He’s Talking About How Swedish People Typically Don’t Feed Guests Who Are Visiting Their Homes
To outsiders, Swedish culture can seem extremely eccentric and quite exotic. What’s completely normal in Sweden can be viewed as incredibly rude in other cultures.
TikToker Kevin Nguyen (@notkevinnguyen46) is talking about a phenomenon called “Swedengate,” using examples of various social media posts from different people who have experienced Swedengate to enrich his discussion.
Swedengate refers to Swedish food culture. When it comes to mealtime, Swedes typically don’t feed guests who might just happen to be visiting their homes.
“As a rule, Swedish people don’t serve food to guests (particularly to other children who are playing at their house) so as to not mess up any dinner plans their family might have instead,” Kevin wrote in the caption of his video.
According to a Reddit post, one user recalled visiting a Swedish friend’s house and was asked to stay upstairs in his friend’s room while the family ate dinner together.
This practice is not restricted to Sweden. In fact, it’s pretty common across all Scandinavian and some northern European countries.
People from North America, southern Europe, and Asia tend to have difficulty understanding the concept.
For example, in Indonesia, people will cook extra food every day just in case friends, family, or neighbors stop by unannounced during mealtimes.
One Twitter user explained that Swedes cook very precise portions for the people they expect to feed, namely their family.
Photo 140688972 © Darya Petrenko – Dreamstime.com – illustrative purposes only
So, there usually isn’t enough food for unexpected guests. If you want to join a Swedish family for dinner, you have to let them know in advance so they can add an extra portion.
Another reason for not offering guests food might be out of respect for the visiting child’s parents. The child’s parents may have planned to eat dinner with the whole family.
Swedish people value family time, so they won’t invite the visiting child to eat with them to prevent them from ruining their dinner.
It’s hard to say why exactly Swedengate is a thing. In the comments section, one TikTok user theorized that it may have something to do with how the weather in the area impacted the accessibility of food before the era of industrialization. Several other TikTok users chimed in, explaining how mealtime works in their respective cultures.
“Meanwhile, at my Italian friend’s house, I am being fed three meals and snacks every hour at gunpoint,” commented one user.
“My Egyptian mother would grill me and feed me to the guest if there is no food in the house,” joked another.
“In Greek culture, we will feed anyone at any time – and send you home with a container of food, too!” exclaimed a third.
@notjimmymaio As a rule, Swedish people don’t serve food to guests (particularly to other children who are playing at their house) so as to not mess up any dinner plans their family might have instead. #greenscreen #swedengate #swedish #food
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