Ask a Dutchman!

[The_J]

I can't recall any Dutch etiquettes ^^.

You have to note that the low countries are very lacking in actual historical testaments of the early Medieval ages and everything before it. To be fair, you may actually have slightly more luck in Belgium than in the Netherlands.

I somehow noticed that, but wonder why (besides that Germans might have destroyed a lot).
Guessed that here in the Netherlands there might be only an interest in actual Dutch culture, which would be from the middleages on, and that therefore not much research/restoration has been done in these regards, but then this doesn't explain why Belgium would have more.

But sad to hear :/.

There is a museum (Het Valkhof) about the Roman presence in Nijmegen. I thought it was quite good last time I visited (long time ago).

Merci .

 

[Tahuti]

I can't recall any Dutch etiquettes ^^.

Unless you're going to work-out, don't wear white socks. Especially not in the company of women.

I somehow noticed that, but wonder why (besides that Germans might have destroyed a lot).
Guessed that here in the Netherlands there might be only an interest in actual Dutch culture, which would be from the middleages on, and that therefore not much research/restoration has been done in these regards, but then this doesn't explain why Belgium would have more.

But sad to hear :/.

Well, what is present-day Belgium used to be significantly more influential then what is present-day Netherlands. The shift from Flanders and Brabant towards Holland occurred in the 1500s and was completed by the 1600s when Southern Dutch Protestant refugees fled to Amsterdam.

 

[Hygro]

Haha no Dutchfire and I are just talking at this pub in Nijmegen, great beer selection there btw, and he offhand mentions that pubs like that on nights like that aren't the place for place for guys to meet gals. 20 minutes later I'm trying to meet this gal, who had been making eye contact with me pretty repeatedly. Turns out she doesn't know much English at all (she's a nearby small towner, but a law student in the city) and her friend who knows English is basically telling me off. Dutchfire's just like :facepalm: But real chill about it of course.

There was so much eye contact I had to do it, but I always felt a little guilty about it. Nijmegen isn't Amsterdam, you know?

 

[Takhisis]

Unless you're going to work-out, don't wear white socks. Especially not in the company of women.

What?

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I second the what

 

[Tahuti]

This is really weird.

 

[dutchfire]

There is such a thing as Dutch etiquette. Don't eat a second cookie unless it is specifically offered.

 

[peter grimes]

Cookie = a word in english adopted from the Dutch, meaning "little cake"\

Wife and I made japaleno cheddar biscuits to bring to a pot-luck the other day. They didn't rise at all, they looked like cookies.

So I made a joke using the British word Biscuit and the Dutch word Cookie. "Jalapeno & Cheddar Biscuit Cookies"

...so embarrassing.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

There is such a thing as Dutch etiquette. Don't eat a second cookie unless it is specifically offered.

So I am visiting my friend dutchfire and there is a bowl of cookies. I eat one. And God I want more.
I ask "Dutchfire, can I have another of those delicious cookies"?
What will my friend dutchfire feel in that moment?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

"He likes my cookies", is what Ziggy would think in a non-euphemistic manner.

"Sure, go ahead", is what he'd say.

 

[pesgores]

How the hell do you pronounce the names of all the Dutch cities in Civ 4?

 

[Takhisis]

A Portuguese complains about pronunciation?

 

[dutchfire]

How the hell do you pronounce the names of all the Dutch cities in Civ 4?

As you spell them.

Except for 's-Hertogenbosch, which is pronounced Den Bosch.

 

[dutchfire]

No questions about Black Pete or Rasist Gordon?

 

[Hygro]

Dunno what Rasist Gordon is about but I asked my homie about Zwarte Piet and came to the conclusion that as long as it stays in Nederland it's not our business to apply our lens of what is culturally racist in our culture to another culture. As an American, it still feels dodgy though.

What do you think?

 

[dutchfire]

This one (I didn't know Gordon was actually called Heukeroth. You learn something every day):

http://www.theatlantic.com/china/ar...lity-of-televised-anti-chinese-racism/281776/

I always like it when the internet explodes over some silly Dutch things.

 

[Tahuti]

Dunno what Rasist Gordon is about but I asked my homie about Zwarte Piet and came to the conclusion that as long as it stays in Nederland it's not our business to apply our lens of what is culturally racist in our culture to another culture. As an American, it still feels dodgy though.

What do you think?

Black Pete is not racist at all, since he hardly resembles an actual person of African descent, let alone depicts slavery. It would arguably be more offensive to imply Black Pete depicts Africans. At least, that's what I think, along with a quite a large segment of the Dutch population.

I can understand why foreigners would consider it suspicious, though; While I'm in favour of keeping the Black Pete tradition, a significant part of the Pro-Black Pete side in the debate was hijacked by racists who simply wanted an opportunity to vent their stupid viewpoints and show their support for Geert Wilders.

On the other hand, Gordon's joke was totally stupid. It probably didn't had racist intentions, but racist intentions or not, it wouldn't change that Gordon was a total douche. Now, it is well known that Gordon regularly makes politically incorrect jokes about someone's weight, disability and ethnic descent, without any hostile intentions. The problem here is that he keeps doing it on a very frequent basis is that he himself is the one who derives most fun if not the only fun from it. It's annoying.

 

[pesgores]

A Portuguese complains about pronunciation?

Dutch is the language of the Devil, compared to its close neighbour German.

As you spell them.

Except for 's-Hertogenbosch, which is pronounced Den Bosch.

What about Enkhuizen? And Leeuwarden? Nijmegen? Maastricht? Tiel?

 

[Takhisis]

Some Dutch people I have met in person have laughed at the concept of German with is grammatical case system and such quaint characteristics.

 

[Tahuti]

What about Enkhuizen? And Leeuwarden? Nijmegen? Maastricht? Tiel?

Enkhuizen: Ank - hoya (pronounce this part so fast, the 'hui' part is one syllable in Dutch) - zan
Leeuwarden: Layo (again, pronounce it really fast, the 'Leeu' part is one syllable in Dutch) - war - dun
Nijmegen: Nigh - maych (ch as in Loch Ness) - un
Maastricht: Mahs - tricht (ch as in Loch Ness)
Tiel: Teal (like in the colour, but with a glottal stop after the 'l')

Of course, those are approximates. My fear is that the actual Dutch pronunciation is impossible to learn if Dutch isn't your native language.