UNEXPECTED THINGS ABOUT THE NETHERLANDS (dutch culture shock)

In this episode, Michelle and Alex discuss the stranger side of the Netherlands. They (very obviously) love living in the Netherlands, but in this video, they'll talk about some of the surprising and unexpected things that they've learned about the Netherlands only after moving here.
Episode 94 · Filmed on September 18, 2023 · Dordrecht, The Netherlands
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0:00 Introduction
0:26 Number 10
1:17 Number 9
2:05 Number 8
3:13 Number 7
4:20 Number 6
5:15 Number 5
6:26 Number 4
7:12 Number 3
8:22 Number 2
9:10 Number 1
10:26 Wrap up
#netherlands #expatlife #cultureshock
---
WHO IS BUNCHARTED?
We're Michelle and Alex, an American expat couple living abroad in the Netherlands. 🇳🇱
In 2020, we quit our jobs to travel the world, and... well, that didn't happen. So in 2022, we decided to make an even BIGGER change by packing up our lives (and our cats 🐈) and moving from Austin, Texas, in the US, to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Subscribe for new videos like this every week!

[@ConnieIsMijnNaam]

A tip for people, especially women, who don’t want the stress about finding a toilet during a day trip: buy a museum-jaarkaart. Then every museum turns into a great public toilet. Except on mondays when most museum are closed. Then you are on your own.

[@buncharted]

now that is a great tip!

[@sim-one]

Buy a “plastuitje” 🤣(not for in the town of course)

[@dutchman7623]

And every Town Hall/Administration has to provide access to the restroom.

[@AdLockhorst-bf8pz]

Public library.

[@mitsubishiclassics]

Mc Donalds is my place to go to when i'm in need.

[@dagmarhoendervanger-gankem1280]

The reason why I always try to be the first person to arrive at a birthday party? So I don't have to congratulate everybody when I come in and make a huge round but they come to me because I was already there🤣

[@buncharted]

i feel this so much haha

[@atropatene3596]

I was in the US once maaany years ago when I was 18 or something. I was invited to a birthday party. I didn't know anyone so I started shaking everyone's hand, congratulating them and inteoducing myself and how I knew the birthday guy. All of them looked at me like i was crazy and told me it wasn't their birthday party. And I was like ok duh I just told you how I know Alex, I know it is his birthday not yours. And then much later I found out that this isn't normal in most of the world. Oops.

[@buncharted]

haha amazing

[@sit-insforsithis1568]

Oké maar dat is ook cringe in bijvoorbeeld noord Brabant 😂

[@atropatene3596]

@@sit-insforsithis1568 oh? Ik woon daar nu al 15 jaar en iedereen doet het hier ook...

[@Max-hw7xl]

iv lived in NL for over 10 years, i categorically refuse to congratulate other people for not murdering the birthday person

[@jwletourneau]

I like your tradition of introducing yourself.

[@basvanderwerff2725]

How those towel dispensers work is they reroll themself on a different spindle inside (it basicly a one way VHS) so when it all used, a new roll gets put in and the other one gets taken and washed.

[@ellenbrugmans9447]

But... when the roll doesn't get changed in time, you end up with people using the last part of the fabric over and over again 😬.

[@dutchman7623]

@@ellenbrugmans9447 Usually there is a reception counter where you can ask for a replacement. During covid times the warm air dryers had to be changed for these towels because they are far more hygienic.

[@abyssal_phoenix]

Yeah air dryers seem to be the least hygienic!

[@user-mp4zg4ie3g]

@@ellenbrugmans9447 Actually, there are two spindles inside. The 'fresh' roll is rolled out, and gets retracted onto the second spindle. Once the roll has been used, it does not get re-used; there is an indicator on the roll that announces it's nearing the end, allowing the proprietor to renew it in time.

[@casperrozenboom6408]

Your 'Goedemorgens' are getting better every episode!

[@jeroensmit4616]

The “survlees” could get better.

[@nivilla]

We're a boston couple that relocated to eindhoven. Its so awesome watching your shows now that we are actually here. This country is a dream!!

[@buncharted]

yay - welcome to the netherlands :)

[@nivilla]

@@buncharted Thank you so much. You both played a big role in us adjusting quickly and with less fears :)

[@love-vy1ry]

Not Amsterdam????? Anyway you will have discovered there is way more to see in the Netherlands, hope you have a good live over here........welcome

[@nivilla]

@@love-vy1ry thank you! We're not big city folk but small city folk. So Eindhoven fit the bill. We're so excited to explore this wonderful country.

[@XdisdainX]

Welcome to Eindhoven! As Dutch comedian Theo Maassen once said: 'The best thing to come out of Amsterdam is the train to Eindhoven' :D

[@bassuijkerbuijk4504]

Actually the reason bikers feel safer in the Netherlands is that there’s this traffic law (article 185) that calls them the ‘zwakke verkeersdeelnemer’. This puts a lot of the liability on the ‘stronger’ traffic like cars, busses, lorries etc., because weaker traffickers can be hurt easier. And btw: goeie goeiemorgen zeg!

[@PerfectAlibi1]

Ja, de zwakste verkeers gebruiker is altijd in het gelijk.

[@mennovanrij9334]

... and most car drivers ride bicycles from time to time as well. So they know how cyclists (re)act in traffic.

[@77catje]

⁠@@PerfectAlibi1in theorie ja. Behalve dan dat fietsers die regel niet toepassen voor voetgangers die “zwakker” zijn 😂 Vaak kan je op een zebrapad wegspringen wanneer fietsers aan komen racen🎉

[@PerfectAlibi1]

@@77catje Een domme toerist over fietsen is een nationale sport... XD

[@SPEEDTER601]

@@PerfectAlibi1 Ik denk dat je even je theorie boek moet na lezen. De zwakke verkeersdeelnemer is absoluut niet altijd in het gelijk . De zgn sterke verkeersdeelnemer is altijd 50 procent verantwoordelijk voor de schade van de zwakke. Maar als de zwakke duidelijk verkeersregels overtreed is die 100 procent verantwoordelijk voor de schade van de sterke.

[@EdwinHofstra]

We also offer our condolences to everyone at a funeral, including the coffee waiter, whom we usually mistake for som distant cousin we haven't seen in a while. ("Can't he wear something other than black? It's a funeral! Try to stand out if you're staff.") Seriously, some things are lost in translation. We don't say birthday, we say verjaardag (anniversery) which literally means the day one becomes one year old, not older. The custom dates back to times when 50% of newborns would die within the first year. If they survived that, neighbours, friends and family would gather at the infants house and convey their happiness (felicitations) to every member of the family as well as any other who cared enough to show up. Celebrating every following birthday past the first came later, as did the habit of including the birthday-boy or -girl in the round of felicitations. The first year they would've just stared at you wild-eyed and smacked their lips, which isn't very satisfying.

[@buncharted]

thank you for this!

[@viktorvondoom9119]

How does verjaardag mean the day you become 1 year old? Verjaar-dag; de dag dat je 'verjaart', oftewel de dag dat je een jaartje verder bent (the day you have made it another year further in time)

[@EdwinHofstra]

@@viktorvondoom9119 Where does the repeat come from?? Cf. 'verjaren' -> the day something is no longer applicable because a preset amount of time (orig. one year) has passed. That doesn't repeat, does it?

[@dutchman7623]

@@EdwinHofstra Ik wou dat dat waar was, ik 'verjaar' al zo lang dat 't bijna vervelend wordt. 😃

[@EGO0808]

When talking about the Birthday habits in The Netherlands, do not forget the so called ‘Circle Of Death’, which is the weirdest habit of The Netherlands: Everyone sits in a chair / couch, all together in kind of a cricle. You get your ‘kopje koffie’ or ‘kopje thee’ and your ‘appelgebak’ or ‘slagroompunt’ and then the converstation starts. You’re surrounded often by people you never met and you’re expected to socialize and keep the conversation going. Hence the ‘circle of death’ naming. A lot of the Dutch do not even realize it, how awful it can be. 😂😂😂

[@peterf1]

Amazing! I learn something new with every video you make. Bedankt!

[@gmdiona7341]

Have you experienced the Dutch Birthday Circle yet? When the friends and family come over they start with a little circle of chairs in the living room. Then some more folks come, chairs are pulled up and added to the circle, which is now a bit larger. And then some more folks, and chairs. Sometimes the chairs from the shed in the garden needs to be collected as well, and fitting the circle in the livingroom becomes really tight. Until some new folks come and it does not exactly fit anymore, but some others are stuffed on bitterballen anyway so they go home and the chairs get new occupants. And eventually, as the birthday party ends, the circle will get smaller again because the empty chairs will be removed. Empty chairs are not gezellig, at least that is what my grandma used to say. It never seemed weird to me, until a friend who was not Dutch was being flabbergasted about that weird ritual.

[@TheSuperappelflap]

Its a shame they werent here in the 20th century when people would put glasses full of cigarettes on the coffee table for the guests in the circle and of course ashtrays absolutely everywhere.

[@gmdiona7341]

@@TheSuperappelflap Oh yes, I remember that! When you would come in the room there would be a cloud of smoke over the heads all the way up to the ceiling.

[@Alcwathwen]

Just google Dutch circle of death 😂

[@mennovanrij9334]

And in parts of the country, two circles are formed: a male and a female circle. (The latter being closest to the kitchen...) I am not making this up.

[@gmdiona7341]

@@Alcwathwen I had to google that and it is actually called that way XD thank you for this chuckle moment

[@Blackadder75]

the congratulating thing with birthdays is very alien to my Dutch family, we never do that and I never encountered it until I was an adult and lived on my own in a different part of the country. my family only says congratulations to the actual birthday boy or girl (no matter their age)

[@GreetzHey]

So true. I live in Brabant and we are not used to congratulate EVERYONE. My husband is from up north and they do do that. They think we are very impolite when we forget. We're not impolite but we just forget because we are not used to congratulating everybody for this one person that managed to life for another year 😀

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Congratulating everybody is because you must assume that everybody present is happy that the one having the birthday is getting a year older. Besides that, it also is a good way of introduction to the group. It makes mixing in easier.

[@PieterPatrick]

Correct.

[@Blackadder75]

is it a regional thing? my family never does it and they live here since before Napoleon times

[@PieterPatrick]

Just me: I'm Dutch but not a Hollander. I'm from Overijssel. It also depends on the situation. But I always congratulate the close relatives and best friends.

[@GreetzHey]

@@PieterPatrick It is a regional thing. My husband is from Emmeloord and his family roots are in de Weerribben (so Overijssel). Last Sunday we had a birthday party in Drenthe and the in-laws were a bit cross that we didn't congratulate everyone. We (east Brabant) are not used to do that.

[@1983bop]

Youre dutch is getting beter every video keep it up ❤

[@Lumos89]

Always looking forward to your vids

[@zomerkoningin]

Someone else mentioned it already. Stoofvlees isn't usually prepared with horsemeat but with beef. Eating horsemeat isn't usual at all. What I can get in the supermarket is sometimes "paardenrookvlees" which is meat to put on top of your sandwich. That's all.

[@apveening]

Don't forget about horse steaks, available in some supermarkets, healthier and (in my opinion) better tasting than beef steak.

[@dutchman7623]

In a lot of snackbars (fast food) the hachee or stoofvlees is made from the cheapest meat available... horse meat. Nothing wrong with it. In the past there were so many horses in a city, for transport, that it was very common.

[@kjeldschouten-lebbing6260]

@@dutchman7623 Stoofvlees in snackbars is also almost never made from horse meat. The snackbar/kant-en-klaar horsemeat myth is that: A myth. It was tried in a few things about decades ago for a few years and the backslash was too much, so it was already removed from most ready-made stuff before the 2000 and by now it's in nearly nothing.

[@bananatree1234567]

Limburgs zuurvlees werd traditioneel van paardenvlees bereid, maar wordt inmiddels vaker van rundvlees gemaakt.

[@peli71]

The origin of “iedereen feliciteren” lies in the decency to greet everyone in person. Over the years this has evolved from saying hi to gefeliciteerd. Even with the three kisses 😊 To make things more complicated, there are some cultural differences within the country. In Limburg feliciteer je alleen de jarige.

[@sit-insforsithis1568]

This only happens in the west as far as I’m concerned

[@Treinbouwer]

​@@sit-insforsithis1568Nee, in ieder geval ook in het oosten.

[@AnnEast85]

Inderdaad, ik kom uit het oosten en iedereen feliciteerde elkaar op een verjaardag, niet alleen bv de moeder van de jarige werd gefeliciteerd maar ook de aanwezige buurman bijvoorbeeld. ‘Aah, u bent de buurman? Gefeliciteerd met je buurjongen!’ En toen verhuisde ik naar Limburg en werd ik al heel vreemd aangekeken toen ik de ouders van de jarige feliciteerde.... en ik stopte niet hoor, ik ging iedereen af en feliciteerde iedereen ;) Inmiddels feliciteer ik enkel nog de jarige!

[@Nomisteaks80]

I am from Limburg and can confirm it very much also happens there.

[@ihnamere]

Here in Brabant you typically congratulate the ones whose birthday it is, the parents and sibbelings and their spouce if they have one. Thats it. 😃

[@hellmuthschreefel9392]

Very fun video! Gefeliciteerd.

[@jandirkvanleeuwen]

Great video again 👍👍

[@jwdebok2333]

Been playing the sunscreen song a couple of times last week, gave me goosebumps that you would mention it. Keep up the good work and come visit Grateful Living once🎉

[@timandkt]

New (American) subscribers here! After spending ten days in Kaatsheuvel, Sevenum and Amsterdam on a recent trip - and coincidentally stumbling across roughly half of the items on your ‘unexpected’ things list - we fell in love with the Netherlands and are genuinely hoping to move there in a few years’ time. 🥹 Loving all of your pro tips and experience vlogs! We’re working our way back through your past videos to get as much intel as possible haha excited to follow along with your journey as expats!

[@fatalisnox5344]

It sounds like you were visiting amusement parks by looking at the places you've been 😂 I hope you enjoyed yourselves!

[@noabakker3848]

You guys are looking more healty and glowing each vid .

[@buncharted]

haha thanks it’s probably the lighting 😂

[@noabakker3848]

@@buncharted Better food and cycling **cough**😜

[@fiskurtjorn7530]

6:23 I remember those chutes you just mentioned in our block near TheHage. As a kid in the late seventies it was fun to go to the elevators and in a side wall there was this bottom hinged door. The trick was to give your trash some initial velocity and hope for an empty bin beneath to get a loud BANG. There were times I walked up the stairs a few floors to get extra speed e.g. BOING. But the eighties and onwards I did not see those chutes anymore. When the door wasn't bricked over, it was welded shut. In our block of flats, the word was those were abandoned because a child climbed in and fell down the shaft.

[@nielsdebakker3283]

At the butcher you can/could find paardenrookvlees, it is sweeter than the normal rookvlees. There is also paardenbiefstuk (horse steak).

[@jeroenschoondergang5923]

I lived in two towns that had a paardenslager (horse butcher). The one in Groningen made a legendary horse sausage. I have seen lines in front of the shop.

[@erikgoossens1]

I was born in Dordrecht (now living in Thailand) and we have a smoked sausage there as well, called “paardenworst”. Years ago, when I worked at Fokker, I had an English colleague and he forgot his lunch (yes he also usually had a “brood trommel”(zeg ik dat goed?)). One day he forgot his and he asked me for a sandwich in the morning, as the canteen wasn’t open yet. So I gave him one of my sandwich with “paardenworst”. He loved it and asked me what kind of meat it was. When I told him it was horse meat he freaked out, “how can you eat horse? The queen of England would have your head on a stake!”. After he regained his composure, he said “it was the best meat he ever ate”. He still didn’t eat it after that. I guess it is what you’re used to. I didn’t know that they also have horse meat in Groningen. If I had known that I would have bought it there when I was there several years ago when I was working there Offshore.

[@jeroenschoondergang5923]

@@erikgoossens1 Groningen sure had. Van Dijk on the Damsterdiep was a landmark.

[@gjalie]

Did you hear about the Brit meeting a Dutch Horse breeder? Brit: What do you do for a living? Dutchie: i fok horses. Brit: Pardon!? Dutchie: Yes! paarden. 😄

[@buncharted]

hahahahaha

[@_PJW_]

You know the Dutch airplane manufacturer? Fokker. Excuse me?

[@JustMe-sh8nd]

@@_PJW_ It's a family business and Ben Stiller meets them

[@Meine.Postma]

It is what the secretary of foreign affairs Luns said to Kennedy

[@gjalie]

hahaha OMG it true too! that's even better that it really happened on goverment level! i just heard it as a joke from family.@@Meine.Postma

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

About the towel dispenser in restrooms: I always do two or three drawdowns, in stead of only one.., to make sure that I get a fresh clean and dry piece of towel...

[@buncharted]

glad to hear that we aren't the only ones!

[@velovoice47]

Kinda felt old when you hit the bathroom infinity towel - because that was the default in public restrooms in the USA when I was a kid (1970s). Paper towel dispensers were a whole new type of magic.

[@buncharted]

i couldn't tell if it was old technology or new technology, since it is more eco-friendly!

[@velovoice47]

@@buncharted I guess it's kind of like diapers.... cloth diapers (because that's all there was) then disposable diapers (yay! rampant consumerism!) and now it's cool and sustainable. We didn't know we had it so good.

[@B0K1T0]

6:39 I mean, surviving a full year is quite amazing when you think of it.. but also, "feliciteren" (coming from the French féliciter) means to wish someone luck, which makes a bit more sense. Although it's also used to congratulate someone with an accomplishment, which can be confusing for people who use different words for those two things in their native language. By the way, some Dutch-speaking people would say "Proficiat!" instead (from the Latin proficere, making progress) , but I believe that's more common in the southern regions. Regarding what was said about congratulating everyone at the party, maybe there are people who do that but in my experience it's usually limited to family members / spouses etc. And it probably varies a bit what kind of crowd it is. But it certainly is a thing. I sometimes send friends a message for their kid's birthday, maybe you could see it a bit as an extension of that.

[@kjellbal]

Ow damn that was a perfect "goedemorgen"

[@theseob]

I loved that buzz luhrman song. Bought it on a cd single back in the day

[@merren2306]

6:01 works the same way in Dutch suburbs - you have your own bin that you leave out to get emptied every week or so

[@ktrmeadow]

Also mothers are highly congratulated on their Childrens birthdays. Because they did the work is what I was told.

[@prairiepirate]

Love the examples you brought up here, because they weren't what I was expecting, plus I learned some new ideas. Would love to see many of these things adopted in the Midwest USA (other than horsemeat and bathroom infinity towels). I had heard of the bike garages before. Those are cool. Public urinals are a weird, but logical public service. I suspect that if there is a big problem with public urination, this is a smart solution. The underground dumpster "drops" are such a smart idea for urban streetscapes. The restroom towel thing just seems overengineered. Just give us more restrooms without front doors. I thought the pandemic would have prompted more of those here in the U.S. I prefer paper towels. The air dryers operate at a frequency that hurts my ears and I'm not normally sensitive to those things.

[@mennovanrij9334]

Public urination 'in the wild' is a felony. It can bring you in front of a judge(!)

[@AlYahudiyya]

I have lived in New York City for almost 24 years now, but I am originally from (first Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht and then) Dordrecht, and I really love seeing all those familiar places in Dordt...!

[@_giovanni]

Instantly noticed that too! Gives me such a proud feeling of seeing my own city

[@jeroencote5212]

Paardenworst is great and finding a good one is difficult in Utrecht you have one really traditional one which also sells horse steak sometimes, but it is only open a few days a week, funny anekdote my grandparents use to live very close 1 street down and when I was a kid many many years ago there always was a straydog waiting every staturday for a little piece. Many years on the shop is still there and still sells great sausages

[@jeroenschoondergang5923]

The paardenworst from Van Dijk in Groningen was legendary. So much that there was a line in front of the shop when he had made a fresh bunch. I grew up eating paardenrookvlees from Bolle in Leiden.

[@novafalcosmith]

You guys ….i love that song” wear sun screen”❤❤❤

[@MichelBaek]

Now i am hungry for fries and zuurvlees. Great video. ❤❤❤

[@buncharted]

it’s soooooo good

[@Jari-95]

Nice video! I would like to add something on the "congratulating thing" I think it's a etiquette that's mainly used in de Randstad. I have family in both the province of Drenthe and Noord-Brabant. They usualy enter and say Hello to the whole room and then walk to the birthday boy/girl. The woman from my side of the family even think it's rude! I couldn't care less... I do it the way i learned and they do it their way

[@Blackadder75]

yeah my family also never does it, but they came from Den Haag (1) , Den Helder (1) and Groningen (2) if I take the 4 grandparents. So I don;t know if it was a class or a regional thing

[@dagmarhoendervanger-gankem1280]

I actually have a CD with that sunscreen song and when you mentioned it I knew right away what song you meant🤣

[@merijnwitte6616]

Hey guys i saw you where in Dordrecht. My hometown! Nice tip: There is a butcher shop in town that sells horse sausage and it’s very tasty. In the past, it was very common to eat horse sausage because it was cheaper than beef.My grandmother always bought it for birthdays

[@B0K1T0]

9:22 The word "stoofvlees" is used for a meat stew in general, what you'd see most commonly is beef. Zuurvlees is a traditional version of that from Limburg, which seems to be commonly made with horse meat (although I'm not an expert). There was an incident with Ikea serving there meatballs with horse meat some years ago as well. I believe they were forced to throw them all away, which was such a waste of perfectly edible food :(

[@josgulikers3104]

Being born in Limburg and still living there I can assure you that zuurvlees, or as we call it zoervleisj, is generally made of beef. There is a story that tells that zuurvlees originally was made of the meat of old horses who were pulling the lorries in the coalmines, but that is a myth because most of the big coalmines were established in the 20th century, so the underground transport of coal and people was by train.

[@apveening]

The problem with the horse meat at IKEA wasn't the meat in itself but the mislabeling. There is no problem whatsoever with horse meat (usually and no more than with beef) as long as it is labeled correctly. Some famous steak restaurants in Amsterdam ran into the same problem.

[@TheSuperappelflap]

@@josgulikers3104 I just wanna say every time I go to Limburg on vacation, zoervleisj is one of my favorite things to get at the local restaurants.

[@josgulikers3104]

@@TheSuperappelflap Ahh I already wondered: who is that person who always orders zoervleisj in our restaurants :-). By the way, Wil Demandt, a former famous chef in Amsterdam, but born and raised in Limburg, made an excellent YT video on making zoervleisj mit friete: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWOcYqCErptmbJI It is really not complicated but very delicious.

[@Michael-fn5ni]

And thank you for your videos about NL

[@Stelphy876]

2:24 in utrecht we also have public bicycle parking garages

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

I was waiting for the weird ones after the start of the video. Guess I'll have to wait for the next one :o).

[@toaojjc]

I once heard the congratulating everyone on the birthday of a relative started because infant mortality was once quite high so it was an accomplishment and good fortune if someone survived another year.

[@buncharted]

ooh, that’s interesting!

[@RikSolstice]

Took a very long time to grow roots then. Back when I was a kid no one did that. Now it seems sort of accepted. That's within about a 25-year timespan, maybe less. I'm still not doing it btw as I just find it weird and didn't grow up with it.

[@toaojjc]

@@RikSolstice maybe it hasn't been done everywhere. I asked my grandparents about it when I was a kid and that is how they explained it to me.

[@TheRealTricky]

Given that families in which ALL children actually lived long enough to reach adulthood were pretty rare for a long time, this explanation actually makes sense. I'm Dutch myself and I too was always wondering about that one.

[@Stelphy876]

5:58 those big trash cans are only in the city, in the countryside we have a simlar system where you bring out your own container.

[@jeffafa3096]

One of the things specifically from where I live (Leiden), is the festivities on the 3rd of October. On that day, the city celebrates its liberation from the Spanish a few hundred years ago. And a tradition for the food is "haring met witbrood" and "Hutspot". I believe that it became a tradition because that was the first food the city found after being starved to death for an extended period of time... Pre-industrial age was a cruel time 😅

[@fkaptijn7111]

Als niet Leidenaar kan ik je aanraden om naar Leiden te gaan op 3 oktober.

[@picobello99]

En op 7 oktober (normaal 8, maar dat is een zondag) naar Alkmaar. Dit jaar is ook nog eens een jubileumjaar, precies 450 jaar geleden werden de Spanjaarden verslagen!

[@dagmarhoendervanger-gankem1280]

Het Geusje is het lekkerste wittebrood dat ik ooit gegeten heb. De bakker op de hoek in de Haarlemmerstraat destijds bakte dat. Yum! En gewoon heel gezellig op 3 oktober met Leids ontzet

[@alexiusangelfire]

It isn't the liberation, it was the breaking of the besiegement by spanish forces. Who indeed had been starving out the defenders.

[@JasperNLxD]

Regarding number 2: These do not roll around in the machine. The machine has a separate part for clean and used towel. When the clean bit is used, the cleaner takes out the roll. This goes through a cleaning process, which can be as easy as putting it in a washing machine and circulation dryer afterwards. That works great for smaller businesses. Larger public instutions usually send it to a cleaning company. Yes, you can also re-insert the dirty roll in the clean roll. That's not how these things are supposed to work.

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

Salty licorice is THE favorite in the Netherlands. Actually non-salty licorice is often called "English licorice"

[@ellenbrugmans9447]

No... the only "English licorice" is the "licorice all sorts" that's literally labelled "Engelse drop". Sweet licorice is just licorice 🤷‍♀️

[@richard-riku]

Salty licorice is also really popular in Nordic countries. It seems that the Netherlands is as far south as the love of it goes.

[@PunsCulture]

8:04 oh, we have a dutch version its the “smeer je in” song😂😂

[@ChrisEchoes]

You can tell you guys live in a big city cause those underground trash bins is typical city thing. Most Dutch have 3 (!!) different trashcans somewhere stored outside their house: an orange one for all plastic, a green one for all bio waste and a grey one for all the remaining stuff. And you have to put these at the side of the road based on fixed schedule. I even have an app from the trash collection company that informs on the evening before the collection to put the correct bin out.

[@buncharted]

we see them in the small cities too! but yeah, it's definitely a city thing.

[@rw80]

Not only in big cities. In Dordrecht we have them as well.

[@ChristiaanHW]

i live in a (for Dutch people) mid size city and we have both systems. normal rijtjes houses (what Americans might call row-houses) and detached single family houses have those personal bins (we have a blue one for paper/cardboard instead of the plastic bin, but the city is piloting a new way of collecting plastic trash) and apartment buildings have those underground ones. personally i hope in the near future they provide those underground ones for everyone.

[@lindaraterink6451]

not entirely true. I live in a village of about 7000 people. We have the bins on a majority, but some apartment complexes have underground trash bins. Dutch practicality, so you don't have to take your trash bin all the way down 4 stories high in the elevator or from the basement up.

[@ChrisEchoes]

@@lindaraterink6451that's why I said "most Dutch" 🙂

[@nilessnyder3308]

The retracting towel hand dryer and horse meat was around when I was growing up in The States...I didn't think any of it.

[@Michael-fn5ni]

I've used the retractable towel you described in HEL (Vantaa -- Helsinki Airport) since ~1992. And no -- it's never wet. Maybe you should get out more often :)))

[@wesleybemelmans6901]

Thanks for number #4! I’m really baffled that people congratulate EVERYONE in the room and this can only be a tradition in the north. I’m from Valkenburg and i’ve never seen anyone whishing someone happy birthday other than the birthday boy. I just wave to the people in the circle of death and shout “hello everyone”. Crazy to learn this tradition from your video.

[@InTouchWithBertJ]

Horse in stoofvlees/zuurvlees I think is a particular southern thing, like from Limburg, just like how you tried it in Maastricht.

[@Roel_Scoot]

Horsemeat is also available in the form of rookvlees: thinly sliced smoked meat. Rookvlees from beef is common too, but more expensive.

[@davevanbeers6944]

The Dutch love their “drop” and good to know most train stations have paid urinals. Thanks for the episode!😊 the birthday thing… even some Dutch people find it odd….

[@TheRealTricky]

"even some Dutch people find it odd…." 🙋🏼‍♂

[@brittanyanne2488]

That's so interesting about horse meat! I went to a high school that had a vet assistant program, so we had cows, horses, goats, etc. Well one of my classmates brought a tubberware bowl of pulled horse meat (like pulled pork) and asked if I'd like to try it and I was surprised at how good it was lol. I'd definitely try it again.

[@Meine.Postma]

You need to pull the towel three times down on the dispenser to get a dry part of the towel

[@robertrijkers4923]

the sunscreen dispenser looks like it's an advertising post for an insurance company.

[@coreyv8150]

Horse meat was traditionally eaten by the poor in the Netherlands. My nan used to get quite a bit of it. In the past, farm and cart horses who were at the end of their lives were butchered for that purpose. It still happens in a smaller scale. The good thing about horse meat though, is that most horses had a good life. They were fed the best food and not stuffed with medicines like antibiotics like some farm bred animals are. From a health perspective, it's a better option.

[@koen9194]

Farm animals are given only antibiotics if they are sick, so not on a large scale. Dutch laws are very strict on this !

[@helmaeijck4246]

The towel in the restrooms should be dry. The part you use is oulled in on the back and when you pull you get a fresh dry part. You have to pull with both hands on the front top. Maybe if you pull on the lower part you pull the used part out. Whenball the fresh towel is used, the last part stays there or sometimes comes out and you have to tell the owner to put a new one in.

[@bliekp]

30 years ago, they used to sell horse steak (paardenbiefstuk) at supermarkets. Unfortunately they don't do this anymore, because it's delicious!

[@RenghisKhan]

Should you visit Groningen, there's a shop called 'Droppie het lekkere shoppie' it's licorice only, and there you will be able to find the best licorice on the planet. My personal favorite is 'laurierdrop', you'll probably not find it in most (if any) supermarkets but it is absolutely worth taking some extra trouble to locate it (not saying it's worth traveling from Dordrecht to Groningen specifically, no candy is THAT good). What's interesting is the liability question when a motor vehicle has a collision with a biker or a pedestrian, it's one of the reasons automotive travelers pay extra attention to non motorised traffic. Brdankt voor de leuke video! And your gggg' s are getting quite convincing as well. 😂👍

[@buncharted]

we just posted a groningen vlog! sadly we didn’t know about that shop - we will have to check it out when we go back. thanks for the tip!

[@RenghisKhan]

@@buncharted Lol, yeah, I saw it two days after my post here. I'm glad you had a good time. There's enough to enjoy here for a second visit, I can assure you. Knol's notenkoek, Droppie, het Forum, cheese store van der Leij, het Groninger Museum to name a few. Ofcourse there are more cities that are very nice to visit, my favorites are Utrecht, Nijmegen, Den Bosch, Maastricht (It's not flat!) and Arnhem. The Waddeneilanden are a must-see as well, you might consider a walk over the Waddenzee, it's nature like you will not find it anywhere else. Have fun!

[@TheSuperappelflap]

Bisal driedubbel gezouten drop (uit Delft) is de beste maar laurier is ook wel okay

[@gremlinonabike]

They also have free sunscreen stops at festivals now here too. just a market stand with people ready with sunscreen for ya.

[@effix79]

I'm dutch, I have never congratulated a friend because it was another mutual friend's birthday. Not sure what that's about, maybe local differences? Entertaining videos, keep it up :)

[@paulwee1924dus]

When I think of America in September, I think of all those American soldiers who risked their lives to liberate our country in WW2 (Operation Market garden) . We are still grateful to America for that.

[@therealnguyen6928]

Do you think about Russians too?

[@paulwee1924dus]

Yes! All liberators of Europe! @@therealnguyen6928

[@citizenkane4831]

and we do eat licorice of the same reason as the dutch. Here you still can find licorice in some cough medicines. When licorice first was introdudeced in sweden it was sold in pharmacys as medicine just for cough medicine only, that was going on until 1950. Before it was known as candy.

[@pb1634]

the towel in those things is alwayd dry when I use them. Love them. Hate those blowers.

[@anniek4681]

Those roleup towls are often used wrong. People tend to grap in the middle an pull. Then you also pull some of the used part out again. The rollup mechanism gets disturbed and doesnt role up the used part completely because the role up part is to long because the previously rolled up part is out again. If you only pull at the front you, you onlu pull out a new part so you have the dry bit. Because you only have the new part pulled out. its able to roll up as it is supposed to.

[@ConnieIsMijnNaam]

There used to be a butcher in Arnhem who was kind of famous for his horse meat. He also gave a whole lecture about the history of horse meat to his customers. I don’t know if it’s accurate but he told me that the use of horse meat is customary in areas that were occupied by Napoleon’s army and it is not customary (and even sometimes frowned upon) in areas the French did not conquer.

[@Yvolve]

This isn't entirely out of the question. Armies in those days used horses for everything. From riding them into battle to transporting goods, so you're going to have a bunch of dead horses and instead of letting them rot, you feed the men. Eating horses is frowned upon in some places as horses are regarded much higher than other animals, kinds of like dogs and cats. They're seen as noble.

[@pietschoep4864]

Balkenbrei you need to taste it! With apple sirop

[@Handwithaface]

If you're getting wet towel at the towel dispensers, yes, you're using them wrong. The used parts aren't supposed to come back. Also, stoofvlees is not necessarily horse, it's just any meat stew.

[@JTerburg-hm6tk]

Stoofvlees (meat stew, with spices from the old trade routes, like laurel / bay leaf, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and more...) and zuurvlees (meat stew with spices also, and using vinegar) (that's kind of sour, or: zuur in Dutch or today: wine, JUST to tender the meat), AND with the use of appelstroop, which is a reduced 100% apple juice, until it's as thick as a treacle sirop. To sweaten it. So the dish zuurvlees is not sour at all! Tip: use a few slices of peperkoek (ontbijtkoek) at the end of the cooking to thicken the sauce, and for flavour! Way back in the day appelstroop was put on rye bread instead of butter. Rye bread: common people, wheat bread: upper class. White wheat bread: upper upper class. Before the 1950's... Butter: upper (and upper upper) class. The common people would use just the remaining fat of the animal which was left after cooking. Because of the American droppings on airplane in WWII of the white bread during the (horible!) famine: That's because we are now eating white bread, and wheat bread instead because it's was a kind of freedom food. Wheat bread, or even white bread like raisin buns or suikerbrood where just for special holidays before that. Like kermis, Easter, or Christmas. Maybe on a very aspecially and occasionally sunday or birthday.

[@a.vanwijk2268]

The white bread in 1945 came from Sweden, by boat.

[@contrawise]

Those fabric towel dispensers were once more common in the USA. They contribute much less waste to the landfills.

[@PunsCulture]

6:01 in smaller villages in the Netherlands trash-bins are also more common.

[@megamusictuber6017]

I still play that song sometimes. Baz Luhrmann......😄

[@buncharted]

lots of good reminders for us in there 😂

[@theflyingdutchguy9870]

yeah, around here we hear fireworks on a weekly basis at the least. i literally heared a vew today😂. the months/weeks leading up to new years are complete chaos

[@buncharted]

ahh where do you get them on a weekly basis?!

[@lindaraterink6451]

@@buncharted Belgium or Germany they are sold year round. Some just buy as many for the year round.

[@flessuh]

The fireworks thing is more fun in the (mainly) north and east of the country where we use carbid.

[@ykebakker2384]

When you're having zuurkool or boerenkool for dinner in the winter . You should replace the rookworst with paardenworst. (cook / heat the paardenworst together with the zuurkool/boerenkool) Delicious imo !!

[@buncharted]

we did this a month ago when we tried paardenworst for the first time - it was so good!

[@nout1972]

With the birthday you forgot to mention that is it is you , the one who is having his birthday, who is supposed to serve treats at work instead of colleagues or boss giving the treats or get you a present. But I have found out that in recent years more and more colleagues at work collect money to get the birthday boy/girl a present, but it is still not that common.

[@velovoice47]

In the UK, it is also expected that you provide the birthday treats on your birthday. Not for everybody in the company, just your own team, unless it's a very small company. Caught me off guard my first year here and it took me probably 7-8 years before I remembered to do it for my own birthday.

[@nout1972]

@@velovoice47 I didn't know this was the same in the UK, that is funny! And indeed the treats are not for everyone, but just your own team (and in my case some colleagues of different teams who I like) The same with the more recent trend of getting a gift for the birthday boy/girl, only colleagues of your own team do this.

[@JB0Ye]

as a dutch person the norm in our surounding is u shake hands kiss and congratulate the b-day one and his or her parents and after just shout through out the room gefeliciteerd aan iedereen saves the hassle of shaking everyones hands

[@casvanleeuwen5280]

The idea behind the congratulations thing is because someone’s birthday should also be a big day for your loved ones so you also congratulate them with the nice occasion.

[@kplkasteel]

Horsemeat, so funny you mention that. I am married to a South African though her family(Grandparents immigrated to South Africa) is from the UK and I mentioned it once or twice eating horsemeat and the looks I got and the faces they pull just me talking about eating horsemeat. Something you guys haven't talk about is Fillet Americain which is actually raw double minced beef mixed with a spicy sauce. It's one of my favourites especially on fresh white bread. Again, the looks I got from my wife and her family and the faces they pulled were classic. Note: You don't cook it though some do fry it up, but you eat it raw and its absolutely the best. It's also very nice on some toastjes. Maybe something for your next foodies show together with "Kokosbrood".

[@SuperFly.]

2:19 ... that big white bike. That is mine. I always park it there.

[@buncharted]

"hey, i don't think my bike will fit in here. y'all cool if i park it out front?"

[@SuperFly.]

@@buncharted just underneath the roof so every time I pick it up it has a nice dry seat

[@Lisdodde]

I remember the song, it’s great 😊 (but I heard it way later than ‘93)!

[@borg1964]

Horse meat in supermarkets and snacks is usually from North and South America. Plenty of videos about the horrific treatment of the horses. In Nijkerk there used to be a horse butcher, I don’t know if it is still open.

[@buncharted]

currently? or is that a thing of the past?

[@borg1964]

@@buncharted Just read that the one in Nijkerk is closed due to no successor available. I would personally only eat Dutch horse meat from biological origin. I would certainly stay away from the North or South American horse meat and we’ve had scandals about British horse meat sold als beef in lasagne. These horses have often had medication that make them unsuitable for human consumption. My horse has a notification in his passport that he is unsuitable to be butchered. But he is 22 anyway😉

[@mver191]

@@buncharted Horsemeat from the US has been banned since 2014, Mexico 2015. Nowadays most comes from Eastern Europe and a small portion from Argentina, Uruguay and Canada. Anyway, the package always says where the meat comes from.

[@borg1964]

@@mver191 yes for products in supermarkets, no for restaurants and snacks in fast food. Customers cannot check the origin of ingredients.

[@mver191]

@@borg1964 You can ask the chef. A good restaurant buys their stuff fresh, not frozen. So it can't be from too far away.

[@justlove3748]

As a skin therapist or “huidtherapeut” it makes me so happy to hear you about sunscreen, enjoy the sun people but do it wisely ❣️

[@ElMariachi1337]

I've never had horsemeat in my life, it's more of a below the rivers NL thing with zuurvlees originating from the German sauerbrat.

[@lindaraterink6451]

up north they like their horsesausage too.

[@pear7869]

Stoofvlees typically is slow cooked beef, horse meat not very commonly eaten. A steak restaurant in Amsterdam sold great for years, super reviews. Turned out to be using horse steaks and they didnt really advertise it.... had quite some backlash :D

[@matthijs22]

I am still waiting for the "Buncharted tries Fireworks" video. You should've made one 3 weeks ago. Lol. I'll wait until 31 Dec 2024 then. Looking forward to it. Lmao

[@buncharted]

not gonna happen 😉

[@jeffenwaldomyspanishadopti9283]

stoofvlees and zuur vlees is beef.. paarden/horse meat is are here ..only in special places

[@ytafras]

Funny, the urinals in Amsterdam are an invention and design of an ancestor of mine (Samuel Sarphati).

[@theBabyDead]

The dumpster thing is a city/appartment area thing. With housing in NL you still have bins. Most people prefer them, partially because they're generally a ton cheaper. And most of those dumpsters don't actually have a small slot for random trash, so having to pay 5 bucks to open the thing for a little doggybag of things that attract flies you want to throw out of your appartment kind of sucks.

[@nilsvanbeek7040]

Thanks guys! Maybe somebody brought it up already, but the habit of congratulating everyone at a birthday is not a custom in the whole of the Netherlands. Coming from the south, I was also puzzled by it when it happened at birthdays in the 'Holland' part of the Netherlands.

[@jeroenvanzwam6991]

Some areas have pop-up urinals that are active on pub nights

[@CakeboyRiP]

Thank you for reminding me that what i found normal is absolutely not normal 😉

[@ruudvanwoudenberg9699]

Met een plasgootje (Plastic) kunnen vrouwen ook gebruik maken van een urinoir en staande plassen. Mooie uitdaging !

[@buncharted]

so they have to carry a pee chute around with them??? 😂

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

@@buncharted So do men. Have been doing it for centuries ;o).

[@ruudvanwoudenberg9699]

Inderdaad, het zijn wegwerpartikelen (denk ik). Zoek maar is op het internet. Wordt denk ik niet veel gebruikt, maar aangezien ik een man weet ik het niet zeker. Voor een noodgeval misschien wel handig. Love the video's... ! Keep up the good work,

[@JustMe-sh8nd]

😂@@user-xi6nk4xs4s

[@jbcages2987]

As basvanderwerff2725 explained, the described "infinite towel" is coming to an end. Michelle and Alex findings are not based on real life experiences, but on assumptions. So no wet towels but a clean area...or none when the towel runs out.

[@buncharted]

huh? we’ve experienced the towel numerous times. i just experienced it again two days ago…

[@bertschalk1798]

@@buncharted These "towel machines" do tend to clog up inside every now and then. That means there is little to no movement in it anymore (and hence the same piece gets used over and over again) OR......you can still pull for a new piece to appear but the machine is not collecting the used parts. That's how you end up with extra meters of towel lying on the floor etc..... 😞 My general reaction to something like that is......wash your hands, just ignore they're wet and run like hell.....without touching the wet towel 😉

[@wellthatsawkward8134]

Bike helmets are seen a lot more these days, especially kids and the elderly, due to electric bikes,fireworks are more and more banned, stoofvlees at a cafetaria and in groseriestores are cowmeat(horse meat is expensive)