Given that my Plus3 trip took place in major cities the Netherlands, a notably international country with a very high rate of English proficiency, it can be easy to assume that there would be no difficulties assimilating or understanding elements of Dutch culture. While there was quite a bit on the trip I was familiar with, there also was elements of everyday life in the Netherlands that I found out of the ordinary, namely the cuisine and the natural lack of “warmth” shown by strangers. This is not necessarily negative, however, as finding the root of this disconnect and working to understand and (in the case of food) embrace elements of this helped complete my experience abroad and expand my understanding of Dutch life.
Upon arrival to the Netherlands, I was struck by just how many people spoke English, albeit understandable given how international Amsterdam as a city is. This immediately made it easier to pinpoint exactly how I felt about the things happening around me, as I could reasonably understand how the flow of day-to-day life was intended in the Netherlands. Given this, I made an effort to try Dutch food, stopping for lunch and dinner at “Dutch” restaurants. I immediately struggled with the food, however, as my first few attempts at trying traditional Dutch food left me pretty displeased. Bitterballen, a Dutch snack of a fried ball of Dough filled with gravy and sausage, had a texture I literally have never had before, the sausage and potatoes I had for dinner was rather bland, and pickled herring left me feeling not so great for a few hours. I struggled to understand how a country that did so many things (architecture, art, music, etc.) so well could struggle to produce great food. I feel that the familiarity I have with food in America, and what I do and do not like to eat, makes this feeling even stronger, as I dove into Dutch food with no real sense of what I would enjoy. However, my perspective on this changed during one of the tours of Amsterdam.
During a tour of Amsterdam’s city center, our tour guide, Ian, talked about Dutch food and how he felt that traditionally it was (in more colorful language) not the highlight of Dutch culture. But, he suggested the alternative of “eating colonial” when in the Netherlands, meaning trying the cuisines of the many different cultures that are prominently present in international cities like Amsterdam. Primarily, he highlighted Indonesian food, citing that over 20% of Dutch citizens have Indonesian heritage. So, I set out to follow his advice, and my perspective on the food in the Netherlands was totally change. Me and my peers on the trip traveled to several Indonesian rice table and Turkish Doner Kebab restaurants, and we were extremely impressed by the quality of the food. For the rest of the trip, I enjoyed trying these cuisines I have never had a chance to have before, and I feel that actively looking for a solution to my food problem exposed me to even more cultural elements that I otherwise wouldn’t experience. Further, I came to find that Dutch cafes are exceptional, and I was glad to get the chance to explore some of Amsterdam and Rotterdam’s pastries (pictured below).
Another part of Dutch culture that I initially struggled with was the “coldness” from strangers that I perceived, meaning that there was much less greetings and smiles from people I did not know. While this is not totally unusual back home, I feel I experience a lot more random friendliness in America than I did in the Netherlands, perhaps owing to how niceties are manufactured into a lot of American culture. At first, interactions that I felt seemed oddly cold threw me off, leaving me confused or wondering if I had somehow offended or insulted the person I was talking to. However, it took enough of these to occur for me to realize that it simply was a difference in cultures, as the people who did act this way, once really interacted with, oftentimes ended up being very friendly and pleasant people. My initial feelings were shaped by the years of experiences I have in America, and it took some real reflection to come to terms with things simply being different in the Netherlands. Given this, I took to really trying to converse with some of the people I met, working to make it known that I really was interested in what they had to say and their way of life. Once I started doing this, I really saw positive results, and many of the people from the Netherlands that I had the chance to talk with were very eager to share more about their country and culture. In fact, one of the excellent Indonesian food restaurants I had the chance to enjoy was suggested by a local!
In the Netherlands, I was immediately able to adapt to quite a bit of the everyday life, enjoying how similar the conveniences of the country were to what I am familiar with. However, I found that it was very rewarding to struggle with some elements of Dutch life, as overcoming my initial issues helped me find fulfillment and ultimately enriched my experience with life in the Netherlands.
