hetismij2

I agree Dutch food can be awful. As a nation they aren't that fussed about food. It is a fuel, nothing else to most. They are the only people I know who tell you what vegetable they are having when asked what is for dinner. No mention of meat.

However to class it all as awful is untrue and unfair.

I don't particularly care for the food in many restaurants in the U.S., but I don't declare it universally abysmal.

IMDonehere

I do not know where you eat in the US, but the food has changed dramatically in the past twenty years. Additionally when you are in a major city there is often a choice of ethnic food. Yes, there are many chains that are plain awful, but there is also good expensive food all over the place. That is why we try to eat outside the usual tourist areas when we travel.

We live in NY and many visitors eat in the Times Square area and for the first time in 350 years there are actually decent places to eat. But I always recommend other areas in which to eat. And it is extremely interesting that in a city that speaks 475 languages and was founded by the Dutch, there are only one or two Dutch restaurants at any time.

Next time you come to NY, I will give you a choice of over 50 restaurants from dirt cheap to expensive in just about every ethnic category, for you to choose none of which should disappoint you.

Tulips

If you live in NYC, you are spoiled for choice. There are so many great restaurants. Still, you can have disappointing meals if you don't do any research.
Amsterdam has come a long way in terms of choice and quality of restaurants, but it's not NY.

People here in Belgium, where I live, do not believe me when I tell them we love eating out in the US. Recently, someone told me he loved visiting Florida, except for the awful food.

PalenQ; I don't speak English to Dutch people, so I've never heard that. And I've never heard anyone say 'blief'

People use the word 'graag' for 'please' as in 'ja graag' = 'yes please'.

menachem

We're a nation of traders, and post war austerity has shaped much of our foodways, I think up to the 1990's

If you look at 17th century art you see tables laden with delicacies but that kind of bourgeois cuisine is not what survived the war: the Dutch period of austerity lasted well into the 1950s.

Also, Amsterdam being a tourist city, many restaurateurs will think that they're guests will be replaced by other - one time - guests. When we lived in Amsterdam, service and food in restaurants was so bad on occasion that we would walk out. And moved to Rotterdam. But not for the food, although things are more exciting here, food-wise.

IMDonehere

Tulips

I did a great deal of research, here, on-line, and with guide books.

It's funny, I don't have trouble in other major cities. Of course, we will have a bad meal here or there, excluding Italy where I have never had a bad meal, but they were all either bad or not very good in Amsterdam, Delft, and Rotterdam.

As they say in bad science fiction movies-coincidence, I think not.

spaarne

<i>IMDonehere on Jul 24, 14 at 12:35pm
And we are fortunate because where we live there are literally hundreds of restaurants, including all sorts of ethnic food, all within a twenty minute walk, very few of them of chains.</i>

Blah, blah, blah. You told us this before. Just take your neighborhood with you next time you go to Amsterdam.

Actually, the restaurant service in Holland was formerly (20+ years ago) much worse than the food. That has improved.

Overall, Dutch food is far better than anything you can find in Britain, better than Scandinavia, and maybe on a par with Ireland. Also it is seasonal, as is the food in many European countries. Autumn is the best time of year for gourmands, even in Belgium and France. Dutch food is best in autumn and winter.

IMDonehere

Well I am glad I did not visit Amsterdam 20 years ago.

The food in England has improved over the years, but if that is your standard for judging Dutch food, than by your comparison it is damning with faint praise.

My point about the neighborhood is that we are open minded. But I can understand being defensive about the truth.

I thought the chocolates and pastries across the border in Belgium were world class and we had a few good meals without spending a fortune.

Let's face it you do not go The Netherlands to eat.

menachem

Food is better n Belgium, or in Limburg.

If you want to eat really well you're already in Michelin star territory in the Netherlands.

In Amsterdam it means you need to know where to go. If you don't, you need to be lucky.

PalenQ

Let's face it you do not go The Netherlands to eat.>

Amsterdam has many ethnic restaurants - French, Italian, Chinese, etc. Saying you cannot get good food there is simply foolish - now if you're talking about Dutch food perhaps - not a great cuisine but perhaps because they have so so many other ethnic restaurants.

Can't get good food in Holland - shows a naivety IMO.

IMDonehere

The food was awful in The Netherlands.

When we travel we try the cuisine of that country and usually avoid ethnic food unless that country has a historical connection.

We have spent more time in Spain than any other country and when we first went the food was dreadful. It has improved greatly for a variety of reasons but there still areas where it is just so-so.

I'm just being honest and if you want to give solid advice so should you. If someone criticizes my hometown and it is valid, I will agree. If it is not I present my version.