Going out for dinner in Holland

In most countries, people visit a restaurant to have a nice meal in the company of good friends, family or business partners. They appreciate the cosy atmosphere of a romantic or distinguished setting, have nice conversations and, last but not least, they enjoy their carefully prepared tasteful meals. They don’t care to much about the amount on the bill, as long as the service is excellent and the food is of a good quality.

Many times, in Holland this is a bit different. The Dutch, economical as they are, usually first study the prices of the meals on the menu, before making a choice. The cheaper the dish, or the bigger the portion, the more chance that they will take that one.

Dutch restaurant owners have to count with this attitude of their clients, and invent methods to attract customers. One of the proven methods is to offer simple meals in big portions, that people can eat as much as they can for a low, fixed price. They put a blackboard at the entry of the restaurant, so that everyone can already see in the street what are the special offers. Sometimes they offer a different cheap meal for every day of the week.

A very popular meal in this category of “much and cheap” is SPARERIBS: grilled bones of the chest of a pig, with some meat left between the bones. Usually, this meal is served with fried chips and two sauces. There is only one way to eat this: with your fingers, like a cannibal swallowing his prey.

If a restaurant starts actions like this, they can be sure that they will attract lots of customers that otherwise would probably pass their location without entering.

So, never say again that the Dutch don’t have culinary traditions! For sure they have, even very special and unique traditions they have. Nowhere in the world you will find a tradition like this: eating as much meat as you can for a low price.

Well, nowhere? Since I was a few times in Serbia, I believe that there exists maybe one exception…