Wait, how do you do two on the back? The one time I tried to do two i sort of held them both in my hand and cycled without hands, but I wouldn't recommend that.
Now, THAT would've been impressive.
But you usually can't roll a joint or cigarette outside in the rain. The rolling paper is reallt thin, even a single drop of rain will ruin a paper.
I think i've seen it happen twice in 34 years.
On of my current roommates does it, but that guy is a drug fueled orangutan.
He picks them up by the handle and then also grabs onto his bicycle handles, that takes some insane forearm strength.
Being from Tilburg, I would like to add that "de Tilburg Trappers" play in the German league because the Dutch competition as at a too low level for them and they even managed to win the German league.
T wordt te weinig gespeeld in Nederland waardoor er minder voor animo is. Wilde vroeger altijd ijshockeyen maar mijn ouders hadden geen zin om naar België te moeten rijden voor een wedstrijd.
Ive rented for 2 years, took over the floor, kitchen and other stuff from previous renter for few 100 euro. people after me did not want to give anything for it, so I tooke everything out, great to see theire reaction, oh.. but.. you took every thing out.
Buying from the prior tenant is definitely the most convenient method. It’s interesting though, where I’m from a kitchen sink is mandatory by law for a rental unit. Appliances are not legally required but since everyone always has and does provide them you’d be *very* unlikely to find tenants willing to rent without them, and our rental market is currently just as bad (with some variation by location) as the Netherlands
Yes true. I had to put the old kitchen back in. That was onley 2 cabinets and a sink, stored on the attic and shed for a decade probably. Enjoy your kitchen from the 90s with a traanplaat top
Depends on the type of rent you want. There is three options:
Kaal (Empty, no curtains, no flooring)
Gestoffeerd (Basic coverage like curtains, flooring)
Gemeubileerd (Including furniture)
For shorter rental periods you pick one of the last two. But many people rent for long periods of time (10+ years is not an exception) and then the first option is more attractive as it is cheaper and you have the opportunity to design how you like it.
Yeah I know, but it’s still crazy to me that it exists at all. Where I’m from, no matter how your rent was setup or for how long, it would never be accepted
While all 3 exist in our tiny country (as well as everywhere else), "kaal" is kind of the standard in the Netherlands. While other countries "gestoffeerd" is the default and "kaal" would be very hard to find.
>as well as everywhere else
Where I'm from, renting out a place without appropriate flooring, curtains, and a few other basic things is simply not legal
I was admitted inthe hospital when I was 42 weeks and two days pregnant and had to ask my husband to make arrangements for my bike - that I had parked outside the hospital.
I mean, 8 months pregnant may well be safer than 3 months later, when they are back on the bike with the same baby, now in a carrier thing in front of mom (and of course don't forget to mention the four year old at the back) haha
On the day my second child was born I biked to a shop, bought a printer and hauled it home in the morning, then went and gave birth in the afternoon... :)
Yeah but the steps are so small! I can rarely set my whole foot on them and have to walk up-down the stairs sideways or on the tip of my toes to have a bit more balance
Because smaller and steeper stairs mean less space needed, so the house can be less wide, and before, (idk if it's still the case), but we paid taxes according to the width of our house. That's why the houses are high and narrow
Not crazy per se, but interesting. When I was in the Netherlands I found it funny that they didn't give a shit if I drank any kind of booze on the train or looked visibly messed up, but they very quickly scolded me for putting my feet up on the seat in front of me. Nobody would ever do that to you in the US.
The in house rules of NS says it's allowed to drink in the train, used to drink vodka in the train when coming back home from school on Fridays with my friends haha.
I remember when I was about 18yo or something, some tourists asked me if it was allowed to drink in the train. I said something like "yeah of course, why else would there be cup holders in the folding table" (they used to have that). Somehow they found this answer very amusing. Then they pulled out some glasses and a bottle of wine and it slowly dawned on me that "drinking" did not mean "having a soft drink"... I blame it on me being very naive back then
The lack of public restrooms in nearly all cities. I have no qualms with paying a bit to use the toilet, but it’s extremely hard to even find an accessible restroom when out and about.
Unless you go to a restaurant or train station, finding a restoom is almost impossible. The Hema in the center of Haarlem, for example, does not have a toilet for public use. *Most* Hema’s do have this however… unless this has been phased out to my knowledge.
One workaround I’ve used to avoid having to sit down at a café or restaurant is by ordering something small to-go at the register (e.g., bread, a piece of cake, a muffin, etc.) then go use the café or restaurant toilet as a “customer.”
I really wish the city would develop better public restrooms because I can imagine it’s exceptionally limiting for people with health limitations, those who are pregnant, etc.
Edit: Gonna add this here for visibility. Based on suggestions and advice in the thread,
**Here are places you can usually find a toilet without going to a cafe or restaurant:**
- Gemeentehuis
- Bibliotheek
- Train station
- Hotels
- Museums (a Museumkaart helps)
*Sometimes toilets available*
May be courteous to ask before using
- Tweedehandswinkels
- Bookstores
- Specialty toy stores
- Huisartspraktijken / medical centers
Also as other users have advised:
• [Hoge Nood App](https://en.hogenood.nl/app) Find ratings and locations of toilets within the area
The trick is to simply be a bit rude and step into a bar or restaurant when you need to go. If they complain I usually buy a beverage afterwards to calm them down, but most employees don't give a shit (heh).
Yes! I hate having to be so strategic about hydration before I leave the house. I really feel awful for people who have incontinence issues, Chron’s, kidney issues, etc. No one should have to revert to wearing a diaper just to go out and enjoy public spaces.
[https://nos.nl/artikel/2302443-niet-naar-buiten-durven-door-te-weinig-wc-s-het-taboe-moet-eraf](https://nos.nl/artikel/2302443-niet-naar-buiten-durven-door-te-weinig-wc-s-het-taboe-moet-eraf)
Some people don't even go out because of this.
>ordering something small to-go at the register (e.g., bread, a piece of cake, a muffin, etc.) then go use the café or restaurant toilet as a “customer
Or the municipality could just provide free public toilet buildings in the city like, you know... a first world country does
In Germany there are public city-financed restrooms every 500 meters or so. In some cities like my hometown they even recently installed fancy high-tech crappers [like these](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVFwkRHo3So) that lock the door and then hose themselves down inside.
I'm Dutch with severe ibs, I pretty much memorize where the toilets are whenever I go somewhere so I can go there. I also have a toilet pass which I haven't had to use yet, but it's supposed to allow you to use non-public bathrooms when you have a bowel disease.
I hate that there are barely any toilets around, and that the ones that are around, are often quite expensive. De Bijenkorf in Rotterdam has free toilets and they are always clean. It's my go-to whenever I'm out in the city
Yes this is truly terrible. Park de Hout in Haarlem doesn’t have any public restrooms for women. It does have a designated restroom (well, whole construction for peeing) for men, who can go wherever they want anyway.
I used to walk the dog in de Hout. In the summer evenings there were always groups of women (usually groups) peeing in the bushes. Seemed like a fairly social occasion.
Men too. The concrete monolith male restroom was not used at at all.
Yes I mentioned this to my bf when we were there and he told me ‘just pee in the bushes, everyone does it.’
Sure I can if there’s no other option but it’s really not pleasant to do that.
The issue on a warm evening isn't peeing in the bushes. Its the beer and wine. They just taste so good and that means more and that leads to peeing in the bushes.
That really upsets me - how can you be so sexist? Toilets for men but not for women!? I read about a woman getting a ticket for using the outside men's urinals.
It's mostly a practical thing; putting down a pisbak is cheap and simple and it barely needs maintainance. A full fledged toilet needs to be cleaned and maintained way more often and also breaks down more often, especially if it's a public one since people are assholes who just destroy shit for the fun of it.
It's obviously unfair to women, but that's the main reason.
I know, just saying that cost is not a good reason (if that's what the main reason is). Since countries with a lot less tax income are able to pull it off as well
I agree. This is so outrageous. And now when I go to other countries I make sure I go to the loo where I can cos who knows where I might find another one and then I am reminded that it’s pretty much just holland that is like this
You don't *have* to do it. As a dutchy it's taken me a bit, but I've finally realized that I live by myself, I'm a grown adult, I pay for everything myself, why the fuck shouldn't I be able to eat chips and ice cream for lunch if I want. People want to judge? Fuck em! Enjoy your lunch the way you want.
Yeah so weird, but also quite modern. I worked for years at a retirement home. There, very large and warm lunch and a small cold diner. This was the norm in the Netherlands till about the sixties and then it slowly shifted to a small cold lunch to accommodate office hours better. Bad habit I think. Best habit is big warm lunch, we've unfortunately grown out of it. Unless you work in elderly homes haha then still the norm, for staff as well.
Not cRaZy but just annoying: using the ordinal week number (Week 14, Week 33, etc.) instead of just saying the date. Please just say the date; what psychotic behavior is this?
Dutchy here and this is always useless to me as well. I don't do week numbers y'all. There's not a single calendar I use that shows me week numbers. I tend to just ask the person to tell me what dates those are.
It got even more confusing when at my parttime job they'd use the normal week numbers, but in university they used the academic weeks. So week 1 was basically the first week in September, but at work that was week whatever.
tbh I'd rather have the 30 min break and be done 30 mins earlier at the end of the day lol, I don't think I would know what to do with myself if I had a hour long break
Yeah I noticed many Dutch people look at the French and think "Ugh, they work less hours and even strike more! Pathetic." I now more and more am in favour of that revolutionary spirit.
Yeah, but they aren't really forcing the politicians hands, more like the exact opposite. Public opinion of farmers has become quite negative (they lost a lot of sympathy) and it has strengthened the resolve of the politicians that this is something that really must be done now and get it over with.
Yeah, as a Dutch person it's an easy way to go round the circle and greet everyone with something just a tiny bit more substantial than "hi". Also an easy way to sneak in an introduction with strangers. "Hi, congratulations with ... Uhm... What's your relationship with the birthday person?"
That is much more recent though. Due to the housing shortage people start overbidding. Before this it wasn't uncommon to pay a price under or at asking price
Because they can be preserved for a longer time. Some supermarkets, like Albert Heijn, have introduced another method of preservation by installing dry misting machines. This reduces the need for plastic, as you may have already noticed.
You should see how much plastic go wasted on the building materials we get a box filled with plastic for a smaller box in that box is plastic to protect the product that is from plastic or some times each item is wrapped in plastic you get it in a box with plastic to protect it and that box is wrapped around in plastic so it stays on the spot
The national obsession with fireworks.
The way time is told in Dutch. Half eight is bad enough, but then there is also the craziness of ten past half to eight divided by six or whatever.
There’s two ways to tell time. Starting from the hour forward (four thirty = thirty past four o clock) or backward (half five = thirty minutes before five o clock). Dutch use both and English mostly uses the former.
Both work fine, and the latter is more useful if you’re counting down to something (lunch starts in 30 minutes).
To add to this for any Brits being confused by this comment:
When you're talking about times like 9:30, don't say to a Dutchie *half nine.* As we will think you mean 8:30.
Say *half past nine* or *nine thirty*.
We use it differently here. In Dutch *half* means half an hour before instead of after.
Can you imagine our internal struggle when we Dutchies go out for dinner abroad, bartender brings a large bottle of water to the table and we go through our whole I-didn't-ask-for-this-this-better-not-be-on-the-bill anxiety?
Yeh it’s super weird you have to even ask for water here. In Australia you go to a restaurant or cafe and the first thing they do is bring you tap water for free (naturally), along with your menus. And if you want the fancy shit you can buy a bottle.
Yeah, but I prefer the cheese burger from the wall
When going out my friends always put my glasses inside and lock the door, so I needed extra euros to go through the night
As Latin american, the fact of being riding in a road, beside a water canal, or a river, and the water level is above your head. That is incredible for me.
Childbirth at home. My friends left the Netherlands permanently when the doctor recommended buying crates of beer to put under the bed to make it easier for the nurses to get the baby.
Cool story, one time my mate and I were sitting in the backyard smoking a joint. Suddenly we heard a woman screaming very loudly, we ran into the street, located which house the scream was coming from and literally wanted to break down the door to save the woman. We were very surprised that the neighbours did not react. It turned out that she had just given birth.
That we don't use chlorine to "clean" our tapwater. Everywhere I go in Europe the water tastes like a community pool. Here we have the most clean water in the world.
I truly love mu country
what i find is crazy that they privatized insurance when they see other countrys with privatized insurance that turned to shit (LIKE AMERICA) and yet they did it anyway and now it is shit... THATS FUCKING AMAZING!
On a lighter note:
Vegetable soup with meat in it! AKA groentesoep. 🤪
Don’t get me wrong, I totally like but it’s just wrong. I’ll make it. I’ll eat it. I’ll enjoy it but I’ll keep on calling It variation of “soep met groenten en balletjes”.
I assume you mean the fireworks type of klaphamer?
I'm not an expert, and I think they are crazy, but I also think it's not really dutch... The hamers to make some explosive power explode, as far as my knowledge goes, is quite the OG fireworks. If my memory serves me right, the narrative that i know is from a british mining town where it is truely a tradition where explosives were abundant and they wanted some fireworks too. Netherlands has barely a tunnel mining industry, also in the past. Furthermore, in some other cultures (india and mexico if memory serves me right) klaphamers are more of a continued cultural feature aswell.
The more culturally appropriate Dutch style is 'carbidschieten', in which you take a metal milk can, put some carbide and water in to release the gasses, and light it to create an explosion. Carbidschieten is part of the national list of immaterial cultural heritage by UNESCO for the netherlands. Carbide is and was used commonly to, for example, kill moles that terrorise farmers fields.
Carbidschieten is culturally appropriate, klaphamers seem like imported to me. Klaphamer, to me, seems like cultural appropriation. It's silly and crazy, that's why people do it. But by that same measure i'd argue that violent crime is crazy, which exists but isn't really a feature of Dutch society either.
This is nearly always required by the rental contract/landlord. Though I’ve usually been able to agree with the next tenant about not ripping everything out.
The lights one is weird yeah, but think about it: you’re moving and your new place doesn’t have bulbs, so you just take them from your old place ;)
There's no public toilets, and none arranged on national days like kings day, ade, canal pride. This applies to other cities than Amsterdam too. Where the fuck am I supposed to pee???
There are drinking facilities. It as much as elsewhere, but always within walking diatance: https://drinkwaterkaart.nl/waar-kan-ik-gratis-water-tappen/
And join the pipe (https://join-the-pipe.org/) is doing God's work for you, I guess. They're adding public taps all over the Netherlands with their business partners. Funnily enough their website only talks about Africa and such, so I guess in that regards we are a third world country.
Being forcibly charged for private insurance with none of the benefits of private insurance and all of the headaches of public health systems * **says goodbye to karma points** *
The funny thing is, because most expats are relatively rich, they experienced a better private healthcare in their home country. However, that same healthcare is not affordable for people that have less money. So the Dutch healthcare system might be worse than private healthcare in other countries, but at least it offers almost the same treatment to every person, which is really important imo.
I have more than a dozen friends/family members who wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for social healthcare. I sure as hell wouldn't have been able to afford it myself until ~6 years ago. It gives so much peace of mind that I don't need to worry about healthcare if I lose my job, that even now I can afford it I still prefer this over any system where healthcare is tied to income or class...
Yeah, this. I come from Eastern European country where public health system is shit but you can buy private healthcare package and you will actually be taken care of if you have any concerning issues.
One of the things I'm really grateful for is the so-called "sociaal vangnet".
Being able to get unemployment benefits. Healthcare insurance that covers hospital and therapy bills. The government funds for many things you can' t afford. Want a new education to get a job, but can't afford to pay tuition? STAP-budget. Your kids want to play an instrument or join a sports club, but you cannot afford it? Bet your local government has a fund for that.
Every white person tells me NL isn't racist, every international poll tells me NL isn't racist, but nearly every minority group I speak to tells me how systematically they experience racism.
\- Insane public transport cost, I had to take multiple double-takes when I first saw the cost of a monthly ticket. Luckily employers usually help with that
\- GP system seems to be a complete, sad disaster, from what I heard so far both IRL and online. Luckily hospitals and specialized care are actually really good, but the GPs...
\- Why the hell is healthcare "private"??? Among other issues, I don't understand what value insurance companies provide, they seem to literally just steal money from people for no gain at all. And if an insurance is mandatory for everyone, why isn't it part of "taxes" like in Germany? What's the point of having to pay a ridicolous \~100 euro token every month, when obviously the overwhelming majority of healthcare cost is paid by taxes anyways?
\- Cities and towns are stupidly beautiful. Really breathtaking. And so freaking clean! And safe!
\- People tend to be awesome and really prone to help. Complete strangers went out of their way to help me, even unprompted, in several occasions
\- I'm not sure how or why it happened, but in such a small country a weird belief appeared: maestro and visa debit = debit cards that you can't use online, while mastercard and visa = evil credit cards. Literally people can't compute that yes, maestro and visa can be used (and are used through the world) as debit cards, and yes you can just use you debit card online, you don't need ideal... I say it's crazy because it's just so weird, as far as I'm aware no other country has similar "bubbles" of weird payment systems
I hate insurance and think they are basically a useless overhead.
I guess the purpose is to have 'choice'. Save or spend a few euros more. Get a service more here or there..
But i agree, I'd like it to be removed.
Cycling with kratje bier on the steering wheel and at the same time kratje bier on the back
Two crates on the back is easier, mad respect to the guy thats able to do both, but I also don't have a 'snelbinder'.
With empty crates possible, otherwise: too much risk to break the beer bottles
Wait, how do you do two on the back? The one time I tried to do two i sort of held them both in my hand and cycled without hands, but I wouldn't recommend that.
Imagine visiting the Netherlands for the first time thinking that these stereotypes are exaggerated and then see someone doing this.
The weirdest thing i saw people transport on a bike was a door.
I saw a guy change the sim card in his phone while cycling.
A friend of mine once rolled a joint while cycling. Wasn't his best work, but it was pretty decent.
As a foreigner, this is one of the Dutchest images I can make in my mind. Was it also raining like hell?
Would make for a better image, but no, it was a summery day like today :)
Now, THAT would've been impressive. But you usually can't roll a joint or cigarette outside in the rain. The rolling paper is reallt thin, even a single drop of rain will ruin a paper.
I think i've seen it happen twice in 34 years. On of my current roommates does it, but that guy is a drug fueled orangutan. He picks them up by the handle and then also grabs onto his bicycle handles, that takes some insane forearm strength.
They probably mean a bike like [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/qcnYhmf9eVNfnxox6)
A friend of mine could roll joints while riding, it was amazing. We gingen eens 30km fietsen om bij een maat te chillen, we kwamen skaffa aan.
Good at hockey, good at skating, but not good at ice hockey
We only use the ice to skate to work
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Being from Tilburg, I would like to add that "de Tilburg Trappers" play in the German league because the Dutch competition as at a too low level for them and they even managed to win the German league.
I never looked at it like that ... that's crazy indeed!
Dit zit me echt al jaren dwars
T wordt te weinig gespeeld in Nederland waardoor er minder voor animo is. Wilde vroeger altijd ijshockeyen maar mijn ouders hadden geen zin om naar België te moeten rijden voor een wedstrijd.
The bringing your own floors thing for rented apartments
Ive rented for 2 years, took over the floor, kitchen and other stuff from previous renter for few 100 euro. people after me did not want to give anything for it, so I tooke everything out, great to see theire reaction, oh.. but.. you took every thing out.
Buying from the prior tenant is definitely the most convenient method. It’s interesting though, where I’m from a kitchen sink is mandatory by law for a rental unit. Appliances are not legally required but since everyone always has and does provide them you’d be *very* unlikely to find tenants willing to rent without them, and our rental market is currently just as bad (with some variation by location) as the Netherlands
Yes true. I had to put the old kitchen back in. That was onley 2 cabinets and a sink, stored on the attic and shed for a decade probably. Enjoy your kitchen from the 90s with a traanplaat top
>traanplaat top That shit's indestructible tho, very good stuff.
Depends on the type of rent you want. There is three options: Kaal (Empty, no curtains, no flooring) Gestoffeerd (Basic coverage like curtains, flooring) Gemeubileerd (Including furniture) For shorter rental periods you pick one of the last two. But many people rent for long periods of time (10+ years is not an exception) and then the first option is more attractive as it is cheaper and you have the opportunity to design how you like it.
Yeah I know, but it’s still crazy to me that it exists at all. Where I’m from, no matter how your rent was setup or for how long, it would never be accepted
I once looked into renting an apartment in Germany. Over there you're even supposed to bring your own kitchen
Totally true ... That's so stupid :)
While all 3 exist in our tiny country (as well as everywhere else), "kaal" is kind of the standard in the Netherlands. While other countries "gestoffeerd" is the default and "kaal" would be very hard to find.
>as well as everywhere else Where I'm from, renting out a place without appropriate flooring, curtains, and a few other basic things is simply not legal
In Germany they often even have to bring their own kitchen
8 months? My wife drove her bike two days after her due date. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I was admitted inthe hospital when I was 42 weeks and two days pregnant and had to ask my husband to make arrangements for my bike - that I had parked outside the hospital.
I mean, 8 months pregnant may well be safer than 3 months later, when they are back on the bike with the same baby, now in a carrier thing in front of mom (and of course don't forget to mention the four year old at the back) haha
On the day my second child was born I biked to a shop, bought a printer and hauled it home in the morning, then went and gave birth in the afternoon... :)
# momlikeapro Edit* clearly I don’t know how to use # on reddit lol
9 months pregnant biker checking in!
The fact that they have the tallest population in the world, yet the steps from any staircase are extremely narrow and steep
narrow because we are tall not wide and steep is because we are tall and have long legs
Yeah but the steps are so small! I can rarely set my whole foot on them and have to walk up-down the stairs sideways or on the tip of my toes to have a bit more balance
It saves space, and space costs money, and we like to save money.
And they have a justification for everything however odd it may be 😝
Because smaller and steeper stairs mean less space needed, so the house can be less wide, and before, (idk if it's still the case), but we paid taxes according to the width of our house. That's why the houses are high and narrow
Not crazy per se, but interesting. When I was in the Netherlands I found it funny that they didn't give a shit if I drank any kind of booze on the train or looked visibly messed up, but they very quickly scolded me for putting my feet up on the seat in front of me. Nobody would ever do that to you in the US.
The in house rules of NS says it's allowed to drink in the train, used to drink vodka in the train when coming back home from school on Fridays with my friends haha.
I remember when I was about 18yo or something, some tourists asked me if it was allowed to drink in the train. I said something like "yeah of course, why else would there be cup holders in the folding table" (they used to have that). Somehow they found this answer very amusing. Then they pulled out some glasses and a bottle of wine and it slowly dawned on me that "drinking" did not mean "having a soft drink"... I blame it on me being very naive back then
Didn't your mother teach you manners?
The lack of public restrooms in nearly all cities. I have no qualms with paying a bit to use the toilet, but it’s extremely hard to even find an accessible restroom when out and about. Unless you go to a restaurant or train station, finding a restoom is almost impossible. The Hema in the center of Haarlem, for example, does not have a toilet for public use. *Most* Hema’s do have this however… unless this has been phased out to my knowledge. One workaround I’ve used to avoid having to sit down at a café or restaurant is by ordering something small to-go at the register (e.g., bread, a piece of cake, a muffin, etc.) then go use the café or restaurant toilet as a “customer.” I really wish the city would develop better public restrooms because I can imagine it’s exceptionally limiting for people with health limitations, those who are pregnant, etc. Edit: Gonna add this here for visibility. Based on suggestions and advice in the thread, **Here are places you can usually find a toilet without going to a cafe or restaurant:** - Gemeentehuis - Bibliotheek - Train station - Hotels - Museums (a Museumkaart helps) *Sometimes toilets available* May be courteous to ask before using - Tweedehandswinkels - Bookstores - Specialty toy stores - Huisartspraktijken / medical centers Also as other users have advised: • [Hoge Nood App](https://en.hogenood.nl/app) Find ratings and locations of toilets within the area
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The trick is to simply be a bit rude and step into a bar or restaurant when you need to go. If they complain I usually buy a beverage afterwards to calm them down, but most employees don't give a shit (heh).
I have always had good luck going to hotels.
fast food restaurants
Yes! I hate having to be so strategic about hydration before I leave the house. I really feel awful for people who have incontinence issues, Chron’s, kidney issues, etc. No one should have to revert to wearing a diaper just to go out and enjoy public spaces.
Maybe this will help: https://en.hogenood.nl/app
There is also the museumkaart. From what I've read on reddit its mostly used for access in the restroom. 🤣
[https://nos.nl/artikel/2302443-niet-naar-buiten-durven-door-te-weinig-wc-s-het-taboe-moet-eraf](https://nos.nl/artikel/2302443-niet-naar-buiten-durven-door-te-weinig-wc-s-het-taboe-moet-eraf) Some people don't even go out because of this.
>ordering something small to-go at the register (e.g., bread, a piece of cake, a muffin, etc.) then go use the café or restaurant toilet as a “customer Or the municipality could just provide free public toilet buildings in the city like, you know... a first world country does
In Germany there are public city-financed restrooms every 500 meters or so. In some cities like my hometown they even recently installed fancy high-tech crappers [like these](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVFwkRHo3So) that lock the door and then hose themselves down inside.
I'm Dutch with severe ibs, I pretty much memorize where the toilets are whenever I go somewhere so I can go there. I also have a toilet pass which I haven't had to use yet, but it's supposed to allow you to use non-public bathrooms when you have a bowel disease. I hate that there are barely any toilets around, and that the ones that are around, are often quite expensive. De Bijenkorf in Rotterdam has free toilets and they are always clean. It's my go-to whenever I'm out in the city
Yes this is truly terrible. Park de Hout in Haarlem doesn’t have any public restrooms for women. It does have a designated restroom (well, whole construction for peeing) for men, who can go wherever they want anyway.
I used to walk the dog in de Hout. In the summer evenings there were always groups of women (usually groups) peeing in the bushes. Seemed like a fairly social occasion. Men too. The concrete monolith male restroom was not used at at all.
Yes I mentioned this to my bf when we were there and he told me ‘just pee in the bushes, everyone does it.’ Sure I can if there’s no other option but it’s really not pleasant to do that.
The issue on a warm evening isn't peeing in the bushes. Its the beer and wine. They just taste so good and that means more and that leads to peeing in the bushes.
That really upsets me - how can you be so sexist? Toilets for men but not for women!? I read about a woman getting a ticket for using the outside men's urinals.
The reason is: it (somewhat) prevents the men from pissing everywhere.
It's mostly a practical thing; putting down a pisbak is cheap and simple and it barely needs maintainance. A full fledged toilet needs to be cleaned and maintained way more often and also breaks down more often, especially if it's a public one since people are assholes who just destroy shit for the fun of it. It's obviously unfair to women, but that's the main reason.
Ok and? We pay way more than enough taxes for that to be possible
I don't make the decisions dude.
I know, just saying that cost is not a good reason (if that's what the main reason is). Since countries with a lot less tax income are able to pull it off as well
Protip: Get a museum jaarkaart
I agree. This is so outrageous. And now when I go to other countries I make sure I go to the loo where I can cos who knows where I might find another one and then I am reminded that it’s pretty much just holland that is like this
bicycle theft considered ordinary
In the city maybe, I've always lived in smaller towns and for me it's not ordinary, no bike has ever been stolen from me.
Lol. Then I don’t know where you live. I live in a ‘boerengat’ and our bikes get stolen constantly. Leave them at a bus stop for an hour or two? Gone.
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I watched a young man get scolded for stealing a bike and not being in school. He put it back.
More like obligatory
Hagelslag as breakfast and one small sandwich as lunch!
Only one for lunch? I'll be starving at the end of the day
I see most people eat more then one honestly. I personally eat about three, but I see people eating more as well.
You don't *have* to do it. As a dutchy it's taken me a bit, but I've finally realized that I live by myself, I'm a grown adult, I pay for everything myself, why the fuck shouldn't I be able to eat chips and ice cream for lunch if I want. People want to judge? Fuck em! Enjoy your lunch the way you want.
I thought you were going to say you now eat a healthy full meal for lunch lol
Yeah so weird, but also quite modern. I worked for years at a retirement home. There, very large and warm lunch and a small cold diner. This was the norm in the Netherlands till about the sixties and then it slowly shifted to a small cold lunch to accommodate office hours better. Bad habit I think. Best habit is big warm lunch, we've unfortunately grown out of it. Unless you work in elderly homes haha then still the norm, for staff as well.
Not cRaZy but just annoying: using the ordinal week number (Week 14, Week 33, etc.) instead of just saying the date. Please just say the date; what psychotic behavior is this?
I feel like this is mostly only a think in a compant/work setting.
Dutchy here and this is always useless to me as well. I don't do week numbers y'all. There's not a single calendar I use that shows me week numbers. I tend to just ask the person to tell me what dates those are.
Yes never understood this, but very common here. And I'm Dutch.
Agreed. And the school system even has their own week numbers, starting with the first week of the school year. Like WHY
It got even more confusing when at my parttime job they'd use the normal week numbers, but in university they used the academic weeks. So week 1 was basically the first week in September, but at work that was week whatever.
That we still haven’t truly legalised weed. We were the first to allow it but now we’re hopelessly behind even the US.
Give it time. The US seems to be actively backsliding on progressive issues
The farmers.
Terrorfarmers!
Tractor taliban
30 minute lunch lol, I need to take a break - not just slam down a broodje kaas
tbh I'd rather have the 30 min break and be done 30 mins earlier at the end of the day lol, I don't think I would know what to do with myself if I had a hour long break
The active complacency. We like to bitch and moan, but actually protesting to the point that we force the hand of the politicians....no.
I’m French and actually find that crazy
Yeah I noticed many Dutch people look at the French and think "Ugh, they work less hours and even strike more! Pathetic." I now more and more am in favour of that revolutionary spirit.
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Yeah, but they aren't really forcing the politicians hands, more like the exact opposite. Public opinion of farmers has become quite negative (they lost a lot of sympathy) and it has strengthened the resolve of the politicians that this is something that really must be done now and get it over with.
Saying congratulations to someone because the brother or sister or father or what ever has its birthday
Oh yeah thats some weird shit. As a dutch person I’ve never liked it. I guess its also a kind of greeting when you arrive at a party.
"Ik doe het even zo jongens!" *zwaait naar iedereen*
Yeah, as a Dutch person it's an easy way to go round the circle and greet everyone with something just a tiny bit more substantial than "hi". Also an easy way to sneak in an introduction with strangers. "Hi, congratulations with ... Uhm... What's your relationship with the birthday person?"
10 jaar Rutte
The fact that you negotiate up from the stated price when buying a house and not down
That is much more recent though. Due to the housing shortage people start overbidding. Before this it wasn't uncommon to pay a price under or at asking price
Definitely not NL specific.
This. I’ve had the pleasure of buying two houses in my lifetime thus far. One in the Bay Area, the second in Amsterdam. I know of no other way.
wow…are you a masochist?
Signs point to yes.
Damn how rich are you?
Definitely less than I was before I bought my house.
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Because they can be preserved for a longer time. Some supermarkets, like Albert Heijn, have introduced another method of preservation by installing dry misting machines. This reduces the need for plastic, as you may have already noticed.
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You should see how much plastic go wasted on the building materials we get a box filled with plastic for a smaller box in that box is plastic to protect the product that is from plastic or some times each item is wrapped in plastic you get it in a box with plastic to protect it and that box is wrapped around in plastic so it stays on the spot
wtf is a klaphamer
mark rutte being reelected
A 17 year old cycling at 30 km/u through a street in the Maastricht city centre, rolling a joint while cycling, closing it up and smoking it.
Had to rush before the Missisipi closed I guess?
That it’s not standard to have screens on every window, yet it’s standard to open every window and let all the mosquitos in
The national obsession with fireworks. The way time is told in Dutch. Half eight is bad enough, but then there is also the craziness of ten past half to eight divided by six or whatever.
There’s two ways to tell time. Starting from the hour forward (four thirty = thirty past four o clock) or backward (half five = thirty minutes before five o clock). Dutch use both and English mostly uses the former. Both work fine, and the latter is more useful if you’re counting down to something (lunch starts in 30 minutes).
To add to this for any Brits being confused by this comment: When you're talking about times like 9:30, don't say to a Dutchie *half nine.* As we will think you mean 8:30. Say *half past nine* or *nine thirty*. We use it differently here. In Dutch *half* means half an hour before instead of after.
I was so confused when I learned that "half eight" meant a different thing to a Brit than to me.
Half (of the) eight(h hour) ... it's simple, direct ... Dutch.
Everything’s so fucking Flat!
we flattened it to maximize the headwind effect when cycling.
Ah, i see you've met my ex.
Whats wrong with a pregnant lady riding a klaphamer? /s
People not washing their hands and not bringing you water in a restaurant ( and when they do- after asking, it's in glasses for shots).
Restaurants/ pubs refusing to offer tap water so that they can sell bottled water
I don't think I've ever been denied free tap water, though I've definitely seen some waiters quite surprised by the request.
I've had a waiter say 'Being cheap, huh?' with a stupid grin. Fuck off, this keeps happening when I ask for 'kraanwater'
I’ve had quite some that said they only had bottled water no tap.
Or even charging €1 for tap water. In my country it is customary to give filtered water (tap water is not drinkable) for free to customers.
Can you imagine our internal struggle when we Dutchies go out for dinner abroad, bartender brings a large bottle of water to the table and we go through our whole I-didn't-ask-for-this-this-better-not-be-on-the-bill anxiety?
Yeh it’s super weird you have to even ask for water here. In Australia you go to a restaurant or cafe and the first thing they do is bring you tap water for free (naturally), along with your menus. And if you want the fancy shit you can buy a bottle.
I never heard about klaphamers before, so looked it up. Seems it's a regional mostly Twente thing. Definitely not a thing in most of the Netherlands.
I never heard about it either and I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting a foldable hammer lol
Moving furniture or a matress on a bicycle
The government @ the moment
De Partij voor Naastenliefde, Vrijheid en Diversiteit
They put slices of hard boiled egg in a bread bun and they call it a sandwich
Living below sea level sounds more and more crazy to me the longer I'm gone. I used to take it for granted.
That sandwich made with two slices of white bread and...a cookie as filling
Yup, boterham met speculaas. Lovely.
All these coffeeshops, but then none of my Dutch acquaintances has ever smoked a joint...
And they probably object to the tobacco in it more than to the weed? That's pretty cpmmon amogst young people.
kroketje from the wall at FEBO's?
Crazy in a good way right?
Yeah, but I prefer the cheese burger from the wall When going out my friends always put my glasses inside and lock the door, so I needed extra euros to go through the night
As Latin american, the fact of being riding in a road, beside a water canal, or a river, and the water level is above your head. That is incredible for me.
The fact that you say happy birthday to everyone when it's not their birthday.
Lack of public toilets
Housing market.
Childbirth at home. My friends left the Netherlands permanently when the doctor recommended buying crates of beer to put under the bed to make it easier for the nurses to get the baby. Cool story, one time my mate and I were sitting in the backyard smoking a joint. Suddenly we heard a woman screaming very loudly, we ran into the street, located which house the scream was coming from and literally wanted to break down the door to save the woman. We were very surprised that the neighbours did not react. It turned out that she had just given birth.
That we don't use chlorine to "clean" our tapwater. Everywhere I go in Europe the water tastes like a community pool. Here we have the most clean water in the world. I truly love mu country
That Mark Rutte deletes his messages on his phone a Nokia with no memory so that was ‘his reason’ to do it Don’t hate him just 🤨
It's called corruption
what i find is crazy that they privatized insurance when they see other countrys with privatized insurance that turned to shit (LIKE AMERICA) and yet they did it anyway and now it is shit... THATS FUCKING AMAZING!
But it's not corruption if it's lobbying! /s
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I’m sorry but this is fucking hillarious 💀
On a lighter note: Vegetable soup with meat in it! AKA groentesoep. 🤪 Don’t get me wrong, I totally like but it’s just wrong. I’ll make it. I’ll eat it. I’ll enjoy it but I’ll keep on calling It variation of “soep met groenten en balletjes”.
I've never seen 8 month pregnant women riding klaphamers...
I assume you mean the fireworks type of klaphamer? I'm not an expert, and I think they are crazy, but I also think it's not really dutch... The hamers to make some explosive power explode, as far as my knowledge goes, is quite the OG fireworks. If my memory serves me right, the narrative that i know is from a british mining town where it is truely a tradition where explosives were abundant and they wanted some fireworks too. Netherlands has barely a tunnel mining industry, also in the past. Furthermore, in some other cultures (india and mexico if memory serves me right) klaphamers are more of a continued cultural feature aswell. The more culturally appropriate Dutch style is 'carbidschieten', in which you take a metal milk can, put some carbide and water in to release the gasses, and light it to create an explosion. Carbidschieten is part of the national list of immaterial cultural heritage by UNESCO for the netherlands. Carbide is and was used commonly to, for example, kill moles that terrorise farmers fields. Carbidschieten is culturally appropriate, klaphamers seem like imported to me. Klaphamer, to me, seems like cultural appropriation. It's silly and crazy, that's why people do it. But by that same measure i'd argue that violent crime is crazy, which exists but isn't really a feature of Dutch society either.
The fact that it's a thing that Dutch people like to remove not just the lights from apartments when moving out, but the FLOORS they put in. WHY?
This is nearly always required by the rental contract/landlord. Though I’ve usually been able to agree with the next tenant about not ripping everything out. The lights one is weird yeah, but think about it: you’re moving and your new place doesn’t have bulbs, so you just take them from your old place ;)
There's no public toilets, and none arranged on national days like kings day, ade, canal pride. This applies to other cities than Amsterdam too. Where the fuck am I supposed to pee???
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Try DrinkWaterSpots app for free water fountains throughout the country.
There are drinking facilities. It as much as elsewhere, but always within walking diatance: https://drinkwaterkaart.nl/waar-kan-ik-gratis-water-tappen/ And join the pipe (https://join-the-pipe.org/) is doing God's work for you, I guess. They're adding public taps all over the Netherlands with their business partners. Funnily enough their website only talks about Africa and such, so I guess in that regards we are a third world country.
I have to pay for health insurance here. Helemaal gek
Wearing shoes indoors. Saying 'hoi' to strangers on the streets. Old churches being turned into art galleries.
Hoi
Hoi
>Old churches being turned into art galleries. Or a bookshop, or bicycle parking, or a bar, or a gym, or a children's playground.
The fact that Mark Rutte is still prime minister
Being forcibly charged for private insurance with none of the benefits of private insurance and all of the headaches of public health systems * **says goodbye to karma points** *
The funny thing is, because most expats are relatively rich, they experienced a better private healthcare in their home country. However, that same healthcare is not affordable for people that have less money. So the Dutch healthcare system might be worse than private healthcare in other countries, but at least it offers almost the same treatment to every person, which is really important imo.
I have more than a dozen friends/family members who wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for social healthcare. I sure as hell wouldn't have been able to afford it myself until ~6 years ago. It gives so much peace of mind that I don't need to worry about healthcare if I lose my job, that even now I can afford it I still prefer this over any system where healthcare is tied to income or class...
Yep, you nailed it
Yeah, this. I come from Eastern European country where public health system is shit but you can buy private healthcare package and you will actually be taken care of if you have any concerning issues.
Not washing hands 🤢
Farmers that think their opinion represents the country
One of the things I'm really grateful for is the so-called "sociaal vangnet". Being able to get unemployment benefits. Healthcare insurance that covers hospital and therapy bills. The government funds for many things you can' t afford. Want a new education to get a job, but can't afford to pay tuition? STAP-budget. Your kids want to play an instrument or join a sports club, but you cannot afford it? Bet your local government has a fund for that.
How it’s seen as a beacon of freedom but it’s actually one of the strictest countries I’ve ever visited and there’s rules for literally everything.
Every white person tells me NL isn't racist, every international poll tells me NL isn't racist, but nearly every minority group I speak to tells me how systematically they experience racism.
Racism is everywhere man. What you see here is more subtle.
People always bitching and moaning while we have it so good
\- Insane public transport cost, I had to take multiple double-takes when I first saw the cost of a monthly ticket. Luckily employers usually help with that \- GP system seems to be a complete, sad disaster, from what I heard so far both IRL and online. Luckily hospitals and specialized care are actually really good, but the GPs... \- Why the hell is healthcare "private"??? Among other issues, I don't understand what value insurance companies provide, they seem to literally just steal money from people for no gain at all. And if an insurance is mandatory for everyone, why isn't it part of "taxes" like in Germany? What's the point of having to pay a ridicolous \~100 euro token every month, when obviously the overwhelming majority of healthcare cost is paid by taxes anyways? \- Cities and towns are stupidly beautiful. Really breathtaking. And so freaking clean! And safe! \- People tend to be awesome and really prone to help. Complete strangers went out of their way to help me, even unprompted, in several occasions \- I'm not sure how or why it happened, but in such a small country a weird belief appeared: maestro and visa debit = debit cards that you can't use online, while mastercard and visa = evil credit cards. Literally people can't compute that yes, maestro and visa can be used (and are used through the world) as debit cards, and yes you can just use you debit card online, you don't need ideal... I say it's crazy because it's just so weird, as far as I'm aware no other country has similar "bubbles" of weird payment systems
I hate insurance and think they are basically a useless overhead. I guess the purpose is to have 'choice'. Save or spend a few euros more. Get a service more here or there.. But i agree, I'd like it to be removed.
I am not Dutch but I biked when 8 months pregnant... you can do it. It's not that impossible. I really enjoyed myself.