Learn all about the Dutch romantic scene in Simon Woolcot's new book "The Shallow Man Guide to Dating the Dutch" and enjoy the hilarious commentary about looking for love (or fun) in the Netherlands!
Three months ago, author Simon Woolcot released his acclaimed The Amsterdam Confessions of a Shallow Man, a comedic account of his privileged, somewhat superficial life as an expat in the Netherlands.
Filled with hilarious anecdotes, bits of advice encased in thick sarcasm and nuanced observations of Dutch cultural oddities, The Confessions proved to be only his first foray into anthropological commentary.
Although a great read, the first book only briefly touched upon one of the most complicated aspects of expat life: dating.
Issues covered in the initial book - finding the perfect house, landing the right job, building a network, showing face at the right places - are all facets of resettling that get easier with time.
However, trying to understand why one would desire a man with a hairstyle that resembles a "lion’s mane" tamed with gallons of gel, or how ladies' denim can be acceptable formal attire, become, well, the real challenges.
Fear not fellow foreigners, as Mr. Woolcot is here to help with his second book, The Shallow Man Guide to Dating the Dutch.
Far from a science, the book offers something more valuable: practical advice based on the lived experiences of expats dating the Dutch and the Dutch dating those expats.
The results are, inevitably, hilarious.
In his quest to crack the courtship codes of the Netherlands, Simon sought advice and collected stories from his fellow expats via social media, consulted his network of Dutch and expat friends/associates and, of course, mined his own personal experiences.
Retaining the jocular tone of his first book, the dry humour and slick, sarcastic commentary on the ups and downs of cross-cultural dating will immediately resonate with both Dutch and expatriate audiences.
Woolcot tackles modern courtship conundrums head on, including:
› the intricacies of online dating sites like Relatieplanet and Lexa
› the finer points of smart-phone based platform Tinder
› tips on how to hunt supposedly spoiled and unromantic Dutch men
› the best approaches to win over "ferocious" Dutch ladies
› and more practical advice like what to cook to avoid intimidating a Dutchie at home (avoid extravagance at all costs!).
Learn to dodge social media stalkers, spot gold diggers and more by letting Simon be your guide to the perils and prizes to be had in the Dutch dating wilderness, as explained in The Shallow Man Guide to Dating the Dutch!
Working as an IT director by day, Simon Woolcot presents himself as the privileged expat with a cushy life.
His outsider position and undeniably British propensity for deadpan humour allow him to entertainingly express his criticisms, observations and, at times, praise about being a foreigner in the Lowlands.
In spite of his taste for fine dining, elegantly tailored suits and rigorous grooming regimes, his muse and object of criticism has become the oddities of Dutch culture.
Following a challenge by a female friend to record his opinions and adventures in the (futile) hope that he would retroactively realise his own superficiality, Woolcot began his blog the amsterdamshallowman.com and published the resulting book, The Amsterdam Confessions of a Shallow Man.
Be sure to check out Simon’s books and follow his blog as he enlightens readers on the benefits and burdens of life in Amsterdam for those with an ostensibly refined taste.
› Publisher: Brave New Books
› Language: English
› ISBN-10: 9402115897
› Pages: 104
› Order online from Bol.com and Amazon.com!