What are typical Dutch habits, food customs in the Netherlands and Dutch language and philosophies?

What are the customs in the Netherlands regarding food?

• The Netherlands is an open country where you can find almost all kinds of food from different countries in big cities. It is often said that the Dutch do not have a food culture. However, there are some special unique Dutch dishes you definitely can not miss. The Dutch kitchen is also very influenced by the Indonesian and Surinamese kitchen.

Specialities

• The original bitterballen are deep-fried pork or beef ragout in a crispy batter. More and more modern options of bitterballen are avalaible like vegetarian (mushroom) cheese - and shrimp bitterballen. You can get them in the snackbar or a specialty shop like Van Dobben.
• Broodje kaas - The Dutch often lunch with a cheese sandwich or other cold snacks. Hot lunches are less common. Pre-made sandwiches are made and put in a lunch box and that is what the Dutch have for lunch.
• Beschuit met muisjes of hagelslag - Hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles) and muisjes (small anise seeds) are popular toppings for sandwiches. Round toast with muisjes is served when a baby is born in the specific colors of the baby's gender.
• Drop is a salty licorice-like candy that many Dutch people like. Many foreigners do not like the salty licorice, the sweet drop they like better.
• Frikandel - A frikandel is a deep-fried meatloaf that is a popular snack. Also available in the snackbar.
• Stroopwafels are two thin wafer cookies with caramel sauce in between. You can find them in any supermarket and even fresh and warm at open air markets.
• Stamppot is the name of the dish made of mashed potatoes mixed with vegetables. Originated out of laziness. It is made in one pan and potatoes are simply being mashed (hence the name stamp with means mashed). There are various kinds of stamppot. Boerenkoolstamppot is made with kale. Zuurkool stamppot is made with sauerkraut. Hutspot is made with onions and carrot. Andijviestamppot is made with endive.
• Poffertjes are a version of a tiny airy pan cake, served with butter and icing sugar.

For your information

• If you want a cup of coffee and a piece of very delicious Dutch apple pie, a "Coffee Shop" is not necessarily the place you want to be. Coffee Shop is a Dutch euphemism for a soft-drugs café. They can sell customers legally a certain amount of cannabis for personal use. Unless that is what you are looking for, you want to go to a café, a snackbar, or cafeteria instead.
• Koffietijd - The Dutch love coffee and often drink it with cake or pastries or one cookie (not two or three) you can take out of the cookie jar and afterward it closes.

What are notable holidays and festivals in the Netherlands?

• Kringverjaardag - It is a habit to celebrate ones birthday in a circle of chairs. One of my former collegues reminded me of this dutch habit. It goes like this, either it is a dutch party and you bring your own food and often a kring verjaardag. Th -ere is not much swapping of chairs and a lot of talking in the group, less individual talks perhaps with your neighbours sitting on the right and/or left side. 
• Happy birthday - Is wished to everyone attending the kringverjaardag, not only meant for the celebrant.
• Carnaval (february/march) is officially starting on a Sunday and ends on a Tuesday. The specific date it is celebrated is depending on Easter, three days before Ash Wednesday. It is officially especially celebrated in the South of the Netherlands in cities like Tilburg, Den Bosch, Breda and Maastricht. The Dutch Carnival is an experience you should not miss. Costumes and face paint required!
• King's Day (27th of April): In 2013 King Willem-Alexander took over the reign from his mother, now Princess Beatrix. After decades of celebrating Queen's day, the first King's Day was celebrated in 2014 on the birthday of the king. This is a holiday for everyone in the Netherlands, on which children sell toys on flea markets (de vrijmarkt) and activities are organized all throughout the Netherlands, including street games, parties and festivals. It is celebrated the night before the 27th (birthday of the King) and the day itself. The Dutch wear orange and especially in Amsterdam and bigger cities it is celebrated on the streets.
• Bevrijdingsdag/Liberation Day (5th of May): The day on which it is celebrated that the Dutch were liberated by the Allied and the end of the Second World War in the Netherlands was official. A day full of festivals throughout the Netherlands. Besides Kings Day one of the best days for street parties and festivals.
• Pride Amsterdam is celebrated the first Saturday in August: A day in Amsterdam you cannot miss. The highlight of the two days is the Canal Pride on Saturday, in which many boats parade through the canals of Amsterdam, applauded to by thousands of people. Throughout the city, there are activities and parties: a truly unforgettable day for celebrating gay rights.
• Prinsjesdag (every third Tuesday of September): the day on which the new finance plan is presented to the Dutch citizenry by the Dutch king. The official carriage ride through The Hague with the King and Queen is a true spectacle.
• Sint Maarten (11th of November): mostly a festivity for children, in which the life of Saint Marten is remembered. The children go door by door with self-made lanterns and sing songs in the hope to get candy and fruit.
• Sinterklaas (5th of December): perhaps the most Dutch holiday there is on which the birthday of Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) is celebrated. Sinterklaas and the pieten already arrive per boat from Spain around half November. All leading up to the 5th of December when all the children, who have behaved well, receive presents from the birthday Saint. To receive a gift, you put your shoe near the chimney, with a carrot for his horse and sing a song. The whole Zwarte pieten discussion is mentioned somewhere else.
• Silvester evening in the Netherlands: dinner is shared with family or friends, often at home.
• "Oliebollen" are eaten (fried dough) and champagne will be served at midnight. The last seconds of the former year will be counted out loud. On television there is a broadcast of an old year conference (often by a comedian), that is a Dutch tradition.

What are the notable habits in the Netherlands?

• The Dutch have some unique customs and habits that may seem strange to foreigners.
• How is the weather? The Netherlands has a moderate maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. It is a common assumption that it always rains in the Netherlands, but this is more so a feeling than reality. The Dutch climate is very unpredictable and therefore the Dutch are known for always talking (or complaining) about the weather. A standard typical Dutch opening sentence is: How is the weather?
• Gezelligheid - Gezelligheid is an important concept in Dutch culture. It means cosiness: being together, having fun and relaxing. Gezelligheid kent geen tijd is a famous Dutch expression. Gezellig he?
• Oranje, oranjegevoel - Orange is the color of the Dutch. The Dutch wear orange on Kingsday and when the Dutch football team is playing (high level only).
• Birthday calendar or tiles- Many Dutch people have a birthday calendar hanging on the toilet so they never forget a birthday or a tile with Delfts blauw with a wisdom like sentence for example: Oost, west, thuis, best. East, west, home is the best.
• Zuinigheid - Fruitfullness, the dutch generally don't like to spend more than necessary and will watch de kleintjes (small coins). They pay close attention to their pennies and go Dutch or send a tikkie (online share costs or pay back what someone has spent for you).
• Complaining - The Dutch love to complain, and talk negative but that doesn't mean they are unhappy. It's more of a way to connect with each other. Most popular topic is the weather to complain about, it is often too cold, rainy or too hot.
• Cycle - The Dutch cycle, in the rain, with children, doing groceries, everywhere. People sit at the back of the bicycle, with the legs on one side.
• Directness - The Dutch are generally very direct in their communication. They say what they think and like honesty.
• No small talk - The Dutch dislike unnecessary small talk and like to get directly to the point.
• Self-reliance - Dutch people are very self-reliant and like to solve problems themselves. Not to be dependent of another person.
• Dutchies - As a slang term for cannabis joints or blunts, or a few different entities related to Dutch culture and travel. I am refering to this image, one of the Dutchies! Our mascotte.

What about the Dutch language?

• Dutch is not an easy language to learn - pronouncing those throaty, guttural sounds requires a lot of practice. As in any language, grammar rules do not always apply to every situation and sentence structures can deviate from your native language. If your native language is similar to Dutch, or you have studied a parallel language, you will be one step ahead of others.
• Despite English not being an official language in the Netherlands, it is spoken by most of the Dutch natives, and it is thus possible to spend years in the Netherlands without speaking a single word of Dutch (depending on your activities, of course). However, the Dutch appreciate it if you put some effort in learning the language and if you plan on staying longer in the Netherlands, finding a job will be a lot easier if you speak at least some Dutch.
• Decide whether you would prefer to follow an established course or take private lessons. The Netherlands has a national network of language institutes that offer courses in Dutch for foreigners. These courses are usually referred to as NT2, Nederlands als tweede taal – Dutch as a second language. If you are coming to the Netherlands for studying purposes, ask your university if they offer any Dutch courses for foreign students.