Ah yes.. also when invited over to someones house for dinner/party or if you are invited to stay at their house for a holiday it is usually the custom to bring something either a bottle of wine or other alcohol, flowers, cake or somethign from the zaharoplastio. Its rude to turn up empty handed.

In those circumstances, I would deem it rude for ANYONE to turn up emptyhanded.... except of course the Dutch, who make a habit of it & then spend all night spouting off how it's possible to live in Greece for five euros a week !

Interesting point.
I find that many Dutch are now so self-conscious about this name for tightfistedness they have that they're actually overcompensating and will show up with a bottle of quality malt rather than a simple bottle of wine.

So please noone invite me for diner, I cannot really afford it...

You probably all know that a Dutchman is really a Scott who swam across the North Sea.

I realy enjoyed this thread! Thanks all.

The start of this thread confused me a little (being called kopella isn't appreciated) as in the UK complete strangers said 'love' to me and my husband (Dutch) was not 'amused'.

One of the many things I dislike about the ENGLISH language - or rather the "progression" of the English language - is people who say, when asking for something (say in a bar or a shop) "Can I get...?" I don't know whether this has come from the USA or Australia, but I have an Oz friend who says it - and I hate it! What's wrong with "Can I have...please?" or better still "May I have...please?" Grrrrrrr

And young people seem to be conversing by saying "and I was like..... And he was like......" etc instead of "I said ..... And he said....." Drives me nuts! I must be getting old......oh, actually I AM old. That must be it then.

On a lighter note, my Greek language tutor has confirmed that the Greek phrase "etsi then einai" is the equivalent of the "English" "Innit?"

AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!