Xenophobe's Guide to the Belgians

Good Book and I learned that Belgium is united almost by a miracle with two linguistically divided and sometimes rival communities the Flemish and the French. But along this You get to know the Food,Chocolates, The Beer, and the Good things this beautiful contry has to offer and of course the charácter of the Belgians.

I bought before I moved to Belgium. The author gets a lot of stuff right, but remember not to apply everything to every Belgian!

Good book on Belgians. short and to the point. After 9 months, this covers most of the key point Belgians tell you ... About themselves ... If they consider you worth the effort. :-)That being said, I love living in Brussels.

Many words but not that much information. If you plan to read only one book about Belgians, look for a book giving more historical facts and going deeper into cultural and traditional aspects.

Entertaining and educating

I bought this book to learn more about my own culture and how it is seen by others.Apart from one mistake (Belgians are mixed up by the Dutch as very keen on camping and caravans), it is spot on!

Worth the time for a quick start; I knew nothing about Belgium when I started reading. The strength of the Xenophobe guides is their short coverage, rather than the insights of the Culture Shock! series. I read this one in about 40 minutes, and it helped me understand some of the key issues among the Belgians. It covered current issues, with very little history, and provided enough background to appreciate some basic aspects of Belgian culture. Although a little light-hearted in its discussion, I feel comfortable passing it on to a Belgian friend.

I’ve read many of these guides and the resulting reviews and I always smirk at the series reviews. Having been to Belgium a few times and written on the subject, I would say although there are inaccuracies in the book from how I would see the country and the people, it has been written from the authors perspective. Someone from Newcastle would view England different from someone in Newquay. Belgium is a rich country and I feel the author does get this over, although I am not sure everyone would agree with me. In short, it is a funny and entertaining read.

Witty and observant look at what makes Belgium tick. Easy to recognise the Author's many incisive observations and comments about Belgium and its divided linguistic culture from having visited this fascinating country on many occasions. Equally fascinating is the perceptions of those outside Belgium as to how the Belgians are revered and mocked, particularly the attitudes of the French and Dutch neighbours to the Flemish and Francophone cultures within Belgium.

Not sure why is called Xenphones's guide ,as the Belgians come out of it very well: as they should. A great unregonised bastion of civliisation. Yes they are a little OCD about cleaning... But if that's the worst. ! I'm going back first time in over 30 years when I was being naughty in Antwerpen . Great city. Go.

A fun book. Having spent several years living in Belgium I can clearly recognise the characteristics described. An recently update too. Well done!

great fun so take it with you; just don't take it too seriously