Last week I was at a trade fair in Asia. Companies from literally every country in the world were present, showing their local products for export. A colleague and I were manning our stand and to pass the time we decided to play the “what- country-do-you-think-they’re-from” game. We started playing with the stand across the aisle. Four tall blond men in company-branded polo shirts were busy arranging their materials. My co-worked declared that they were either a) German b) Dutch or c) Danish. We collectively ruled out c) but were still torn. To make the game more interesting I wagered a bet of 20 euros and we gave ourselves 5 more minutes to study our objects.
Looking for something?
After 5 minutes my friend gave up. I was about to concede until – almost in slow motion – I saw one of the men’s hands slowing making its way towards his face. His index finger was held erect as it was forcefully shoved into his left nostril. “I got it!” I shouted excitedly – “Dutch, Dutch, DUTCH! My money’s on DUTCH!!” My friend was shocked by my sudden clarity. “He’s picking his nose!” I squealed proudly. “Only Dutch men pick their nose in public!” With a look of disbelief, my friend marched over to their booth, struck up a brief conversation and soon gave me the thumb’s up behind her back. Sure enough, I was the winner – the nose-picker was indeed Dutch!
When I first noticed this disturbing Dutch habit I was appalled. I’ve lived in many vastly different countries and traveled the globe, yet I have never seen so many grown men openly picking their noses. My mother would be horrified! It is one thing to pick your nose (with a tissue) in the privacy of your own home, but to do so in public and without shame, is entirely different and quite frankly disgusting.
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. *REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach (CHINA)
Don’t believe me yet? Think I am picking unfairly (no pun intended 
on the Dutchies? The Dutch paper gezondNU conducted a study in the Netherlands and found that over 90% of the Dutch pick their noses!! Moreover, half of the respondents do so more than once a day! Eeek!! What’s even stranger is that nearly 50% of all Dutch people find nose-picking to be “disgusting” when they see it. The study goes on to state that over a third of Dutch men report that they like to “..draai er een balletje van en schiet dat weg” (roll it in a ball and flick it). PLEASE, make it stop!!!!!
I will admit that this is mainly a manly thing. Dutch men picking their noses can be found everywhere – on the metro, in cars, on bikes, at work – you name it! I once saw a Dutch father slap his toddler’s hand away from his nose and then use that same hand to pick his own snout. As the saying goes: like father, like son…
Just to make it clear to all male Dutch people: picking your nose in public is gross and barbaric! Don’t do it. Not even if your future King thinks its appropriate royal behaviour.
I was picking my nose when I read this.
Hahaha. First response and I already laughed hard. What a topic! Fun!
Hahaha Brilliant!
Hi!
I absolutely love this site.
My husband is Dutch and he always do this–nose picking!!!! We would always argue about it but he keeps doing it especially when he is driving the car. Really annoying but now he’s doing his best to avoid it (but probably when I’m only with him).
looooooool, so funny , it is true, what a disgusting habit
O. M. G! Sooooo true! I see it everywhere! And indeed, only men… I always have ‘plaatsvervangende schaamte’ when I see a man digging his way up to his brain…
Haaaaaahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahaahahahahaahahhahahahaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I CAN’T STOP LAUGHING IT’S SO TRUE! And we love our future King for it
Sign of being a real human, not some trained pet.
Well said, and very true!
Oh Steffen, what a lovely way to put it!
(But I can’t help thinking: “… not trained well enough!”) :-0 !
Great way of putting it Steffens…I would much rather have someone like that than one of those untrained people who first talk from their rears and then become a president! Proud to be Dutch!!! Go Holland!
Thanks. Now I’m officially ashamed of being Dutch. This and the red pants thing.
Wait. I’m not… It does sound awful familiar though
Perhaps I’ve just been lucky not to come accross any. I got to know a Dutchman very well over a couple of years and never once saw him pick his nose. I also visited Holland (staying in The Hague) last year and didn’t see any. I found them to be all very polite so perhaps it depends on what crowd you mix with..
Obviously you don’t mix in high enough circles.
^hahahahaha
I was on train from Schiphol to Amsterdam a couple years ago and watched the woman in front of me (in a business suit), pick her nose, examine it and then wipe it down the back of the seat in front of her. Another time, also on the train, I watched a man pick his nose, examine it, EAT it and then repeat with his earwax. His chewing was so loud and smacking that I had to crank up the music in my headphones. You didn’t mention the snot eating in your post, it needs to be mentioned. Also, one of the reasons why my bare hands never touch doorknobs, taps or handrails – always with a sleeve or a tissue.
It`s predominantly done by men because they have bigger noses.
Way back – before paper tissues were invented – the Dutch always had a kerchief handy. But in every country they conquered, the inhabitants used to make fun of their snot being so precious that they wrapped it in a cloth and carried it around, so they abolished the practice.
(And blowing your nose is bad for the brain – or was it the ear-drums – because of the high pressure in the cavities.)
With all the respect Dutch ladies and gentlemen,sniffling is barbarian as well, so use those damn paper tissues please.
Noooooooo, paper is expensive!
We Dutch don’t throw around our money, we use kerchiefs made of cloth.
They can be washed and used over and over again.
Sniffing is actually healthier, blowing your nose can get snot stuck in your sinuses and lead to infections. So I don’t care if it’s barbaric, I sniff whenever I can, and only blow my nose when it gets too clogged
I actually was picking my nose when I read this.
And I’m a Dutch dude.
I actually enjoy picking my nose. What exactly is gross about doing so?
Hilarious and so true!
I got a great idea for you! Please write one about Dutch locker room etiquette. You would think that such a plethora of American television shows here would make it clear that only the weirdo walks around without a towel on while chatting away with one foot on the bench.
I can’t say it’s something Dutch ‘like’, rather than a collective habit. It’s not limited to guys though; a lot of femmes do it to (but have various pre-planned strategies to hide it).
Hmmmm I’m really sorry to say, but it’s true ….. When our Wim-Lex (prince) did it, we really laughed and were proud of him
ROFLOL! My Brazilian girlfriend is also disgusted by it
Picking my nose is the first thing I do under the shower. I want to BREATHE through my nose!
I must say I’m speechless upon reading this.
Your last line successfully made my laugh burst though.
I am so grateful that my Dutch husband does not pick his nose and he does use a handkerchief actually in today’s world. He is not old either! But I have seen it and it is SICK!!!! One time when I was in the McDonalds waiting to place my order and the guy that was to take my order stuck is finger up his nose…I thought I would faint it was so sick, blah! I didn’t order!
I think this must make me Dutch
hehe very funny!
Disgusted or not. I clean nose is a must so I always carry a handkerchief.
Don’t want to be talking to an CEO while stuff is hanging out of my nose or I can’t breath properly because my whole nose is jammed.
Still, I lol everytime strangers say its gross
My brother once made a – in his opinion superb – threedimensional painting on the ceiling, on the part just above the tv. My mother was not the slightestly amused when she found out.
My father always picks his nose while driving the car. Helps him focus, I think.
It is disgusting. I do know it. Try to stop myself from doing it for years… It’s subconsious…
so stop smoking must be easier. Also disgusting by the way…
My (Dutch) husband does this digusting thing especially when he’s driving … AND eat it !!! Baaaahhhhh… Still can’t understand why he does tis while he is actually a sweet polite big handsome guy. BTW he said it’s beTter to “eat” it rather than to wipe it somewhere on the dashboard…
As for red and yellow pants, LOL… Remember how shocked my brother was when he first saw a man wearing canary yellow pants and red/orange polo shirt… And even more to then realized it was his brother in law !!
I heard the same from my Dutch guy friend a couple of years back…:D I think their snout is too precious to be thrown and that they feel toilet paper is expensive to waste.Oh God, my stomach is churning and turning upside down.But hell, too funny and well, eew-y at the same time.:D I still love my Dutch man though.:D =)
*snot(snout)
That’s disgusting. That’s what handkerchiefs or tissues are for. It’s one thing doing it in the privacy of a bathroom or your own home, but quite another in public.
In some countries though they cover one nostril with a thumb and forcefully expel whatever is in the other nostril on to the street. That doesn’t make particularly pleasant viewing either.
Hello writer(s) of Stuff Dutch people like,
I’ve just awarded you with the Liebster Blog Award. You can read more about it here:
http://meeradvies.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/liebster-blog-award-voor/
Congratulations; enjoy the award and pass it on.
Keep on blogging!!!
Wow – thanks Marlies! Much appreciated
Oh goody i really, hate this habit. My college has a habit of it. And does it so often. Gosh don’t you learned some manners or for goody’s sake. Can’t people think for themselves how disgusting this is. Just go get an tissue. I think this is def. an terrible habit of this country!
Nose-picking is lovely. It is masturbation!
Funny, hahaha!
It should be a ceremony, properly performed it is like a ceremoney! I prefer the one sitting next to my spouse on the couch, watching a movie.Starting picking my nose when feel a ” hork” up my nose. The best part of the ceremony is still to be revealed! Trying to get it out in one piece. The best onces are the once you actually take out in one piece, and feels ticklish when taken out. These onces are hard at the beginning and have a wet bubble at the end! Then circle your point finger with you tumb and shoot it directly at the cheeck of your wife. In return you get a fabilous response. Full of exitement you notice you watch your wife feeling with her hand what touched the checck surface, when the brain processed the event, and the picture is clear you will hear……….AGATSIE !!!! Straight after that getvready to be beaten, but hell, its worth it!
ROTF! Now this is really something that made my sides hurt- hahaha! Waaaay too funny the way you, Tom, described it. It was too graphical that I can’t help but get annoyed and feel eew-y at the same time. Oh man,what a way to clean some brains.:D Thank you Tom, now I need to delay some real good snack. =):D
The one who posted about this nose picking habit to make his dad focus zapped my otherwise sleepyhead right this moment.:D
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Tom, that is hilarious!
Did you know that the best ones you describe have a name in English? The technical term is a Coil and Togle, the wet bit is the coil and the hard bit is the togle….
Brillant post!
At least twice in Holland I’ve been admiring an attractive girl in the next car, and then she’s started picking her nose, and then eaten it.
I find it amazing how the attraction evaporates!
Simple habbit of simple people. Or maybe this is just part of gezzeligheid?
Guilty. A few weeks ago, the security supervisor at work informed me that he has often seen me on the security camera system picking my nose…
Also, we men of my family have a hard time keeping their fingers out of their ears.
I’m German living in Holland with my Australian boyfriend. We both beat any Dutch hands down at nose-picking! I had no idea that it’s not as frowned upon here as in our respective home countries. How refreshing!
Then we’ll blame my 8-year-old son’s habit on Dutch influence:) I’d add to this post “blowing cigarette smoke in people’s faces.” GROSS!!!
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Ha ha! You can see Maxima’s upbringing right there! Always look away from attrocities being committed……
I live in the UK and have lost count of how many times I have seen British men picking their noses, especially on trains. It may be more of a universal men thing.
Having a Dutch husband and by default Dutch in-laws I can tell you I have seen more nose picking in the last 12 years than ever imagined. Following my many observations at family gatherings the men in the family are officially known as the “nose diggers” because they don’t just pick – often and in public – but they dig. I’m still astonished however that rather than taking notice of the disgusting nature of the habit and disgusted nature of my comments they have adopted it as a sweet pet name. Maybe a clue as to why this habit continues to be popular nationally – they don’t find it disgusting but rather endearing??
Maxima is picking her lacrymal glants, YUCK!
But seriously: it has been proven that nose-picking is actually a very effective form of self-vaccination. That explains why Dutch are so tall. Parents only correct their children when foreign (i.e. small) people are looking. By the way, I miss a topic on Dutch medical treatment. If you find it hard to get a prescription in the Netherlands, just tell your physician that you picked your nose for over a week and still feel ill.
At one point I’ve seen a guy picking his nose in the car beside me, waiting in front of a red light and I was wondering if the picking wouldn’t break his finger.. Somehow, when you stare at people, they just know..
As soon as he felt my presence, and after eating his “pulkje” he looked at me..
I couldn’t help myself to make the ” Jummie, jummie” waving my hand next to my ear gesture to him and yelling out ” Lekker he??”
Never seen a guy turn so red on the spot. He took off like he was set on fire when the light turned green. I almost wet my pants laughing..
Let me know if you want to hear a snotty joke.. Got those up my sleeve too!
That was alreaday a good one, I’d love to hear more!
i don’t know what is worse, picking nose or what i see men do here in Brazil all the time –> scratching their intimate parts…
HAHAHAHAH this is so funny i cant stop lauging. my dad does this alll the time. especially in the car. its gross. ok bye. xoxoxo jannie bloempot.