Jorge Vieyra (33) from Mexico is in his fourth year of his PhD in the Department of Applied Physics. He is stunned by the lunches his colleagues eat. “Why do Dutch people always eat weird or very Spartan sandwiches? My colleagues always eat jam sandwiches, chocolate bar sandwiches, entire banana sandwiches. They even have a gingerbread and a spiced cookie sandwich - ‘peperkoek’ and ‘speculaas’!
Also, they only put one thing at a time on their sandwich. For instance, you can buy either a ham or a cheese sandwich, but not a ham and cheese sandwich. This is so common that they find it weird when you mix things. One day at the sports centre I bought two sandwiches, one cheese, one ham. I shifted the slices around to make two ham and cheese sandwiches. Then a Dutch guy, who saw the sandwiches but not the procedure, asks: are these more expensive? Could you believe that?!

Well, yes! The Dutch traditionally are a bit Spartan, and of course famous for their thrift. Have you ever heard of the Dutch expression ‘als je gewoon doet doe je al gek genoeg?’, meaning: if you act normal you’re crazy enough. Now you might wonder even more. Eating ‘peperkoek’ and ‘speculaas’ sandwiches is normal? Yep, it’s cheap, simple to prepare, and therefore typically Dutch.

The banana and the chocolate bar part, however, shows your colleagues to be rather creative in this tradition. You’re a lucky guy having people around you not only keeping traditions high, but even expanding them to a higher level! (HB)