 Hello and welcome to another video. It's been a long time. Another video, like it was yesterday that we released it. It's been a long time, but we didn't want to finish the year without putting out or at least wishing you a merry Christmas. I hope your Christmas has been going very well and signing off in a way, you know. So keeping the lights, keeping it fun, hopefully, we're going to do stuff Dutch people like. Yes. Welcome to our channel, me, you, us. Yes, me plus you is us. My name is Kwame. I'm Elaine. She's managed to let me mention the names as best as I can all the time. Yes. So we're starting a new series called Stuff Dutch People Like. Based on this book that a good friend gifted to Kwame. A few years ago. When we started dating. Yeah, whoa, whoa. That's like not a few years. That's a long time. It's been on our bookshelf here behind us for the past years. And then I was like, ah, should we revisit the stuff Dutch people like? It's actually based on a blog that was started in 2011. The book was published in 2013. So we're going to see if this is still up to date and what our experiences are in the Netherlands. As a Dutch Canadian couple. Canadian Dutch couple. Yeah. It's a list of how many things. Let me see. Maybe 100. No, 60 things that people like. So if we do five or 10, then we have a lot of episodes to cover. Let's see. All right, go ahead. Yeah. All right. Let's dive right in. Number one, bicycles. If that wasn't number one, I swear I'd be like confused because Netherlands is like one country in the world, everybody or other countries praise for their transport system, especially with bicycles. Yes. Did you know there are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands? Yes. Like people on average earn like 1.5 bike or something like more than one. Yeah. Yeah. The human to bicycle ratio is like one is to two at least or one is to 1.5. Yeah. It's a lot. That's a lot. Yes. Especially when you count kids and everybody. It's like the whole population. Yes. It's a lot. It's a lot. But how did it come about? Why? Is it because you guys are on flat land? I don't know how. Yeah. Maybe that started it. It's flat land. So it's easy to cycle. Yeah. And then, well, I think it's interesting that no matter the weather, you'll see people on the bike. Rain, sunshine, snow. Have you... Have you wind? Have you wind? Have you seen people trying to cycle in the snow? It's really something. Like we were trying. Yeah. I don't think I've seen people cycle in the snow. No. Even though I've spent at least one Christmas or one December in Netherlands, I don't think I've seen people actively trying to cycle in the snow. But yeah. I mean cycling is one of the things that does people absolutely. And it doesn't, like, it doesn't even have, you see somebody, the age limit, like very old. Yeah. You cycle until you are in your grave. Yeah. Kind of. Probably take the bicycle with you. I think what also, why we like the bicycle so much is that it's just like you get on the bike and you go. Like it's that sense of freedom. Yeah. And I mean the, the cities have been also designed for it. Like they're bicycles lanes. Bicycle traffic lights. There's even an award for Bicycle City of the Year, which my hometown, Houten, has won several times. Yes. I grew up in the Bicycle City of the Netherlands. Can you imagine? Recycle everywhere. Bicycle. Yeah. There were, like, literally in Houten, like there are places where the cars don't come. At all. That's why it's so quiet and. Yeah. Yeah. You can actually do everything in, almost everything in Houten with bicycle. Yeah. Even better than walking. Yeah. Right? Yeah. It's better accessible. You'll be there in like five minutes. Everything is like five minutes away. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Have you ever been run over by a bike? Because that's what a lot of people complain about in the Netherlands. The tourists. Yes. That's what a lot of tourists complain about. Oh, sorry. That's a tourist. No. But that's because, I mean, the average person doesn't have such strict cycling rules in the city or wherever they're coming from. Yeah. And even having like the, the ones going and the ones coming, walking on the right or cycling on the right side or left side, traffic lights and everything, the average person is walking on the streets and thinking, oh, I'm on the sidewalk. And then the next thing you know, somebody is like, ooh. And they cycle with so much passion. I don't get it. Like. Yeah. So much passion. Yeah. And people go fast. Very fast. That's one thing I don't get because you cycle fast, then you sweat in your clothes, then you come to work or wherever you're going and you're sweating. I really dislike that about the bicycle. Because sometimes you think, oh, the weather is okay. I don't need to. Like, and then the wind is like, you're literally soaked where you get there. But how would you rate your own cycling skills, like in the Netherlands? My cycling skills in the Netherlands, I think. I'll give it a four or five. Okay. So you're getting there? Yeah. It's very low. I mean, I'm not even trying to. I'm most impressed that so in at least how I was taught cycling. Is that a sentence? Yes. Is that you raise your arm if you want to go left? All right. All right. And sometimes Kramen does it very like, very stern. Like, I'm going people. I'm going. Which is very funny. I'll try to adapt. So I think I will give you a six. I see people trying to, I mean, see people doing that. And it's very serious business. I have to show where you're going. Yeah. You're trying. I think you're trying. All right. Let's go to the second one. This one will be very familiar to you. Gezelig. Oh. Can you explain to the people at home what Gezelig means? I think we've done it several times. I'm sure by now they know what Gezelig means. And it's the word doesn't have a literal translation in English. It's just cozy. It's just warm. It's nice. It's comfortable. But what do you use it to describe things like that? It's moments. It's atmosphere. Moments and atmosphere. So if you're chilling with your friends, maybe having popcorn and watching a movie or having food you've cooked together and just talking and it's Gezelig amongst you, then yeah, that's yeah. And it's something that I think culturally Dutch people crave a lot because I think they make time for Gezelig moments. Yeah. Quality time. Yeah. They make time for it because if it's not work and it's not maybe cycling or getting into a place, then it's trying to make something cozy among themselves. Let me read what the blog has to say about it. Spent any time in the Netherlands and you will quickly learn that Dutch people love this perplexing guttural sounding word. The Dutch are fiercely proud of this word and everything it represents. Gezeligheid is the modern day religion of the Dutch. They love it, they need it and above all they respect it. So if you make a moment less Gezelig, you're not the fun person at a party or at a place. Yeah. So remember that. Okay. Let's go to the next one. Yeah. I wonder if you've tasted this one. Haag Roslach. Haag Roslach. No. It's a chocolate sprinkles on the bread. Oh, I've seen it. I have tasted it, not my favorite. It's not something I would... It's also kind of one of the snacks for... It's not a snack though. It's a meal. It's a snack. No, it's a meal. Bread, butter and Haag Roslach. Chocolate sprinkles. So as you know, Tsukwame is discussed. We eat a lot of bread. We eat bread like sandwiches for lunch. All the time we eat bread in the morning. We can even eat it for dinner if you're like my dad. So bread, bread, bread, bread, bread. And then we have this... Well, we just say tradition. We have this product with just chocolate sprinkles. So you have a preferably white bread, like fresh white bread from the bakery. Butter on top and then you sprinkle the chocolate sprinkles and it's like... People eat it a lot. I have some numbers. Dutch people eat over 14 million kilos of Haag Roslach every year. That's in 2013. Can you imagine? 14 million kilos. Yes. That's a lot. Over 750,000 slices of bread with Haag Roslach on top every day. Okay, okay, okay, yeah. Every day. Every day. 750,000 slices of bread. Okay, I understand. I thought it was like a year. And for the historic... Historic history people among us, Haag Roslach was invented by Dutch company Wens in 1936. Legend has it that the owner got the idea from letters from a five-year-old boy asking for chocolate bread topping. So... Makes sense. Makes sense. Me, it's a snack. It's one of those snacks you take to a picnic for some of the Haag Roslach moments in the park. No, it's like... For me, you can eat it any time of the day. And you know which one I really like? Bread. Peanut butter Haag Roslach. You have the nuttiness of the peanut butter and then the chocolate for the sweet aftertaste. Wow. You enjoy. No, no, no. I have another fun fact. In a recent study in 2013, 6% of respondents admitted to eating Haag Roslach directly from the pack. I don't do that. But I do that with Nutella. So everybody has its own... own... what do you say? Fetish? Is it a fetish? No. Their own weird cravings and weird food combos. Okay, let's go to the next one. Which one is this? You're very familiar with it. Dutch Directness. But this is a four. Yes, number four. Dutch Directness, yes. Should I read what the book says? Then you respond. Yeah. I want to hear your experience. You've heard the rumors, the stereotypes and all the cliches, and we are here to tell you that the majority of the gossip they are, in fact, all absolutely true. Dutch people are direct. Direct to the point of shocking at times. Direct to the point of gasp. And direct to the point of, what the fuck did he just say to me, bleep? If you plan on spending any time in a Netherlands, you had better get used to it and fast. Well, what do you have to say to that? Married to a Dutch woman. Yeah, I am. Being in Netherlands provides time to time. I am quite direct myself. So I found that not very... I wasn't thrown off by it, is what I was trying to say. I wasn't thrown off by it. Except culturally, some of the questions are like, yeah, that person will not ask you that or say that to you. Yeah. Do you remember something, an example? Not particularly. But it was more of... I'll put it, is it ignorance curiosity? Innocence curiosity or ignorance? Ignorance curiosity, in a way, that they ask something that, oh, so why do you do this? Or why does this happen? Or is it true that this happens? Or, you know, that kind of thing? Yeah. Yeah, so, yeah. I've had that. I can't be specific. But those are the moments which I wonder, well, every person will not ask that. In terms of conversation or expressing oneself and saying it as it is, that doesn't throw me off because I think I'm quite direct in a way as well. Yeah. Yeah. But what I have realized is that... What's coming? For uncomfortable directness or things that are true or you observe, those people are direct, but when you are direct to them as well, sometimes it throws them off. Yeah. That's what I've realized in some instances. It throws them off. You can tell their face go red, that, oh, wow, I didn't expect you to say that or I didn't expect that you had observed this about me and you would say it as it is like that. You made people shy. Is it shy? I think so. Yeah, but yeah. So they dish out directness, but they are thrown off by getting dished at the same level of directness. I think for me, it's kind of the stereotype of that people being direct. I think we are direct. However, some people also kind of misuse it and use that label of directness. To be rude and intrusive. To be rude and say like, I know disrespect, but then they say something very disrespectful and it's like, yeah, we Dutch, we are very direct. And there is direct, but there is also still tact. In a way, you have to be circumspect about what you are saying and think about how it will affect the other person. I don't think you should use it as an excuse to just be blunt all the time and say what you think because you can still hurt people. And yeah, I don't hide behind the stereotype. Check yourself to all my fellow Dutchies. Okay, next one. Five. Five. Battling water. Why do you think that is in the book? Because the whole of Netherlands actually even means below sea level. Yeah. So we had a big flood in 1953. And then they came up with like the waterworks. And then there's also in the middle of the Netherlands, the Flavolans, which used to be sea. And then people were able to dry it, claim it from the water. So that is also something that is unique to the Netherlands. But if, with the climate change that is currently happening, if the sea level will rise a lot, the Netherlands will definitely be like half flooded if we don't do anything. But I actually watched some documentaries and I do admire the engineering. Yeah, there's a lot of engineering. Yeah, life put them there and I mean humans evolved and they evolved into people that managed to live with and in the water. Because even Dutch engineers are hired or service consultants to other places which want to build bridges and other things that require or adapting to living around water. So it's just something admirable. Yeah. I think it's pretty cool. And everywhere you go, almost every city canals. Yeah, we really live with water. Yeah, it's true. Okay, let's go to the next one. So we're going ten. Yes, we're going to number six now. Three kisses. I think that was four, minus one. Yeah. Three kisses. Three kisses. So it confuses me a lot. Yes, so when you enter a room, well it depends on the setting, but let's say a social thing, you're going to a birthday, you will greet people with three kisses. It got a bit less because of COVID because again, we don't do that. Physical and too much proximity. But it's tricky. Which people do you give a hand? Which people do you do the kisses? Some people hug, some people don't kiss. For me, the confusion is also... So I do this. I don't touch the person's cheek. So you air kiss. I don't know where you've been. You do air kissing. And I get comments about that. You're one of them that doesn't kiss. But I don't want to feel your lips on my cheek, man. Because sometimes it goes wrong. When you're coming away to do the next one, your mouth will brush. And I think that three is one too many, man. I mean it's one, two. Hey, done. You're going again and what is going on? I think with family, I don't mind as much. Like uncles and aunts. I feel that. For example, I hate to be in the office on my birthday because people want to kiss three times. Are you always in Ghana? Not in Ghana, but before. It is to me, it's a lot. You're doing that to almost everybody who is pleasant to you or with you. Yes. And that's a lot of three kisses. And also when you are coming to the office in the new year, then people also do happy new year. And then suddenly you're kissing with people you never want to close to. Yeah, sorry. So it's a bit, yeah. Much. For me it's a lot. But I think it's less now. I don't know how many times you've experienced it now. Oh, having experienced it in a very long time. I think it was in the beginning. I think after his visits, I had it with your mom. Yeah, yeah. I think it's more the older generation as well. But it's also interesting that in the Netherlands, when you enter a birthday party and there's like a people there. So most of the times a birthday party in the Netherlands, you're all sitting in a circle and you're talking. And then when you enter new, you have to go around. That's a party. Yeah, you have to go around and kiss everybody. So before, I really hate that because it puts your literally on the spot. Like, what the hell? I just arrived. Now I have to go around. I don't know. It's too much. Next one. Yeah. Orange. The color orange. What does it mean to us? To Dutch people. I don't know. Is it a king? Yes. So our royal house is called from Oranje, orange. Yeah, Oranje. See, I got it. Yes. Because our first king, Willem van Oranje. Yeah. And we made the carrots orange in case you didn't know. They used to be purple. Yes. Yes. But we Dutchies created orange carrots. Orange. You're excited. Carrots. About orange. About orange. Yes. And whenever we have our king's birthday, Koningsdag, we all dress up in orange. We put flags on our cheeks. Faces, yeah. Puts. Hats. Hats. Drink a lot of beer. Drink a lot of beer. Shout. Buy secondhand stuff in town. For more discounts. Discount, discount, discounts. Yeah, it really gets crazy. And especially also when, of course, the national football team plays, you grab your orange gear and you go. Oranje. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. It's like that. The dust is orange. Yes. And she's wearing a shadow brown orange. This is red. No. It's really. Okay, next one. Not owning curtains. Yeah. That's one of the things I found fascinating during my first visit and I was like, whoa. Like nobody is closing up their windows and some of the apartments or some of the homes are quite low in terms of the window. And then you're passing in front of somebody's house and you literally see everything. Even at night. Sometimes, I mean, before they, you know, some people, depending on where they are and how busy it is, might buy some curtains, but they only use it or blinds, but they only use it when they're going to sleep or something. And then in the morning, he's up again. I found that very fascinating that you could walk, not in, you're out, but you could walk in on people having their dinner and having like a moment in their home. And like a stretch of a street. You could just be seeing people having their family times. It's just open like that. All right, let me read what the book has to say. Dutch poeple. Got that out. Dutch poeple. I don't know. Come now. Just go. Dutch people like living a curtain-less existence, thereby showing the world they have nothing to hide. Take a leisurely stroll down any Dutch street and you are sure to notice one startling a similarity. A persistent lack of drawn curtains and hands. No partial privacy. Nope. We do have to admit that our four-year heuristic tendency are heartily fulfilled in Amsterdam. So you do want to know about the roots of why people think we don't have curtains? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Much has been discussed about this matter. The common consensus is that it stems from the Dutch people's cavernistic roots because allowing passerby a full view of your living quarters show you have nothing to hide. Are theory on the matter slightly different? The answer is much more simplistic and can be summed up in five letters. Light. Dutch people love the sun and quite frankly many of their ground floor and basement apartments are nothing more than dark somber dungeons. So you have to let in light? Yes. Great. But do you notice this habit when we live together? Do you notice that? You open stuff a lot. I like a lot of daylight. Yes. While you're in Ghana. You actually dislike the Ghanaian style architecture in terms of windows and how... I love daylight. But here it makes sense to keep the sun out because the heat comes in. But for me, especially in our office, people... So I don't have daylight in my office. I'm in the middle of a hallway. Help, help, help. But other people have an office with a window and then I come into their office and their blinds are always closed. And I'm like, Why are you doing that to yourself? Open the window. Look outside. The world is one big playground. Why are you not looking at it? Anyway. So shout out to work. No, but I think it's weird that people here... No, not weird. I think it's weird that you would block out the windows fully. Because for me, I would love to see the day pass by. So I also love our house for that. There's a lot of daylight. I need that. Otherwise I get a bit like somber. Anyway. Next one. Nine. Nine. Did you hear that guys? He said nine in Dutch. Two lips. Yes. I think that's also one of the things that is representative of, apart from the color orange, bicycles, the flower. I think you're the world's largest producer of tulips. I don't know about that. Maybe. It's a symbol of the Netherlands, that's for sure. However, it's actually not originating from Netherlands. Where do you think it comes from? I didn't think it was. I don't know. Originally, it is owed to the Ottoman Empire. So the Turkish. Right. And then by way of trade, we got our hands on it, of course. And later, a Flemish botanist discovered that the unusual flower thrived in the harsh climate of the lowlands. And that's it. Yeah. You have your tulips. Yeah. You have this poo. I don't know what it's called. People, the name escaped me. But you have this whole tulip park in the Netherlands. We've never been. I didn't think you would be interested. No. Not really. Maybe when Monday we're really bored. Okay. Yeah. So tulips. It's the symbol of the Netherlands. We just took it from Turkish and the Flemish. And then we ran away. The world is taking a lot of things, some fruits and whatever that from different places. But he's taking. Okay. Ten. Ten. Ten. Birthday, congratulations. Yes. One of the things, one of my culture shocks, pleasant culture shocks I would say, is that when it's your birthday, people congratulate your family and your loved ones. Congratulations on the birthday of this person. Yes. Is there any reason why you're out of there? I think it's cute. So whenever it's Carmen's birthday, then people would congratulate me with my husband. He's like, congratulations! On your husband's birthday. Yes. What's their history? What's the reason behind it? I think it's more like a communal thing. Let me see. No, they don't say it. Right. But yeah, people get so, they say, what exactly are you congratulating people for? Yeah. Congratulations on being born. Congratulations on surviving another year. Yeah. The first thing is beyond confusing. Exactly. It is. Exactly. But yeah, nonetheless, it's a culture of the Dutch word. They do have a good, how to navigate a Dutch birthday. Do you want to hear it? Yeah, I'll be here. Let's see if you can relate. One, congratulate the person whose birthday it is. So whenever you enter the room, you have to search for the person that... Celebration of the birthday and the birthday. This sounds simple, but you will need to use the Dutch word. Do you know which word? Hegevelen, zettert. Almost, gefeliciteerd. Hegevelen zettert, wolf. So you have to start practicing that. Then second, make your way around the circle of seated guests. That was what I was talking about. And congratulate everyone who is close to the person whose birthday it is. This means congratulating their mother, father, wife, husband, oma, opa, the cat-a-dog you name it. Three, dole out three kisses when appropriate. Mwah, mwah, mwah. Times 1600, mwah, mwah, mwah. Yeah, I think I, yeah, avoid, avoid Dutch birthdays. Eat one piece of cake and be merry. I have to say this. The last part, the last part, and the first part. You can do those two. Yeah, I think the places with our, where we go with our friends, we don't really sit in circles anymore, right? Mm-hmm. So we don't- The first time though, we did. First time in LA? The first visit, this, I don't know, it's a friend or acquaintance, singer, lady of yours, whose birthday you were sitting in a circle. Maybe that wasn't the fun party. No. No, it wasn't a circle, circle. I think we were around the fire. Yeah, but it wasn't a circle. That's why it was, yes, okay, but normally they mean like in a living room, you just have chairs in a circle and then everybody starts sitting down. Also the circle. It's more for the older generation. Anyway, okay, this was our first time. How do you feel, relieved? Do you feel acknowledged? Do you feel seen? Do you feel like, yeah. I should be asking you that. In the Netherlands, I mean, they're pretty, yeah, there are things that not important to us, but- Oh, if you're asking if I do recognize these things, yes. Every one of those things, yes. Yes. Yeah. Okay. So curious to- What? Get to the next batch. Yes. And see what you make of it. But that will be in the new year. In the new year. Cause by the time you watch this video, I think it might be Christmas or Boxing Day or I'm not sure when I'm releasing it, but it is this year and it's our last video for the year. Yes. So we'll say, happy new year. You did four again. That is weird for the microphone. I'm better. But do you kiss? Do you touch the person's cheek? No. You also do cheek on cheek. Yes. And then air kiss. Okay, so that's it for this final episode for the year. Congratulations on this episode. Oh no, it's not the birthday of the episode. And cut to black.