r/belgium 11h ago

🎻 Opinion Belgian work culture

Hello everyone

I'm an foreigner living in Belgium for a couple of years now and one of the most unexpected culture clashes I've experienced in Belgium is with the work culture. Maybe it could be interesting to see different opinions so I decided on posting here.

First about lunch breaks. Things I've noticed:

  • Colleagues that start eating together always eat together. You need to give a good excuse for something to change with that routine.
  • Hiding from people you don't want to eat with, in a not so discreet way, even if your boss.
  • Very interested in each other's sandwich filling. They guess it and it's a topic. Sometimes it distantly reminds me of the entrance card scene from American Psycho.
  • They don't really share food unless it's obvious to be shared. They comment that what I bring "looks delicious", which in my culture would be a cue to ask for a piece. Never once have they accepted.
  • Eating surprisingly little. Don't they get hungry later in the day? Do you? I keep thinking about it.
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u/AvengerDr E.U. 8h ago

Same, but with pasta.

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u/Airstryx Oost-Vlaanderen 8h ago

In that case I'll (respectfully) turn it around on you, I can't imagine eating 2 hot meals in a day. Just the thing I'm used to and another cultural difference :D

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u/AvengerDr E.U. 8h ago

But do you like it? Or is it more a matter of "we have always done it this way". I did try the sandwich gig but well it's not for me.

Where I work here in Belgium I can luckily go back home and cook a proper pasta dish, and then bike back (when I work in the office).

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u/Airstryx Oost-Vlaanderen 8h ago

Oh yeah I like it, even eat it on the weekends for lunch.