The Dutch

By Rodney Bolt

What makes the Dutch DUTCH: A guide to understanding the Dutch that goes beyond the tulips and windmills to reveal their very distinctive personality and peculiarities.

Tolerance is not simply a virtue, it is a national duty.

Reviews

‘This captures the essence of the Dutch in less than 90 pages of humorous, but ruthlessly accurate observations, supplemented with factual information on just about everything that makes the people tick. It’s a very affectionate and jovial look at Dutch quirks, and when Dutch boyfriend got his hands on it, he couldn’t put it down either. Will definitely be buying a copy for the in-laws for Christmas. Would highly recommend – money very well spent.’ Reviewer from UK
‘Worth its weight in gold. I’ve worked with the Dutch for years. Highly informative and humorous. I have already invested in another one for a friend. Got my Dutch boss to have a little read of a few pages yesterday, and he was instantly laughing and nodding in agreement – he wants to borrow it soon as I’m done!’ Review from ‘pixie’, UK
‘A Must read. In preparation for moving to the Netherlands I decided to get this book, it gave me a great overview of what the Dutch are like… my friend who has been living in Holland for 2 years was crying with laughter: ‘This is exactly what they are like!’
Review from ‘A customer’
‘I work in a company headquartered in Netherlands and thus have visited the country many times and have many Dutch co-workers and friends. It projects a sympathetic yet objective picture with excellent observations and insights. Finally, to comment in a truly Dutch fashion – it’s the cheapest guide I could find and therefore is excellent value for money.’ Reviewer from Scotland
‘The Dutch Xenophobe’s Guide gets under the skin of the Dutch with a tongue-in-cheek explanation of the quirks and traits of the Dutch peoples. It will brace first-time visitors to the country while reaffirming the beliefs of those in the know, all the while being a celebration of the culture.’ Review from www.iamsterdam.com

If you would like to comment or submit a review on the Xenophobe’s Guide to the Dutch please do so in the box to the right.

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Links to make you laugh

Guess what. If your Dutch dinner guest tells you an ‘angel peed on their tongue’, you should take it as a compliment not an insult.

And be prepared for total confusion when you check out the rest of these Dutch expressions.

The Dutch say the funniest things! Cluck here to read more.

The best Dutch traits Here are 16 signs that you were born, raised or lived in the Netherlands – and you’re rightly proud of it.

The Dutch have the happiest kids in the world, click here to find out why.

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About the author

Rodney Bolt was born in Africa, and for many years had an Irish passport, a British driving licence and a Dutch residence permit. After living and working in Greece, England and Germany, he came to roost in Amsterdam, where such hybrid creatures still pass unnoticed, and even feel themselves at home. In his case, so much at home that in 2008 he became a naturalized Dutch citizen.

During the 1980s he ran a pub theatre in London, and has worked as a theatre director, English teacher, private tutor, letter-sorter and journalist. He now makes his living from writing and travel writing, having finally given up attempts to fend off the Dutch desire to produce novels. History Play, his first work of fiction was followed by a biography of Mozart’s madcap librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte and, in 2011, As Good As God, As Clever As the Devil: The Impossible Life of Mary Benson. He is currently working on a trilogy of crime novels, all set in Amsterdam.

He lives in an apartment where the curtains are never drawn, and where he has happily succumbed to many other Dutch cravings and habits (including a milk scraper).