What do you know about the Netherlands?

[mōdgethanc]

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.

Same. If I hear a lot of uvular fricatives, my first thought is "wait, is this Germanic, or is it Persian or Hebrew or something?".

You just spoiled the only spoilable thing of Pulp Fiction.

I did? What about "Zed's dead, baby"?

[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.

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".)

I meant that I just don't believe in this story very much, even though there aren't any other informations about the origin of the name.

[Prowler]

Well other than knowing its location, its flag, its capital city and other cities, etc. I know that:

- It had a vast empire that was built during the Age of Discovery;
- Tallest population in the world;
- Lots of houses have no curtains;
- Its football national team wears orange due to it being the color of the royal house;
- Its people are generally good at learning foreign languages;
- Good educational system;
- Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV are its biggest and most popular football clubs;
- Revolutionized football in the 70s with "Total Football";
- Great painters such as van Gogh and Rembrandt were Dutch;
- Good cheese;
- Wooden shoes are traditional Dutch shoes;
- Windmills are very common sights in Dutch rural areas and make great postcards;
- Most Dutch people drive bicycles;
- Amstel, Bavaria, Heineken and La Trappe are some of the most well known Dutch beer brands;

I've been to the Netherlands twice. Would not mind going back there and go to smaller towns and villages I haven't visited yet.

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

Oh yes, the curtain thing, I never remember if we are said to have closed curtains all the time or none at all...
But I think most Dutch houses do have curtains which are closed when it's getting dark, just like each other country I guess?

[Almachtigheid]

Oh yes, the curtain thing, I never remember if we are said to have closed curtains all the time or none at all...
But I think most Dutch houses do have curtains which are closed when it's getting dark, just like each other country I guess?

I don't know anyone that doesn't have curtains, honestly. So that is not true.

[Car]

Oh yes, the curtain thing, I never remember if we are said to have closed curtains all the time or none at all...
But I think most Dutch houses do have curtains which are closed when it's getting dark, just like each other country I guess?

What I've always been told (also from Dutch people) is that you're less likely to close them during the day.

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

Oh okay, well, why would you close them during the day? That just seems illogical, you can't watch outside then anymore..

[Reinder]

What I've always been told (also from Dutch people) is that you're less likely to close them during the day.

Closing curtains during the day? Do people in other countries do that?

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

To be honest I have one of mine currently closed because otherwise the sun will shine in my eyes. But I'll open it as soon as the sun goes down so that I don't need to put the light on yet.

[Almachtigheid]

I can't remember seeing closed curtains during the day in another country. (I've been to pretty much every country in Western Europe except for the British Isles.) Maybe it is usual to do that in Greece or something to keep the heat out, but I haven't seen it in Spain though, also in the summer with 32 degrees Celsius.

[Aurinĭa]

- Good educational system

So that's why so many Dutchies come to Belgium to study!

About the curtains, I also have that idea of "Dutch houses = no curtains". But maybe they meant that few houses have net curtains? A lot of houses in Belgium have those, especially for windows facing the street, so that passers-by can't look straight into the living room.

[Car]

About the curtains, I also have that idea of "Dutch houses = no curtains". But maybe they meant that few houses have net curtains? A lot of houses in Belgium have those, especially for windows facing the street, so that passers-by can't look straight into the living room.

Yes, that's the same here and that's indeed what I meant.

[Marah]

I've also read somewhere that in the Netherlands most of the time it's the women who propose to men. Is it true?

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

I've also read somewhere that in the Netherlands most of the time it's the women who propose to men. Is it true?

No. Absolutely not. I mean, I guess it occurs, but I've got several friends who are quite feministic and even they didn't even think about proposing their boyfriend because 'oh no, he should do that I wouldn't want it any different'

(Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting your boyfriend to propose you but it still surprises me that they make such a big deal of some feminism stuff that I don't find that important but when they want to get married they just wait and wait and wait and do nothing because of a tradition that can be so easily reversed.)

[JackFrost]

It's "feminist", Hoog.

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

It's "feminist", Hoog.

Oh, thanks!
I thought: she is a feminist/ she is feministic.
Sometimes it really shows that Dutch is different from English...

[linguoboy]

It's "feminist", Hoog.

Oh, thanks!
I thought: she is a feminist/ she is feministic.
Sometimes it really shows that Dutch is different from English...

"Feministic" suggests to me "feminist-like" or "behaving similar to a feminist without actually being one". Cf. animalistic.

[mōdgethanc]

I have to wonder what behaving like a feminist is and why someone would do it without being one themself. Oh wait - maybe to get laid.

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

I'm confused now. Is feministic a word or isn't it? To me, the difference would be:
she's a feminist - that's what she is, a main feature of her, making it into a stereotype
she's feministic - that's just one of the things that describe her, apart from other features

But apparently in English it doesn't work like that and as soon as you say 'feministic' it means that they actually aren't feminists at all?
When I was thinking about a good comparision I thought of christen/christelijk in Dutch and then I became even more confused because I didn't even know how to translate: 'ze is christelijk' in English, apart from: 'she is a christian' but that would be the 'zij is een christen'

[mōdgethanc]

No, "she's a feminist" could mean either of those. "Feministic" isn't a word, or if it is it's very rare.