Posted on 22 August 2008 by joost
Tipping, should you? Well yes, you should you cheap bastard! Nothing ruins a day for a service industry worker more than an empty tip jar. It’s not even the money, but the appreciation of hard work. Do these people need the tips to survive? Well no. So if the service was bad, screw ‘em.
Posted on 19 August 2008 by joost
Ah, the dreaded birthday. After age 12 they don’t seem so special any more, and after 30 they’re basically an excuse to load up on booze. Well, and having friends over of course. Birthdays in .nl have their own set of rules, but if you bring a gift, any faux pas will quickly be excused.
Posted on 27 July 2008 by joost
Difficult as it may be to comprehend, Amsterdam boasts a phenomenon called the plaskrul or “peeing curl”. This is a warped piece of metal in which men can take a pee. No, I am not making this up.
Posted on 30 June 2008 by joost
Well it sure is not Nederlandsness. Really, we are not known for our proper manners. The more intriguing are these things called plaskruizen or ‘peeing crosses’. The photo says it all.
Posted on 28 May 2008 by joost
For a decidedly rude society, the ‘three kisses’ greeting is an odd component. Or maybe it isn’t, and is it a result of said behaviour. A smoke-screen, hiding all too blatant unfriendlyness. It is true though: all Dutch people kiss three times when meeting and greeting. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 27 May 2008 by joost
So you have managed to score a date with a Nederlander or even a couple of them. A quest lies ahead: surviving the first encounter with these Nederthals who–alledgedly–only serve one cookie and shoo you out the door at 8PM.
This is only partially true. Read the rest of this entry »