holmes writes:
The stores carry the same kind of junk food as in the US, as well as the restaurants, and that seems to be what people generally buy and eat.
It does depend on which restaurant you visit, of course. If you are prepared to spend a bit more, you can have really excellent food in the Netherlands. It was mainly French cuisine in those more expensive restaurants, but the last decade or so, the chefs have sort of come into their own, and for the better, I'd say. Not that French cuisine is bad or anything, but there's more.
holmes writes:
change in many nations here have been dramatic over the last 5-10 years (mainly the last 5). When I first visited Netherlands the chain stores were just getting started and there was discussion of their threat to the smaller grocers, now they are set and growing. Albert Hein essentially has a monopoly in A'dam central.
Maybe Parsomnium has more lifetime experience on this, or someone else in mainland Europe?
You're right, Holmes, that's what has been going on. There are still small shops with specialty foods, like dairy and cheese shops, greengrocers, fish mongers, bakers, butchers, et cetera, but Albert Heijn and company are taking over. Albert Heijn, by the way, has long been regarded as the quality supermarket, where they have a large assortment of food products and friendly, intelligent people at the cash register. But things are changing faster than ever, with this price-war between the supermarket chains going on.
These quaint fish sellers might pull a fish from a bucket with what looks like filthy water (containing other whole dead fish), then chop chop chop, sprinkle onions and there you go. Brrrrrr.
I can assure you that, although it may look horrendous, it's actually quite tasty, and very fresh. If it weren't, these fish mongers would be out of business very quickly.
The way herring is eaten on the street in Amsterdam has actually been used in a promotion clip against xenophobia. You see a couple of typical Dutch blokes eating herring the Dutch way, i.e. holding it by the tail and lowering it into their mouths to bite off chuncks. The herrings are smothered in sause and onion sprinkle, which sticks to the corner of their mouths and moustaches. What are they talking about? Foreigners and their filthy eating habits...
Dutch cuisine is notoriously bland.
Well, you'll hear no disagreement from me about that. That's why I prefer Italian food.