Vegetarians are not terribly well catered for, but most restaurants will have at least one meat-free dish. Beer is the staple drink, served cool and with a head of froth so big it would start a brawl in an Australian pub. Double and triple strength Belgian beers are very popular in the Netherlands - beware. Anyone who's worth their weight in bongwater knows that you can buy wacky tabacky in shops in the Netherlands. Marijuana is not officially legal, but you are able to buy grass, hash, loose joints, smoking paraphernalia and seeds in registered 'coffee shops'.
Magic mushrooms are also available.
This doesn't mean that every Dutch person is a pot-head. There's no shortage of hard drugs around, but you're likely to be ripped off if buying from street dealers, and be warned that the penalties are as severe as in other European countries. In the late 16th century the region's northern provinces, inhabited by recent converts to Protestantism, united to fight the Catholic Spanish rulers. Philip II of Spain sent the cruel inquisition to enforce Catholicism and war broke out in 1568. The revolt of the Netherlands was led by Prince William of Orange, nicknamed William the Silent for his refusal to enter into religious arguments.