What do you know about the Netherlands?

[TheStrayCat]

Pink potatoes, by the way....? What's that supposed to mean?

When I was a child, one breed of potatoes my granny was growing in our village was called (at least by her) Dutch potatoes. Whether it's true or not, now I subconsciously associate the word Dutch (голландський) with those pinkish potatoes.

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

Maybe because it has changed, linguoboy? Other countries made improvements with homo emancipation, and we did too in our laws but the mentality has changed, Amsterdam for example isn't that safe anymore for homosexuals.

Really? What makes you say that?

Other countries have made improvements, but the Dutch have continued to lead. The Netherlands were the very first country in the world to allow same-sex marriage, which is far more common than it was but still very far from being universal even in Western Europe. Nowadays several of my trans activist friends have been pointing to it as a model for the treatment of trans youth.

So I'm not sure how much this is really generational and how much it's simply subcultural.

It's true that in the Netherlands they're very far with the treatment of trans youth indeed, I've seen several documentaries about it; apparently in most other countries they won't start with it when you're a child, but in the Netherlands there are two hospitals that give medicines to trans youth to stop their puberty, which gives them more time to think about what they want and if they want to change, it's easier because it obviously gets all more difficult when you're a grown-up.

That doesn't say much about if the avarage Dutch person accepts this though, because I generally think they don't. But of course that's a subcultural thing either.

Anyway. I know the Netherlands was the first country where gay people could marry, obviously. As I said: our laws regarding homo-emancipation are fine. It's the mentality that isn't yet/anymore: there is more violence towards gay people than before (http://www.coc.nl/geloof-cultuur/toenam ... ontrustend), they feel more unsafe than heterosexuals (http://www.binnenlandsbestuur.nl/bestuu ... 4989.lynkx).
But I realise of course that in other countries it's even worse. Okay, I don't dare to walk holding hands outside, but not because I'd go to jail for it or because I'd be murdered. And as there are other countries with good laws now, I don't think the Netherlands is leading anymore.

@TheStrayCat: I've never had them

[linguoboy]

Anyway. I know the Netherlands was the first country where gay people could marry, obviously. As I said: our laws regarding homo-emancipation are fine. It's the mentality that isn't yet/anymore: there is more violence towards gay people than before (http://www.coc.nl/geloof-cultuur/toenam ... ontrustend), they feel more unsafe than heterosexuals (http://www.binnenlandsbestuur.nl/bestuu ... 4989.lynkx).

Interesting that in the second poll the percentage of respondents who say they feel unsafe was exactly the same for homosexual men and heterosexual women. But the first article points out that at least part of the perceived rise in incidents is actually due to a rise in reporting. That's often the case: When society and police are perceived as indifferent or hostile, people don't bother bringing things to light. Then when the situation improves, there's a dramatic upsurge.

But I realise of course that in other countries it's even worse. Okay, I don't dare to walk holding hands outside, but not because I'd go to jail for it or because I'd be murdered. And as there are other countries with good laws now, I don't think the Netherlands is leading anymore.

In that case, who is? Certainly not the USA. Perhaps one of the Scandinavian countries?

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

That reminds me of that horrible rapes in Sweden discussion on unilang... Yeah, it might be a positive sign, because yes, police can be trusted. Still Amsterdam is said to have become unsafe, but maybe it's only said to be as I can't find any statistics?

And I don't know, I think the whole world generally still sucks regarding homo emancipation.

[Car]

It's quite unfair that the first stereotype people have about the Netherlands is "hookers", Germany is the biggest brothel of Europe actually.

A friend of mine told me Hamburg is pretty much like Amsterdam.

While I haven't been to Amsterdam, Hamburg certainly is known for its red light district, it's a major tourist attraction, too.

[linguoboy]

While I haven't been to Amsterdam, Hamburg certainly is known for its red light district, it's a major tourist attraction, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpWdqXrQ1FI

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

I think the red light district in Amsterdam will be dismantled because of new rules, but I'm on my phone right now so I can't find a link. What I know for sure is that rules are/will be more strict because of forced prostitution and people trade. The rules for using drugs are also more strict: in Brabant no foreigners can buy weed anymore, only people who sign in at the shops.

[Lada]

When I was a child, one breed of potatoes my granny was growing in our village was called (at least by her) Dutch potatoes. Whether it's true or not, now I subconsciously associate the word Dutch (голландський) with those pinkish potatoes.

Yes, it's a very popular sort of potatoes, I wonder where this name came from.
There's also a stove called "голландка"[gollandka], such type of stoves was very popular in Soviet days for building summer houses, may be it was popular earlier too and it is popular now again according to search results, that's how it looks like:


As for me I associate Netherlands with lots of international companies who have HQ office there. I myself started a career in a Dutch international company and communicated with many Dutch people here in Moscow, a Dutch girl was sent here specially to teach me all the peculiarities of the profession. Also we lived together in one room in Turkey where we had a team building event. And I was a Moscow guide for several Dutch employees who came here to take part in an exhibition or something.
And when I was in Barcelona, the only person I could have a talk in English with was a Dutch guy from my hotel So I have nice memories connected with the Netherlands

[maxd.ijn]

Talking about food, here in Brazil we have a pie which is called Dutch Pie (Torta Holandesa). I have no idea why it has this name. Some say it is beacause the woman who created the recipe liked the Netherlands, but this doesn't seem to be valid. I only know that it isn't Dutch.

It's a chocolate pie with a white cream made with dark and white chocolate and biscuits. One of my favourite desserts.

[mōdgethanc]

I'm thinking it could just be that chocolate and biscuits are two things that might be associated with the Netherlands (see my above post about their notorious sweet tooth).

[linguoboy]

Talking about food, here in Brazil we have a pie which is called Dutch Pie (Torta Holandesa). I have no idea why it has this name. Some say it is beacause the woman who created the recipe liked the Netherlands, but this doesn't seem to be valid.

Why do you say it "doesn't seem to be valid"? That's what everything online says.

In the USA we have something called "German chocolate cake" which is named for the creator of the kind of chocolate originally used in it, Sam German. (Originally it was called "German's Chocolate Cake".)

[Lietmotiv]

People there speak a really weird dialect of German.

For me Dutch is a weird dialet of English, but I guess the language is something bewteen English and German, but the flow of words in Dutch seems to be more similar to English, German is different in this respect. I see a lot of Dutch tourists in Dusseldorf, they seem to be very open and louder than Germans(maybe because they're on vacation, unlike the locals).

[mōdgethanc]

Overall Dutch seems a lot closer to German than to English to me in terms of phonology, syntax and lexicon. The main difference is the morphology, which strikes me as closer to English because it's more analytic and lacks case endings (but not gender).

[JackFrost]

Biker's heaven. Very flat land is a hugggeee plus.
Tall people, but hey... I'm tall too.
Euh, white people.
Blunt? Doesn't sound like it.
Naked boobs in public in the Red Light district (methinks).
Over 16 million people.
Many lands used to be marshes or seabeds.
Wooden shoes, sure, but who the hell wears them really.
Monarchy.
Some crazy right-wingers. One of whom is homosexual, which embarrasses the gays themselves.
Major oil company.
Hoog lives there.
Peanut butter on French fries (ew).
That one criminal who voluntarily gave his blood sample to the police in order to solve cold-case murders.

[mōdgethanc]

I forgot: Nazis, Anne Frank, Islamophobes.

Peanut butter on French fries (ew).

Never heard of that. You sure you don't mean peanut sauce instead?

Other well-known facts about the Netherlands: They put mayonnaise on their fries, and a Quarter Pounder with cheese is called a Royale with cheese.

[Lietmotiv]

I forgot: Nazis, Anne Frank, Islamophobes.

If you guys consider that in the Netherlands there are Nazis and Islamophobes, this is quite wrong, since the country is (maybe) Europe's most tolerant nation.

[mōdgethanc]

If you guys consider that in the Netherlands there are Nazis and Islamophobes, this is quite wrong, since the country is (maybe) Europe's most tolerant nation, maybe too tolerant.

By Nazis I was referring to the occupation during World War II. As for Islamophobes, it's not that there are a lot of them, but that they tend to be high-profile, controversial figures (Theo van Gogh, Pim Fortuyn, Geert Wilders).

[Marah]

a Quarter Pounder with cheese is called a Royale with cheese.

You just spoiled the only spoilable thing of Pulp Fiction.

[linguoboy]

Overall Dutch seems a lot closer to German than to English to me in terms of phonology, syntax and lexicon. The main difference is the morphology, which strikes me as closer to English because it's more analytic and lacks case endings (but not gender).

Yeah, I had a Dutch friend who always spoke German to me because he found it so much easier than English, even though he was fluent in both. One time I insisted on English (I needed a break) and you could see the strain, whereas German was hardly more difficult than speaking Dutch for him.

Every now and then I'll overhear someone speaking a Germanic language with lots of initial [x] and it can take me a minute or more of paying attention before I can determine whether it's Dutch or Swiss German.

[JackFrost]

Other well-known facts about the Netherlands: They put mayonnaise on their fries.

Hey, I do that sometimes. I usually mix some Dijon mustard in it. Or something else.