by Wizdom
From The Economist online，Dec 12th 2011
The embarrassment of riches
Which nation is the most generous giver of Christmas presents?
WHEN it became an independent nation in the seventeenth century, the Netherlands pioneered what today would be called austerity chic: think of the plain interiors painted by Vermeer or ruddy-faced merchants in their black smocks by Frans Hals. Today’s chart, which shows a correlation between Christmas spending (culled from various sources) and wealth (in purchasing-power parity terms), suggests that the disapproval of those Amsterdam merchants still has some sway over their descendants. Lightly-taxed Luxemborgers, by contrast, are exceedingly generous outliers. Footloose readers would be well advised to head there for December 25th.
More about ”going Dutch“ from wikipedia:
“The phrase “going Dutch” originates from the concept of a Dutch door. Previously on farmhouses this consisted of two equal parts (Sullivan. 2010). Another school of thought is that it may be related to Dutch etiquette. In the Netherlands, it was not unusual to pay separately when going out as a group. When dating in a one-on-one situation, however, the man will most commonly pay for meals and drinks. English rivalry with the Netherlands especially during the period of the Anglo-Dutch Wars gave rise to several phrases including Dutch that promote certain negative stereotypes. Examples include Dutch oven, Dutch courage, Dutch uncle and Dutch wife.”
Wow, there are references to Johannes Vermeer and Frans Hals. I almost forgot about them after my art classes. One of the homeworks was to copy Frans Hals’ “Singing Boy with a Flute”. His style was extremely loose and lively and cheered me up quite a bit doing that homework.
毛妈是学艺术的？