Having lived a bit more than 4 years in this side of the world, I couldn't help noticing some "funny" aspects of people here. Here goes a preliminary list, which everybody is welcome to complement of course!
1) In flanders: they use the diminutive form for almost every darn word. E.g: kindJE, frietJE, wagenJE...etc etc and so on and so on and so on.
2) Almost every Belgian knows the name of at least 10 sauces that can along with fries
3) Dutch speakers pronounce the word IDEA as ID (like 'I have and Idee " instead of "I have an idea")
4) French speakers think dutch speakers kind of suck...and viceversa
5) People in Wallonia drive in summer for around 3 hours in the middle of the traffic jam, just to make it to the coast which is already packed with thousands of people chillin' out.
6) As soon as there is an itsy bitsy ray of sun, everybody goes inmediately out to 'enjoy' it. I mean d***I've never seen people in terraces at 10°C only because there was a bit of sun outside!
7) Apparently people think is absolutely normal to go out to eat in a restaurant everyday of the week :s
8) Unless you're southamerican, african, scandinavian, russian or something alike...people will think you have an awful taste or just look ridiculous if you wear anything that is lighter than dark green.
9) Do you know the capital of the german speaking part of Belgium? Don't worry, nobody does ;)
10) In the same line with the previous remark: Ask a Belgian the first sentence of their national anthem. At least 50% will answer they didn't knew there existed one!!
11) People are ok with the fact of driving with the lights on even though it's bright and sunny.
12) In Flanders: The more you try to learn flemish, the more the flemish refuse to speak flemish to you and the more they complain that you haven't. learned flemish (this one isn't mine, but it's 100% true don't you think?)
13) Is it really necessary to have up to five names when you will be using only one?(got a friend called Jean Paul Marie Laurant Charles :s)
14) Belgians have made out of dish washing a real national cult. Instructions of how to wash dishes Belgian style: In a team of at least two (actually, the whole family can take part of this), position yourselves in such way that you stand next to each other and in front of the sink (which is commonly divided in two parts). Fill the two sinks with water, but only purr the washing material in the left sink. The left-standing person will gently wash the dish, put it on the water of the right sink, and pass it to person number 2 (or 3 ,4 or 5). Person number 2,3,4 or 5 will gently receive the dish and proceed to dry it with a drying handtowel. Voila! You have the formula to success at any house event ;)
15) Top three national topics of discussion: the never-ending works around the kennedy tunnel in antwerpen, the louzy soccer team, and Prince Laurent's strange love towards its dogs
16) If you feel like giving your walloon friends a nice 1st of may joke, tell them Flanders has decided to become independent. 100 % horror guaranteed!
17) Where else in Europe will you find people crazy enough as to wake up at 4 am in the morning, just to make it to a place so they can see the begining of the 'tour of Flanders'?
18) Customer service is a priority here indeed! Otherwise take a look at all shops and services that are open after working hours!, isn't it good to know you just have to take a half day off at your work in order to be able to do anything :s??
19) Why do people keep pushing me in, every time I want to get out of the metro station in brussels?
20) Unless you want to wait for a never ending explanation, don't ask a bartender in a cafe how many kind if beers do they have whenever ordering a drink.
You have more than enough reasons to love this country don't you think :)??!!
1) In flanders: they use the diminutive form for almost every darn word. E.g: kindJE, frietJE, wagenJE...etc etc and so on and so on and so on.
2) Almost every Belgian knows the name of at least 10 sauces that can along with fries
3) Dutch speakers pronounce the word IDEA as ID (like 'I have and Idee " instead of "I have an idea")
4) French speakers think dutch speakers kind of suck...and viceversa
5) People in Wallonia drive in summer for around 3 hours in the middle of the traffic jam, just to make it to the coast which is already packed with thousands of people chillin' out.
6) As soon as there is an itsy bitsy ray of sun, everybody goes inmediately out to 'enjoy' it. I mean d***I've never seen people in terraces at 10°C only because there was a bit of sun outside!
7) Apparently people think is absolutely normal to go out to eat in a restaurant everyday of the week :s
8) Unless you're southamerican, african, scandinavian, russian or something alike...people will think you have an awful taste or just look ridiculous if you wear anything that is lighter than dark green.
9) Do you know the capital of the german speaking part of Belgium? Don't worry, nobody does ;)
10) In the same line with the previous remark: Ask a Belgian the first sentence of their national anthem. At least 50% will answer they didn't knew there existed one!!
11) People are ok with the fact of driving with the lights on even though it's bright and sunny.
12) In Flanders: The more you try to learn flemish, the more the flemish refuse to speak flemish to you and the more they complain that you haven't. learned flemish (this one isn't mine, but it's 100% true don't you think?)
13) Is it really necessary to have up to five names when you will be using only one?(got a friend called Jean Paul Marie Laurant Charles :s)
14) Belgians have made out of dish washing a real national cult. Instructions of how to wash dishes Belgian style: In a team of at least two (actually, the whole family can take part of this), position yourselves in such way that you stand next to each other and in front of the sink (which is commonly divided in two parts). Fill the two sinks with water, but only purr the washing material in the left sink. The left-standing person will gently wash the dish, put it on the water of the right sink, and pass it to person number 2 (or 3 ,4 or 5). Person number 2,3,4 or 5 will gently receive the dish and proceed to dry it with a drying handtowel. Voila! You have the formula to success at any house event ;)
15) Top three national topics of discussion: the never-ending works around the kennedy tunnel in antwerpen, the louzy soccer team, and Prince Laurent's strange love towards its dogs
16) If you feel like giving your walloon friends a nice 1st of may joke, tell them Flanders has decided to become independent. 100 % horror guaranteed!
17) Where else in Europe will you find people crazy enough as to wake up at 4 am in the morning, just to make it to a place so they can see the begining of the 'tour of Flanders'?
18) Customer service is a priority here indeed! Otherwise take a look at all shops and services that are open after working hours!, isn't it good to know you just have to take a half day off at your work in order to be able to do anything :s??
19) Why do people keep pushing me in, every time I want to get out of the metro station in brussels?
20) Unless you want to wait for a never ending explanation, don't ask a bartender in a cafe how many kind if beers do they have whenever ordering a drink.
You have more than enough reasons to love this country don't you think :)??!!
6 comments:
Wadafff????
Hey grapjurk, :-)
Groetjes uit Vlaanderen...
BTW... You don't ask for beer, you drink it!
yooo!
yoo!
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My blog - coffee flavor
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