Culture Discussion

Throughout the duration of this course I have noticed a few cultural differences between Europe as a whole, the countries themselves, and the US. One difference is the price of soda in comparison to water. In the US water is free and refillable. Here water is often 1 Euro more than soda. I find this odd considering that European culture tends to be more ”health conscious.” I have been having to order two drinks at restaurants and pay 7 Euros just for a beverage in comparison to the one refillable glass of water I get for free in the states. This is one cultural difference I personally struggled with while abroad.

 Another cultural difference I noticed especially in the Netherlands is the lack of motorized or gas using vehicles. I have seen more tiny gas efficient cars here than anywhere else. The amount of cars that are replaced by bikes is overwhelming. When comparing Amsterdam to Chicago, there aren’t even a quarter of the amount of cars on the streets. I was amazed to learn that they’re are more bikes in Amsterdam than there is people. After our day trips I noticed that the use of bicycles as a main form of transportation is very prevalent in the Netherlands as a whole, not just Amsterdam. 

A third cultural difference in comparison to the U.S. is the use of less sugar. Lemonade  and orange juice are squeezed fresh, will almost no added sugar. Breakfast at the hostel included plain cornflakes. At cheap hotels in the states plain cornflakes aren’t usually an option (that I’ve noticed). Another example was in Utrecht when I ate frozen yogurt expecting something similar to ice cream, but I received the exact opposite. It was more sour and not sugary.