10 ms·

Personally, I find the Dutch diet to be pretty unadventurous and poor. Sandwiches predominate, with not a lot of variety in cooking. This may well be irrelevant

by leg100 10y ago

Personally, I find the Dutch diet to be pretty unadventurous and poor. Sandwiches predominate, with not a lot of variety in cooking. This may well be irrelevant to the OP; nothing but cheese sandwiches and sour buttermilk may well be the perfect diet for growing tall. As for the Rotterdam argument, I suspect fresh food would have to be flown in rather than shipped, which takes weeks.

donkeyd 10y ago
> nothing but cheese sandwiches and sour buttermilk It's better than hamburgers an coke, or fish and chips and beer, I guess. Which are just as much b.s. stereotypical views of US and British diets as yours is of a Dutch diet.
jimjimjim 10y ago
The foodies will probably lynch me for heresy, but I think the best diet/health advice is to seek boring food.
- TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
  I just ate dessert, which consisted of the following: Finely chopped red and green cabbage mixed with Greek yogurt, sprinkled with mixed dried fruit, a few apricot halves from a can and some chopped canned pine apple (canned fruit because I'm slack). I wouldn't call it boring, but that has got to be bloody healthy, right?
hellofunk 10y ago
Yes, but they are the best sandwiches I've ever had anywhere. The Dutch treat every sandwich like a little work of art, I've had countless since visiting the Netherlands that made me wish other countries knew what they were doing! The strong emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables (and fresh mint tea, which is as common as water in Holland) is also really nice compared to the greasy, messy, fatty foods of the U.S. and Germany.
- gpvos 10y ago
  I dunno. Just give me plain sliced bread with a slice of aged cheese (preferably "farmer's" cheese, i.e., unpasteurized), and I'm happy. No work of art needed. I don't like fresh mint tea myself, but nowadays you can indeed get it literally anywhere drinks are sold.
  - hellofunk 10y ago
    I agree, the quality of Dutch cheese is excellent and can often suffice for a sandwich. But there are many more elaborate ways the Dutch make sandwiches that continue to please me.
solidangle 10y ago
Oxfam doesn't seem to agree with you, and ranks The Netherlands as having the best diet [1]. Dutch cuisine might not be very diverse (boiled potatoes, boiled veggies and some meat), but the Dutch eat a lot of food from other cuisines; pasta and rice dishes are very popular in the Netherlands. [1] http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/good-enough-to-eat http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/good-enough-to-eat
gpvos 10y ago
Interesting tidbit: when asked what's for dinner, the answer in the Netherlands usually only mentions the type of vegetables, even though meat is generally also part of the meal. The stereotypical Dutch dinner (the only warm meal of the day) consists of (cooked) potatoes, vegetables, and meat. (On Sundays, the warm meal moves to a delayed lunch time; the evening meal then is bread again. Social/regional variations possible, of course. Again, this is stereotypical of when I grew up in the '70s/'80s. We also ate pasta, rice, Chinese, and other stuff, don't worry.)
- acz 10y ago
  Do not forget kaaskroketjes!
  - gpvos 10y ago
    Hmm, I didn't grow up with those. Anyway I'm more of a frikandel person than a kroket person.
lawnchair 10y ago
Dutch food is the worst. The Dutch think of eating as a chore. When was the last time you went out for Dutch food? There's a reason the answer is never.
- ragebol 10y ago
  Even living in the Netherlands, I've yet to see a restaurant where you can actually order typical Dutch foods, eg. the mentioned boiled/mashed potatoes + meat + veggies or stamppot [1] I've heard foreigners being quite fond of 'stroopwafels' though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroopwafel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroopwafel [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamppot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamppot
  - spiderfarmer 10y ago
    What restaurants do you go to? In the Netherlands, if you pick a piece of meat it's almost always served with potatoes and vegetables. Depending on the season you can definitely order stamppot or hutspot. In most cities you can even order it and have it delivered, just like pizza.
    - ragebol 10y ago
      True, you do get that a lot. Restaurant have nicer presentation than me and my mother do, I considered that more towards French cuisine [1] somehow. I've never seen something like wortelstamp/hutspot (mash of potatoes and carrots) with a smoked sausage in any restaurant. That, to me at least, is the epitome of the Dutch kitchen. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine#Foods_and_ingredients https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine#Foods_and_ingre...
- spiderfarmer 10y ago
  How many countries the size of the Netherlands do have a typical cuisine that's recognized around the world?
  - leg100 10y ago
spiderfarmer 10y ago
Sandwiches predominate, with not a lot of variety in cooking. If you look at what people eat for a main course, it's more a cosmopolitan diet really. I suspect fresh food would have to be flown in rather than shipped, which takes weeks. A lot of the fresh food is grown locally and really affordable, we have one of the largest greenhouse industries in the world.
acz 10y ago
You can go to the neighbouring Belgium to enjoy food.
gideonparanoid 10y ago
The Netherlands actually is one of the largest /exporters/ of agricultural products in the world, second only to the US [0] & to the tune of 83% of its GDP [1]. [0] http://www.economist.com/news/business/21613356-dutch-farmers-add-sustainability-their-enviable-productivity-polder-and-wiser http://www.economist.com/news/business/21613356-dutch-farmer... [1] http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/01/26/netherlands-agricultural-exports-hit-new-high/ http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/01/26/netherlands-agricultural-ex...

by leg100 10y ago

donkeyd 10y ago

> nothing but cheese sandwiches and sour buttermilk It's better than hamburgers an coke, or fish and chips and beer, I guess. Which are just as much b.s. stereotypical views of US and British diets as yours is of a Dutch diet.

jimjimjim 10y ago

The foodies will probably lynch me for heresy, but I think the best diet/health advice is to seek boring food.

TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
I just ate dessert, which consisted of the following: Finely chopped red and green cabbage mixed with Greek yogurt, sprinkled with mixed dried fruit, a few apricot halves from a can and some chopped canned pine apple (canned fruit because I'm slack). I wouldn't call it boring, but that has got to be bloody healthy, right?

hellofunk 10y ago

Yes, but they are the best sandwiches I've ever had anywhere. The Dutch treat every sandwich like a little work of art, I've had countless since visiting the Netherlands that made me wish other countries knew what they were doing! The strong emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables (and fresh mint tea, which is as common as water in Holland) is also really nice compared to the greasy, messy, fatty foods of the U.S. and Germany.

gpvos 10y ago
I dunno. Just give me plain sliced bread with a slice of aged cheese (preferably "farmer's" cheese, i.e., unpasteurized), and I'm happy. No work of art needed. I don't like fresh mint tea myself, but nowadays you can indeed get it literally anywhere drinks are sold.
- hellofunk 10y ago
  I agree, the quality of Dutch cheese is excellent and can often suffice for a sandwich. But there are many more elaborate ways the Dutch make sandwiches that continue to please me.

solidangle 10y ago

Oxfam doesn't seem to agree with you, and ranks The Netherlands as having the best diet [1]. Dutch cuisine might not be very diverse (boiled potatoes, boiled veggies and some meat), but the Dutch eat a lot of food from other cuisines; pasta and rice dishes are very popular in the Netherlands. [1] http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/good-enough-to-eat http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/good-enough-to-eat

gpvos 10y ago

Interesting tidbit: when asked what's for dinner, the answer in the Netherlands usually only mentions the type of vegetables, even though meat is generally also part of the meal. The stereotypical Dutch dinner (the only warm meal of the day) consists of (cooked) potatoes, vegetables, and meat. (On Sundays, the warm meal moves to a delayed lunch time; the evening meal then is bread again. Social/regional variations possible, of course. Again, this is stereotypical of when I grew up in the '70s/'80s. We also ate pasta, rice, Chinese, and other stuff, don't worry.)

acz 10y ago
Do not forget kaaskroketjes!
- gpvos 10y ago
  Hmm, I didn't grow up with those. Anyway I'm more of a frikandel person than a kroket person.

lawnchair 10y ago

Dutch food is the worst. The Dutch think of eating as a chore. When was the last time you went out for Dutch food? There's a reason the answer is never.

ragebol 10y ago
Even living in the Netherlands, I've yet to see a restaurant where you can actually order typical Dutch foods, eg. the mentioned boiled/mashed potatoes + meat + veggies or stamppot [1] I've heard foreigners being quite fond of 'stroopwafels' though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroopwafel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroopwafel [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamppot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamppot
- spiderfarmer 10y ago
  What restaurants do you go to? In the Netherlands, if you pick a piece of meat it's almost always served with potatoes and vegetables. Depending on the season you can definitely order stamppot or hutspot. In most cities you can even order it and have it delivered, just like pizza.
  - ragebol 10y ago
    True, you do get that a lot. Restaurant have nicer presentation than me and my mother do, I considered that more towards French cuisine [1] somehow. I've never seen something like wortelstamp/hutspot (mash of potatoes and carrots) with a smoked sausage in any restaurant. That, to me at least, is the epitome of the Dutch kitchen. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine#Foods_and_ingredients https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine#Foods_and_ingre...
spiderfarmer 10y ago
How many countries the size of the Netherlands do have a typical cuisine that's recognized around the world?
- leg100 10y ago

spiderfarmer 10y ago

Sandwiches predominate, with not a lot of variety in cooking. If you look at what people eat for a main course, it's more a cosmopolitan diet really. I suspect fresh food would have to be flown in rather than shipped, which takes weeks. A lot of the fresh food is grown locally and really affordable, we have one of the largest greenhouse industries in the world.

acz 10y ago

You can go to the neighbouring Belgium to enjoy food.

gideonparanoid 10y ago

The Netherlands actually is one of the largest /exporters/ of agricultural products in the world, second only to the US [0] & to the tune of 83% of its GDP [1]. [0] http://www.economist.com/news/business/21613356-dutch-farmers-add-sustainability-their-enviable-productivity-polder-and-wiser http://www.economist.com/news/business/21613356-dutch-farmer... [1] http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/01/26/netherlands-agricultural-exports-hit-new-high/ http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/01/26/netherlands-agricultural-ex...