Typical Dutch – Washing the Dishes

When i came to Holland three years ago i was mentally prepared for a cultural shock. From my earlier experiences in England i had a pretty good idea of the things to come. But it seems mental preparedness isn't of much help when you join a new society, enter a new phase, or loose the dependedness on the closed ones. Truth be said, i had a wonderful wonderful time in this country and the joy ride is still going on. I have had so many wonderful experiences here that i find it hard to resist jotting them down now; not for you or anyone else, but for my own sake; for those lonely old age times which will come someday (in the next century) and which i can go through laughing and smiling and basking in the old times by reading my old lines. Love this last line, sounds like poetry ;)

I wrote a small story on Typical Dutch – The Dutch Mountains last week and i will continue with another one on the same lines. This time its gonna be about the dish washing experience.

How do you wash your dishes? If you ask me, before i came to this country, i don't remember washing anything more than a glass or plate or a spoon. The way dishes are done in my country is first you rinse them with water, then use dish washing soap on them and then wash them again with water. It is hygienic and it takes a lot of time: i wouldn't be exagerating if i say hours because that is what it takes. So when i first saw the Dutch way of washing the dishes i was like how and wow.

This is how its done the Dutch way. Use the stopper to block the sink hole. Fill the sink with hot water and add in a lot of dish washing liquid. Then throw in all the dirty dishes including pans, plates, and glasses. Leave them in for a few minutes, then pick up the brush and rub them once or twice if you want to be generous. Take them out and either put them on drying rack or dry them with a cloth. There is no need to rinse them with clean water to remove the soap. The water in the sink is dark and dirty by now but don’t even think of changing it. Just add in more washing liquid and throw more dishes in it. And the process continues until all the dishes are clean. That's it. So simple, so time saving, so energy saving and so water saving.

The first time i saw it happening i was shocked. The first time i did my dishes this way, i felt sheepish. The first time my friends (Pakistani) saw me doing my dishes this way, they were staring at me as if i had grown horns on my head. To tell you the truth at first i used to rinse my plates before using them, but now i simply don’t give a damn. Seems time has Dutch-tized me. I absolutely love doing it this way. Those who says its unhygienic, i haven't got ill yet by using those same dishes and i don't know of anyone in my corridor getting ill with it  either. It works perfectly well, and is thus recommended ;)

Typical Dutch - The Dutch Mountain

From my early lessons in geography I had learned that Holland was a flat country and lay below sea level. During my early days here (year 2007) a Dutch friend was telling me about Wageningen and what a special place it is, with its history of the surrender of the Germans at the 5 Mei Plein and a battle between the allied troops and Germans close by. Then she went on to say that we have a mountain near Wageningen as well. I was very surprised to hear about it and showed an interest in visiting it.

The next week we went to see the mountain. I was very excited about going for a climb and was fully prepared for a bit of hiking. And then there we were. The conversation went something like this:

Her: Here we are.

Me: (looking around) Where?

Her: This is it.

Me: (chuckling and thinking she was playing a joke on me) This is what?

Her: The mountain. We are standing at the top.

I looked down to my feet, fully expecting to find the word 'Mountain' carved in the ground and to find myself the victim of a practical joke, but alas..... She was serious.

Then she sensed my dumbfoundedness and said 'I know it's not much but this is our mountain'. And I was like, 'This is not even a hill. How can you call it a mountain?'

Even now I often hear about this mountain which sounds to me like some sort of urban legend. You see, I come from Pakistan which is home to over a 100 peaks above 7000 meters and probably the same number above 6000 meters. So my perception of a mountain is very different. The Dutch apparently don't want to believe the obvious: Holland is a flat country and there are no mountains in Wageningen.