The Thing About Being Dutch
I've never made an FAQ page on my blog, for the simple reason that very few people ask me questions. But if someone does ask me a question, it's always this one: 'Are you really Dutch?'
Yes, of course I am! Why would I lie about that? And what else do you expect me to be? I'm a full blood Dutchy and proud of it too!
Sometimes though, I wonder why people keep asking me this. Is it because they're jealous? Probably, because, let's face it, guys, the thing about being Dutch is... it's pretty freaking amazing!
 |
| source |
And ice-skating, is that part of being Dutch? Let me tell you: it definitely is! Whether it's just watching a 10k race between Sven Kramer and Jorrit Bergsma or going ice-skating yourself, it's all part of being Dutch. -2 degrees outside? Get those skates ready, it's going to be a great winter!
 |
| Source |
 |
| Source |
'I'm Dutch.'
'So, you're from Germany?'
'No man, I'm Dutch, not German!'
'Oh, from Denmark.'
Dear people of the rest of the world, buy a map and learn English!
Being Dutch means learning a ton of languages, so we can annoy at least half of the population of planet Earth our nonsense. French, German, English, you name it. And who learns Dutch? That's right, no one! Our language is way too exclusive for others to learn (and most of you can't make the spitting and gurgling noise we call a 'G')!
 |
| Only the Swedes can beat us at this game! |
But mostly, being Dutch is about secretly loving our stereotype. Because we all eat loads of cheese. Even I have walked on wooden shoes when I was a kid. Mills are scattered around the countryside. And those beautiful tulips? I plant them in my garden every spring.
Yes, I am Dutch. I am lifethreatening as soon as I start cycling. I obsess over the weather forecast every winter. I watch every ice-skating match. I eat sprinkles at breakfast. I'm not from Germany or Denmark, I'm Dutch! I speak your language or will try to learn it, even though you'll never learn mine. I make bad jokes about Belgians and I secretly do the most stereotypical things. But you know what, I'm freaking proud of that. We're a crazy country with crazy habits - but that's what makes being Dutch so awesome. I am proud to be Dutch and the whole world may know that!
Stay Awesome!
12 Fellow Ramblers
That is a really nice saying how you told us about being a Dutch.
ReplyDeleteLove it.
Lea
Thank you very much. I think the best way to teach people about seemingly uninteresting things is adding some humor to it. I'm glad you liked it!
DeleteI must have been Dutch in a past life, because I dream of putting chocolate sprinkles on everything (I have even tried putting it on bread, and I'm so happy that's an accepted thing where you live!). I was in a lot of tourist-y places this summer and noticed Americans asking people if they "really are" their nationality. Finding an Irish person in Ireland is not very difficult, but they reacted like they'd just seen a unicorn every time.
ReplyDeleteGreat post :)
We have fruit flavored sprinkles too if you ever get bored of the chocolate sprinkles (though I can't imagine that happening). Next time you want to put sprinkles on your bread, just tell everyone it's an old Dutch tradition ;)
DeleteDid your brain hijack my brain's wavelength? 'Cause at first I wanted to make a remark about people on the internet looking at me as if they'd seen a unicorn when I tell them I'm Dutch!
Weird, isn't it, that people can be so surprised by people having a different nationality? Do they expect the whole world to be American or something?
Hahaha :P
ReplyDeleteThs might be my favourite post on your blog :P
People don't really take your word do they that you are a dutch :P
choclate sprinkles on bread..that sound interesting..^_^
learned some interesting facts about dutch people :P
Neal Kind
Daily Diaries
Thank you so much ^-^
DeleteAnd no, no one takes my word that I'm Dutch and I really don't understand why not. Especially when I write a post with sentences like 'Here in the Netherlands...' I mean, why would I be anything else than Dutch when I say these kind of things?
Chocolate sprinkles aren't only interesting on bread, they're delicious. You should try it some time!
Maybe start telling them that you're actually from Narnia instead :P
DeleteYeah, maybe I should do that XD
DeleteOr like:
'Are you really from the Netherlands'
'No, I'm actually'coming straight from your worst nightmare.'
I see some great opportunities to mess with people :P
Chocolate sprinkles on your bread?? Why have I never heard of such a thing? Do you just put straight up chocolate sprinkles on the bread or do you add some sort of butter or other spread to make them stick? Do you toast the bread? Any favorite brand of sprinkles? I need a recipe for this!
ReplyDeleteYou probably never heard of it because only the Dutch and a few Belgians do it. We don't talk about it very often 'cause we know that the rest of the world finds this habit a little odd.
DeleteSince you have so many questions (and not just you but almost everybody who commented on this mentioned the sprinkles) I think I'm going to do a post on it soon. I'll explain all about the perfect bread with chocolate sprinkles ;P
Hahahah okay it's official - your writing style is THE best. Really. If I'm having a bad day your posts pick me up, they're such a pleasure to read! I looooved this post, keep writing, girl and don't let anyone else ever tell you otherwise!! xx
ReplyDeleteThank you for this kind comment! It made my day :)
DeleteI have very little time left to write, but I try to write as much as possible - comments like yours are the things that keep me going!
I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! Wait, no, I mean: I solemnly swear that I will answer each and every comment ;)