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The Dutch have a habit of telling you the price of stuff they've bought. Example:

"Wow, what a nice shirt!"

"Thanks! It cost me €5!"

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The Dutch are a practical bunch. To save time in the morning, they do their makeup on the go.

▲This is also typically Dutch. At a party, everyone eats like their lives depend on it until the last pizza slice is left—then everyone's suddenly the most generous person in the world!

▲In the Netherlands, when all the guests already have their bellies full of food, the host goes around with the remaining snacks and the threatening words: "Otherwise I have to throw them away!"

▲Even when they're old enough to know that the legendary figure doesn't exist, and there are no children around, they keep celebrating Sinterklaas.

▲The Dutch are such a practical bunch that they celebrate Christmas twice: one day at home, and the next at the in-laws.

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Two words that you will hear a lot in the Netherlands. Lekker means delicious and can be used for almost anything. Gezellig is hard to translate, but the Dutch use it often to describe a nice atmosphere at parties, restaurants, bars, and meetings.

▲Passing by someone's place for a quick visit is usually not appreciated. The Dutch custom is to always make an appointment.

▲The Dutch highly value punctuality: three o'clock is three o'clock, and not a minute later!

▲It's normal for Dutch people to kick visitors out of their house at 6 pm, because it's dinner time.

▲If there are potatoes and gravy on the menu, the Dutch will mash them together.

▲As for veggies, they cover those in a thick layer of apple sauce.

▲Pepper and salt shakers are a must at Dutch dinner tables. Don't worry: the host will not regard it as criticism if you use them.

▲When the Dutch go camping, they first raid their local supermarket.

▲The Dutch are very money conscious. When the bill arrives at a restaurant, everyone takes out their phones to calculate their exact share. Suddenly the phrase "going Dutch" makes sense, doesn't it?

▲At birthday parties, everyone sits in a circle. For real.

▲Arriving guests go round and congratulate everyone at the party.

▲Dutch people give three kisses to greet someone. Why three? Nobody knows.

▲In the Netherlands, it's customary that people open your gift in front of you.

▲Dutch people will tell you if you give them something they already have. "I already have this one" is not an uncommon phrase.

▲This one is kind of weird: many Dutch people have a calendar in their bathroom with the birthdays of family and friends.

▲Dutch people use their bikes to go everywhere, and do all kinds of things on them: eating, making phone calls, moving furniture, etc.

▲People in the Netherlands are generally a bit sun deprived, so on the rare occasions the sun does come out, they turn their faces to the warm rays, close their eyes, and lift their chins.

▲Dutch people like complaining a lot, and their favorite topic to whine about is the weather.

▲Dutch people rarely close their curtains, so when you take a walk around the neighborhood in the Netherlands, you can see exactly what people are doing in their houses.

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Politics, the economy, the last episode of a random soap opera: Dutch people have an opinion about everything, and they won't hesitate to tell you.

▲When a foreigner starts to speak less than perfect Dutch, Dutchies will automatically switch to English.

▲Dutch people love to sit somewhere and watch the people around them.

▲In the exceptional case that visitors are allowed to stay for dinner, the host will ask them how many potatoes they want, because Dutch people hate to waste food.

▲If you're planning to visit the Netherlands, it's good to get acquainted with Dutch cultural traditions beforehand. Otherwise, you might get caught off guard by the way the "Dutchies" do certain things. Click through this gallery and be surprised by Dutch cultural weirdness, as described by a local.

Quirky Dutch cultural traditions

Meet the Dutch: they're kind of weird

29/10/24 por StarsInsider

TRAVEL Dutch

If you're planning to visit the Netherlands, it's good to get acquainted with Dutch cultural traditions beforehand. Otherwise, you might get caught off guard by the way the "Dutchies" do certain things. Click through this gallery and be surprised by Dutch cultural weirdness, as described by a local.