Pig farming

I would never say that the Dutch culture is a warm and open people. Once you've been introduced to someone, they can be quite friendly and welcoming. But, Dutch strangers typically come off as rude, cold and aggressive in comparison to Americans. The Dutch, of course, consider Americans to be phony. I hear so many stories from Dutch people who visited America, about how this complete stranger at the (bus stop/train station/line at a store) just started talking to them and asked "how are you?" When a Dutch person asks something, they really mean it and can't get over the "fake politeness" of Americans.

However, the Dutch do have their own polite rituals. For instance, one that strikes me as a funny politeness is that everytime someone leaves the changing room in the gym, they always say goodbye, even if no one has been talking or knows each other. The person leaving addresses the whole room and is usually met with a chorus of goodbyes from other people.

As in every culture, the Dutch have a variety of ways to say 'Goodbye.'

Tot ziens - See ya
Tot straks - Until later
Tot volgende keer - Until we meet again

And every region of Holland also has it's own particular 'goodbye' said only in that region. For instance, in Twente (where I live), they say something that sounds like 'ay-oosh'. I have no idea how it's actually spelled. But if you said that in Amsterdam, they'd look at you with a blank face and not recognize in the slightest what you meant.

More commonly used throughout Holland is 'Doeg' which typically should sound like 'dookgh'. However, most people use an alternate form and break it up into two consonants, sounding something like 'Doo-ey'. And women in particular take a high melodic pitch when saying this and the 'ey' goes up a half-step as well as drawing it out. And I can't help but smile while in the dressing room at the gym as all the 'Dooo-eeey's constantly remind me of pig farmers in the USA, especially in the south, calling their pigs, "Suuuueeeeeeey".