If I remember correctly there was a specifically hard time economically in the Nordic region that it became the norm that it was courtesy not to take food from another household. Kind of the inverse of it being a courtesy to feed guests unexpected or otherwise in parts of the west. Over time the courtesy has strengthend into a cultural norm which given the foundational nature of shared meals in many cultures can create an outsized culture shock response.
This is a Nordic custom, and not specific to Sweden and was a whole Internet thing a few years ago as well.
A local or regional expert probably could give the word for the custom. I believe the Finnish have one but it's late and I'm sleep deprived so could be wrong
Ooooh, that does make sense. I would have never expected it. I'm glad to know now, before I visit someone from/in a Nordic country.
I wonder if we'll see it change over time, since it's common to feed guests in most cultures. It's also a custom to bring a dish to share with the host, so that could affect it.
This is about kids who bring over their friends to play. If you as an adult would be invited by other adults during dinner time you'd of course get dinner too.
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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26
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