Splitting the bill

Three weeks ago, a cow escaped from a slaughterhouse in Groningen. The animal ran toward the road and was shot by a police marksman. The video came with a warning: ‘The images may be experienced as disturbing’. The NOS (news channel, in Dutch) had even cut the final seconds of the cow’s death struggle. In the end, the cow died, just like the other 1.7 million animals slaughtered every day in the Netherlands – and like the rest, fortunately, we did not have to see it.

I was pleased when I saw that the new Dutch dietary guidelines now recommend less meat and more legumes. Eating less meat is a relatively simple step and has a large positive impact, both for the climate and for animal welfare. And it’s healthy too. TU Delft has room for improvement here, although things have improved considerably since I started studying here. For example, the cafeteria at Architecture and the Built Environment is now entirely vegetarian. Perhaps TU Delft could draw inspiration from the videos shown on the candy vending machines which explain how cocoa is produced. I suspect the transition to plant-based food would happen very quickly if we had to watch the production process behind every meat product when buying them.

To me, the new dietary guidelines hardly seemed controversial. But I was disappointed. The recommendations caused a surprising amount of outrage, even reaching Parliament (in Dutch). That was particularly striking because the political parties most upset about it are often the same parties that speak endlessly about Dutch identity – as if brown beans and split peas are not deeply rooted in Dutch food culture. Besides, most people do not seem especially interested in following the dietary guidelines anyway, and supermarkets (in Dutch) hardly organise themselves accordingly. What disappointed me the most, however, was that our country has far larger problems that deserve this level of political attention.

The compensation for the ‘unlucky generation’ of students is less than six thousand euros

The Minister of Education had apparently not forgotten those larger problems – though only when it suited her. At the end of March, the additional compensation (in Dutch) for the ‘unlucky generation’ of students was announced. Altogether, students will receive a little under EUR 6,000 (in Dutch) per person for four years of study. For comparison: students currently receiving the basic grant for living away from home get EUR 324 per month. Over four years, that amounts to EUR 15,552. You can calculate the difference.

“I think it is a meaningful compensation package,” Minister Letschert (in Dutch) said. “I hope students recognise that, in light of the challenges facing the country, this is substantial.” I do not deny that the country faces substantial challenges, nor do I believe the Treasury is bottomless. But while I was learning to read, the current generation of politicians was benefiting from the profits of Groningen gas, cutting back most of the Dutch military, and buying affordable homes.

We are now faced with substantial challenges, and my generation will bear the cost. Just as we will bear the costs of inadequate climate policy in a few years’ time. Just as we already bear the consequences of a housing policy that has left us unable to find affordable homes. Just as we received less financial support for our studies without seeing any meaningful improvement (in Dutch) in education.

In that sense, the new dietary guidelines fit my generation perfectly: meat is expensive, but legumes are affordable. But if this is the only policy that seriously supports us, that is a rather bleak conclusion. Perhaps it is time to start splitting the bill.