h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am an American who has lived in Belgium for two years, in the southern, French-speaking part. I want to point out a few things about it. It should rightfully be known for its frites (french fries), and for its chocolate. If it has good beer, I never found it nor heard of it. Go to the Czech Republic for that. Actually, they do have good beers there, but the popular (cheap) beer there is quite bad. Although they may eat frites with mayonnaise, the ketchup there is excellent, much sweeter than the American version. Also, there is not a Dutch part of Belgium. It's Flemish. They speak Flemish. It's just remarkably similar to Dutch, that's all.

Untrue.

In the northern part of Belgium, people speak various dialects of Dutch, just as in The Netherlands, different varieties of Dutch are being spoken. Flemish (or "Vlaams") as a language does _not_ exist, it is just a quick name for the variety of dialects of _Dutch_ ("Nederlands") spoken in (to make it difficult) Flanders.

Oh, and our beer is good

Good things about Belgium:

The Frech-speaking bits appear to dispense with that daft way French people count from seventy onwards. Soixante-dix? Quatre-vingts? Quatre-vingts-dix? Pah. Septante, Octante, Nonante. Tons easier and every bit as valid in spoken French. Full marks, chaps. Le Belgique, dix points!