Since arriving in the Netherlands, I have been surprised on countless occasions at how many differences there are between Canadian and Dutch culture. Aggressive bike riders. Bizarre toilets (more on this in a future post). A nightlife that shuts down around 5 pm.
Nothing has surprised me more, though, than the pictures of hamsters that have recently been displayed on the walls of my grocery store.
That’s right. Pictures of rodents have been hung all over the place they sell food.
Like this:
And this:
Don’t forget the stuffed mascot:
My Dutch friend has explained to me that ‘hamsteren’ is the Dutch word for ‘hoard’ and that this is an advertisement for an annual sale. Still, though, I find it a bit odd to be greeted with a hamster’s smiling face while shopping for dinner.
In all fairness, Vancouver nightlife seems to shut down by 5:30….