World shocked at Reddit post revealing weird Swedish practice

People are shocked after finding out a weird practice that happens if you visit someone who lives in Sweden.

Let’s be honest: Scandinavia is better than most of us. But now we finally have one small thing to feel superior about.

While most of us would expect at least the offer of a snack if we were over at a friend’s place during dinner time when we were kids (heck, I’d still expect it now, to be honest), Swedish people would not agree.

Responding to a Reddit thread asking for the weirdest experiences people have had when visiting the home of a person from another culture or religion was, one user brought up a Swedish secret.

The original post that had the rest of the world shocked. Picture: Reddit.

“I remember going to my Swedish friend’s house,” shared the post. “And while we were playing in his room, his mom (sic) yelled that dinner was ready. And check this. He told me to WAIT in his room while they ate. That sh*t was f**king wild.”

Another user replied to this story with a similar experience of their own, except for breakfast after a sleepover.

“I slept over at a friend’s house,” explained the post. “When we woke up, he said hes [sic] going downstairs for a few minutes. After about 15 minutes I go on the stairs to see wtf is happening and they’re eating breakfast. They see me and tell me hes [sic] almost done and will be up there soon. I still think about that sh*t 25 years later.”

Another Redditor had also been left out of mealtime. Picture: Reddit

Many other Swedish people confirmed the story was normal. Picture: Reddit.

While many users responded with pure shock at to feeding your house guests, others confirmed that this is pretty normal practice in Sweden.

“I live in Sweden, can confirm! Not all Swedes are like this, though … but some! So weird,” said one.

The revelation is so bizarre that the original post made its way onto Twitter, gaining it’s very own hashtag: #Swedengate.

Swedish people on Twitter were quick to defend the practice, explaining that it was pretty common practice and was usually because they weren’t expecting guests to dinner and only make enough to feed their own family.

Which sounds like a lie to me, especially considering my kid nephew sometimes eats like a sparrow at dinner, and other times goes for thirds. But maybe the Swedes are just really talented at predicting portion sizes.

You're right. Carl. We in Sweden don't feed someone elses kid, why should we, everybody has their own parents/ home.

— Windmoor's light 🌻🐶 🇸🇪 (@WindmoorsEllaS) May 30, 2022

Back on Reddit, a few German users said it was pretty common practice not to feed house guests in their country too.

“You would be surprised,” one post said. “That used to be a very common thing in Germany when I was younger (im [sic] 23 now). My mother did that too and so did the parents of my friends lol But in my case that was a good thing to me because I used to [be] very very squeamish about my food and I did not want to come across as rude, weird or disrespectful because I would not like their food.”

Apparently it's common practice in Germany too. Picture: Reddit.

People from all over the world — Nepal, Italy, Mexico, U. S. A and more — all shared their horror at the thought. But who knows, maybe it’s us who are wrong to expect food sharing.

To be fair, I can see how problems would arise if one person was always hosting. But in general, it just seems oddly hostile for such a friendly country.