The Amsterdam Coffee Shop Culture

I know what some of you are thinking: “Dude, you visited Amsterdam…” Yes, we did. (I’ve had more traffic from that one post on the Seattle pot shop than anything else. What does this say about web surfers these days?) Here is a product we saw at the Flower Market. Imagine the US Customs officer finding this in your suitcase.

Kids, don't try this at home.

Kids, don’t try this at home.

Amsterdammers call cannabis outlets “coffee shops”, whereas cafés are stores where you consume only food, coffee, or tea. Sometimes coffee shops and cafés are next door to each other, which undoubtedly magnifies the confusion for elderly tourists from Sheboygan or Saskatoon.

I’ll answer your next question before you ask it: No, we didn’t go into a coffee shop. Truth be known, it’s not necessary to enter a coffee shop and purchase product to get a buzz. All you have to do is stand on the sidewalk outside the entrance and inhale. We saw plenty of twentysomethings from Sheboygan, Saskatoon, Strasbourg, and Siena going in them, however. One tour group, which seemed to be focused on Amsterdam’s “alternative cultures”, parked itself prominently in front of a coffee shop. The guide told the tourists they could go inside if they wished. Was the coffee shop giving the tour guide a commission??? Did he do the same in the Red Light District???

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/05/25/the-amsterdam-coffee-shop-culture/

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