What is #Swedengate? How the internet put on Sweden to not feed guests
The nation of Sweden is at the center of an online debate after many internet users were shocked to learn about the Swedish tradition of not serving food to guests in certain situations.
The controversy began on the popular Reddit forum r / AskReddit when u / sebastian25525 asked the question: “What is the strangest thing you have had to do at someone else’s home because of their culture / religion?”
A Reddit user response received special attention from the internet: “I remember going to my Swedish friend’s house. And while we were playing in his room, his mother shouted that dinner was ready. And check this out. He told me to WAIT for his room while they ate. ”
From there, the Reddit post spread like wildfire across social media, with the hashtag #Swedengate on Twitter. Soon, thousands of users shared their own experiences of not getting food in a Swedish household. Many Swedes defended the mill, while non-Swedes began to criticize the country for its eating habits.
Do the Swedish people not serve food to their guests?
While the majority of the internet was shocked when they found out that Swedes are unlikely to feed guests in their homes, this is actually the norm throughout Sweden.
As a rule, Swedes do not serve food to guests (especially to other children who play at their home) so as not to ruin any dinner plans that their family may have instead.
Linda Johansson wrote a referral on the issue The independent: “Swedish thinking goes like this: the other child (or the other family) may have plans for a different kind of dinner, and you do not want to ruin the routine or the preparations. I do not think it has to do with not wanting to feed the other child or because it costs money or so, it has more to do with tradition and that you want to eat with your own family. ”
On the internet, many other Swedes have confirmed this long-standing tradition.
Swedes cook for the people they expect (the family). Exact portions “, a user tweeted. “We do not mind guests, just tell us in advance and we will add another. And in Sweden, you understand, you do not eat unannounced with a friend. No big deal here. “
Another person explained that the tradition was “out of respect” for the visiting child’s parents “who may have planned dinner” which would then be wasted. “Also, sitting down and having dinner as a family was an important part of the day, so you should not mess with another family’s meal time,” they said.
Even Swedish pop singer Zara Larsson weighed in on the controversy and tweeted: “Peak Swedish culture
Why is there outrage?
As the discussion about the Swedish cultural practice gained ground, many users became somewhat offended by the country’s tendency not to serve its guests. Some people thought that children – even if they are guests – should still be fed if they have not eaten all day.
“But why do you invite children to a play meeting without thinking that you MUST give them food, children get tired and hungry after playing,” said a Twitter user.
Another person, who grew up in Stockholm with Persian parents, claimed that their Swedish neighbor left them alone and “hungry” in her bedroom while she had dinner with her family. “I had a good friendship with my Swedish neighbor FOR SEVERAL YEARS & every time I was at her house during dinner she left me ALONE in her bedroom WITHOUT SAYING A WORD TO ME, left me alone for about 20-30 minutes while I sit on upstairs with a hungry stomach, ”they said.
Others cited their own cultures as a reason to never leave a guest hungry in their own home. In fact, the Instagram account @LoverofGeography created one Map in the footsteps of #Swedengate which highlights which European countries are more likely than others to feed their guests. Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland were marked in red, which means “very unlikely to give you food”. Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Spain and Greece were “almost always” considered likely to serve food to their guests.
“Meanwhile in Indonesia, we cook extra food daily in case any friends, family and neighbors come during lunch / dinner time,” one person tweeted, while someone else said: “This does not happen in Asian families. If anything, the host will not eat so that they can give more to the guest. ”
Another person wrote: “Just so you know, blacks look down on people who do this. Not feeding a child when they come to play but everyone else ate, is a guaranteed way to ensure that the child never comes in through your door again. We feed everyone. Even when we do not have enough. “
After days of debate about Sweden’s cultural customs, it is safe to say that #Swedengate will not change much about the country’s unspoken rule of not feeding its guests. Although the tradition is typical of Sweden, it seems that the only people who find it strange are those who are not from Sweden. If anything, the online discourse helped shed light on the world’s different cultures – even if they cause a lot of uproar.