THE FOODIST / HOW DID DUTCH TREAT COME ABOUT?

 

PillartoPost.org illustration by F. Stop Fitzgerald, photo and art editor

She ordered a salad and a glass of water.    

He ordered the rest of the menu.    

“Let’s go Dutch,” he said, smiling through a gravy-stained mustache, as if proposing marriage.    Off camera, the waiter raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He had seen worse.    

She adjusted the cloche hat that had traveled with her through three failed groomless engagements and a silent picture deal that fizzled when sound came in. 

She reached for her purse with the grace of a woman accustomed to paying for dignity.    

The restaurant’s sign over their table read: NOT DELMONICO’S.    

She already knew that.    

He didn’t notice.    

She paid her share. 

 He didn’t leave a tip. 

 *** 

 OK, that's a lot cartoony. 

 Where did the term "Going Dutch" originate? 

The phrase first surfaced in American English in the late 19th century, originally cast as “Dutch treat” or “go Dutch.” 

 It was part of social history where a suite of expressions coined during periods of Anglo-Dutch rivalry that dripped with sarcasm. 

 Think “Dutch courage” (booze-fueled bravery) or “Double Dutch” (gibberish). 

 “Dutch treat” meant what some saw as the unthinkable at the time: paying your own way instead of a host footing the bill. This stingy-sounding notion was spun as a cultural quirk, poking fun at the famously frugal Dutch. 

 Of course, the irony is that the concept—everyone paying their fair share—is now considered polite, equitable, even modern. In an age of Venmo and itemized receipts, going Dutch is no longer a slur. 

It’s just how friends navigate dinner without turning it into a financial chess match. 

 Bottom line? What started as a jab at Dutch thriftiness has become a badge of mutual respect. So next time someone proposes a “Dutch treat,” raise your glass—just don’t expect them to pay for it. 

 How do we know? 

We asked our "Dutch uncles," who are those friends or family members who love to give frank, stern, and often unsolicited advice, usually with the intent to correct or instruct rather than comfort. Unlike a kindly or indulgent uncle figure, a "Dutch uncle" is direct, critical, and expects you to toughen up. A "Dutch uncle" was essentially the opposite of a warm or supportive relative.