*more* CULTURE SHOCKS (pt 2) Living in the Netherlands (as a South African)

Ask and you shall receive!
Here is part two of the culture shocks I've experienced in the Netherlands. My husband and I really enjoy making these videos (soon you'll see his face too!) and we hope you like it as much as we do.
Hope everyone is having a grand Monday.
Lots of love,
Marté

[@wilynoppen1827]

In the Netherlands (and Europe) antibiotics are prescribed with caution, the reason for this is that more and more bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics and in the future antibiotics will no longer help

[@martebarnard]

I completely agree with this line of thinking! My mom raised me with a “Dutch mentality” - i.e only get medication when you are on the brink of death (hahaha). Antibiotics should be kept for severe illness

[@crashmatrix]

@@martebarnard I do think we may have gone a bit off the end at the other extreme compared to, say, the US. While restraint is required for the reasons mentioned above, the 'Dutch mentality' is no bueno either.

[@moladiver6817]

​@@crashmatrixCan you give an example? Because very often antibiotics are quite useless. Most infections are viral to begin with and if you do need antibiotics the doctor will most likely try and send a sample to the lab to grow and see what it really is and only then figure out the best approach. Just some antibiotics for any kind of illness is wrong practice. Unfortunately this is still common in many countries. You go see a doctor for their professional opinion and not to get pills.

[@Paul_C]

​@@crashmatrixwell, using antibiotics because your farmers in the USA have penchant for poor husbandry is madness.

[@jpfoto64]

An other reason is that the body can mostly heal itself and medication Is unnessecary. If you got a flu, common cold or other minor illnesses With or without medication, you'll be fine within a few days. And when you realy need medication, they will ve provided to you.

[@omgwtfbbqloon]

Verschonen in the sense of to excuse is really old fashioned/very formal Dutch. I think it may be still somewhat more in use in Belgium. Van Dale Dutch dictionary mentions both to excuse and to clean as meaning.

[@Erdnav27]

Grappig, mijn oma zei vroeger ook "ik zal je een opneuker verkopen", ze bedoelde dan een klap geven. Aan m'n broertje natuurlijk, ik was een braaf kind.

[@DenUitvreter]

Het betekent eigenlijk ook gewoon stoten. Zelfs het woord bruid is afgeleid van een Middeleeuws woord voor stoten, romantisch he?

[@JustRob_NL]

Heb ik er nog één voor je "Mierenneuker", leg dat maar eens uit aan een Colombiaanse familie😅😅

[@vogel2280]

I can confirm: lunch is just something that prevents you from dying between breakfast to dinner. Although, many Dutch also prefer to get a warm snack with their lunch. But will be all, no full meals mid-day.

[@Eric_Maastricht]

Using chocolate sprinkles on breakfast bread may be often named by expats/immigrants, but very commonly we use as well jam (whatever variety), slice of cheese, spreads (tuna, salmon, cheese, chicken, see the supermarket in the cooled section), slice(s) of meat (think: cervelaat, rosbief, fricandeau, liver, etc -- see the ailes in the supermarket!). Just one thing: it's just a slice of a loaf of bread with butter or margarine on it before the topplings. No toast. Toasting was used (at least in my family) in the days of old for "old bread" to camouflage it had lost the freshness. FWIW.

[@mormacil]

When I lived at home as a child we certainly hate hagelslag for breakfast but only a single slice. It was seen as a treat to start the day with, the rest of breakfast had to be healthy, cheese, cold meats, etc with a cup of tea. It was very much understood it wasn't that healthy unlike some people with cereals...

[@jannetteberends8730]

Toast is the English or American name for a slice of bread. Always forget which country uses toast. Apparently South African English also uses toast.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

The warm meal used to be at noon, so that is why it is called "middageten" but since the people these days all work far away from home, that is now an evening meal, around 18:00h, so we eat bread in the morning, with tea or milk, and around 12:30h bread & tea again...we have manny, manny kinds of stuff you can put on your bread. You eat it with knife and fork, they are NOT "sandwiches" sandwiches is what you take with you to work or school... prefab..

[@realpirate]

plus you NEVER call a dutch person at home at 6 pm : Etenstijd 🍳 - while we're on foodie stuff 🥩 also : wij doen niet echt aan toasten 🍞 Thank you for this fun video !

[@hunchbackaudio]

Dutch GP's in the sixties and seventies used to be very easy with the antibiotics also. As a kid I suffered with allergies a lot and the GP stuffed me with all kinds of antibiotics. After we moved from Utrecht to a little village, the first thing my new GP did was quit all the prescriptions to see what would happen. In a few weeks I was free of all symptoms and they never came back. So my lesson is, don't take antibiotics unless you really need them. If it aint broke, don't try to fix it. Doctors that handout medicine just to keep you satisfied have no intention looking after your health.

[@moladiver6817]

Loved your video as a Dutchie! For some reason the algorithm gave me part 2 first but I'll definitely watch part 1 also. Would love to hear you speak some more Afrikaans. 😎 The Netherlands has one of the lowest occurrences of MRSA in hospitals which is likely due to the restraints in prescribing antibiotics.

[@user-pw9lk2si9l]

We are the healthiest People in the world, and you can keep your own food.dankjewel

[@snroos1860]

Another fun vlog :-) Trying traditional Dutch food will be fun (for us) 🙂 You will definitely encounter "drop" (licorice). It is an acquired taste, so pay attention! There are broadly three flavors: sweet, salty and double-salt licorice. DO NOT START WITH DOUBLE-SALTY DROP (DZ licorice). Even for the Dutch, that is a taste you have to get used to! Start with sweet licorice (easy). Then try the normal (salty) licorice (e.g. coins licorice (muntendrop) or car licorice (autodrop)). If you can eat (and like) that, only then can you try DZ licorice. Dutch "salty herring" is a Dutch sushi, easiest to eat: at the fish stand, chopped up with onions and pickles. You will love trying the rest of the Dutch food (stroopwafels, poffertjes, bitterballen etc.) Thanks 🙂

[@jobburger2271]

What a nice video! Whenever I hear someone speak Afrikaans, I feel like I traveled back in time. It sounds like 17-18th century Dutch to me.

[@jsb7975]

Wat ik niet begrijp is dat mensen in andere landen verwachten dat een huurhuis gemeubileerd wordt opgeleverd. Andermans meubilair kan helemaal je smaak niet zijn en dat geldt ook voor vloeren en gordijnen ! Maar wat een plezierige video ! Leuk om naar te kijken 🌹 P.s. vroeger leerden wij op school "mamma k'wil 'n man he, en ook Sari marijs en nog andere. Ik kan ze zo nog zingen !

[@famdetiger2071]

“Verschoon mij” … deze uitdrukking is oud Nederlands en betekent “excuseer mij”. Wij (een collega en ik) gebruikten vaak soortgelijke oude uitspraken/uitdrukkingen omdat wij de Nederlandse taal een mooie taal vinden.

[@jandirkvanleeuwen]

Hi Marté, 🖐 Let me tell you. I'm a 60 year old Dutch man, born and raised. And I've never liked Dutch food. My personal favourite food is Indonesian and Surinamees. As long as it's not too spicy, I mean really hot 🔥 and spicy. Greetings from the Hague

[@joannevandebeld4426]

I had a very strange but fun experience hearing you speak Afrikaans at the end of your video. My brain was telling me you were speaking Dutch, but not making any sense out of it. It really took me a couple of seconds to readjust my ears/brains before I could begin to actually make out the words you were saying. After that came trying to understand them. I can imagine you would have the same problem daily, specially when you first moved here. Is that brain hiccup something that happens to you too? I hope it has lessened over time if so!

[@nlbergsma]

I lived for quite some years in Botswana and Swaziland, where you can come across Afrikaans speaking people also quite often. I loved when they were telling jokes in Afrikaans. Can you tell one/some ? 🙏

[@Meenjedatnou]

Growing up in Africa I don't go to the doctor often unless there is a serious problem. In NL I found people are much more relaxed about going to a doctor for opinions about all kinds of issues,even mild conditions.

[@platinaatje6134]

To get a paracetamol described.

[@wilynoppen1827]

In Dutch "verschoon " has 2 meanings 1 "vershoon" as clean 2 "vershoon" in law as "verschoningrecht" for example that you do not have to testify against a family member

[@nlbergsma]

"Verschoon me", as an excuse, was common in the past. To-day it sounds funny.

[@tdmveenstra7590]

Verschoon mij is still in use in flemish

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

@@tdmveenstra7590 In the Southern part of Noord Brabant you hear it now and again as well. I think it used to be in the bible texts as well, but I'm not religious, so I'm talking from memory being a child.

[@Eric_Maastricht]

Fully agree with the meaning in the law courts: journalists not disclosing their sources, lawyers having the client-lawyer privilige, etc. An also common usage is "verschoon het bed" = changing the linnen of the bed. Most common usage in present day Dutch is not "verschoon mij" but "ik vraag verschoning", but beware it is very posh/upper class to say it.

[@l.v.6319]

But only by older people speaking dialect. ​@@tdmveenstra7590

[@MyTubeSVp]

Verschonen is a very archaïc dutch word, but it still can be a valid choice for eg. excusing yourself for leaving the table when in company. 50 years ago “verschoon mij” was the default start of a conversation in cases where you might be intruding. (I’m from Flanders, not the Netherlands”.)

[@bertoverweel6588]

Leuk!!!

[@macroenie]

Thumbs up, good energy and nice to learn about the differences with SA. Keep them coming.

[@DrErikEvrard]

You may probably already have heard that many Dutch will actually go to Belgium for medical care. They will take your complaints more seriously there (and there aren't waiting lists like you have them in NL).

[@Suus-mc9mj]

Ik hou echt van je video's!! Haha, sommige dingen zijn zo waar, bijvoorbeeld die boterham met hagelslag en kaas. Als iemand iets anders dan een boterham mee naar school neemt kijkt iedereen echt zo van ' wat eet jij?' 😂 Ik heb zin in je volgende video!! xx❤

[@Franky46Boy]

The word 'verschoning' is still used by older Dutch people in the sentence: "Ik vraag om verschoning", meaning "I ask to be excused'.

[@jpfoto64]

In the netherlands you almost always get off if you want to go to a funerall. Even if it is not direct family like family members of good friends. Atending those funetals give moral support to uour friends and seen as important, also by your employer.

[@kjeldschouten-lebbing6260]

Its not normal to take the floor though, most often it's just left behind for the new tennant.

[@mormacil]

I still think the worst translation isn't between Afrikaans and Dutch but Flemish and Dutch. The word in question is Poepen, which is Dutch means to take a shit. In Flemish however it means to fuck, not two verbs to ever mix up.

[@tedsteiner]

How the fuck did that happen 💀

[@mormacil]

@@tedsteiner They sound and write identical but the words have entirely different etymologies. In Flemish it's related to the German word Poppen, which implies a hitting sound. Which isn't that unheard off in the bedroom :P

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Verschoon mij is erg ouderwets Nederlands voor sorry. Ik denk, maar weet dat niet zeker, dat het in Vlaanderen nog als zodanig gebruikt wordt.

[@MyTubeSVp]

Nee, niet meer. Toen ik jong was, 40-50 jaar geleden, toen nog wel hoor.

[@17ramon]

Heel erg leuk weer . was Sarie Marais niet ooit in 1897 het volkslied . die heeft toon hermans ooit nog gezongen in 1974 . groetjes .... leuk kannaal.

[@weetjeweetje4054]

A former colleague who moved from South Africa to the Netherlands said that he found Flemish Dutch easier to understand than Dutch Dutch. I wonder if you have the same experience.

[@parmentier7457]

De Hollandse keuken is de Rijsttafel en kapsalon. Een waarlijk Nederlandse creatie.

[@Alleskunner1]

Ik vind het een heel leuke taal het zuid-afrikaans!! Het is grappig om te zien hoe buitenlanders tegen ons aankijken.

[@Student-cs2ws]

Hey Marté, volgens mij kennen wij in het Nederlands nog wel het woord ‘verschonen’ in een andere context. Bijvoorbeeld in geval van het woord ‘verschoningsrecht.’

[@ElMariachi1337]

The no floor, no furniture housing seems to be a reoccurring culture shock among expats/immigrants, but let me ask you which would you prefer: living in a house that's fully decorated by you in your own taste/style (yes it does cost you) or a house that comes pre-decorated and has a floor that's ok-ish but you would have never chosen that floor or those curtains yourself if you had the chance ?

[@martebarnard]

You make a strong argument, but when you come into Europe with a currency as weak as the Rand (South Africa’s currency) you certainly choose the pre-furnished option, at least for your first apartment 🤣

[@rboltong040465]

Vrij krijgen bij een begrafenis van een eerste lijns familielid van jou of je partner is vaak geregeld in een CAO. Dat zijn dagen waarop je vaak bijzonder verlof krijgt, dit wil zeggen dat het je geen verlofdag kost. Werkdruk van je werkgever moet je achter je laten. Dat is een persoonlijk iets en als een werkgever dit zodanig doet, zou ik een andere werkgever gaan zoeken.

[@Carolienpaul]

Afrikaans is betoverend ❤

[@laurav4919]

Haha, "terugvoer" 😊

[@Zerocool-kb4ej]

400 likes??...hoppaaaa ik was nr 555 😉 btw your vision of the healthcare was incorrect..maybe not in Amsterdam , but where i'm from , if i call my doctor for an appointment , then the appointment is the same day. And if my ankle looks like that and i go see my doctor , he immediately puts me through to the hospital for photo's , so if that isn't the case in your situation ,then i'd go look for a different doctor because that is not how it should go

[@Be-Es---___]

Swearing is done with 'taboo' words. There is nothing more taboo in a densely populated country as the Netherlands as an illness.

[@huub1297]

I really enjoy watching your stories. You are a very nice person. A few comments: I hear "verschoning" more often in Belgium in situations where we used to apologize "sorry". The Dutch breakfast may include chocolate sprinkles for small children, but hardly any for adults. Lunch: a cheese sandwich only, that was also a long time ago. Doctor may differ, but I have never received a painkiller as a prescription. Delivering a bare apartment is not standard. However, personally, I would consider it an advantage, because you want to decorate the interior to your own choice and then do not have to remove the old one first. Stroopwafels: how dare you.......... hmmmmmmm, lekker! Finally: I would really like it if you would at least speak a little more South African, but please speak more slowly.

[@emielverschuur8395]

hahahaha ja paracetamol is onze nationale medicijn heel veel mensen gaan naar de dokter met een blauwe plek ofzo dus slik maar een paranolletje en als het niet over is in een dag of 3-4 kom dan maar terug , ik hoop dat jullie die dutch food test gaan doen en vergeet dan niet de fricandel speciaal dat is net als haring en stroopwafels onze nationale snack

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Haggelslag? Ik eet bijna altijd kaas of worst op brood, of spek, misschien een keer pindakaas... Hagelslag, dat is voor kinderen..

[@janmango4692]

"Verschoonbaar" is considered archaïc in daily use, but is still largely used in legal jargon. "De te late indiening van het bezwaarschrift is verschoonbaar".

[@henkvisscher4379]

Is there perhaps a connection between the paracetamol doctors and the active elderly generation? What does not kill you, makes you strong??

[@freudsigmund72]

The verb neuken is derived from the game of billiards and it means to hit the cueball with the cue... with that both the Afrikaans meaning as the most used Dutch meaning is a logical result

[@tammo100]

Ik heb een Zuid-Afrikaanse tandarts die Afrikaans spreekt. Ze komt van vlakbij Kaapstad. Gaat prima onderling :)

[@johnvanhal2450]

"Verschoon mij" means the same in dutch as in Afrikaans. But the younger generations seem to have forgotten many older expressions and words. I think they didnt read as much as the older people. The Flemish still use expressions like this. Like "ik vraag verschoning".

[@speerboom]

Striktly speaking ‘verschoon mij’ also means ‘excuse me’, but it’s old fashioned and pretty much out of use. If anyone says it, it sounds very posh and formal. If you want to excuse yourself ‘excuseer mij’ is a nice way to say it. More posh and formal would be ‘verexcuseert u mij’. That said, when you do use ‘verschoon me/mij’ you’re not wrong. I’d say keep using it so people’ll be reminded of what it also can mean.

[@johannessugito1686]

I read many comments from foreigners in The Netherlands about paracetamol. But I never read a comment that it did not work 😁

[@Student-cs2ws]

By the way, I think I’m going to borrow your word ‘terugvoer’ and implement it in my Dutch. Way better than the English word ‘feedback.’

[@TheEvertw]

In modern Dutch the term "Verschonen" as to excuse is archaic but still used in some contexts. For instance, we have the Verschoningsrecht, i.e. the right to excuse yourself from testifying in a criminal court. But you need to be well educated to know the archaic use.

[@erikpl6402]

If you think the no-floors thing is odd, don't move to Germany. Their rental apartments don't even come with kitchens, you're expected to bring your own!

[@realpirate]

The Germans do leave the light fittings and bulbs in, though - no hope of that in any Dutch appartement / house - first act is always sorting some fittings & bulbs and getting busy with a ladder and a screwdriver

[@jpfoto64]

Why does almost every expad think that the dutch eat toast? We eat bread, untoadted, becouse we have high quality bread and almost never eat it toasted. Ive seen many video's like these and for so.e reason they all got it wrong. Yes, hagelslag on bread, but untoasted.

[@martebarnard]

Aha, a slight slip of my tongue! We use bread and toast interchangeably in South Africa. I did actually read that it should not be toasted. Thanks for the reminder and will do it the correct way for my next vid! 🥳 (PS yes, the bread here is unreal!!)

[@jannetteberends8730]

Toast is UK English for a slice of bread. (Not in USA English)

[@stroopwafel6141]

One stroopwafel a day keeps the doctor away! Anyway, the doc won't come untill you're collapsing.

[@martebarnard]

🤣🤣 laughed out loud at this!

[@j.l.boekestein3201]

Wait, we have a Dutch cuisine? :O ;)

[@krishandanushka1931]

Hi Marte...., Thanks for your video. I going to ask you something not relate with this video. I am planning to permanently move to Netherlands end of this year. As I checked the videos and blogs done by people who are currently stay in Netherlands, most of them mention cost of accommodation is very high. Aveg. Euro 1200-1600 (02 bed room apartment). But once I checked the Facebook market place I have seen many apartment rentals ads with very affordable cost. Around 700-900 (02 bed rooms apartment )... now I am bit confused which one is the right one.....Could you please give me the honest idea as you live in Netherlands ? How much does it cost actually (average) ...Sorry for long explanation. Thanks and hope you a reply...

[@Judith_Remkes]

Don't trust the ads...they might have 1 apartment like that, and 100 expensive ones. That price is more a social housing price than the price a private renter would ask, and honestly, it's unlikely to be actually available. Social housing might be available, depending on your income, but there's a huge waiting list. In some towns, the waiting list is 10 or 12 years. Yes, years. We've got a bit of a housing crisi going on, I strongly suggest you get your living space arranged before you come here, if at all possible. Hope this helps a bit, best of luck!

[@krishandanushka1931]

@@Judith_Remkes Thanks Judith, this is really apricated. Thank you...

[@janrobertbos]

...natuurlijk verstaan wij Afrikaans!!!😀

[@wm7195]

Broodje met kaas en BOTER!

[@rgfrank1668]

Oof ik weet niet of je jullie gezin wilt onderwerpen aan echt de echte 'Hollandse' keuken. Nederland is al tijden niet meer enkel het land van 'Piepers met groente en vlees' invloeden uit Suriname, Indonesië maar ook Zuid Afrika en recenter Turkije en Marokko. Dus hoewel de originele keuken 'niet om over naar huis te schrijven is' (spreekwoorden welke je wel en niet herkent uit het Afrikaans lijkt mij wel een leuke video) is het aanbod/palet wel breed in a) de supermarkt en b) de restaurants. Toegang tot de gezondheidszorg zou in NL net zo goed al dan niet beter moeten zijn dan in Zuid Afrika, maar de tendens om maar iets 'voor te schrijven' bestaat in NL inderdaad niet. Echter als je klachten hebt ga dan naar de huisarts, het kost niks, een afspraak is zo gemaakt en hun advies is doorgaans goed/goud waard. Op de huizenmarkt (niet om iets goed te praten) is een kaal appartement inderdaad 'normaal' zeker als je de eerste bewoner bent (nieuwbouw), in Duitsland nemen ze vaak ook de keuken mee naar hun nieuwe huis. Hoe dat logistiek werkt weet ik niet maar daar is dat weer heel gewoon.

[@crashmatrix]

Even compleet ongerelateerd he, maar mag ik even aanmerken dat jou keuze in profile pic echt 10/10 is? Haha, ik moet meteen weer aan die tijd denken dat ik de dagen aftelde tot ik TS kon krijgen in de winkel 😂

[@rgfrank1668]

@@crashmatrix Dat is inderdaad 100% ongerelateerd ;), dankje. TS is tegenwoordig freeware dus gratis (legaal) te downloaden en EA heeft een maand geleden alles tot C&C Generals op Steam uitgegeven mocht je geïnteresseerd zijn.

[@DenUitvreter]

Het is idd een beetje een touristenmisvatting dat alle landen een volledig eigen traditionele keuken zouden hebben, eeuwenlang afgeschermd tot die toeristen in het vliegtuip stapten en kwamen ontdekken. Nederland was al veel langer internationaal en de meest Europese keukens zijn pas van de 19e eeuw, toen Nederland heel erg arm was en de rijken vooral met Frankrijk koketteerden. In Nederland ga je naar de huisarts voor een diagnose, niet voor een pilletjes. Maar dat wordt wel slechter hoor, net als bij de woningmarkt groeit de vraag enorm door de enorme immigratie en dat kan de gezondheidszorg ook gewoon niet bijhouden.

[@RealConstructor]

@@rgfrank1668Is waarschijnlijk een generatiedingetje, maar ik begrijp echt niets van dit commentaar😂 ben trouwens wel benieuwd naar de vertaling in normaal Nederlands. Misschien kan ik er wat van leren.

[@rgfrank1668]

@@RealConstructor Oef... Ik kan hier gerust een uitleg op geven alleen weet ik niet of het toepasselijk is dit in de comments van andermans upload/video te doen

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Afrikaans is nie moeilijk nie voor ons Nedersaksen, ons praat hier Saksisch. En wij eten dröge worst :)

[@8alakai8]

afrikaans is a dutch word

[@lkruijsw]

Very 'gezellig'. Working on a funeral.

[@juliuscesar6299]

Cake

[@Eric_Maastricht]

Just one more thingy: it is said that the Dutch can understand Afrikaans quite well, but the reverse, Native Afrikaans speakers have more difficulty understanding Dutch. That said, I like your ending the video in Afrikaans. But... you're talking at full speed as in a private conversation. It would be very kind of you if you pace that section like when you talk in English. No offence to Afrikaans, just trying to understand it first time around...

[@DenUitvreter]

That would make sense, as Afrikaans developped as being easier to understand for the Germans, the French, the Malayians or whereever the Dutch took their settlers and sailors from. The VOC-ers, the governors and administrators of the cape would still do their business and write in Dutch, Afrikaans was working class and got rid of the complexities through the people who spoke it from a different native language. Of course it developped afterwards and is a beautiful language, but it's origins are unpretentious and from the need of clair and direct communication.

[@armandovanhaaren9823]

Klagen over het weer

[@hansc8433]

The example of a slice of bread with hagelslag for breakfast is getting a bit old. I don’t know anyone (over the age of 12) who eats that for breakfast. Maybe it’s just my social bubble, but the people I know (most of them Dutch) eat cereals with yoghurt, porridge, fried eggs on toast, croissant with coffee, pancakes, and when they eat bread, it’s a quick double sandwich on the go with some cheese or nutella. A pretty standard and mainstream breakfast, I would say. Antibiotics are a big no-no in the Netherlands, unless you have a bacterial infection, in which case you obviously get them prescribed. In all other cases, antibiotics are pretty useless and they only help to breed antibiotics resistant bacteria, which is a serious threat to our global health.

[@martebarnard]

I had no idea it was old, and I’m very glad to hear it’s not the standard. The majority of websites I search had it listed, so I assumed it was the norm! I will say though that the bread consumption here is a lot more than South Africa 😜

[@robertboender5816]

Zou het gewoon in Afrikaans blijven doen ,😁😊

[@vincenttayelrand]

Respecting Dutch food? 🤣🤣🤣

[@mormacil]

There ton of great Dutch food? Bitterballen are very well received worldwide? Stroopwafels are another hit pretty much anywhere. And we have plenty of flavorful dishes, rijsttafel, snert, broodje hollandse nieuwe, saté, hachee met rodekool, filosoofstoof and hazenpeper. We particularly excel in fried foods, bamischijf, oliebollen, kroket, kibbeling, but our cheeses are also renowned? Just because your parents weren't particularly good cooks doesn't mean the entire country can't?

[@johnveerkamp1501]

when it isn't DUTCH it isn't much. !!!!!!!!!

[@wm7195]

Oh, the paracetamol story is so boring and even starting to be a bit annoying. Of course doctors will help immediately if there is an emergency. Once I had a small lump in my breast, I was in the hospital the next morning to be seen by an oncologist.

[@Pevi70]

Dutch cuisine, hahaha. None existent and I am Dutch.

[@Eric_Maastricht]

You may want to peruse the channel "buncharted" to see what foreigners (USA in that case) identify as Dutch cuisine, @martebarnard : it'll give you a head start for our cuisine. BTW, anything like a RSA cusine, apart form the famous braai?