“What’s the strangest thing you’ve had to do in someone’s home because of their culture or religion?” This simple question, posed by an anonymous user on the social platform Reddit, was enough to open an immense debate on Swedish hospitality. In fact, among the answers, two refer to a Swedish custom according to which it is socially acceptable not to share one’s meals with guests, even if they are children. The testimonies went viral, so much so that on social media the discussion was immediately renamed #Swedengate, the Swedish scandal.
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“I remember going to a friend’s house and while we were playing his mother said dinner was ready. She asked me to wait in her room ”. It reads in the answer in question. A testimony which two hours later is followed by that of another anonymous user who tells of having slept at a friend’s house, but not having been invited to his breakfast with the rest of the family. “I still think about it, 25 years later,” jokes the user.
The screenshoots immediately went around the world sparking ironic comments and squabbles. “You have to be prepared if you want to go out with Swedish friends,” writes someone posting pictures of people putting food in their pockets. On Twitter, many have shared similar experiences. “As I followed my friend as she walked to the dining table, her mother sternly told me that I could wait and play in her room until dinner was over,” said the Swedish activist and writer. Lovette Jallow.
Even the official account of the Sweden took a stand on the #Swedendgate explaining that “the idea that Swedes don’t offer refreshments to their guests does not faithfully reflect the way we approach things”. “Swedes entertain guests of all kinds in their homes,” continues the tweet which mentions some traditions such as offering coffee and pastries to guests.
“I am Swedish. It is true that we do not offer food to our guests. What’s the problem? ”He wrote Linda Johansson in the British online newspaper The Indipendent. “The thinking is this: the other child (or the other family) may have different plans for dinner and you don’t want to ruin the routine or the preparations. I don’t think it’s something that has to do with not wanting to feed a child, but with tradition and wanting to eat with your family ”, reads the article.
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“It happens,” he also admits Richard Tellström, food historian at Stockholm University and author of a book on 19th and 20th century Swedish food culture. Tellström explains that this was a widespread custom, “not a universal law”, when he was a child in the 1960s and 1970s. But it is now out of use, as some users on social networks also confirm.
One question remains, how could a simple and harmless comment have generated the #Swedengate? Some academics believe that the reason for this diffusion is due to the theme of the debate. Sharing food is important in our value system. An action that is given a different meaning based on one’s culture. For others, however, all this shows how sensitive Swedes are to their image abroad.
“I would like people who don’t speak Swedish to understand that the absolute funniest thing about #Swedengate is the deadly serious debate in the national media with expert speeches on food safety and foreign policy options to save the national brand,” he said. the Swedish political scientist commented on Twitter Ian Higham.