Free Dutch lesson

As I may have mentioned in earlier posts, there is a small farmer's market every Thursday near our apartment. A stretch of street is blocked off from cars (*NOT* bicycles... *NEVER* bicycles - lol) and vendors set up their stands. There's a couple cheese stands, a few produce stands, a baked goods stand, the nut stand, a hard sausage stand (go ahead, laugh), a "snoep" stand (candy), and some other butcher stands.

I usually go to 4 stands: the butcher stand that sells eggs (eggs are NOT refrigerated here and are sold in either 6 or 10 count.. rarely 12), a cheese stand, the nut stand, and a produce stand. On occasion my sweet tooth kicks in and I'll visit either the baked goods stand (YUMMY muffins) or the snoep stand where you can get 4 Mars candy bars for €1!! (The European Mars bar is really a Milky Way)

European Mars Bar -- aka Milky Way

Today I was at 1 of the cheese stands trying to speak Dutch. I was doing ok, asking for what I wanted, making it clear up front that my Dutch is "niet zo goed". I did tell the vendor that I speak "een klein beetje Nederlands" but that I was trying to speak Dutch (all in Dutch... mind you). 

Side note: The Dutch seem to like to remind me that I speak "een klein beetje" Dutch ("just a little" or "an ounce" if you're talking about cooking). Not "een beetje" which is "a little" or "some". Nope... that doesn't accurately reflect just how ignorant I am of their language. And they usually chuckle when they say it. So, screw 'em... I've adopted the phrase myself. And then... POW... I understand or use a word they don't think I should be able to use and it surprises the crap out of 'em. lol

Any who... my interactions with the cheese vendor evolved into an impromptu Dutch lesson.  He'd say something in Dutch, I'd give my best impression of a deer in the headlights, and he'd repeat it back to me in English. "bijna"... "almost"

I was appreciative of his 1) not laughing at me and 2) wanting to actually help me learn. I also learned that there are some Dutchies who are willing to teach me their secret language!

Dank je wel, Meneer Kaashandelaar!!