6 Things that shocked me about the USA after living in the Netherlands

[@erikzurcher5528]

American politics remind me of this fable: The forest was shrinking, but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them.

[@Needlestitch]

In the US people appear to me at too high a hype and gaming level when it comes to following mr. or ms. marketing, and therefore many creatures across the Atlantic pond will hardly realize they've been had by the 'propagandist people' after having voted. Making the same choice when the next voting opportunity will come around the same experience is likely to happen once more. Voting on a federal level has quite the clown show effect on me. So that's why, if I'd be a US citizen, my vote in the presidential election would go to the underdog in politics that has been cast /smashed aside by the donkey party.

[@TheSimArchitect]

This feels more like Dutch politicians that even "cycle to work" like "everybody else".

[@DixieBanjo]

Brilliant

[@henktulp4400]

You might be true about the trees not being ‘the sharpest pencil in the box...’ hence my doubts in general about the referendum!!!

[@lifelike_45]

First, there is no aggression, and second, according to the official document, Israel and the Arabs lived together, then Israel was formed, and later a certain and allegedly real name of gas. The West is not grateful to Russia for the last 20 years. The politicians are to blame for the imposition in Ukraine and the fact that Ukraine supports gas in terms of military hardware as the West does. The politicians got them to dictate terms and prices and if there was order, every country would be protesting. There are three categories of people - rich poor suffering. And all have the right to advocate for the improvement of people's situation, not to waste time on war, to establish relations and build their future (for the next generation, not for the sake of war and price increases to fill their pockets, as in Russia officials and politicians. We are against war, but now it is happening in Israel, where people are killed worse than under Hitler, invading the country, where children and adults are killed and injured. Politicians are asleep, and we, ordinary people, nobody needs us, the main thing is to remain human beings. The mess in Ukraine after the end of the conflict with Russia, foreign agents will return and begin to increase aggression and propaganda to become angrier everything is done to make people die for the sake of politicians. There are a lot of people on the Internet who are not interested and do not know how to analyze and it turns out that everyone is on different planets. And we live once.First, there is no aggression, and second, according to the official document, Israel and the Arabs lived together, then Israel was formed, and later a certain and allegedly real name of gas. The West is not grateful to Russia for the last 20 years. The politicians are to blame for the imposition in Ukraine and the fact that Ukraine supports gas in terms of military hardware as the West does. The politicians got them to dictate terms and prices and if there was order, every country would be protesting. There are three categories of people - rich poor suffering. And all have the right to advocate for the improvement of people's situation, not to waste time on war, to establish relations and build their future (for the next generation, not for the sake of war and price increases to fill their pockets, as in Russia officials and politicians. We are against war, but now it is happening in Israel, where people are killed worse than under Hitler, invading the country, where children and adults are killed and injured. Politicians are asleep, and we, ordinary people, nobody needs us, the main thing is to remain human beings. The mess in Ukraine after the end of the conflict with Russia, foreign agents will return and begin to increase aggression and propaganda to become angrier everything is done to make people die for the sake of politicians. There are a lot of people on the Internet who are not interested and do not know how to analyze and it turns out that everyone is on different planets. And we live once.😊According to the official document Israel and gas lived and there was no gas at that time, then they created the State of Israel.

[@Surethien]

When a Dutch person thinks US food is unhealthy, I can't imagine it's because they think it's all fast food or lacking variety. It's more that US food tends to have much more salt, sugar and/or fat added, as well as chemicals that are allowed to be used when growing or processing it.

[@SL-mj2eq]

Well yeah if ur a little educated then u know its not because its "all" fastfood but becos of all the additives..

[@Keyboardje]

Plus GMO :(

[@KarelSmout]

I'd say it adds up pretty quickly: when fastfood is cheaper then home cooked from fresh ingredients you might do too much fast food. And when the groceries are not a 5 minute walk but a long and busy drive you will avoid perishable fresh food, ending up with over processed, canned and frozen food. And when the laws are de facto prescribed by big corporate money, petro-derived additives and GMO end up on your plate - in restaurants, but even when you shop for fresh food on local markets.

[@harrispinkham]

As a South African, I generally like Americans 😊 You tend to be warm and friendly if a little naive. I also like that the Dutch won’t bother me generally if I don’t want them to, and are direct in their communication so I know where I stand with them.

[@carmenl163]

I think it's our culture to let people sort it out for themselves and only help when help is asked. We think it's belittling to assume people cannot take care of themselves and that's why we don't offer help spontaneously. But I agree that it's lovely when people step in and help. That's why I love Ireland so much (you're okay love?) and Italy (tutto bene?).

[@jannetteberends8730]

What also can be a factor is that The Netherlands are very safe. Nothing real dangerous can happen when someone makes the wrong move.

[@dutchman7623]

Simple test: grab a map from your backpack and unfold it... do it in several cities and notice the difference. Even within the Netherlands there are other reactions, in the south, east and north people will ask if you are looking for something and whether you want help. In the west not even if you ask help. In New York people will surely react, not everyone, but within a minute two or three will show you the way.

[@kobjgdewschucrvtubnkm]

hoe vaak ik wel niet roep "gaat ie??" dus wij hebben ook een eigen versie hoor 😌

[@c128stuff]

@@dutchman7623 Funny, I've seen, and experienced people being totally willing to help out, even ask if they can help, in Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam, Haarlem, etc. All really in 'the west' of the Netherlands.

[@dutchman7623]

@@c128stuff It is not a black and white thing, but I do notice differences. In the US it even gets annoying that people want to assist, even when you do not need it.

[@janlooden3643]

Maybe its “easyer” in the US to adress a tourist, because they talk to them in their own language. Chances are very small that they attempt to speak French to a French person, or German to a German person. The Dutch always have to talk in the language of the tourist, that possibly makes it a bit uneasy.

[@katrinabryce]

But in England, they speak a mostly similar language, and certainly in the South of England, people wouldn't be as helpful to tourists. The North of England is a bit better.

[@Djekkie-gj7jz]

Everything in America is indeed big, even if smaller would be better. When I was on holiday, the American tour guide did not fail to tell me that the things we saw were the largest, the best or the highest in the world. He sounded almost disappointed when he had to say that something was the second largest in the world. We would call that bragging around here.

[@Paulski25]

Everything in America is big, except for Trump's ... hands. 😁

[@deborahdrost171]

I'm a dutchie in Southern California and the wildest thing my husband here told me is that apparently you can even negotiate your hospital bills! They might charge an insane amount and some people will straight up pay that. But if you don't have that much and iffer them what you can pay *right now* they might actually be willing to take what you can afford and leave it at that. Quite insane. Also, here in Southern California the people are definitely not that friendly. It's such a big difference with Americans in central/northern California or Arizona, where people were much nicer!

[@-_YouMayFind_-]

Did he ever test it out though?

[@freestylestuntkayak]

Always ask for an "Itemized bill". It will make sure that they don't charge you 500$ for paracetamol when you were lying in the hospital. Yes, they actually do that.

[@amberflokstra88]

The train thing used to be possible in NL too. But nowadays, the Netherlands has the busiest rail network in Europe. Having one train wait a couple of minutes means delays down the network in other lines. And they won’t permit that for one, or a few passengers. The only exception is when your train arrives late at a station, you have to make a connection there and that connection is the last possible connection for your destination. Then they will try to have the train wait (because otherwise they have to pay for alternate transportation).

[@dykam]

Just a little note on trains, in NL they do sometimes try to delay a train when another one is a bit delayed, if that helps people switching trains. But it's usually not announced and a little care because there's so little give in the schedule. But yeah, not on request.

[@pietersleijpen3662]

Unless it is the last train of the day, although in my experience you don't even have to ask at that time (if only because the NS has to pay for a cab otherwise). And tbf baring a few out of the way stations, missing a train is not a big thing, you need to wait 15 to 30 minutes for the next one, and if that means you miss your airplane or job interview, I wonder why you did not plan an extra 30 minutes.

[@scollyb]

As a Brit shopping in mid town America finding spices in stores was surprisingly hard. Huge supermarkets had surprisingly small selections and they were really expensive

[@SarthorS]

Do they still have the problem of everything being family sized? That it's very hard to just shop for yourself.

[@scollyb]

@SarthorS It has been a while but my memory is they were in small expensive packages, except for things like cinnamon

[@andrelam9898]

You have to find the Ethnic stores... In Buffalo NY we are like a big little town. One good thing is we have a lot of colleges and Universities so we get people from all over the world. Wegmans (arguably the best grocery store in America for being not only good over all, but not stupid expensive like Whole Foods) will carry loads of variety and by ethnic cuisine, but the prices of the little bottles of spices can be expensive. Go to the local Indian store or the big Asian Super Store (it take up 3/4 of an older Wallmart), you can spend the same amount on spices, but instead of getting a tiny bottle, you get 5 to 10 times as much. Sometimes too much for one family so we give the extra to our extended families. We have at least twice to three times as much as the tiny main grocery store bottles and gave some to family members that really like it (win-win). When we lived in Binghamton NY in the early 1980's it was pretty brutal. Cheese selection was ridiculous. You could get American Slices (it's a cheese product not 100% cheese, but it does melt on a burger), then you could get Cheddar in white and orange and regular and aged and that was about it. So limited. I can go to a local Aldi today and have way more options and super reasonable prices.

[@vettemuziekjes]

just put ketchup on everything

[@sanderdeboer6034]

I had a similar experience with an uncle apologizing for how small his house was. (In Grand Rapids Michigan where most of my family live. A lot of Dutch immigrants moved there, and created places like Holland and Amsterdam) His house was the typical American one level (plus basement) house with a large front and backyard. It was larger than any of the houses I lived in here in the Netherlands. And yet somehow he felt it wasn’t adequate. He worked at a GM car factory like his father (uncle cor), and also felt less secure about that. That is one thing I really noticed during my many visits in the USA with family. (And during a wedding of my niece). People really identify themselves with their job and it determines the hierarchy in the family. The brother of the one working in the car factory was a lawyer in Toronto (in a mall) and he was the pride of the family. And also the ‘black’ sheep because he married a women from Trinidad. The blatant racism he endured was something I have never seen before or since.

[@terraincognita3749]

That is so wild, that you can be both the pride of the family because of your job, and the black sheep because of the skin color of who you married. Mind blown.

[@sanderdeboer6034]

@terraincognita3749 Mind indeed blown. During the gatherings before the wedding rehearsal and wedding itself they were put at a separate table. And I never heard so many racial slurs and language in my life. But weirdly enough when I stayed at my uncle Cor's house first, he only talked about his son being a lawyer. He (Cor) was the one who emigrated to the USA from the Netherlands and was very old fashioned, religious and super weird. The fact I was atheïst bothered him to no end, and after a few days he started calling me hitler. Which is ironic given his similar level of racism. I also visited his son in Toronto who showed his law firm in the biggest mall in Canada. And had diner with them, where his wife gave me a tshirt of Trinidad, that I still own. People can be so strange in these things, and to be fair also here in the Netherlands. But the blatant racism was a new thing for me. We have racism here, but not to that level.

[@terraincognita3749]

@@sanderdeboer6034I have heard stories of racism and racial relations being so much more pronounced in the USA than in the Netherlands. I guess this is part of what they mean by it. What may also play out here is that migrants often hold on longer to traditional ways of thinking than people in the "mother" country. Think of the Boers in South Africa. They were hardcore Apartheid racists until late in the 20th century. The Netherlands was by then fast moving in the other direction. The Boers always looked to me as frozen in time. Maybe your family in America is in some ways also frozen in time?

[@sanderdeboer6034]

@terraincognita3749 Good point! This is indeed the case with many first generation immigrants. Example here in the Netherlands is the first generation Turkish immigrants who are much more orthodox in there believes and behavior than there family in Turkey. So yes, this has to be part of the reason for there behavior. However also some of the younger nieces and nephews made similar remarks. Maybe I just have a racist family in the states! Obviously not all Americans are this way, and are very nice people.

[@terraincognita3749]

@@sanderdeboer6034These things are hard. We grow up in a certain environment, with certain influences, and these shape our world views. I often wonder whether 100 years from now people will see us as vicious, cruel people because of our meat industry. But we grew up in a world of meat, and it is hard - not impossible, but hard - to look beyond it. I say this as someone who still eats meat, even though I am aware of the horrors of the mass meat industry and I try to reduce my meat intake and increase my vegetarian alternatives.

[@pt3800]

I am from germany not the netherlands. The quote at 4:30 about spices I don´t understand. The dutch had colonies all over the world and I am pretty sure they took all the spices they can get from there (as the british did with india f.e.). I can tell because my my familys origin leys in Indonesia… a former dutch colony, and we have lots of spices.

[@wingedyera]

I think it's because they seem less used in dutch tradition cuisine. But I still disagree there because in things like hachee there is baylif, cloves, peppercorns, nutmeg. And we all use nutmeg as a standard in our meat mixes

[@carmenl163]

The word 'spicy' usually means 'hot', and that's what Ava is referring to.

[@pt3800]

@@carmenl163 there are lots of asians (especially indonesians) livin in the netherland. If wanting spicy... ask for spicy as in the homeland. Asians have bad experiance of whites handling "spicy", so they use to cook it mild😅😅😅. Me myself always order like that, because "🌶🌶🌶" in the west is like eating mild pepper or no spice at all. But be aware... order that way on own risk😜 I have had worked in gastronomy and saw people nearly collapsing after trying "like at home".😅😅😅

[@skorpion7132]

As best as I can tell she's either deadwrong or she means something else entirely. If it was indeed to indicate that in the netherlands there's little variety in availability of spices, then simply NO. If she means that generally dutch traditional cuisine isn't spicy (as in hot/sharp) then yes. In the netherlands 'hot' dishes are usually toned down quite a bit, its most noticable in asian foods. (can't speak for other countries) This btw doesn't mean that you cant get properly spiced up food here, all you need do is ask.

[@dimsel]

Oh, and in the Netherlands I have experienced buses waiting on each other after having been contacted by their colleague quite some times, but it seems to be of a less frequent occurrence after the privatisation of Dutch public transport.

[@Nienke131]

The trash thing is so true! I love visiting the US for vacation but it always makes me feel so dirty because of all the trash EVERYWHERE. Nothing feels better than landing back in NL, look around and just see everything clean and tidy again. Really makes me appreciate my own country.

[@vorcanvorcan9032]

We might be going the same way for whatever reason. Over the past 5+ years, my neighbourhood and the surrounding areas have gone downhill, dramatically. Trash everywhere, criminal and/or other a-social behaviour all over the place. The underground garbage collector near me in particular... People have to be either moving in and out of my neighbourhood CONSTANTLY, or there are some really dumbass/a-social shitheads out there that keep not understanding the basics taught to us as toddlers; "The square object goes into the square hole, the round object, goes into the round hole" ... 🤦 What I mean to say is; the underground trash collector is jammed up waaaaay too often. Like, what is wrong with these people, can't they learn their mistake?! 😫 And instead of dealing with whatever underlying issue is causing it, my garbage collector now has a little garden around it to stop people from treating the ground around the collector like a dumping ground whenever it's jammed up again. 💀 Still doesn't change the fact that it's unusable most of the time because yet another incompetent shit decided to force their oversized, overstuffed trashbag into the damn thing!! I'm so fucking tired of that. 😮‍💨 I can see the thing through my windows, and have had to shout out to people on multiple times to remind them that their particular trash at that time [might not fit, please fucking compact it before putting it in...] 🤦 I predict that if things continue to change like this, and if that change starts to spread to other parts of the country, soon this spot on planet earth will be just as uncomfortable to live in...

[@The2wanderers]

So many countries are like this. I found Greece and Romania to be worse, even, than the US. But it is depressing when any country can't be bothered to clean up trash.

[@Nienke131]

@@vorcanvorcan9032 The “for whatever reason” is our country voting for right-wing political parties for over a decade now, cutting government funding for basically everything.

[@vorcanvorcan9032]

@@Nienke131 Perhaps, but I also suspect the attention our little country has gotten over the past years might also have something to do with it. Especially when you consider the fact that, as a species, we aren't doing all too well in terms of maturing. I wouldn't be surprised if, in addition to the people here becoming more irresponsible and a-social as time goes on, people who were already a-social and neglecting to be responsible are now moving to Europe because the living conditions where they lived before were worse than they are here. But I also don't think politics matter all that much in the grand scheme of things. Yes, you'll have superficially "better" situations depending on those in charge, but we're still dealing with the same immature species that continues to make the same mistakes again and again. And for all we know there is plenty wrong with [the left] that simply hasn't been properly identified yet. Perhaps, neither side is actually [the way to go]... History has proven that we can't exactly put our full trust in [the present]. Future generations (think 200+ years from now), will likely look back at us as being wrong about many things. And it is not outside of the realm of possibilities that [the left] too will have all its flaws revealed and acknowledged in time. In fact, there may come a time when politics as we know it as a whole will no longer exist. And if in that future, a more matured humanity is superior to us, as we like to think our current [best] is compared to the past. Then it seems silly to get so hung up on the present as though it will always be like this. (a mistake that generations of the past were also guilty of, just observe history and you can easily see this.) Personally, I think a better way to approach our existence is to do so directly, not through what is essentially a [game] called society. We can tweak society all we want, but that isn't actually improving [the species], it isn't actually improving [ourselves]. The improvements we see in ourselves as a species are merely the result of the influence of society's changes. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather we didn't get too comfortable existing in a way that is halfway to making ourselves out to be nothing but insignificant, biological robots who need to manipulated to be better... Another example would be the [funding] you mention. We may be using currency and value right now, but that isn't necessarily going to always be the case. And if at some point in the future we mature enough to have no need for such systems (they mostly exist to control us because we can't control ourselves), then it would have been a mistake that hampered progression if today we pretended like it was "our final form" so to speak. Whatever the case, things do need to change, and not just on a country by country basis. 😐

[@WPGinfo]

This illustrates how a 'change of scenery' can change your perspective. Travel or moving abroad brings you into contact with people, cultures and customs you would not usually find ' at home'. I feel it opened me up to experiences I would not encounter 'back home'. As a result, 'strange' is no longer scary, 'just different'. All people enjoy human contact, interaction.A smile and a handshake is an open invitation in every language. Just sit down, share and talk even if you don't speak the language. We all want the same out of life: We hope our children will have a better life than we have. Once 'back home' you'll find travel-experiences have mellowed you and appreciative of both your own and 'foreign' perspectives.

[@wilfredderksen]

I wish everyone could have the experience of visiting different cultures and not just a holiday without connecting to the culture. That because you’re so right! People would consider so much less as strange and would have way less prejudices!

[@billybudd5854]

As a Brit, the extreme polarisation of Americans politics is the thing that shocks me most as well. In Britain you can have an opposing political view to someone but still be OK with them and even remain as friends. Unlike in the US, I have never heard of families breaking apart here because they disagree so badly about behaviours in our wider society.

[@barbarawarner4645]

I’m 74 and until The era of Ronald Reagan & later George Bush, republicans and democrats got along fine. Reagan & Bush used religion as a wedge. It isn’t the country I knew in the 50s and 60s.

[@antbrk986]

Wasnt Brexit a bit of a polariser?

[@atropatene3596]

I'm a socialist and my dad is a hardcore VVD (rightwing liberals) voter. In The Netherlands this means we have interesting, fun and also sometimes heated discussions. But we'd never have a falling out over that.

[@LaurenRyan]

Hey Ava! I’ve been watching your videos for many years now because my dream is to move to the Netherlands and you have always provided a great look into Dutch culture and everything that comes along with living there. Long story short, I love your videos! One thing I’ll suggest, only because I film and edit for a living, is to include video about what it is you’re talking about… the topic. Working here at the #1 news station in Austin, you quickly learn that video is essential to any story. It not only keeps people’s attention/interest, but it keeps your story interesting. Just thought I’d throw that out there. If you’d like to talk more about this, I’d love to take you up on it! Keep up the great work though (:

[@EelcoHillenius]

I remember complaining to an American friend about interactions feeling 'fake' and suspecting people were only friendly because they 'had to' for their jobs. She replied that, even if that's the case, isn't a smile and a friendly greeting just a better start of an interaction? She was right of course. But now that I lived in the US for almost two decades, I understand it as part of the culture for people to be nice first, and I'll take it over the grumpy people who complain about everything in public you can sometimes encounter visiting Dutch stores. Though frankly I think that most of the time people you interact with in the Netherlands (in stores, restaurants) are pleasant enough as well, just maybe a little less outgoing.

[@jimmyryan5880]

I think "its available if you have enough money" can always be assumed. A lot of people say that about healthy food or healthcare but you could say somalia has a great health care system because super rich people could fly to a country with good healthcare. If most of your population doesnt have access to good x, your country doesnt have good x.

[@Manic72]

Your vibe and enthusiasm is so different in this video. How often you said "like" says it all. :)

[@ToddWalton]

I agree that Americans are often friendly to tourists. In the places I've lived anyway. But when I visited the Netherlands they were also helpful and friendly, even in Amsterdam. I took a wrong turn in Zaanse Schans and a lady crossed the road to ask if we were lost, and then pointed us in the right direction. I was so touched! Dutchies all over were very friendly to my wife and me.

[@FerDeAlmeida]

Dutchs are the sweetest, they just don't like the tourists that come go get high and wasted...

[@EdwinHofstra]

It's kind of ironic to tell the Dutch they don't know spices, but I get your point. Trains will wait for passengers when they can, but the railway system is so overcrowded these days, that there's only a very small window for delay. One train waiting too long/moving too slow will cause delays for all other trains on that line.

[@Lilliathi]

You don't need spices to drown out the food when the food is high quality.

[@Jetstream015]

Hi Eva, thanks for another great vlog. I'm living in both NL and US...60/40. Gives you great comparison options and feel for the way both societies work and their people in it. I love both countries - for different reasons. Anywhere on this planet there are mostly nice people. The US biggest asset is it's nature, in all shapes and forms ( living in the West when in the States ). So much space for everyone. I sometimes explain the difference by telling people in NL you cannot do anything if you don't have permission/ permit. In the US you can do anything unless there's a law against it. Not saying one is better. But fighting against the water behind dikes builds a different sense of community and equality when compared to the open endless free space... Enjoyed your Sunday morning contribution, take care!

[@KootFloris]

Indeed, we live with: "If the dyke breaks we all drown."

[@Wandelvonne]

We just returned from a USA trip. We stayed at the homes of 2 friends and both apologized for the bed and bathrooms being small. When we saw the rooms it was like:"well, yeah, our bedroom back home in NL could turn around in this one". Hahaha. The friendliness, yes, true but we were startled by the attitudes of staff in restaurants. Rude, not bringing the right order, not coming for refills ... way different from a couple of years ago.

[@DutchAmericano]

Interesting!

[@dikkiedik9463]

I think the source problems is the 'winner takes all' system in your voting system. Removing that will give other parties a change, and will make it possible for people fed up with both democrates and republicans to have a viable third choice. It also removes the usage of gerrymadering. And why doesn't everybody elligible to vote just receive a voting pass like in the Netherlands?

[@RealConstructor]

Maybe because there is no Civil Registration, so people wanting to vote need to register themselves. So they only could for those people registered.

[@PhotonBeast]

You're not wrong; the challenge is, changing away from winner-take-all and increased voter registration isn't benefit at least one of the parties currently in power. It's partially why existing third parties tend to run under the banner of one of the two major parties. This on top of an incredibly convoluted system of voting - voting in multiple systems and for multiple levels of government, all operating in different ways. Nevermind the electoral system.... >_> Edit: Left out an important word - it should have been that changing away from winner-take-all is not advantageous!

[@machtmann2881]

The winner takes all system is what produces a two party system. Third parties only take vote share away from one of the two major parties they are most similar to and cause the other party that they are most dissimilar to to have a greater chance at winning. But the voting system is actually not very centralized and getting them all to agree to change it is harder than herding cats. There are also people very much invested in not giving everyone an equal right to vote. It's a huge mess in the U.S.

[@eddys.3524]

Implementing Proportional Representation in the USA, I wonder how to achieve that, would indeed resolve the problems with gerriemandering, but not the current problems with voter registration and voter suppression (especially in red areas)... Automatic voter registration like in the Netherlands really would cause an earthquake like event in civil administration and election results .... the Republicans wouldn't like it..

[@johanwittens7712]

The problem is that one certain party wouldn't have won one a single election since the 1990s in the USA, if votes were actually counted proportionally and everyone was automatically registered to vote. Both bush jr and trump were both elected with less than 50% of the vote, but because of the winner takes all system they still got elected. Basically the winner takes all system means that if you live in a solid majority red state any vote for a democrat simply doesn't count, and in a solid majority blue state any vote for a republican doesn't count. The only way to sway such a state would be to change its demographics... Proportional voting really should have been implemented ages ago in the USA. It's amazing that the democrats haven't been spearheading this for decades really. Ironically, the current USA voting system is one of the least democratic in the democratic world.

[@machtmann2881]

I haven't been abroad as long as you have but there are definitely culture shocks I experienced going back to the U.S. The people are friendlier but the environment is not. It absolutely sucks to cross the street on foot because of how wide it is. And taking U.S. public transit makes you feel like a second class citizen because the country just does not take public space seriously (unless it is a big giant national park. But that's also the least accessible public space compared to parks around the corner imo). I feel like it's easier to make friends in the U.S....but it's also harder to keep them in my experience.

[@DataStorm1]

The connecting train thing, this won't happen with trains in the netherlands (too tight a schedule to do so) but if you go by bus and you tell the driver that is late on his schedule that you wanted to connect with another, they will call that bus and let it wait at your connecting stop (if its still before that bus is there, once that bus is passed, its over)

[@ianklinkhamer9720]

Unlike the Dutch Americans know what spices are? Funny, when I was in New Orleans I ordered a Cajun shrimp dish and the waitress warned me it was "very spicy" but when I tasted it it was reasonably spicy but not anywhere near what I was expecting (and hoping for).

[@wilfredderksen]

“Unlike in the Netherlands we do know what spices are”. I am not sure I heard this correctly as we use a lot of spices daily in NL. Also you can buy prepared and living spices everywhere in NL. It’s not meant as criticism it just puzzled me. I always like your fair videos!

[@Needlestitch]

It could and would probably be a jokingly harshly opinionated overgeneralized view on the matter. Could call for bit of explaining

[@random27]

It's more of of common joke about the UK. Raiding the world for spices, but never using them. Although as a nation, we did the same. Why use it when you can sell it 😜

[@wilfredderksen]

Thanks for the answers. Apparently I was being blond🤣

[@HelenavV_]

Most of the food is bland in the Netherlands. We barely use spices in general (salt and pepper at most). If someone does use spices it’s seen as a foreign thing. It’s a sarcastic joke poking fun at our Dutch culture. Same with the British culture

[@markschattefor6997]

@@HelenavV_ If you have good fresh quality products you don't want to cover their natural taste with extreme hot peppery stuff. I've noticed that most of those extreme hot dishes come from regions close to the equator, where not everything was/is refrigerated to modern day western standards.

[@SpoonSpoonSpoonSpoon]

Thanks for sharing this video. This is such a perfect way describing the cultural differences between US and NL. My wife and 2 young kids (one born there) moved back to NL after 5 years living in Austin, TX. And while we feel it is great being back with grandparents and friends in NL, you quickly see these differences in a magnified way. We miss the southern (or even US) warmth of casual conversation now realizing it’s not for the tip. And I must admit, we never got used to the polarized political views, even though it wasn’t discussed freely in that area in TX where Austin was very “blue”, people kept apologizing for their county’s political system. If only there were one or two more parties to offset this polarization, I believe all 330m citizens would ultimately benefit from it. Thanks for sharing this video, would love to see more of your videos to see if our views of the US world weren’t too far fetched after all! ;-)

[@dimsel]

"Unlike the Netherlands, in America we do know what spices are" :D Yep! Because of my health problems I can't always stand in the kitchen for a while and cook fresh meals from scratch, so I sometimes have to rely on ready meals or some pre-made side dishes for my dinner. Dutch food is so tame, so bland. And then when you go and eat at a Surinamese or Indonesian friend's house they'll either have flavoured it so much that you don't taste the original vegetable taste OR it'll be too spicy to taste anything :D But then if you do to a Surinamese or Indonesian restaurant it'll be a lot tamer because of the Dutchies, apparently, preferred safe bland taste. Always pays off to deviate from a set menu/rice table and pick something more adventurous that'll likely end up having a stronger sweeter OR spicier taste, though still less strong than at a Surinamese or Indonesian's friend's place.

[@hanfranssen]

As always I love how observant you are! But the most I love in this video is how easy you now say “my wife” . Because it is so normal and because you feel that you can say it. I love that you say it!!

[@cfjooijevaar1]

Lieve Ava, ik geloof dat jouw Nederlands zo goed is dat ik nu wel eens een reactie in onze taal mag geven. Ik heb heel veel van jouw video's, zo niet alle, bekeken en wat mij daarbij opvalt is, dat ik onze eigen cultuur door jouw video's zelf door een andere bril bekijk. Ik noem een voorbeeld: Wij klagen vaak over de hoge belastingen, maar er was een video van jou nodig om mij te laten zien wat wij daar allemaal voor terug krijgen! Geweldig!!! Door jouw vergelijkingen met de Amerikaanse situatie begrijpen wij onze eigen situatie beter. Nog een? "Is het een cadeautje?" Dat alles zette mij aan het denken. Als je al jou video's zou bundelen vormen ze samen een formidabel documentair inzicht in de Nederlandse cultuur in onze tijd! Daarom wil ik je suggereren - nou nee, indringend vragen - er voor te zorgen dat ze niet over enige tijd in het niets verdwijnen, maar bij een of ander passend instituut tot in eeuwigheid blijven opgeslagen. Want echt, lieve Ava, wat voor jou een hobby is, lijkt mij van historische waarde!!! Je bent dus toch een genie! Please, do it!!!

[@terraincognita3749]

Yes, the Dutch health care system does tend to be reluctant in handing out medication or tests. It is the same thing in Norway, where I also lived. Take an aspirin. Get some sleep. Get some fresh air. Let's wait a week and see how it goes. I half expect a Norwegian doctor to prescribe a good walk in the mountains if I were to have cancer. This can be frustrating when we feel ill and we are afraid and unsure. I also would love to have a solution ready. Sometimes general practitioners err too much on the side of wait and see. I have experienced this myself with a really serious eye problem that I did eventually find a good solution for, thanks to the tip of a friend. Still, so many health problems do go away on their own. Or, they cannot reliably be solved with medication. Or tests are just not all that useful. Flu is a perfect example. It goes away. There usually isn't much a doctor can do. Time, a warm bed and maybe Netflix, and that's it. And then there are the side effects of medication, the cost of tests, and second order effects such as antibiotics resistance. So all in all, I still prefer the Dutch/ Norwegian approach. Even though a GP cannot prescribe a walk in the mountains, like in Norway, as we have no mountains ...

[@andrisk2703]

I really like American friendliness, but as I'm extremely introverted, I don't feel like I can respond with the same level of friendliness. Even a simple smile can be very difficult. So it kinda causes me anxiety when I meet people like this. But I appreciate this quality and don't think it's fake.

[@GoliathAngelus]

There are also strange rules when it comes to food. For example, chicken is washed with chlorine in the factory. Something that is prohibited in other countries

[@Shalucik]

so what about the people on the train that got delayed so that one guy could make his transfer they might also have transfers down the line that they could no longer make cause their train could delayed for that one guy

[@Helmakoppelrath]

Love your video's, i found them resendly. Funny to learn somuch about my one country. Please continue.

[@Paulski25]

As for the train waiting in the US and not here: It is not so much a question of lack of customer friendlyness, but more of unintended consequences, the dutch railways also did that in the past, but our railway tracks are used much more intensely, which means that this few minutes delay will cause a cascade of small delays all over the country. In cases where the passengers only option is the last train leaving on the transfer station and the train you are in is delayed, it will be arranged that the last train waits for changing passengers. And yes there are also financial choices: the Dutch Railways are fined if more than x percent of the trains are delayed. That was also a regular problem experienced by passengers. So now NS accepts that a some people miss the connecting train and repay the ticket to these passengers (in cases where the delay is 30 minutes or more), in stead of the more expensive fines.

[@tarquinmidwinter2056]

We were clueless tourists in Washington DC. This was obvious, so when we emerged from the subway a friendly American asked where we wanted to go. I said we were looking for the Holocaust Museum, and he said he would take us there. As we walked along we talked, and we found that he was familiar with the part of Wales where we lived (quite remarkable, I thought). He knew people in the museum, so when we got there he took us to the front of the long queue and got us straight in. Although on balance I prefer Europe, the friendliness of Americans is something they can be proud of.

[@frisianmouve]

I've had two situations in the Netherlands where public transport waited for me. One time a sudden defect meant we had to wait in Zuidhorn for over an hour for a bus to show up to take us further to Leeuwarden. In Leeuwarden I needed to take the last train that evening to Stavoren even though initially my schedule was to take a train two hours earlier from there. Once I realized I wasn't going to make the last train the bus driver called the station and that last train waited for 5 more minutes for me and another passenger. Another time I was in Leek and needed to take lijn 3 to Groningen. The bus accidently took the slip lane at the roundabout and bypassed me. Fortunately there was another bus going partly the same way. He was just a minute behind the other bus so called the other bus to wait for me at Hoogkerk P+R. The bus driver of lijn 3 apologized to me there. Maybe it's a northern thing though, can imagine in the Randstad with busier schedules trains/buses don't wait for you because they have a more strict schedule and there's barely room for delays or the schedule gets out of whack. But at least that kind of customer service where a train waits for you isn't unheard of at least here in the North.

[@2coixos]

I always think US politics is a 'divide and conquer' strategy. people from the left and right fight over race, gender, abortion etc. and their divide gets wider and wider, and the Pentagon's spending goes up and up and many senators from both sides have shares(or get money in other ways) from the military industrial complex and the pharmaceutical industry.

[@RocRizzo]

Going north from NYC through the Hudson Valley, almost all the way to Albany (about 1/2 way up the state) along the Hudson, are many towns, closer together than if you head west.

[@SarthorS]

People in London also keep to themselves, and there is very little talking on the Underground. But if you ask someone for directions, they will be polite and more than happy to help.

[@vhartevharte]

‘You could take the train anywhere, if it decides to show up’. Perfecte samenvatting 😀 Mooie vergelijking. De VS klinkt ook weer niet zo slecht.

[@rvdnagel1963]

I'm really wondering what American spices you're refering to. Dried walmart type spices from a plastic jar is all I've ever eaten in the US, even in restaurants.

[@wilfredderksen]

The “fake people” that is told often is caused by where people regularly go, perhaps. I have been on several business trips and in offices, hotels, etc, to me it felt like that. I was very surprised and happy when I joined a colleague and met people “in the streets”, smaller restaurants, outside the big city. To be honoust, I think everywhere in smaller cities people in general are “easier”.

[@RocRizzo]

It's called the "American Dream," because you have to be asleep to believe it. -- George Carlin

[@sanderdeboer6034]

Perhaps I am an American by heart, but I also try to always assist toerist in Amsterdam where I can. And even approach them if I see them struggling with directions or looking at a map. When I am at Schiphol or any Amsterdam station I am almost asked daily for directions and/or help with the ticket machines. And I do see other people assisting as well, but in most cases people need to ask. In the Netherlands we like to give people as much space as possible, but if you ask for help you will get it (in most cases).

[@tomtomski4454]

As working for a train company in Poland must say that its quite normal to call the crew to wait due to change in case of delay situation. We have dedicated dispatcher for doing this. Especially for diabled pasengers I see it often.

[@michaelschaefer1904]

I worked with a Dutch intern for a few months last year. She labelled the food industry as the "regime."

[@ex0stasis72]

That apple story is personal to me. I feel like the apples in the grocery stores where I live around Seattle are very, very seasonal, but they are sold all year around, so I never can keep track of which times of the year I should be buying apples. If I buy it at the wrong time, it'll feel like styrofoam biting into it. And I'm even living in the area that exports the most apples in the world. However, buying apples directly from farmers is usually always good apples.

[@carmenl163]

In the Netherlands, we also have all year round apples. They are just preserved in cooling storages. There is nothing unnatural about them.

[@ex0stasis72]

@@carmenl163 Thank you for clearing that up. I realize that I might have been saying that like it's somehow in contrast to how it is in the Netherlands. I was just stating an opinion about apples in my area with no comparison to anywhere else because I have no experience or knowledge about apples in other parts of the world.

[@carmenl163]

@@ex0stasis72 I understand. Isn't it remarkable how such a simple thing as an apple can be treated so differently in two countries?

[@esiebring7436]

@@carmenl163 Not necessarily unnatural, but an aged apple gets 'melig'; that usually happens in springtime. I recon no Dutch shop would sell old apples when fresh ones are available, so sometime September you can count on Dutch apples getting tasty again.

[@ronald3148]

That why Eva. most trains in NL are on scedual and in de States they ain"t (acording you upload a while ago). Better one person wait when missed connection, as 100 people on the next station.

[@johanwittens7712]

15:20 This is not that exceptional. Even here in belgium, trains are automatically made to wait for certain connections, as long as they don't have to wait longer than a few minutes. I used to have to make a connection years ago in the main train station of my city to get to and from work, and that train was often waiting for us automatically when the train we arrived on was a few minutes late. They even announce onboard the train what connections are available (and might be waiting) as it's arriving in the station. It surprises me that this isn't commonplace in the Netherlands too... It might be just as commonplace, but you just haven't noticed since this tends to be done automatically behind the scenes here.

[@canna-sins]

tbh that last point would also count for the netherlands.. as a german in the netherlands i have often seen busdrivers make busses wait if the are delayed and make sure people can get on their rides :) but it is indeed a friendly thing to do :)

[@paul.van.santvoord1232]

Was nice from the trains to make the connection. I think if there are 2 trains a day going to the same direction, it is needed. In the Netherlands if you miss your connection, max 30 minutes wait time for the next trainin your direction.

[@inigoromon1937]

Great cheese can be found in Spain, Italy, Portugal and even France.

[@on-the-pitch-p3w]

Seriously? 😂

[@lordsleepyhead]

I've had the bus driver call dispatch to keep the other bus waiting when I was about to miss a connection, so it's definitely something that happens in the Netherlands too. But in general, customer service in the Netherlands is a bit hit of miss.

[@wilynoppen1827]

what is much underestimated is the human dimension," menselijke maat" that is not the measure of a person, but what a person can handle. for example, when you see a brick house, you know that you can hold such a brick in your hand, unlike a concrete wall, and that makes it friendlier.

[@CultureCompassTV]

I love American friendliness too. I met quite a few Americans while living in the Philippines and I always had a good experience. Filipinos have a similar friendly attitude. In my experience it's just generally much easier to strike up a conversation with Americans and Filipinos.

[@carmenl163]

I worked for a little while with Filipinos in France, and they were, without a doubt, the most lovely people ever. We couldn't talk much because of language difficulties, but we had some great laughs, even though we sometimes needed our hands and feet to enter the conversation.

[@carmenl163]

I took a picture of the benches in Central Park because they were huge! You could sit there easily with 6 persons. So, yes I can relate to everything is big 😉

[@DutchAmericano]

Haha, good example, yes!!!

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I also got a conductor on a train call to the next train to wait a minute for me. That is also quite normal in the Netherlands, Eva. In Dutch culture the American friendlyness is fake, because it is superficial. In the Netherlands real friendlyness is for friends. And friends are for life. What we do to strangers is being polite. And as for the political polarisation. it is complex. Voting systems favor 2 parties, lots of colored news channels, not that much interaction (real interaction) because of the vastness of the country, the USA itself is rather geographically isolated, all contributing factors. And indeed, that amounts to a different life style for different groups. In the Netherlands that used to be like that before WW2. It is called "verzuiling" (pillarisation) of society. In our case Catholics, Protestants, Socialists and Liberals. They for example would not buy at each other's shops, or intermarry.

[@kobjgdewschucrvtubnkm]

with the whole republican democrat thing, i find it so extremely annoying on the internet, because they constantly try to put you into one of these groups like it means anything to me. I say something somewhere and ive been yelled at for being both a democrat or a republican and get grouped into it like it says anything about my character while I barely even know what any of it means because it just doesnt mean anything to me, it has 0 bearing on my life. At this point its high on my "why i dislike americans" pile because im just so incredibly sick of it. And I cant even say I dont care because thats a stand on its own and they FORCE you to pick a side. Absolutely sick of it, rant over.

[@Taoxlrgion1982]

When I was in NY city as a Dutch person I had to go to Central Park every 3 days to warm up... Not because it was cold but because NY city feels so cold and unloved...

[@jurgenrusch4041]

Hi Eva, thanks for your nice video. I have been waiting for a new video for some time. 😊 From the few experiences I have had in the US, I recognize most topics that you touch. Indeed, in the US customer service is really service to the customer and - within their allowed limits - they'll do their utmost best to help you as a customer. With respect to your example of another train waiting a little longer for someone to not miss it here are my two cents. In the Netherlands this waiting (of a train) is almost impossible: as you may know the Dutch railway system is one of the busiest of the world in terms of number of trains on a track per hour (I am not an expert but heard this on a documentary once). So, given that, there are hardly any margins to let a train wait. Of course these margins are less tight in rural areas than in busy city areas. And, as you may know from experience in the Netherlands, because of this 'tightness' of the trains on the Dutch railway system, a small delay of a train at one railway station may soon lead to delays of trains at other stations. Especially problems at key stations like Utrecht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam often soon lead to huge problems in the West of the Netherlands.

[@jpdj2715]

Indeed. A delay of one train that cascades through the time table will cost hours, or the train gets cancelled, or it is only fixed the next day with a fresh start. I once spoke with an engineer who had visited Japanese companies in Japan among which railways. In a rail traffic control center, they had a huge display with a single digit number on it. "Is that the delay of a train in minutes," one of the Dutch engineers asked the Japanese, with indignation and passion, the response was "No! In seconds!" (Japanese etiquette forbids contradicting a foreigner, so the question must have been considered extremely inappropriate, or else they had said yes for etiquette reasons.) The point with the Dutch railway infrastructure is that all stations are connected to one another and the involved lines at some point have switches to change a train's direction. If you have been in London Underground, you know about the different "lines" and how you must switch from one train to another in order to make your journey. All lines operate in one way without interruption and there is a switch at the endpoint for the train to go to the return track. This means that a delay can only impact one line and not cascade though the time table. And none of these lines cross at the same level in the way the Dutch railways do with switches. All these switches have another - a dear friend is what I call "railseksueel" and tells all these details you don't want to hear - problem. In freezing weather, the switches get stuck when metal parts freeze-stick to each other. To mitigate that, each switch has a heater (the green cabinet near a switch with a sticker on it that reads "wisselverwarming"). When these got introduced at one point, a capacity calculation was needed for the heaters. Lacking experience, the Dutch engineers took the Swiss capacity, assuming that country being wintery white every winter, their capacity should suffice. And it did not. Because of a Swiss switch maybe being operated once per hour and a Dutch switch many times more (don't ask me for design details that explain this phenomenon, though).

[@jpdj2715]

@@trebnev - my last train trip a couple months ago, my train was a bit delayed and the conductor announced over the PA that my through connection was on the other side of the same platform and was waiting for passengers in this train. It's (still) part of the culture in Dutch rail to do so if/when possible.

[@EOOGamer]

dont know what spices are ? go into the closest albert heyn and count, then in the usa, count the available spices. Good luck

[@CuriouzComedian]

I don't wonder about that apple. Here in the Netherlands I eat once in a while Granny Smith apples that taste like cleaning liquids, especially those from New Zealand or France. I always check before I buy from what country those apples come.

[@CuriouzComedian]

Somebody in the waiting train will miss his / hers train because of the delay. However, it happened to me too, in Germany, that a train waited for me, because the conductor called the next train to stay a while at the station, so that I could catch it.

[@jasperveldhuis3880]

Thnx for the video! The train story is just great, it would never happen in the Netherlands. Trains are too frequent in any spot that it would be dangerous to stall them i think.

[@sjaakvantilborg1198]

That was very nice that the other train waited for the guy from New Zealand. But what about all the people in the train that was waiting for him, how many missed their train?

[@nobodyinparticula100]

Hi Eva, I love love love this nature of Americans of helping strangers out. This part has had a huge impact on me. Americans are also very used to diversity at every aspect in their lives. There is a significant chance I will have to leave the US next year. I am leaning very heavily towards moving to NL. If indeed that happens, I will sorely miss this aspect of US a lot! How to get in touch with you? Many thanks for sharing your experiences! I enjoy your videos!

[@bramharms72]

We can be friendly and outgoing to strangers! Just last month I nodded my head to someone who I'm fairly certain is from the next village over. How much more friendly do you want us to get! 😜

[@paul.van.santvoord1232]

😂

[@DutchAmericano]

🤣🤣🤣 love this

[@Wielie0305]

😂

[@rj.vir.singh.]

Heyy Ava, really nice video, I was wondering if I can help you by better video editing and also make highly engaging short. Let me know to have my portfolio or your edited sample video. Cheers, Rajvir Singh

[@doosenco]

I hate US politics and it's outcomes, but I love the US, because of the beautiful landscapes, variety, and the friendly people. I've visited the US for four times and had some great conversations with people of all kinds on the most unexpected moments and locations.

[@martinjjnoagenda5536]

Now you've been living in the Netherlands for a while, what's your opinion about tipping everywhere in the US knowing for many being it's a big part of their income? Because I'm not used to that, being in the States I often simply totally forgot about it until it was too late. Did you start to forget also now?

[@RFGfotografie]

I don't dare to help a random person when they don't ask for it. But when they do I will do anything to help. We're more indeed minding our own business, accepting your privacy. It has it's pro's/cons from both sides. And because the Netherlands is smaller and has less people, you can notice the actions of the individuals way more then in America. Also, most of the time, you don't need to seek human help, because everything can be found digital here. Also if there is help needed, we have specific people to help you. It's less personal, maybe even less friendly. But, we just handle helping each other a bit different. Way less introsive then in America. And that can be good or bad.

[@PatQuakernaat]

Hahaha pretty funny remark on spices. Three guesses who introduced spices to the (rest of the) world in the 15-1600's. Like anywhere else its a matter of what you are used to. Having lived in the US, I can say that "spices" in the US is typically just jalapeno's or hot sauce, highly overrated i.m.o. and In most cases killing all flavours ........ The main thing that lacks in the US is vegetables in most restaurants.

[@marcd6897]

The lack of vegetables is so 100% true!

[@jannetteberends8730]

Also wondered what she was talking about. Just take speculaas, with basically cinnamon, piment, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Don’t think there’s another cookie in the world with that amount of spices.

[@carmenl163]

@@jannetteberends8730 The word 'spicy' usually means 'hot' and not so much 'kruidig'.

[@jannetteberends8730]

@@carmenl163 she said spices 4:33

[@carmenl163]

@@jannetteberends8730 Yes, and like the OP explained, they usually mean jalapenos or hot sauce by that.

[@gert-janvanderlee5307]

Strange that food in grocery stores in rural upstate New York is less healthy than in the city. Or do the locals there have other ways to get their fruit and vegetables? Like grow them themselves? Or buy at a market or directly from farms?

[@MofoMan2000]

I was born and raised in the US, and I can't wait to get out of here. I'm actively trying to figure out how I'll leave, I want to move to the Netherlands but that might now happen. But damn it, I'm getting out, I'm so sick of it here.

[@ErikBongers]

Visited the US a couple of times and had the same experiences.

[@propagandasheep]

They wax the apples to make em llok more shinny to sell. Thats why your rinse them off with hot water first

[@MissVindicat]

Love your couch! 🥰

[@Nynke_K]

I just saw a dead rat on Domplein in Utrecht this week, so it's not like we don't have them! But I'm sure NYC is on a different level 😅. And I get what you say about gezelligheid. Still, can't wait to visit my best friend in New Jersey and explore NYC with her - hall-like coffeeshops and restaurants or no 😊

[@RenghisKhan]

Apparently a one to one ratio of people and rats is considered a 'healthy' situation.

[@ex0stasis72]

There's also the Green Party in the US, but people care about that even less than they do about the Libertarian Party.

[@peter_meyer]

There's even a communist party in the US.

[@bollewillem1]

The stange thing about ‘the American dream’, the social mobility, is that hardly exists anymore in the United States.

[@machtmann2881]

Maybe it used to be true in the past, but now what you're born into heavily influences your future. Our predecessors pulled up the economic ladder as they went up it.

[@jasper7072]

The customer service for all the other passengers of that train was not as good though was it? Tbh, it depends on if there were any transfers down the line and the frequency of trains, but it still feels a singling out for who you provide your primary service.

[@PietroCozziTinin]

You know that what the US calls left still is regarded far right by the Dutch right?

[@TheEvertw]

RE the American political system: one of the problems is the system of primaries. Because _only_ registered members of the political party may vote for who becomes their candidate, it means that by definition these candidates primarily represent those voters, and thus tend to be pretty radical. So when the national vote comes round, voters tend to have a choice between someone they like and someone they really don't like. It polarizes the country more than necessary, causes tremendous shifts in policies, and causes grid-lock when the opposing party wins the Senate or Congress. That is aside from the point that the Senate has a Republican bias that causes many problems. In NL, radicals never get power because they will not be able to form a coalition. Even without a majority in the Senaat, a government can still be effective.

[@RogierYou]

Don’t forget that one Apple costs most likely the same as a whole kilo of apples in the NL

[@petervanderbent9551]

I don’t feel like your being completely honest. It seems like you are trying to be neutral and not offend anyone.

[@iNanieke]

When I visited the US, people were so nice and helpful. Back home I heard the argument about it being fake, but I didn't feel that way. It's just a culture difference, we all have our own ways to express ourselves in a social setting. Besides.. say that it is fake.. that's a whole lot of work and coordination for Americans to pretend to be nice be nice all the time towards tourists, as some sort of big prank?!😅😅

[@atropatene3596]

Can you imagine though if the IC from Amsterdam to Utrecht was delayed for one tourist?

[@KootFloris]

Cultures also tend to become extremely nice to each other, when everything is tight or fraught with danger. The kindness of Americans looks a bit like the kindness of desert people where hospitality is everything since lives depend on it. With no social safety net, attitude can make the difference. The Dutch are much safer, hence they can afford to complain more.

[@Needlestitch]

States of fear are unfortunately imported by EU politicians favoring mongering angst.

[@HenkvanHoek]

People in New York are not always helpfull. My mother visited her brother. At the station she asked someone the time. The answer was "Can't you buy a watch?". She never visited the US anymore. I bit overreacted if you ask me. But knowing my mother, I understand.

[@mennobults6464]

It is great to hear the differences. Fantastic you and your wife feel at home here. Welcome. You have a great site. (If it is called like that) It is very educational. Customerservice is good in the US becaause the customer is armed ;-)

[@rebeccaalbrecht771]

Hi Ava, As a fellow American from New York, up -state New York, living in Utrecht since 2017, I want to ask, did you notice as you drove along the highway especially going North towards Albany, the vines growing up through the trees. I always find ithat so distressing. One day if I happen to see you here in Utrecht when I am out and about I'll stop and say hi.

[@on-the-pitch-p3w]

Albany… you mean Beverwijk? 😊 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverwijck

[@rebeccaalbrecht771]

@@on-the-pitch-p3w I never knew that and I grew up in that area. Thanks for that tidbit of information. You made my day!

[@amsterdammancom]

Also an American living over a decade in Netherlands - the overhead wires running everywhere like in India is what sticks out to me. We have overhead tram wires and train wires and a few high tension transmission wires, but everything else is underground wiring. After every US storm the FEMA rules require the same failed infrastructure to be replaced and not improved or upgraded... Same electric wires go down every storm... Never gets improved so it won't happen next time. 'Merca!

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

Actually there was a whole trade dispute between the US and Europe, because Europe does not want let US export "Chlorinated chicken" to us, because odd enough we think that is not good for your health...

[@kjh23gk]

The issue wasn't so much that washing it with chlorine made it bad, but that it was bad so it had to be washed in chlorine. That's a result of the much lower animal welfare standards in the US. It's also the reason their chicken eggs are washed before they are sold (which is why they are white), and why Americans are generally really paranoid about getting ill from eating raw egg.

[@ShadyNetworker]

Wait, we don't have spices? We have ALL of the spices! Except, just not in the 'Dutch' kitchen 😁

[@pjotrh]

I also think the USA has just become a lot messier over the last 10+ years. I remember being shocked about how much dirtier it had become between 2010 and 2020 when I last visited.