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Blog: Typical Dutch dinner

Many new international students say Dutch food is tasteless, cold, with super quick preparation time. Blogger Nadya Karimasari reminisces of her last Dutch dinner with her landlords, which confirmed that not all Dutch dishes are the same.
Nadya Karimasari

The Dutch might be good at cycling, but cooking is not their forte. Most of my international friends would confess that they are not a big fan of Dutch food. According to them, Dutch food is tasteless, cold, and prepared in short amounts of time. It was as if the Dutch eat without considering the need to entice their senses. Perhaps this is partly due to the Dutch philosophy of pragmatism, practicality, and frugality, in which the function of food is to fill their tummy and that’s about it. Forget about self-indulging nourishment, the Dutch are too busy and workaholic. Boiled eggs, hard sandwich, and cheese, consumed in a rush. That’s the typical Dutch lunch I observed in the university’s cafeteria. My Dutch friend was surprised that I ate warm food for lunch. ‘Is it normal for you to eat warm food for lunch?’ he asked. Well, what is so abnormal about it?

The day before I flew back to Indonesia for my long-term fieldwork, I had a Dutch dinner with my landlords. I must say it was a typical Dutch dinner, yet it was delicious at the same time. The fact that my landlords are farmers with their own sheep and chickens made their food very special, because the meat was very fresh and comes directly from their farm.

Without hesitation, I asked for seconds because, wow, what a sensational dinner.

We started at 17:00 in the living room, with a glass of iced Bacardi mixed with cola and a slice of lemon. This cocktail reminded them of the Caribbean where they were received with a glass of Cuba Libre. After drinking, we moved to the dining table with a typical Dutch dinner of roasted lamb with rhubarb compote, potatoes and salad. The lamb was only 6 months old, so the meat was very tender, fresh and juicy. Just a little bit of garlic and the perfect timing in the oven made this main course shine. Without hesitation, I asked for seconds because wow, what a sensational dinner.

We ended our dinner with another typical Dutch habit: cheese tasting. My landlords’ collection of cheese, especially old cheese, was put on a cracker, and we tasted each cheese one by one while exchanging funny and heart-warming stories. Every cheese was salty and full of flavour, and I went home with a happy heart and satisfied belly. It was a dinner to be remembered.

Now, whenever my international friends complain about tasteless Dutch food, I’ll silently put on my secretive smile and perhaps recommend they have dinner with my landlord to revise their stereotype.

Nadya Karimasari is a PhD Candidate at the chair group Sociology of Development and Change.

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