(no subject)

For many years I have held a vague fondness for the Dutch. I'm not entirely sure why this particular nation should attract my affections more than any other, though their traditions of tolerance and openness are certainly models to aspire to.

I think it was rather more mundane. As I ponder it, I recall meeting over then years, a number of Dutch people and without exception, they spoke better English than me, which is a little disheartening. But instead of annoying me, it warmed me to them. Then one day, I found that the adverb permanently translates into Dutch as voorgoed i.e. "for good" and on this flimsy basis I found that I liked them even more.

Yesterday I discovered that I have a deeper admiration of the Dutch psyche than I realised when I found that they have a word for a concept that is saddly lacking in English: bufferbiertje. Literally, 'buffer beer', it means the beer standing next to the beer you're drinking and serves as a buffer in case you finish drinking your beer before you attract the attention of the barman.

(no subject)

For many years I have held a vague fondness for the Dutch. I'm not entirely sure why this particular nation should attract my affections more than any other, though their traditions of tolerance and openness are certainly models to aspire to.

I think it was rather more mundane. As I ponder it, I recall meeting over then years, a number of Dutch people and without exception, they spoke better English than me, which is a little disheartening. But instead of annoying me, it warmed me to them. Then one day, I found that the adverb permanently translates into Dutch as voorgoed i.e. "for good" and on this flimsy basis I found that I liked them even more.

Yesterday I discovered that I have a deeper admiration of the Dutch psyche than I realised when I found that they have a word for a concept that is saddly lacking in English: bufferbiertje. Literally, 'buffer beer', it means the beer standing next to the beer you're drinking and serves as a buffer in case you finish drinking your beer before you attract the attention of the barman.