What is typically Dutch? Go beyond the tulips, windmills and bicycles, and this can be a hard question to answer.
 
The new book Discovering the Dutch attempts to explain this country to foreigners. But the book itself, an anthology featuring no fewer than 20 contributors, is quintessentially Dutch: a dialogue leaving the reader with as many questions as answers.
 
There is no question about the need for such a book: ignorance about the Netherlands abounds. Professor of History Jaap Verheul, one of the book's editors, travels frequently:
 
"One of the things that I often notice when I'm in contact with students or even colleagues abroad, is the question, 'Well, you had that language called Dutch. Do you still speak it? Do your children still speak it?'"

Ignorant
Dutch, of course, is the language of the Netherlands, spoken by nearly all its 17 million inhabitants. But it's not just that foreigners are ignorant. The Dutch themselves don't help matters, says Mr Verheul. Dutch people tend to be humble about their own country. "We have a very laidback approach to national identity, national culture. That's Dutch."
 
This laidback approach comes through loud and clear in Discovering the Dutch. The book presents a dialogue about Dutch identity, not a definition. Dutch society is ever-changing, and the authors are loath to offer definitions.
 
Easy answers
This can be difficult for readers looking for easy answers. But it gets worse. Many authors say Dutch people themselves are struggling with their own identity. Reading the chapters on the welfare state, for instance, or on religion, one comes away with a strong sense of disagreement, of conflict.
 
The Netherlands also suffers from an inferiority complex when it comes to international affairs. Military historian Chris Klep compares this to a well-known cartoon character.
 
"Calimero is a cartoon character, a little chicken with an eggshell on his head, which keeps saying, 'its not my fault, I'm just small, I can't do anything about it, I'm not powerful.' And that's how you can look at Dutch foreign policy during the last 50 years."
 
Impressed
Notwithstanding the difficulties in defining what is Dutch, many foreigners who have discovered this country come away impressed. Michael Hobberman is Professor of English at Fitchburg State College in the United States. He has been coming to the Netherlands to study and teach for more than 12 years now.
 
"The Dutch are very civilised. It's a very civilised country. It's a place where people can talk about all kinds of things, can do all kinds of things. There's so much art and culture all around you."
 
Professor Hobberman goes on to tell a story that he says typifies the Dutch. He was at the train station in Utrecht when he saw a large crowd of young men gathered near a ticket counter. When he looked closer to see what was happening, he saw that one of them was dressed head-to-toe in a giant penis outfit, posing for a picture with one of the ticket sellers.
 
And, for Mr Hobberman, the most remarkable thing: no one else seemed to notice.