For me, a Latino person, a napkin is an essential item during lunches and dinners. I live with some Dutch students in my corridor and once I had lunch with my neighbour/friend and I asked her why Dutch people do not use napkins. She exclaimed indignantly: ‘Because we are not pigs!’ That answer kept me thinking about my ‘impertinent’ question and for a few seconds I regretted asking it. Until, one minute later, she proved herself wrong: she had a bit of hummus on her mouth and she wiped her mouth with her hand.
A few days later I asked my other roommates the same question, because I wanted a more satisfactory answer. I did indeed get a more serious reply: ‘Napkins are an accessory at the table, for example at Christmas. Then we buy them in different designs and colours. They are more of a decorative item.’
So my conclusion is: Dutch people look clean on the outside, but deep down they are a little pig-like.
Fabián Gálvez, Master’s student of Plant Sciences, from Ecuador
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NL: Servetten
Nederlanders mogen hoogopgeleid zijn, manieren hebben ze niet, zegt Fabián Gálvez uit Ecuador. Het sop waarmee ze de plee hebben gepoetst, gooien ze weg in de keukengootsteen en voedsel dat op de vloer is gevallen, eten ze gewoon op. Bovendien gebruiken ze geen servetten bij de maaltijd. Toen Fabián aan een huisgenoot vroeg waarom niet, antwoordde die dat Nederlanders servetten vooral decoratief gebruiken, bijvoorbeeld ter verfraaiing van de kerstdis. De Ecuadoriaan concludeerde dat Nederlanders diep van binnen een beetje op varkens lijken.