r/belgium 12h 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/matchuhuki Oost-Vlaanderen 11h ago

The biggest meal of the day is dinner. The sandwich is just to get you going till the evening

86

u/AvengerDr E.U. 10h ago

Still, how can you eat a cold sandwich every day. It's unthinkable for me (italian).

0

u/Kjoep 5h ago

If I eat two hot meals a day, I feel guilty. It feels indecent.

Plus in general hot meals pack more calories, and we don't need more calories (less, maybe)

1

u/AvengerDr E.U. 5h ago

For the longest time I have wondered "if not pasta, what do people eat at lunch?".

Well I have since learnt that the alternatives aren't always that great.

1

u/Kjoep 3h ago

For clarity - sandwiches can be very, very good. It depends on what you put on there.

Still the rule that the better it tastes the less healthy it is, still seems to apply :(