Last week my husband and I went out for dinner to one of our favorite restaurants here in the US. Eating out is something we don’t do that often. Instead we will have some nice in-house dates with home made dinners, candle light and Netflix binge watching TV programs. As we were talking during our dinner, we came up with this: Eating out in the Netherlands and the USA. What are the differences?

1. The noise.

After we arrived at the restaurant, the owner greeted us and said we could sit at one of the window tables, where it would be more quiet. My husband and I started to talk about all kinds of stuff and then I realized, that it was actually not quiet at all. Sometimes I could hardly hear him. I’ve noticed that Americans can be very loud in restaurants. I remember my husband made the same comment years ago, when we sat on a super crowded patio on a beautiful summer evening in the Netherlands. He said:” If this would be the US, it would be so much louder!”

The reason for this, I think, is that the Netherlands is much more crowded than America (the Netherlands fits 6 times in the state of Iowa. The Netherlands have almost 17 million people and Iowa has 3 million). So, the Dutch and many other European countries have a smaller social bubble than the Americans do. They don’t want to intrude each others spaces.

2. The kids.

Last summer, my parents visited us from the Netherlands. We went for a road trip to Wisconsin. As a result, we were eating out a lot more. They know we love Panera, but we don’t need to eat that all the time! Even if we could, ha! So we ate at other restaurants like Applebees, or Chili’s. When the waitress showed us our booth, our kids got a little booklet with the kids menu, some games, coloring pages and some crayons. My parents couldn’t believe it! This was such a great idea. They wished they could do something like that in the Netherlands too.

I always bring something for the kids to do, a small backpack with some books, coloring pages or the game Uno. Just in case!

In the Netherlands it depends WHERE you go out to eat. Certainly, you have McDonald’s and occasionally a Pizza Hut, but if families eat out with their children, they choose more often for a Greek or a Chinese restaurant with buffet (or a so called Wok Restaurant. You can choose the “raw or uncooked” food and they cook it for you right there).

In the US the kids’ menus are also always the same (unhealthy) food options: mac and cheese, chicken fingers, grilled cheese, spaghetti, quesadilla with sometimes sides of grapes, apple slices, milk or apple juice. In the Netherlands the children get the same as the adults, only smaller portions.

3. Utensils.

In restaurants, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the Netherlands or in the US, you’ll get a fork, a knife and a spoon. In the US you’ll get the spoon when you’re actually order soup. The knife is a less used utensil in the US than in the Netherlands. If you order a steak, yes, sometimes people really cut the steak with a knife, or the steak is already cut in pieces.

In the Netherlands as an older child, you’ll learn how to eat with a fork and knife…all the time. You’ll have your fork in your left hand and your knife in your right hand, if you’re right handed.  Being in the US now for several years, I’ve gotten into the habit too, to cut things, like pancakes with my fork.

4. Portions.

When I first visited the US in 2000, I was shocked by the amount of food they serve you. I’m sorry to say this, but I can see the problem with a lot of American people. First of all, they eat out a lot more than the Dutch and secondly to resist all of that food on their plate. Yes, you can get a “doggy bag” ( a box to bring the food home), but we never warm it up the next day anyway. It ends up in the garbage. What a waste…. I’ve been brought up to eat all the food on your plate. So, if that habit is still stuck in your brain, you feel the urge to eat all your food, even though it is way too much.

For the Dutch it is a painful thing to give back some food that you paid for. The price for the small portions in the Netherlands is also really high, but most of the time the quality of food is also higher. In the US, there are a variety of chain restaurants, like McDonalds, KFC, Taco Bell etc. The Dutch make more home cooked meals and bring home packed lunches to school and work. For example at lunch time, most of the restaurants in our small town in the US are packed with people!

5. The tip.

Luckily I’m not always the one who is paying the bill. It seems so weird to me to add so much more money at the end. In the Netherlands you can tip the waiters of course. But they’re not depended on the tip you give. I have to say, because of that, a lot of Dutch waiters and waitresses don’t care so much of giving good service. They can be cold and unfriendly. In a news article in the Netherlands (November 13, 2017)  said that the 400.000 employees who work in the Dutch Hotel/Restaurant and Cafe industry will gain 2.3% in wages.

In the US the waiters or waitresses are sometimes over-friendly, according to Dutch customers. But I personally like the way they treat customers (most of the times) in American restaurants. They often tell you who they are at the beginning of your visit. In nicer restaurants they’ll tell you what the specials are and you can even change or swap anything on the menu. If you’d like vegetables with your kids mac and cheese, they’ll try to get some peas or carrots for you. In the Netherlands that is almost impossible.

6. Water.

We all know that it is important to drink a lot of water, and that’s why I like the fact that you often get a huge glass of water with your meal in the US. It doesn’t always have a great taste, unfortunately! Tap water can taste like chlorine.

If you ask for water in the Netherlands, you’ll get “Spa Blauw”, which is clean water out of a bottle and you have to pay for it. Or “Spa Rood” which is sparkling water. Tap water in the Netherlands is clean enough to drink. It would be nice, if something like water could be complementary in restaurants.

7. Time to stay longer, relax and enjoy.

I remember a few years ago when my husband and I went to a French restaurant in our town for dinner. I ordered  “Coq au Vin” or something like that.. Anyway, it took longer to eat my meal than my husband who gobbled up his vegetarian dish in no time. It was about 8:30 pm and the waiter asked my husband if he would like to have his dessert, because the kitchen was closing. I was still enjoying my chicken. I felt so rushed!

In general I feel more rushed in American restaurants when they bring you the bill (without you asking for it, by the way). And then they tell you: “Here is your bill, whenever you’re ready, no rush!”

In 2016 we visited the Netherlands and went out for dinner with a good friend and his wife. The restaurant was next to a little harbor. It was a lovely summer evening and the restaurant had a big fenced-in patio with wooden lounge furniture and fire places. When you go out in the Netherlands for dinner, it’s all about spending time with friends and family. You can take your time to relax and enjoy. No one is rushing you out of the restaurant (maybe only that time when the babysitter is calling you, telling you, your child threw up;)

Deze foto van Lounge 44 is beschikbaar gesteld door TripAdvisor

We are not eating out that much and we love to make and enjoy our home made meals. But this is our favorite place we go regularly: Jefferson County Ciderworks.

Did you noticed any other differences in European and US restaurants? I’d love to hear them. Thank you so much.

Danielle

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.