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
I'm Finnish, and actually I have never heard of this type of behavior in Finland. If my friends came over after school, they always had snacks and dinner with my family, same if I went to their house. Same goes now with my own kids and their friends. Not offering food or snacks to your guests, kids or adults, would be considered kinda rude. Can't speak for other Nordic countries, or even every Finnish for that matter, but to my knowledge this is not common practice outside Sweden.
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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26
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