I’m in the supermarket waiting for a young woman with child to pay. She speaks English to the cashier. I am annoyed by the obviousness with which expats address everyone in English. When the woman is ready, she starts talking to her child in fluent Dutch. I ask her indignantly why she addresses the cashier in English. “I decide for myself what I speak,” the woman snaps at me. I’m looking for help from the cashier. He looks at me questioningly and says “Sorry, I don’t speak Dutch.”
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A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of February 21, 2023