Worldly Chatter

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a nasty thing where certain things you eat affect how your large intestines function and how you ultimately go or do not go to the bathroom. There are a few or many things that trigger it depending on the person and further still, there are several symptoms, also depending on the person. It sounds like a more generalized disease where they slap all these symptoms and conditions into one category because it simply doesn’t fit anywhere else but that’s just my opinion but anyway. After months of Dutchie being sick, in and out of the doctor’s office and more tests than one should have to go through there was an intern who thinks she nailed it with IBS. Now, I am not a big fan of the Dutch medical system and this didn’t help causes any so I suppose I shouldn’t have been shocked when the intern was the one who finally came up with something constructive and useful to aiding Dutchie when two doctors danced around with test after test, determining what it wasn’t and appeared to not take her seriously at all. Ah, but just my humbled opinion on it but I digress in my complaints.

While the doctors were trying to figure Dutchie’s body out and make it better, they gave her two different things for her stomach and three things for her colon, one of which was a fiber supplement. This was a big no, no! You see, fiber, among other things, is one of those main triggers that gets the whole system backed up and leaves Dutchie in pain for days. Fiber, brilliant that the doctors thought this would help. When it first caused trouble Dutchie told them and while we aren’t doctors and didn’t know if it was that or something else they gave her, they should have. There also seems to have issue with a lot of processed stuff. There seems to be something that aggravates her when it comes to processed foods so we have to go more organic! Not a problem really. Eat fresh fruits and veggies, lots of white bread, take it easy with the dairy and stay away from Chinese food from the corner! There is one problem with our plan; at least there will be in six weeks…

We will be in America for two weeks! I know my American readers don’t know about European foods and prices just as my Euro readers don’t necessarily know American foods and prices but I am going to explain.

American foods are processed like crazy. Dutch foods are not, rather Europe as a whole has different standard than America. Our bread here does not last as long but that is because it is fresher, with less additives and preservatives. Our foods have different flavoring, it processes in our systems a lot easier than American foods. I know this well enough; my system functioned better once I moved here and when I went on holiday to America my system had a real hard time breaking down the foods I ate! American foods have more stuff in them to make them last longer, stay fresher and in doing this, the foods lose a lot of its natural flavor and texture. As my family learned while here, the breads feel and taste better. Dairy products, meats for lunches as well as dinner meats, fishes and chickens taste different. There are more flavors and in some cases the feel of it is slightly different than that of its American counterpart. Knowing this from visiting America so often, Dutchie is fully aware that she has to eat more organic. Stick to the fruits and veggies and not drink the milk, she knows she has to prepare a lot of it herself or else something will go wrong in her body. She can’t have the Taco Bell and Burger King and if she wants to eat pastas and salads, its best she make the dishes herself because food is not only different than here, it is prepared and cooked different. Yet this brings us to the second problem.

The prices! By the heavens above, eating healthy in American can leave you broke! When I lived in NY as a teenager, I hadn’t a care in the world when I worked so I ate what I wanted without thinking and since I was a kid; my father took on the food bill. Dad is a bit of a health nut so I grew up on salads, fruits and the like. It was what I ate when I went out with my friends and never thought of it… That is, until I moved out on my own. Imagine this; you pay €1 for a bag of salad and that same bag of salad costs you $3. How about a loaf of white bread costing you €, 75 and that same loaf in America costing you $2 or $3? When we were there, Dutchie wanted stuff to cook them an Indonesian dish, we will normally spend €15-€20 on the ingredients but in American we spent $60 and couldn’t get all of it. It is a lot cheaper to eat here in Holland. We spend €, 34 for a liter of milk, can Americans say they spend less than a dollar for that? It isn’t a problem to eat healthy here. Dutchie can eat what she needs without breaking the bank but to keep that up when we go on vacation is going to cost us!

We have been putting aside money for spending while we are there and we are going to make a good chunk of money on the exchange rate but we are going to need the dollars we gain just to afford the food! Madness, I tell you! I wonder if Americans know how much better it could be? I know I didn’t before I stepped off the continent.

To learn some tips, myths and healthy ways of eating, check out Earthly Eating!  

IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, American foods verses European foods, Dutch cost of food, American cost of food, worldly chatter

Oh wow, today was my first pay day after starting last Monday and with it I was able to pay off two bills! It feels so good to be working again! I got home from work this afternoon and went straight to the computer to check the account. There it was, Olympia had paid me at noon today! Now I should see a pay slip at some point this week for it, probably Friday I am guessing. It feels wonderful to be useful, productive and actually contribute to the household again! I know that the government forced me to wait while they processed me but it didn’t make me feel any better. I work, I enjoy bringing in money and having a full and productive day. Maybe I am crazy but either way I am a happy camper!

And since we are on the subject of money there are a few things I should tell you my fellow American readers. If you ever plan to make a trip or permanent stay here in Holland or anywhere else in Europe there are a few things you need to know. I have to have a chat with my father next week on this very thing so when he comes he is prepared. First off, I did not see a pay check, Holland does not deal with checks anymore. Dutchie has been working for a little under 18 years now and she has never seen a pay check, it automatically goes into her account. She can also recall her father working and getting the money directly deposited in the account, no check seen in the house. Everything is done electronically here so you cannot come and expect to pay with a check; most wouldn’t have ever seen one to know what to do with it!

When it comes to shopping in Holland there are two things one must remember; one, there is a cash machine nearly everywhere you go and you can find them attached to walls, geldautomat. The other is this, not everywhere accepts credit cards! Pin cards, or bankcards, are used at grocery stores and a good chunk of regular stores, no credit cards allowed. There will be a sign in the window as to which credit card is accepted. Mostly your major department stores, restaurants, though not all, that sort of thing. Dutchie and I either pin or pull money for our grocery shopping. We bought my bike with a credit card; see where I am going with this?

When Dutchie went to America she thought she would be able to pin everywhere she went, just like here but as you know, not all places allow you to pin! There is definitely a difference in not only currency but also how money is used and handled between the two continents. Master Card and Visa are the most popular here in Holland, American Express and Discover I rarely see. You can of course bring travelers checks with you; Amsterdam has close to ten cash exchange places on the Damrak, right before the Dam square and that is just one street!

My point in all this is simple. If you travel, talk to people or research the country and how it shops. Find out if you use bank, cash or credit when shopping and where. Find out what credit card are popular and how easy is it to cash a travelers check. My advice is do this in advance to get all your finances in order before you leave. I have to have this conversation with my father and step mother so when they come they are prepared. I know my father likes his credit cards but I fear the ones he is comfortable with, we don’t use here, or at least frequently enough to see it around town.

Happy travels and happy spending!

travel, money, payday, travelers checks, credit cards, worldly chatter, euro, dollar