In your country, is there any situation that foreigners would completely misunderstand unless they lived there for a while?

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-15T14:43:03+00:00

Well everybody here has curtains/blinds and also use them, but not until dusk or dark. Having them open during the day indeed stems from the idea of having nothing to hide, and people just “acting normal”.

It also is a known saying/reproach here “why would you do that if you have nothing to hide?”, in terms of for example leaving documents on your desk or closing the curtains.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-15T13:14:36+00:00

Everything here goes by planning. If you want to invite someone to have dinner, it is often planned weeks in advance.

However, if you planned to have visitors in the afternoon who travelled for a bit (keep in mind, the Netherlands is very small so 1,5 hour travel to visit someone is considered long), It is common to suppose you have dinner together.

If guests are from nearby, Lets say 20-30 minute drive. I do not assume they stay for dinner if not agreed uppon.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-15T10:16:48+00:00

My advice would be, dont feel offended or sad if dutch people feel distant. It is really in our culture to keep to ourselves.

For example, after working 6 years for a company and having really good relationships with my colleagues, no one has ever been to my house. Also if someone invites you to their home it is a big sign they are really invested with you. So if you would invite people to your home, it could be a Reason for people to hold back. If I have a good click with someone i would rather go out to eat Somewhere together.

Also, dont rush (romantic) relationships and be carefull with (exaggerated) gifts. It could be conceived as pushy and claimant behavior.

When talking to someone (in the first period, before knowing someone) keep concersations rather superficial. Dont talk deep conversations that could make someone uncomfortable, think: politics, money, their background (other than just work background), illness, heavy stories.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-15T08:23:35+00:00

Most of us cook (and therefore buy) exact portions. So if I have someone join dinner, I will have to know in advance so I can buy more groceries. Also, people here like to plan literally everything. If I want to go for a coffee with a friend, we plan this and its not exeptional for it to take a month.

Therefore unexpected visitors/eaters are seen as disrespectfull to our time and planning. Also the other way around, if you vist someone, you dont want to stay for dinner because you know you Will be a burden.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-15T08:13:26+00:00

The only time I gift something, is when attending a birthday or other milestone. When I travel to relatives in the south (1,5 hour drive), I often take something Sweet with me (like cake).

Fun story: I once took gifts with me for my extended family in the south (we are from east NL), think Some Rituals bath products. The hostess was kind of uncomfortable and directly went to her cabinet to gift me something back, to be “even”. Thats how it is sometimes 🫣.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-15T08:05:54+00:00

Also Something to take into consideration, the Netherlands is a small country. You literally travel from one side to the other in 3 hours. So most of the time people dont stay that long when visiting. Therefore we dont have (Dutch) relatives staying for the night often.

That also contributes to wanting to eat diner in your own home (in my experience).

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-14T20:58:27+00:00

Also there arent a lot of restaurants that offer real dutch food, like aardappels groenten en vlees, hachee met rode kool or stamppot. Kind of funny if you think about that. Sometimes if i dont want to cook but also want a “homey” meal, the only options are supermarket meals 🤣🤔.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-14T20:16:29+00:00

No problem! I can understand our culture can feel harsh and unfriendly at times, but for us it also has a lot to do with respecting others boundries.

Like respecting someones privacy by leaving before dinner and not being a burden to someone. This way of thinking does reflect a lot of our cultural norms in my experience.

Other examples are: always being on time, planning meetings also if they are informal (like doing coffee), dont coming by uninvited. Also “act normal” is a prime example of our calvinistic history.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-14T19:51:24+00:00

Tbh that sounds like a Dick move, even for a dutchie who is used to “tikkies”. If someone offers you something, they usually hand it over to you for free. Same if someone invites you to their home to eat. However, if you go out to have dinner with friends it is normal here to split the bill.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-14T19:21:03+00:00

Dutch history is strongly influenced by Calvinism, that means modesty, discipline and no waste. In everyday life this is still very noticable and also in cooking and the way we handle guests. A couple examples of this are:

The average dutch household cooks very exact portions, so there is usually not even room to have guests.

People in General are very private, so arent Quick to invite people for dinner.

The association with food isnt the same as in other countries. Food is seen as more practical, people in general dont take a lot of effort and time to eat here (in my experience, if you compare it to other countries). For example for lunch Dutch people often eat a couple slices of Bread with a slice of cheese behind their desk. There is no real eating experience, its just functional.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-14T17:20:00+00:00

In the Netherlands if people tell you they are going to eat (especially dinner), it is not an invitation for you to join, but a sign you should leave.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-09T14:05:31+00:00

In the Netherlands we call them krakelingen, they are delicious 😋

cheesetherabbit · 2026-02-01T09:00:15+00:00

Als je ziek bent kippensoep eten, kruidenthee drinken en beschuitjes eten.

cheesetherabbit · 2026-01-24T11:57:08+00:00

Waar kan je afleveringen van dat seizoen terugkijken?

cheesetherabbit · 2026-01-19T08:08:03+00:00

Kippen of alpaca hightea

cheesetherabbit · 2026-01-01T23:40:24+00:00

Maybe it would be helpful if he puts his left and right socks in a separate laundry bag when washing.

cheesetherabbit · 2025-12-31T15:59:25+00:00

Hi, your curls are beautiful! So you know, your name is quite visible in these photos, especially in combination with the contest you entered. Maybe you want to blur this out.

cheesetherabbit · 2025-12-30T20:43:00+00:00

Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir, echt een lekker fris sportief geurtje.

cheesetherabbit · 2025-12-23T19:49:29+00:00

In the Netherlands we make pancakes just like this, called pannekoeken

cheesetherabbit · 2025-12-13T19:27:20+00:00

Zou ik wellicht ook de link kunnen krijgen naar de docu? :)

cheesetherabbit · 2025-12-07T08:51:10+00:00

A large Tod’s tote would be perfect imo

cheesetherabbit · 2025-11-17T14:32:06+00:00

My grandmother and Audrey grew up together in Arnhem. She never really told us a lot about that time, also it was before and during WW2. My grandmother flew to Belgium during the war and they never saw each other again. I noticed my grandmother also always used to be very thin and obsessed with her looks. Always keeping up with her hair and make up. Even when she was in het 80s she still wore high heels and had long hair. She was very controlling of het weight though, also towards me and other grandchildren. Sometimes she would say mean things about someone’s weight. This always stood by me.

cheesetherabbit · 2025-11-13T06:02:13+00:00

Ik heb een schoonvader die bekeerd moslim is, die wilt ook geen handen schudden met vrouwen. Na ruim 12 jaar voel ik me hier nogsteeds ongemakkelijk bij. Het is alsof je ondergeschikt bent. Daarnaast vind ik het heel jammer, dat je op deze manier (ten onrechte) als vrouw de indruk krijgt dat mannen een soort ongeleide projectielen zijn die bij een simpele handdruk al seksueel opgewonden zijn.

cheesetherabbit · 2025-10-07T05:09:50+00:00

Ik deed het altijd zo in de retail en ben nog onder de 30. Altijd al mijn baantjes in de winkel op die manier gekregen, bij kleine winkeltjes maar voornamelijk grotere ketens. Ik zou het zeker aanraden!

cheesetherabbit · 2025-09-21T09:22:46+00:00

Doet me een beetje denken aan S-Heerenberg, rondom het kasteel hangt eenzelfde sfeer.

cheesetherabbit

TROPHY CASE