[lucb1e]

That was actually very interesting! I understand what you are saying now (admittedly I first thought "more theory? Not sure", probably because I had a very hard time following your last comment). I actually get it now and feel like I learned something new. Thanks for that write-up!

As for

> My (American) ears think the MOUTH vowel is the best match for Dutch "ui",

I personally stand by my choice of the CHOICE vowel also after reading your comparison of the different options, but it's definitely a close contest.