know good restourants
Youre belgian i mean iam belgian
Our public transport is really bad. If the bus/metro/tram/train comes it is mostly always late, and they don't always come. There are a lot of strikes too, so than they absolutely don't come. The service in restaurants is really good. I have heard that in the US waiters are constantly coming to you asking if everything is okay and constantly interrupting you while you're dining. In Belgium that is seen as rude, so I think that is maybe why you would think the service is bad. We also have a little part where they speak German. When we tip we mostly give 1 or 2 euros.
When you visit Belgium, don't limit yourself to the big city centres (Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven,...) but also explore some of the beautiful countryside (Heuvelland, Westhoek, Flemish Ardens, Kempen,...). A nice drive through these relaxing landscapes is strongly recommended, as you could really discover the true Belgian spirit.
Olivier Demeyere+ You are right. The last time I was in Belgium, we took a bus tour of the Valley of the Meuse. We visited many small towns and the masterpiece was the visit of the Chateau de Godefroy de Boullion. It was great.
The thing is, most Belgians don't even know what good beer is. So they would recommend things like Hoegaarden, Stella or Leffe to foreners. Whilst we have some great brewerys like Dochter vd korenaar, Struise brouwers, Chimay, het anker.. But i would say in all fairness, the world has been catching up with our beers for a few years now. My favorite beers are actualy beers from other countries. Countries like Holland, Estonia and aspecially the US are making awesome stuff.
I'm a waiter in Belgium. I actually do appreciate a tip for my service. It's not about the money you're giving, it's about the appreciation you're showing for the job. BUT, indeed, it's your own personal choice, bad service is bad service, but good service shouldn't be left unnoticed. And btw, Public transport sucks.
Tom Bylemans every Belgian hates the public transport and all the tourists love it... and when I filmed this a guy came up to me and told me that all the locals hate the public transport and all th etourist love it andhe didn't understand why :) it was pretty funny
woltersworld That's what I was going to comment on... The public transport is amazing if you go from city to city, but in the countryside you might have have to walk an hour to catch a bus passing by twice every day. And strikes are becoming more common; the train operater's union is now striking every Saturday during the summer.
Probably you do not save your smile from your customers for "BETTER THINGS", hahaha!!!!
We speak also german in belgium! ;)
What tourist rly cares? It has like 1% of the belgians dude.
Thank you for giving this positive review about my country!
Lemon Grass Ja he.
Overall, you cover it... BUT service isn't bad, it is that they don't pester you to get out. Cultural difference. It is understood that you will probably be there for some time... as far as 'wrote it down improperly' that has not been my experience. In tourist centers it may be different, but throughout the country, I have found that service has been better than in France or Germany. I also find that the general population, while aloof, will equally engage once you make the effort -and- once you initiate the effort, they are awesome! Belgium is a gem often overlooked... make the effort, it is worth a visit.
an other difference between Belgium and America is the drinking age :D you guys have to wait till 21 while we can start drinking when we're 16 :D
you should be proud of it lol
It's gunny being a Belgian, the public transport is really good (train, tram, bus and even metro at some cities), a lot of Belgians complain about it for being late al the time. But just one car driving terrible costs a lot of time for a bus. Too many people crossing the train tracks costs the trains a lot of time, and even some trains stay stationed while waiting at other trains to lake sure the people can get from one train on the other. I almost never had to wait a lot of time...
As a Belgian, I'm kind of amazed you tell that the public transport is awesome :p
Public transport is awesome compared to here in the UK. I should have been there this week. Sadly we had to cancel. Right now I should be having my evening meal before heading up to the Mennin Arch. Probably have went to Poperinge or Oostende tomorrow. I believe the train to Oostende is 22 or 24 mins past the hour. It always left on time
I don't agree with you on the "bad service". First of all you can walk into any place and speak 4 different languages ( dutch, french, english or german ), and expect a response in that language back which is quite nice and you don't see in many other countries. Other than that I usually see very ( in a real way, not trying to get a very big tip) friendly servers and you can get in and out most places rather quickly, and had a very nice meal.
thank you for this video! Belgium is a great country!!
Vera Vandeurzen you are very welcome!
If you visit Belgium again you should go to Antwerp to the “bier central” cafe they have almost every Belgian beer.
Things that is worldwide know in Belgium is ;
- Chocolate
- Beer
- Waffles from Brussels or Liege/Luik
- Waterzooi
- 3 spoken languages Dutch/Flemish ( same language) , French and German
- Old architectures
- Nice bike trips to do
- Great museums like Hergé ( Tintin ) , Victor Horta, Adolphe Sax , etc...
I'm Belgian but there are alot things i hate in my country
1. Shops closing too early at 5pm or 6pm then all is kinda death , only supermarkets Delhaize/Carrefour are open to 8pm and some nightshops but carefull with those alot of their food are out of date .
2. The living in Belgium is kinda boring ( maybe because i live in here for too long ) but really wish someday Belgium could somewhat wake-up and be like America or other modern countries that is 24/24 lively .
3. The cabs are overpriced for tourists here + the busses alot of the times you don't have a seat so for people from a certain age isn't recommended at all .
4. The Restaurants half of them are way to overpriced for whats in your dish ( alot of the time it isn't fresh but only frozen stuff ) so be careful where to go eat . Belgium has mostly French Cuisine but slowly starts "finaly" to be more open to other Cuisines Thaïs,Japanese,Vietnamese,Africans,etc....
5. The Mc Donalds burgers are not the same as those you have in America way too small and overpriced in Belgium , i love more Americans burgers they are more tasty .
6. The French spoken side of Belgium doesn't talk English very well so that is why the world only know Belgium language is Dutch/Flemish because for 75% they go to the Flanders .
7. The Traffic in Belgium is horrible careful if you rent a car some hours of the day are impossible surely in Brussels and around
Nice video 'woltersworld' greets from Belgium
defiraphi What's waterzooi?
Also It is not known for many that German is also an official language in Belgium (not spoken that much).
Also it is known for way more things such as mussels, Atomium, Brussels capital of Europe, Brugge Venice of the North, diamonds, Manneken Pis, Brussels sprouts, pancakes, comic strips llike Tintin, Smurfs, etc.. and much more.
Amghannam with waterzooi she means it rains alot , yet in the summer its hot as fuck
President Edo you do realize it's also a dish made from chicken or fish, vegies, cream and potatoes
.
Chibi Max Probably but most belgians and most dutch understand (what i said in my comment ) that from that word
We as Belgians think it’s crappy (I don’t) but actually when you compere to other Europeans country’s we do a pretty good job! I mean I went on a train travel vacation in France and we had delays every single day! Here Belgium I haven’t one in 2 months and travel with the train everyday
I'm belgian and your video is REALLY good ^^
Willeke Meers thanks :)
+woltersworld but we have three main languages. I really love your vids.
+Denis tholomé it was great, but in my opinion you summed up the worst of the beers we have to offer ;) .
+woltersworld You forgot one language, we have 3 languages: Dutch, French and German (in the east).
update for 2015 : bring your anti jihad helmet
As a Belgian I have to admit, this guy is right in every way!
If you really want to taste the top of the beer of Belgium, don't drink Leffe, Duvel, Hoegaerden, and all of the famous beers, but check out the artisan beers ...
www.dedollebrouwers.be/
Trappist beer (made by monks): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer
Urthel: www.urthel.com/en/home.htm
Alvinne (site in dutch :-) ): users.telenet.be/biertoeren/AlvinneBieren.html
Let us know if you've had some of those ;-)
Hey Woltersworld!
I am an Belgian teen boy and I like to says that your video of Belgian perfect is!
And it's true the public traffic is very good! But if you going ride with your car on the E40 (Belgium's importants expressway) you will think, what is this. We have always so manny traffic jams so i could say if you wanna ride from Blankenbergen to Antwerp it takes maybe 2 hours. But after 6PM it takes 3-4 hours! RIDICOULS!
(sorry if my English isn't good! I learn it now allready 2 years in school)
watched ur video, dont really know why coz i'm belgian but really nice presentation, ty for spreading good words about us ;)
As a belgian, i can tell the story of a school exchange program, between a flamish school and a wallonian school, and the pupils spoke English to each other, instead of French and Flamish, wich the teachers wanted to do
LOL. You picked the best day to post this video. I loved Belgium. :)
glad I could help ;)
we love you too.
Loved? So you don't love it anymore?
come back soon.
fuck belgium
I'm from Brussels. Please, don't forget to see the "Grand-Place" - one of the most beautiful place in the world! Great video!!!!!
It's actually really refreshing to see someone rave about our public transport because all I hear in Belgium is people whine about it! :') But I like it as well!
no it suks
+bjorn Cauwenberghs At least it's relatively cheap compared to other countries!
J Biafra I take the train and tram every day, I take the bus a few days a week too. I've traveled like this since 5 years and I really can't see why people always seem to cry over it...
J Biafra lol en ik ben geen tourist btw :')
+Ruby-Lou Well depends on what line you take then i guess. I had to take one between 2 midd sized cities daily for a few years. Not crying about it but it was unpleasant. Used and still do bus, train, tram and outside of the rushhour is rather good. Tho during rush hours i prefure being in my car with the radio, coffee and a smoke without having to hear " sry " every 7 seconds when somebody bumps into me.
Just wanted to add a couple things about the beer. Most Belgian beers are higher in alcohol content than the beers you would find in the U.S. or Germany or I guess the rest of the planet. The Belgian beers I prefer are Chimay, Westmalle, Duvel, etc. Most are 8% alcohol and some are more than 10%. So one "triple" Belgian beer is really like drinking two regular American beers.
Matthew Boucher : Long live the blue Chimay !
You are right, except the fact that American beer can't be called "beer", I would call it water with flavors of beer
believe me I'm from belgium and I can tell you the public transport here is really bad loads of busses are way to late or just don't show up I got that problem today by coincidence and some other womens told me they had the same problem today with other busses but for the rest I have to say that you informated yourself pretty well about belgium :)
Dina De Ryck Belgians are never happy, the comparison comes from a US folk.
Michael Masillon I'm happy about our food it's good plus we have a lovely country though well depends where you are in belgium but I love it though hahaha ;) we still are positive people :p
Dina De Ryck : so true ! A friend of mine married a french girl. When they came to Liège, she was always amazed that despite the economical situation and poor state of the town we were still smiling in the streets.
+ChrisDroven Ahhh, those flemish who never put a step outside their lil' town/village and pretend to know the rest of the country.
Yeah, I know that in Flanders some schools make trips to Charleroi and say "look, it's Wallonia" but having a friend who married a flemish girl she was amazed of what Wallonia REALLY is and so far of the shit your fucking nationalists placed in your school books. Her words !
Obviously, you never went to Visé (close to Maastricht, thus Limburg), Spa, Oreye, Namur or the Ardennes.
In your eyes, what is so good in Flanders for tourists except Brugge or the Winn ? Flanders has become a huge land of concrete. At least, the dutches succeed to keep their "cachet" while being modern. I'd rather go to Maastricht than Riemst.
And FYI, I'm from Luik and we have more in common with the folks from Limburg than a folk from Antwerpen has with them. So, culturally, I'm more close to a flemish than I am from a folk from Namur or Charleroi.
You know the expression ? If the flemish nationalists didn't have the walloons, they would fight amongst themselves. Anvers Limbourg ;)
Cheers from my shithole.
Michael Masillon
LOL....
first of all im not neither flemish or belgian
i am from italy and for my bad luck it happens to spent 3 years in belgium and it was by far the worst years in my life...
belgium in general is a shithole except the flemish dutch speaking areas...in dutch speaking areas the situation is way more better then the rest of the country
brussels and french speaking areas
in general suck really bad...
the society-people in the french speaking areas are like a 3rd world's country society
rude, vulgar, prejudging ,closeminded people everywhere...
but i guess you grew up in belgium so you are somehow used to that vulgar behavior mentality people have..
and probably because of this you cannot see or maybe... accept the truth.(that belgium sucks)
most people who raised in belgium usually respond to the negative comments for belgium like this "ah we have the best country
in europe and it is your idea that belgium sucks"
lol
the downsides of belgium is not the weather or the country looks, belgium in general is not a bad looking country.
its the people who live there making belgium look like a shithole with their behavior and mentality....the way they stare,talk,or act its pure 3rd world mentality....
and is also by far one of the most worst depressive countries to live.
I'm from Belgium and I love your video!! Thanks for your positive review :-)
main thing you missed is that Gent used to be torture capital of Belgium :p
Great video ! From the Flemisch side here :) You missed that our cabs are way more expensive ! Seriously :D And the beer ! You mentioned Stella, thats bad :D Go for Jupiler :) You also missed the great chocolate :D And we do tip, if we feel the waitor deserves the tip. Witch doesn't happen that often :D We also have 3 languages, a part of belgium speaks German as wel. Great video though, enjoyed watching it! ( Sorry for the grammar foults :p )
+Tiff Poppe Really dude? Jupiler? Duvel, Orval, Triple Karmeliet, Rochefort, St Bernardus, Westvleteren (the fucking winner of the best beer in the world), etc, etc, etc... And you send the guy to taste Jupiler. No wonder Belgian beer is not as famous as it deserves, if Belgians tell people to drink Jupiler.
Everybody speak 3 languages? I doubt that.
As a Belgian I have to respond to the bad service. Yup, We suck at that. It's not just a tourist thing :D
And this: how can coins not be worth anything? Why do they exist? I don't get it.
+Katia Smets honestly no idea, but in the US you will have a pocket full of coins that won't even buy you a pack of gum :(
+Katia Smets 50 cents is the most valuable coin in american dollars, which is less that 0.5 euros
+Katia Smets America uses 1 dollar bills.
+Katia Smets American coins aren't worth much at all. Unless its a quarter dollar coin, most Americans wouldn't even bother to pick one up off the sidewalk. I wind up dumping my change in a big bottle or bowl for months or years until it's worth it to cash it in for bills.
America does use dollar coins, they're just not common. Usually you have to go to a bank or post office and ask for them specifically.
They're rare enough that a lot of people just wind up collecting them. I certainly do unless I accrue a huge amount of them.
...beyond those though, especially because many people don't carry coin wallets, change is so small in amount here that it's tedious to carry it.
Excellent as always, Marc. Two minor remarks.
- Nothing about Antwerp in any of your videos on Belgium? Seriously? :-)
- About the language thing: the country is bilingual, the people aren't. Over 95% grow up monolingual, like I did, and learn the 'other' language at school as a foreign language. Learning foreign languages is much more a part of the cultural identity in the north than it is in the south. Some years ago there was a survey by two universities (one Flemish, one Walloon) on how many people in either part were capable of expressing themselves somewhat decently in at least two foreign languages. Flanders: over 60%. Wallonia: less than 20%
Next is Belgium vs Argentina
I'd consider service pretty good, messed up orders aren't the norm and happen only with unexperienced waiting staff. Also while tips aren't needed, it's just nice to give them.
The service is not super? Yeah if you go in busy tourist places and expect respect without giving it back and behave obnoxiously.
There's more to Belgian food than beer, mussels and fries... Fish and seafood in general is very traditional here. Also don't eat chips just anywhere, there are certain places famous for them, check the best places for them before you pick any random place.
As for the beer, there's so many different kinds and Belgians are especially famous for their fruit beers as well (kriek - cherry, framboise - raspberry, pêche - peach, these are just the classics)
The Belgian public transports suck and are way too expensive for their service, take it from someone who's lived in Belgium for over 20 years. Trains are almost always late, busses too, trams too, and they are cheaper than other european countries' but they are shit, pardon my French.
Also, there are three national languages, not two; Flemish (and not Dutch as mentioned in the video, Dutch is in the Netherlands), French and German.
Surya T Well, officialy, dutch is the official language not flemish. Tho, like in wallonia, flemish is more used than dutch. Recently "Le Soir" made a pool about "wich belgian french are you using", with no surprise mine was legian.
One thing never forget. The waiter is for the customer and not the customer for the waiter. Here in America the patient has always right.
Service in restaurants or bars is not bad, it might be in some tourist areas but try any restaurant, taverne, bistro, bar ... in any not tourist area and you'll see the service is excellent!
It's funny about the bad service... Every time I go in the US I'm thinking the same. Why does the waitress needs to interrupt you 5 times while having dinner to ask if your ok ??? And then they want a tip for annoying the hell out of ya 😂
Hey about the service/waiter thing, I've never had that happen to me before, so I guess you just had some crappy waiters ^^
Greeting from Belgium! Great video!
waiters in any big touristic city are like that.
i once sat down in miami beach and we ordered coctails
the waiter didnt even ask size and it wasn't on the card, so she gave us the biggest size wich costed 40$ each wich led to us having to pay 100 dolar for 3 coctails.
never had anything like that in belgium but i agree that some touristic places have extremely unfriendly waiters. In louvain where i live its not like that at all.
Also 100% true that belgium has top grade food. since it has the same orgins as the french cuisine, the food quality is simular; last year a belgian restaurant was declared best of europe.
***** too big. that bitch gave all of us a four man coctail yet we hadnt asked for it at all. the card said 19 bucks for a coctail and there weren't any other prices/sizes on it.
that bitch even had the guts to give herself 17% tip on it. while we clearly said we were only giving 10%
in belgian they also speak german in a little part
Maryan Mahieu + France
Its just one shitty village where you will never go to.
Maryan M still...and there are 3 village's
@@bjornsantens9030 there are more Arabic speaking people in Belgium than German.. The fact that German is even an official language is a relic from a bygone era..
There's one Hugh mistake about what we speak, we have three official languishes! Dutch, French and GERMAN
I've been working as a waiter and we do get paid a fair amount (as a student). And I do everything in my power to make the guests have a perfect time at the restaurant. So when you say not to tip, this really hurts... Some people do really work excellent so a tip once would be nice.
Im from belgium myself. Everything he said is true! Wolter, thx for ur honest review and next time ur in belgium and we cross eachother, i'll pay u a beer!
Actually we have three official languages in stead of the two you mentioned: Dutch, French and German.
Indeed there are, but bear in mind that this video is aimed at tourists. Well the East cantons are great places to live, work, etc., they're not what you'd call a tourist attraction, so if you're visiting Belgium as a tourist, you're not likely to even come close to Eupen or St. Vith. Well, unless you're going to the Belgian Grand Prix.
Actually Four: You forgot Arabic, which is 100x times more spoken than German in Belgium ;)
i live in the german part... oh my god we are so Little People, we all know everybody in our area. But however, we all speak French fluently so german is actually not really worth beeing said at this Video. (sorry for my bad english)
murdoch201 haha so true :p but it is not an official language, in 20 or 30 years it will be but not yet
The Kigdom of Belgium has 3 official languages : Dutch(North), French(South) and German (East) ;)
Service isn't actually that bad .. But as you said . We dont need to slave away to have tips because they are payed 18+ dollars an hour . So it's ok as long as you respect them . It's by no means a low wage job in belgium , on the contrarie .. They go to shool for 4 years to get the degree to be able to serve people . (in restaurants that is ) in bars they are pretty trailorpark style agreed .
The service is mostly good and the most people in Flanders speak french but in Wallonia they speak only a little bit duch. Belgium is a really nice country and you should go to Lier, Antwerp! 😄
My ears !!! Americans speeking flemish AAARGGGGHHHH
James blond : still better than hearing a flemish speak french ;p But, hey, we still love it when you speak french, so cute ;p
Michael Masillon a flemish person speaking french can actually sound like perfect french only when The person in case has a really strong accent that Fucks up their cillibles it can sound weird in The end we alsk speak english dumbfuck
a good try through.
americans who are trying to speak flemish it's a torture and they suck ad it also
@@michaelmasillon390 atleast we can speak more than half a language LOL
We speak 3 official languages in Belgium. There is also a little German part (app 50.000 inhabitants) that even have an own government (like Flanders and Wallonia). I am from the Flemish part, but I think it's sad that they always forget them because they are the only ones who feel like 'Belgians'. In the North they are more Flemish and in the South they are more Walloon. So please remember them next time.
So Belgians do not exist, no Belgian people and no Belgian language.
ANTWERPEN! !!!!!
En de rest is parking
CHARLEROI !!!!
Ik ben geboren in Antwerpen maar woon in Mechelen!!
Nu wonen er allemaal tafeldoekoppen XD
good video. correct information.
finally someone who knows the right information about my country
+hannes something Agreed. Most Americans just make videos to bash on how we do things differently.
+hannes something haha not
Eindelijk iets goeds over ons land want die domme Hollanders maken ons alleen maar belachelijk
It is a Little bit weird they you said that Belgian people think it is your fault when they give you the wrong stuff, because i live in Belgium and i never heard of that
He just had that one experience. It was probably an honest miscommunication and the waiter didn't want to give in and said that he wrote down exactly what he asked.
+Pedolf Titler you have indeed a lot of students that work, and just want money, and they can be pretty salty from time to time, but... who isnt? they just dont care as much about the job, because thereare a lot of them that just want the money
No, every country has a good and bad thing. In America the service is much better, but Belgium is good too. We can arguing about service, but not about that in Belgium they do not have public restrooms.
Oh, God! Everybody works for money. Being nice is free. And you are talking about 'they'??? Who are 'they"????
Belgian here. I can only say that we are a pretty laid back people. Stores and restaurants etc do try their best to serve people right. If they blame the customer for a wrong order then that's horrible. Most of us will understand at least a little english, lots of us understand it well. I do think that Brugges is a good place to go. Or better yet, our beach. I live about a short bike ride away from Brugges and can say that I prefer the other cities, the people in Brugges seem a bit stressed. Better on the side of the coast. Our police will always try to help you, our hospitals and doctors are great, don't worry. Our food and bread contains less sugar then the food in the US. Perhaps the waiters seem unfriendly because they are paid a good wage and don't have to survive with tips, It allows them to be more honest. It can be a very stressfull job, I believe the people in the US pretend to be happier doing the job so they get better tips because the need them.
In the US, here where I live, you can choose food with more or less sugar or without added sugar, low fat or no fat. Wide variety. Stop saying that waiters are rude in Belgium because their salary is more. It is annoying to say.This is not an excuse for me. Here are nice people , waiter or no, just because they are nice people. A little smile and nice word instead rude does not cost any money. Yes, Belgians can be more organized and care more about everything. It is not a crime and if they improve toward a good way it just will be fine. One example: in the neighborhood at night people were very loud, music, dancing, singing, yelling, etc... We could not sleep. Nobody cared, so we had to call the police. The whole street could not sleep, but nobody called the police. They did not care, even not about themselves. This can be a problem.
hehe.. in belgium "wolters" is a brand off atlas books. "wolters wereldatas"
Shorun's Gaming corner atlas
Nice and pretty accurate video you've made! As a Belgian, I just didn't really agree with what you said about public transport (as our buses and trains are hardly ever clean or on time), but then again that wasn't really your point and indeed, you can get anywhere in Belgium by public transport. Also, many, many thanks for not calling our fries "french fries". That's by far our biggest frustration, they're not french but Belgian! :P
Ok, 10% for saving my life but otherwise, no tip. Got it.
No, not true.
SPRPhilly I'd say 5% lets not spoil them shall we
The big stone entrance in the last picture is the way to a good restaurant that some friends of mine own. It's called "De oude vismijn".
Good public transport :o ? i don't really agree XD
cathy Anania you must be Belgian ;)
cathy Anania Talking about De Lijn or Le TeC ?
Michael Masillon The STIB are a fucking joke lolthey never on time
cathy Ananiat's good whenever they aren't striking ;)
cathy Anania For a tourist, it might work............... (an hour earlier or later, who cares?)
When its not foggy you can see the tower of mechelen (city) all the way from louvain (city)
its really cool.
Poor, poor Americans. You really believe we have great public transport? Wow, you are not accustomed to a lot.
#Belgianspeaking
thanks you wolters world for speak ''good'' about belgium !!! that's a very beautiful land !
The irony of this being posted today =(
Personally, I'm *so happy* America lost. Merely because we both know Americans would've never let it go, and the next cup isn't for four years. We'd be watching "How America Won The Cup" at our local theatres in 2015.
MrRonanONeill at least we made it to the 2nd round... how did your team do? ;)
woltersworld Well said =)
Still, crazy (but great) world cup. Loving all the goals and great spirit. All the best to you!
woltersworld Same to you, my friend. Enjoy the fourth of July.
Because of the beer's you mentioned it is very clear you have only been in touristic places. Do not expect great service in touristic restaurant's and bars. Great video, very funny to hear we have great public transport because we mostly hate it. :) And actually maybe should not complain.
Ghent , that's my city
sylvani1 I really liked Ghent.
In Belgium, we speak Flemish (Dutch), French and German. Not only Flemish and French
honestly it annoys me to tears when people come to Belgium and start speaking english to me
ozzy eMate
Belgium has no need for tourism. Our economy is strong and stable enough to substain itself without tourism.
I will move to Brussels and do not speak French yet. So if I accidentally ask you in English for something, just tell me that you are the devil from the youtube and I will ask somebody else. Haha!!!
This is the stupidest comment of this year.
Great video and terrific tips!!
yeah tonight we'll see AMERICA vs Belgium!
us lost .... :s
We just came back and the found the people to be VERY friendly and helpful. People came up to us to offer assistance and we didn't even ask! In the supermarket, you scan your groceries in your cart and hand the scanner to the cashier and pay!! Not in America!
No In America you do not work for the store as customer. They scan your stuff, they weight your stuff, they pack your stuff and if you need help, they help you carry your heavy bag.
xoxo from flanders, belgium (you know, the important part about belgium)
+Arne Maeschaelck You must be proud after a sentence like that, but we south people love OUR country (yeah we do still share it, whether you like it or not) and that means Flanders too. We are aware that some regions of Wallonia are making us weaker overall, but please don't assume we are all lazy and parasites. Xoxo from a guy studying in Louvain la Neuve, raised in Luxembourg.
+Nicolas Dewaele Yeah, I've heard Luxembourg and Namen do relatively well contrary to Liege and Hainaut (hope I spelled them right).
+Nicolas Dewaele I'm sorry, but I have quite a lot of friends in wallonia and they all speak French (and a little English). I live in Flanders and I speak Dutch AND French AND English very well.
It disgusts me that people from wallonia come here and automatically start talking French, they don't do any effort at all to speak Dutch. I'd never speak Dutch in wallonia, and if I would, I believe more than 90% won't even understand, or won't even want to understand me.
I sure know people that take the effort to learn Dutch as well.
And let's be real here: I think Flanders (and Brussels) is just more important in general. Not necessarily the language, but Flanders itself…
Not tryna be rude, but tryna be realistic over here.
Xoxo from Leuven
Lieg toch niet, ik heb honderden vlamingen gezien dat nog niet eens frans konden spreken. Wilt ge gratis anti wallonië reclame maken nu ookk aan de buitenwereld? Hou het in belgïe. Walen zijn warmere gastvrije mensen vergeleken met vlamingen waar ge soms uw polsen wilt oversnijden met zo een hatelijke afgunstige associale kutmentaliteit.
+Scorpion MK City mentallity isn't countyside Mentality, stop generelize. I know some french, i'm just not good at it, because i suck at languages, even my native language...
one more thing i would like to add, you can legally drink beer when you are 16 years old. as for america it's generally 21
I live in Belgium and I never had any problems with service/waiters, i think they are all friendly but not pushy like in the US (i actually hate when waiters come every five minutes to check if everything is okay, it's so annoying 😂)
Hahaha this is so funny to watch as a Belgian, btw I am from Leuven where you are filming this :p And what you say about tips, please never give tips.. It's included in the price so you're giving money you really don't need to give. Just pay the bill here in Belgium nothing extra and everybody is happy!
+SofieBollenn Ge kunt wel fooi geven, was da nu voor een comment? Als een serveerster u heel vriendelijk behandeld, je bent snel geholpen, snel afgeruimd. Kortom, ze heeft haar best gedaan om het zo aangenaam mogelijk te maken, dan verdiend die toch zeker fooi? Fooi word nog steeds in een fooipotje gestoken, niet op de loonbrief gestort.
If the waitres diserves a tip, tip her for godsake...
+Tiff Poppe is voor niets nodig... je wordt hier genoeg betaald (for sure als student) om gewoon je job te doen, en normaal gezien ga je je best wel doen als je ook maar iets van positieve reacties wil achter laten... een fooi is niet nodig, het is niet je loon. bijna alle fooi gaat nog niet eens naar de persoon zelf...
je kan het wel doen... maar in amerika is het een "must" om een fooi te geven van (10-25% fzoiets kweet ni) van de prijs van uw bestelling... daarom dat ze meer aandringen, heletijd vragen of alles inorde is, en glimlachen hele tijd om zo aardig mogelijk over te komen, om zoveel mogelijk fooi te krijgen... ze worden betaald van de fooi die ze zelf krijgen.
als de prijs van het eten naar benede gaat en mensen niet betaald worden, dan geef je fooien...
het is hier al duur genoeg om te gaan ete... (niet overal ofc)