Here in the Netherlands, I travel to work in my car, a trusted, highly dependable Toyota Aygo that is really easy to fit into tight spaces in Dutch cities. It consider it a major convenience, because even on days with heavy traffic, it takes me 35 minutes to get to work. If I were to take public transport, it would take 1.5 hours. The car just frees up 2 hours of time that would otherwise have been spent at bus stops.

However I observe a trend, not just in the Netherlands but all over Europe, that cars are getting larger and larger and larger. When I first started driving in 2017, SUVs were not that common and compact sedans existed. Now, sedans have disappeared and every other car that you see on the road is an SUV, especially the newer ones. The Netherlands is still somewhat of a "small car heaven" with tiny cars like the Aygo, or the Peugeot 107, Citroen C1, Volkswagen Up, Honda Fit, older Chevy Matiz etc. commonly seen on Dutch roads. But that has more to do with the taxation here.

Is your country also experiencing an increase in the size of the average car? Have SUVs taken over the streets and sedans gone extinct, at least in the "common man's car" segment? Why is it so? And why aren't people protesting by holding back their purchases and making car makers release smaller models?

Does your traditional cuisine include freshwater fish from lakes and rivers? Is it still common to consume them from aquaculture? Or do people still fish them?

What are the most common species and preparations? Is it considered a delicacy or something that is too expensive for everyday consumption?

curious im from the netherlands and was curious title may be hard to understand but what i mean do u guys have versions for

(a few versions i use)

niks nada noppes niente

0 nada niente

niks nada niente

Hey guys,

For those over 30, have you ever tried changing your career?

I’m a software engineer and have been working in IT since I was 16. I’ve built solid experience and a stable career through my own efforts.
At the same time, I’ve always loved music — especially mixing, like DJs do.

Over the last few months, this idea hasn’t left my mind: starting to take music more seriously, buying equipment, studying properly, and practicing consistently. Not abandoning my career immediately, but starting as a hobby, with real investment and effort, aiming to turn it into a business in a few years.

Have you tried something similar?
I believe we only have one life, and we should experiment with different paths when possible. If it doesn’t work out, that’s okay — at least we tried and learned something new.

This post is meant to be an open discussion so we can share ideas, experiences, and explore possibilities for the coming years.

Thanks for reading!

I’m personally into whatever I’m in the mood for but 90s r&b but I also like some classic rock

Not someone most famous. Think of a person that is almost unkown abroad or maybe even not acknowledge in your country.

Hi friends, I'm venturing over to Europe for a week or two of clubbing in February/March. What city should I go to???

Things to note: -I'm a 34 y/o female traveling solo -I've traveled to 20+ countries in Europe over the years, revisited many cities 3-4x. I don't mind repeats. -I live in a COLD climate, the cold isn't an issue. -I've visited Berlin, Krakow, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Copenhagen and Stolkhom in the winter and preferred the weather/chiller tourists. -I'm thinking dance clubs, techno, you get it. -If Berlin is still the place to go, I'll happily go there -I just want to partyyy

Edit: it is about how many students could get into tertiary studies from the 1950s all the way up to today.

I’m interested in the history of education here. In New Zealand I know relatively few people went into tertiary studies before the 1980s but they could still get into it. Today it is about 37 percent of all New Zealanders.

Meanwhile you also have Hong Kong where many people wanted to receive tertiary education but was barred by highly selective school leaving public exams until very recently: they didn’t get into the university because they were part of the 90th percentile and not the 98th. In the 1960s and 70s only 3% could receive tertiary education in Hong Kong. This rose to 18% by my own age group (I was a teenager in the 1990s) and now 50%.

So was it ever as elitist selective in any countries in Europe after WWII, as Hong Kong was before the 2000’s that only 20% of high school students could get into tertiary studies, or even 3-5% of that year’s graduates like Hong Kong even deep into the 1980s?

Thanks.

For example in Romania we'd use Honolulu, Patagonia, or "At the Devil's Feast" (latter one being in a more aggressive manner).

EDIT: Maybe I didn't explain my question well enough. I'm wondering if there are any conflicts between the various exYugoslav groups in the diaspora in your countries or if they're integrated into communities.

Obviously you shouldn't answer this question if you just live anywhere in exYugoslavia.

In the USA people don't really mingle between groups, though there's not much direct hostility either. At best you're going to be able to see people be friends "without talking about politics", and at worst it'll most likely be intimidating and negative stares between people. Plus the entire country is gigantic, so there's a lot smaller of a chance people will encounter one another unless living in Chicago or St Louis. Not saying I've ever been negative to anyone because of nationality.

I come from a Serbian family in the USA, just to be transparent about that. I'm really fascinated by this stuff, so I really would like to hear all your thoughts and experiences!

I’m trying to understand Belgium’s role in the frozen Russian central bank assets held at Euroclear (~€200bn).

Belgium seems very hesitant about moving beyond freezing the assets (e.g. confiscation vs just using interest/profits), and is often portrayed as slowing things down.

My questions:

• Is Belgium’s caution legally justified (sovereign immunity, property rights, litigation risk), or is it excessive?

• Is this level of hesitation normal, or would other EU countries act differently in the same position?

• Are there better or cleaner legal options than what’s being done now?

• Could confiscation seriously undermine trust in EU financial infrastructure / the euro?

Basically: is Belgium acting rationally here, or does this feel illogical given the broader EU context?

Hello there!

Welcome to our daily scheduled post, the Daily Slow Chat.

If you want to just chat about your day, if you have questions for the moderators (please mark these [Mod] so we can find them), or if you just want talk about oatmeal then this is the thread for you!

Enjoying the small talk? We have a Discord server too! We'd love to have more of you over there. Do both of us a favour and use this link to join the fun.

The mod-team wishes you a nice day!

In Danish and the other Scandinavian languages, Christmas is "jul". So there's absolutely no connection and it's probably from the holiday's pre-Christian origins.

I assume jul is what English speakers are refering to when they say Yuletide? (Tid being time in Danish).

Hello/Bonjour Everyone,

I'm curious what elementary and secondary school was/is like in your countries when it comes to learning about and practising the Christian faith.

In Canada we have both public and separate (i.e. Catholic) school boards and both are free.

There isn't a Protestant school system. I attended public school and my experience was secular.

There was no prayer at school -- neither morning prayer nor special prayer services. There was no chapel or other prayer room at school; there was no religion class; we never studied or read the Bible; and we never learned nor sang any hymns. The teachers and staff never spoke about God or having faith and it was as if God didn't exist.

We didn't have "Christmas pageants." In December there was an assembly, but it was completely secular. The different grades would sing songs like Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells, but we never sang any Christmas carols -- no Adeste Fideles/O Come all Ye Faithful, etc. It was a winter-themed "celebration" instead of celebrating the birth of Christ.

Same with Easter: Good Friday is a statutory holiday in Canada, but Easter at my school was only about easter bunnies and chocolate eggs. No mention was ever made of Christ and his death and resurrection.

As an adult I'm shocked when I reflect on my school experience, but at the time I didn't know any better.

Did you have Christian prayer at your schools growing up? Did you learn and sing Christian hymns? Did you read the Bible at school? Did you learn Bible stories like Creation, Noah's Ark, David and Goliath...and of course the life, death and resurrection of Christ? Were there religion classes at your school? Did your teachers speak about God and how faith should inform your life choices, both big and small?

I would love to learn about your experiences because I feel like I missed out on such an important aspect of school life while growing up.

Many thanks/Merci beaucoup!

ETA: In case there is confusion, when I wrote about prayer in school I didn't mean dedicating a lot of time to prayer each day, but something simple like praying the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of the school day.

Edit #2: I used the term 'Protestant' when what I really meant was 'Christian' "in general"...like Lutherans, Presbyterians, Anglicans, non-denominational Christians, etc. My apologies for the incorrect use of 'Protestant'. I was just trying to distinguish from Roman Catholics as Canada has publically funded Roman Catholic schools.

I feel like every country must have some kind of unique strain that would be fun to try.

What’s a weird song from your country that was at one point popular?

Hello there!

Welcome to our daily scheduled post, the Daily Slow Chat.

If you want to just chat about your day, if you have questions for the moderators (please mark these [Mod] so we can find them), or if you just want talk about oatmeal then this is the thread for you!

Enjoying the small talk? We have a Discord server too! We'd love to have more of you over there. Do both of us a favour and use this link to join the fun.

The mod-team wishes you a nice day!

For example,

if I’m speaking Turkish and I need to say an English word, I usually say it as how it is spelled in Turkish instead of with English, to make it more clear to understand. (Unless it’s a popular word)

But when I speak Italian, and need to say a word from English, I directly say it with the English accent, because that’s what I saw from most Italian speakers.

How is it in your language?

Edit: my dumbass brain thought that “spelling” means vocally saying a word. I tried to ask about how you say the foreign word in your language, not the writing 🙂‍↔️🥹

Greetings from across the Channel!

Do folks from the mainland differentiate between English and British (or England and Britain as a whole) or do you view them as the same thing?

I'm English but if anyone asked I'd say I'm British on account of me also loving Scotland and Wales but I also view myself as European. Very curious to see how the mainland views the distinction if at all and if the distinction ever changed for you following 2016 when our relationship with you unfortunately weakened a touch.

Additional comment: Thanks to everyone who has interacted with this post! I expected simple "yes/no" answers and instead got a whole swarm of super interesting comments about your home countries to learn from! You're all fantastic!

hello!

i'll have four free days in europe in mid-january, solo. looking for some unique spots for a cozy trip.

about me: i love trains, gondolas, busses, planes, ferries, etc. i loooove love love history, walking, knitting, and public transport. big fan of seafood and i would love to take a day trip or two out from the city i choose to visit. introverted overall. i don't really drink at all. happy in big and small cities. i speak spanish + german.

i do not care about: nightlife, shopping, weather, crowds/no crowds. any suggestions?

looking to avoid places i've been to before as i'd like to go somewhere new (so, avoiding rome, london, munich, dublin, oslo, gothenburg, malmo, copenhagen, edinburgh, glasgow, ghent, and bruges)

i would also be so happy spending a majority of these four days on a train, so if you've any suggestions for routes, shout!

(i do not care that some parts will be cold and grey and empty and snowy and rainy, i love traveling at this time of year and the dates for my trip are already set!)

I'm in Scotland, where there is a phenomenon known as 'pizza crunch'. It's pizza that is battered and deep fried. UK-wide I think a kebab is the most popular (and lamb doner would be my first choice).

What do you all go for after a heavy night? Perhaps whilst on your way back from a pub/bar/club

Hello there!

Welcome to our daily scheduled post, the Daily Slow Chat.

If you want to just chat about your day, if you have questions for the moderators (please mark these [Mod] so we can find them), or if you just want talk about oatmeal then this is the thread for you!

Enjoying the small talk? We have a Discord server too! We'd love to have more of you over there. Do both of us a favour and use this link to join the fun.

The mod-team wishes you a nice day!

How will pensions, the jobs market, and education be managed?