Hi guys! My name is Mary-jane (yes, jane is not supposed to be with a capital "J"..it isn't a typo!). I was invited to be part of the Typical Dutch Stuff website, because I know a lot about the Dutch culture; me being Dutch and living in the Netherlands obviously helps a bunch. 
The reason why I have my own little column here, is because you as visitors and customers can ask me anything about Dutch culture, society, food, recipes, and much more! I will try to answer your questions as fully as possible. You can email me at
mary-jane@typicaldutchstuff.com
, or fill out the form below and I will post your questions and my answers on this page asap!
I also have direct contact with Wendy (the owner of this business); we have been friends for over 8 years now, so if there's anything you would like me to ask her, please feel free do so!
She told me that for serious questions regarding orders or products, you will have to contact her!
Fill out this form and I will get back to you asasp!
* required field
Q: Dear Mary-jane, I want to create a typically Dutch breakfast for my Dutch girlfriend, but I have no idea where to start! Please help me out! Greetings, Mr. Confused
A: Dear Mr. Confused, I am sure that your girlfriend will appreciate a typically Dutch breakfast! I would advise you to bake your own Dutch bread first, because that always tastes different in other countries; we Dutch girls like our original bread. Then, make sure to present a large selection of (sweet) breadspreads, like for instance Hagelslag, Vlokken, Peanut butter, and Duo Penotti. Dutch cheese is also a must and spice cakes also will sweep her off her feet! Now I am hungry..
Q: Dear Mary-jane, could you explain how the Dutch political system works?
A: Thank you for your question. Maybe you could try a search engine to find websites dedicated solely to this issue?
Q: Hi Mary-jane, we are going to visit Amsterdam next month; could you give us a tour?
A: Uhm..my work description does not include giving tours, sorry! I do have a link for you to a site who offer tours throughout the Netherlands: Holland Exploring Tours. Good luck!
Q: Hello Mary-jane, what is your favorite coffee flavor? You know, you can tell a lot about someone's personality through the coffee they drink. Regards, an admirer
A: I personally do not really like coffee, but I love Pickwick Tea in all flavors, but my favorite flavor has to be honey.
Q: Hello Mary jane, I love the dutch hard sweet licorice, but I would like to know what you recommend, also can you explain what salmiak and griotten are?. Many thanks, Margaret
A: Dear Margaret, I personally love, love, love double salted licorice. I tend to nick a few of them from Wendy all the time..that's how much I love them. But you know, licorice is very personal, because a lot of people have a preference for either salted or sweet licorice. Just try various flavors to find your favorites. Salmiak is a little hard to explain; it's basically a combination of Ammonia (NH3), hydrogen chloride (H-CI), sugar, licorice root, and potato flour. It sounds disgusting, but it's really delicious! Griotten are soft, salty, and salmiak flavored licorice, covered in sugar.
Q: I need to prepare a paper about Amsterdam and I don't know where to start from. I need all kind of information or sites I might go to. Thanks, Carplina.
A: Hi Carplina, the best starting point is google.com and search for "Amsterdam." There is so much to tell about Amsterdam! . Good luck!
Q: Dear Mary-jane, I am a Dutch-Canadian girl, my family moved here over 20 years ago. When they moved here, they had to learn English, and as a result didn't teach their newborn (that's me) to speak Dutch.
Recently, I have been wondering more about the Dutch culture, and have had questions about how friendly people would be if I went on a trip of sorts to Holland for some answers. What do you think, are people friendly, even though I only speak English? Liz.
A: Dear Liz, to be honest, most Dutch persons you will encounter will be friendly no matter what language you speak. Some people who live in larger cities might be a bit more distant towards you..even I notice that when I go to Amsterdam, but they are still very friendly. But in any random village, you will be treated with respect and kindness. Especially in the province Noord-Brabant, which is known for its kind and open inhabitants. Make sure to visit Eindhoven, Den Bosch, or Arnhem..my favorite cities! Good luck on your quest for answers!
Q: I wonder why you don't sell Gestampte Muisjes? I love the stuff!! Maureen.
A: Dear Maureen, Thank you for your question. Actually, Typical Dutch Stuff does offer Gestampte Muisjes. You can find them at the top on this page!.
Q: This is about the DVD called "Hello Holland". Is it spoken in Dutch, please or has it English commentary? I can speak it but my husband can't. It would be great to show him the various places where I once lived.
PS: why do you write your name with a small letter?
Met vriendelijke groetjes
Maureen (nee de Vos)
A: Dear Maureen, people always ask me about my name, haha! Mary-jane is written with a small letter j, because it basically is one name. Sometimes people have a double name like for example, Jean-Paul, but that is not the case with my name. I hope this makes sense! As for the DVD, it is spoken in 8 different languages: English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, and Spanish!
Q: Hallo Mary jane, I am a frequent visitor to the nederlands and I'm addicted to Shoarma. They serve 3 sauces with it. The 2 i'm wondering about are the red sauces. One is a hot sauce(red in color), another is an oil based sauce with onions and something else(also red) And of course the white sauce which I don't care for. Are you familiar with that? Do they have names. Someone told me that maybe one is called whiskey sauce. Do you have any recipes for the red sauces? Does typical Dutch Stuff sell it? Please help me, I need a shoarma fix.
Tot Ziens!
A: Dear Joseph, yes, you're right; shoarma is usually served with 3 sauces. The most commonly used sauce for shoarma is Knoflook Sauce (the white one), which is basically a garlick sauce. Then, there is the hot, red sauce that also includes onions, which is called Shaslick Sauce. Finally, there is a salmon colored sauce, which is called Whiskey Sauce (it also tastes very good with salmon and tuna!). Typical Dutch Stuff sells all 3 of these sauces, you can find them on this page. Look for the Calve Party Sauces.
Q: Dear Mary-jane, I have recently heard of a drink that I understand is dutch in origin, made with whiskey and raisins. I am trying to find information on this drink (i.e. recipe, history, etc.) but as I don't have a good understanding of the dutch language and don't know how to spell the name of the drink I am having a hard time. I believe the name is pronounced "bern yunes." Any help you could give me would be appreciated. Thanks.
A: Dear Nate,
Thank you for your question. The drink you are referring to is "Boerenjongens", which also should help you to find more information on it! Click here for the pronunciation. (yes, that's me speaking there) Good luck!
Q: Hello! For nearly 25 years my parents have had a few sets of Dutch skillet sets. (None of us know the proper name for this, there are small burners, small skillets and you cook for yourself.) Since my parents recently were divorced my mom kept all the sets of skillets. Do you know of anywhere within the US (Or a website preferably) that I can buy my Dad a set of his own? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Kelsey, USA
A: Dear Kelsey,
I think the skillet set you are referring to is a so-called "gourmetstel."  These come with small pans, on which each person individually cooks their small cut meat and vegetables. This is a great way to spend an evening with friends! Does the set look similiar to this? These are typically Dutch and therefore I assume that they are pretty hard to find outside the Netherlands. However, I will tell Wendy to add them to the site so you can order them in the shop!
Q: Hello, I hope you can answer this question. How do dutch people eat lunch. Not what, but how? an odd question but i am trying to find out if dutch people bring lunch in from home to work, or if they go out and buy it from a shop?
Amber, UK
A: Dear Amber,
We have lunch in different ways. It depends on whether you go to school or if you work, or if you're at home. Some people buy their sandwich at a store and eat it on their workplace. However, I think that most people bring their lunch from home.
Q: I noticed during a recent visit to Holland that some of the older Dutch people do not seem to like speaking English. I went on a bus tour with my wife and I was surprised that even though we ate meals together in the restaurants that often the people we were sitting with would not say anything to me at all, but would talk to my wife in dutch as much as she wanted to. Why do some of the ouders seem to have a problem with speaking English to people in conversation even though they obviously understood me when I spoke to them in English?
Michael, USA
A: Dear Michael,
I suppose that older people are ashamed for their English pronunciation. I also think that they don't know what to say in English, because they have to translate everything from Dutch to English, which can be difficult at times. I hope this helps you to understand it a little bit more.
Q: I have a jar labeled "Kanel". Is this a Dutch name for cinnamon?
Margretha, USA
A: Dear Margretha,
Yes, Kaneel is the Dutch word for cinnamon. Hope this helps!
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