Going Dutch

"Going Dutch" (sometimes written with lower-case dutch) is a term that indicates that each person participating in a paid activity covers their own expenses, rather than any one person in the group defraying the cost for the entire group. The term stems from restaurant dining etiquette in the Western world, where each person pays for their meal. It is also called Dutch date, Dutch treat (the oldest form, a pejorative), and doing Dutch.

A derivative is "sharing Dutch", having a joint ownership of luxury goods. For example: four people share the ownership of a plane, boat, car, or any other sharable high-end product. This in order to minimize cost, sharing the same passion for that particular product and to have the maximum usage of this product.

Etymology

The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' connects "go Dutch" / "Dutch treat" to other phrases which have "an opprobrious or derisive application, largely due to the rivalry and enmity between the English and Dutch in the 17th century", the period of the Anglo-Dutch Wars. Another example is "Dutch courage". A term bearing some similarities is Dutch oven.

Practices

Africa

In Egypt, it is called ', meaning 'English-style', and traditionally is considered rude.

Americas

In Northern America, the practice of "going Dutch" is often related to specific situations or events. During meals such as birthdays, first-dates or company business lunches, an expectation develops based on social traditions, personal income, and the strength of relationship between the parties. Moreover, the increase in prevalence for mobile sharing payment platforms such as Venmo or Zelle has resulted in a cultural rethinking of meal payments.

Latin America

Some Latin American countries use the Spanish phrase ' (literally 'to pay American-style') which refers to a trait attributed to people from the United States or Canada.

In Chile, the phrase used is ' ('to make a cow') which means that each participant pays into a common pool to either pay the bill afterwards, or beforehand, when buying for a meeting or party at a home. In this case, a person is designated as the "bank" (the one who collects the money). This system is used either when planning the things to buy for a party, or when paying the bill in a restaurant or pub. It still is splitting the bill, but one person pays for all of it and is reimbursed by the others. In more formal settings (office party) the participants may require to see the supermarket bill to check that the money was spent as agreed.

In Panama, the phrase ' r '' (using colloquial contractions of ', with the stress on the first syllable ''mi''); this is literally 'half and half', and refers to both "going Dutch" and to splitting the check equally.

In Guatemala, a sing-song phrase is used: "'", literally 'By the law of Christ, each one with his own stew'. ' is a stewed dish similar to ratatouille, and is used in this phrase as a stand-in for food in general.

It is almost the same in Honduras, where the phrase is "'", 'As Christ said, everyone with their own stew.' However, the word "pisto" is commonly used to denote money, rather than the stew itself.

In El Salvador, a different rhyming phrase is used: "'", which means 'Spartan law: each pays orwhat they eat'.

A Costa Rican system is known as ', literally 'to go with Cuyo' (Cuyo being supposedly a person; this is a stand-in name, like "John Doe" in English). If one of the diners asks "' ('Who is Cuyo?') another may respond that he or she is (i.e that this person will pay the bill), or may suggest "''cada uno con lo suyo''", 'each with his own', meaning each person should pay for what they ate.

In Brazil, the slang word “rachar” is used for the same purpose, or when it’s too expensive, the group shares the total so everyone pays the same.

Asia

East Asia

In Japan, it is called ''warikan'' (), which translates into 'splitting the cost'.

In North Korea, where rigid social systems are still in place, it is most common for the person of the highest social standing, such as a boss or an elder figure, to pay the bill. This not only applies in a 1 to 1 situation but also in groups. Among the younger generation, it is quite common for friends to alternate when paying the bill, or for one to pay for dinner and another to pay for drinks.

In South Korea, "going Dutch" is called "Dutch pay" (), a Konglish loan phrase. For romantic dates, men usually pay.

In the People's Republic of China, after a group meal, it is expected that the bill be paid by the person who has highest social standing or highest income, or by the person who made the invitation. A group of friends or colleagues who dine together regularly will often take turns paying the bill. Men often pay for the initial romantic dates, however after several dates, it is not uncommon for women to take a turn at paying for dates. It is not uncommon among groups of strangers or sometimes younger generations to split the bill.

South Asia

In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan was not the prevailing method due to complex societal pressures. But now-a-days it's quite the convention in most of these countries.

In Pakistan, going Dutch is sometimes referred to as the "American system". This practice is more prevalent among the younger age group, friends, colleagues and some family members to request separate bills. In Urdu

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases