I came across these people striking at the National Bank this week. More info here (in French).
Tag Archives: belgium
French & Belgians
I have had very nice French co-workers in Finland, but I was surprised, after living in Brussels, how different is the Parisian temperament to that prevalent here.
First of all, the service tends to be very rude (which is, of course, something I'm sure you've heard before). However, the good news was that I didn't have many problems speaking French. Either my pronunciation has improved or they have gotten more used to foreigners badly mangling their language.
I was also really surprised, given that my co-workers were so easy-going, to confirm that Parisians tend to be rather proud. That is quite a difference from Brussels, where people tend to be really easy-going, and a little bit on the humble side.
This is Belgium
To understand this joke, the following information may be necessary:
- Waterzooï is a Belgian dish
- Kip is Dutch for chicken
- The last line is French for: and that’s it!
Differences between Belgians and Dutch
- Dutch tend to be louder, Belgians more subdued.
- Dutch humour is in-your-face, Belgian humour is sarcastic-rebellious.
- Dutch tend to be protestant, Belgians tend to be catholic.
- Dutch like salmiakki (salt licorice), Belgians don't know it.
- Dutch diet includes more frituurs, Belgian diet has more vegetables.
- When speaking Dutch people in the Netherlands pronounce the G's like Spaniards and the R's like Americans, Belgians just speak with interesting and varied intonations. Or as they say, in Belgium Dutch is a language, in the Netherlands Dutch is a throat disease.
Belgium is like
A 40-something year-old dad I saw last week. He was dressed in khakis, blue shirt, brown pullover and pink Converse tennis shoes.
A little stylish, with a touch of unexpected rebelliousness and a rather subversive sense of humour.
Ads in Belgium
I had mentioned previously that there are some ads in Belgium that have definitely caught my attention, because they are real examples of their humorous way of showing you the unexpected and make you laugh about it. I guess a good example is this one of Brussels Airlines.
Free Hugs Mexico City, Helsinki & Brussels
You may have heard about the Free Hugs campaign (or even read about it in your local newspaper).
I’m glad to inform that there has been already some activity in the three cities where I’ve lived: México, D.F., Helsinki and Brussels.
Because sometimes, you just need a hug.
Good food, good parks, good beer
Belgians definitely know how to relax and enjoy life. Belgian food is like French food, but with bigger portions and with less snobbiness to it. Brussels is one of the greenest European capitals, with some of the largest amounts of green spaces per capita, which is great when it's sunny as has been lately. Besides, as regular readers of this blog will know, there is very good beer to be had here.
Funnily enough, the place doesn't have the reputation it deserves.
Mole internacional
Tip para mexicanos expatriados:
El mole como platillo de introducción a la comida típica mexicana funciona a las mil maravillas en Finlandia pero no muy bien en Bélgica (al menos con los belgas). Eso es simplemente porque para ellos el sabor del chocolate y el picante tienen muy poco que ver, mientras que para los finlandeses, mientras el mole no esté muy picoso, puede llegar a ser en un principio interesante y después delicioso.
Díganmelo a mí, que he hecho mole en la capital de Europa y en el círculo polar, jajajaja.
Brussels
This city is so unashamedly multicultural that you can very easily travel from "Portugal" to "Turkey" to "Poland" to "Congo" by just walking a couple of blocks. Some people complain that this city has no soul: I'd say it has many.