Dating in the netherlands customs
Many expats are taken by surprise, when they first witness the Dutch ritual of greeting guests.
The custom goes as follows:. As a foreigner you can get by with shaking hands, instead of kissing, if you are more comfortable with this! Interestingly, this lack of physical space in the Netherlands has an effect on how the Dutch interact with one another: There are inhabitants per km2 in NL This means that everything, and everyone, is very close together!
- when to know youre dating.
- The Netherlands and Dating: 6 things about dating the Dutch.
- The Seven Deadly Mistakes to Avoid When Dating a Dutch Man!
There is a theory that the Dutch compensate for this lack of physical space, by keeping their interactions quite formal. They create space between one another socially, if you will The idea is that they can better deal with the problems of living in such a crowded society, because they are never emotionally too close to their neighbors Queueing in NL Observe, for instance, the Dutch standing in line if you can find one in the Netherlands! They will normally stand very close together Americans, in comparison, tend to feel uncomfortable if someone stands so near to them in a queue Yet, socially, Americans are far more intimate with one another than the Dutch Americans appear to interact with people informally, and typically everyone by their first name Dutch interaction, on the other hand, is generally stylized and formal Calling a Dutch person by their first name when you are not supposed to is like talking to an American with your nose three inches from his!
For expats, this can take some getting used to: So, when you first move to the Netherlands, you might find that you cannot get a word in! This can offend some expats Try to remember that you are probably not being cut off on purpose, and you just need to acclimatize to this new way of interacting Simply becoming aware of this Dutch custom will help you to reset the length of time you wait before you speak If you are having trouble connecting with people, why not learn a few Dutch expressions?
This can be a great way to impress your new Dutch acquaintances, and to demonstrate that you are making an effort to embrace their culture.
The etiquette surrounding Dutch coffee works as follows: Because the Dutch are such a punctual people, if you have received an invitation to come over for coffee, you can expect it to be ready to pour when you arrive If you have issued the invitation, your guests will expect the same of you Coffee or tea is the absolute minimum that a house guest will be offered by their host or hostess in the Netherlands Even the workmen who have come to fix a leaky faucet will be offered a cup of coffee Usually there will also be cookies of some sort.
They will last longer Fully open flowers are considered to be a little bit cheap and tacky in the Netherlands If you present someone with already-bloomed flowers, you guests might make assumptions They might think that the florist took advantage of you as a foreigner, and palmed them off on you Or worse, you saw their lower price , and decided to skimp on your hospitality gift.
The custom goes as follows: Ladies enter first Each will be given three kisses on her cheek: Due to smoking, they are Dutch after all.
Do not under any circumstances expect him to pay your part of the bill. Your date will immediately assess you as being high maintenance, while he drinks his glass of tap water. If you, as an expat woman, turn up for your date, as is normal in most countries, in a nice outfit, stylishly cut shoes, makeup and styled hair, your Dutch date will have a minor heart attack.
He is likely to ask you what that stuff is on your face, and if you are planning to attend a wedding after the date. The shallow man advises that on the day of the date, that you put your TV on Nederland een, between 7 and 9 and watch Vandaag de Dag. Look at how poorly dressed the presenters of this show are and simply copy them.
That is what passes for high fashion here. Your date will love you and not fear for the money in his wallet.
Would like to thank all of the ladies that were kind enough to share your tales of dating woe with me. Subscribe to the Shallow Man on YouTube.
Dating and marriage customs in the netherlands
Tags Date Dutch men Dating Dutch men first date with Dutch men massage amsterdam massage happy ending seven deadly dating mistakes. Infamous blogger, annoyance and self-confessed Shallow Man. Simon is a British expat who has lived in Amsterdam since As well as writing this blog, Simon also has a YouTube channel of the same name, writes and directs videos and hosts seminars about life in the Netherlands.
He also works as a content marketing and SEO specialist.