Originally Posted by k3n
Hans was surprised I hung it this way - he said in Holland they hang the pretty side OUT for the neighbours to see! :shock: I said b&#ger the neighbours! I did all the work so I'm looking at the pretty side! :lol:
k, i think you're right. you only go around once.
in holland, as well as in other parts of europe, 'housepride' is very important, to the point of being uncomfortable one's self, if necessary. what the neighbors think of you probably has it's roots in showing off your wealth.
like in the expression "lace curtain irish", where a family might just make do, but neighbors would see those curtains made of lace and the family could hold their heads up. it would be embarrassing to be thought to need help, even though really people would understand.
i see it all the time here in the usa. we have neighbors who bought those mini-mansions, spent a fortune on landscaping, put in a pool and now can't afford to furnish. i brought a sick neighbor a plate of brownies and she was embarrassed to ask me in because she has a card table and two folding chairs in her enormous dining room and her living room is totally empty. it will never occur to her to sell and buy anything affordable. what good is that big house doing her if she can't enjoy it?
look at your door quilt all day long and be pround of it. :P