As a huge
Dutchphile, I bought this book in a
frenzy of gathering information about the cultural
nuances of
the Netherlands, but I have to say, I was disappointed.
It seemed that it was the intention of the book to playfully put down various aspects of
Dutch culture.. this I don't consider a problem, but I think they go beyond this to the point of making fun of things that are actually beneficial or
intelligent cultural differences rather than just the
silly or cute
idiocyncracies. To agree with
sloebertje, they sometimes seem to miss the point.
They also include many things which can be easily found in many other countries (for example, the way folks act on the
bus.. sitting on the outside seat or otherwise as to be as
antisocial as possible; making it difficult for others to get off the bus.. that's the
norm here in
San Francisco, too.)
Overall, I'm inclined to think a Dutch person, or a person who's lived in
Holland for some time, would find this book far more entertaining than would a
foreigner.