Internet War Over International Hosting Etiquette

Reddit and Twitter changed how people view Sweden. Over 100 years, people saw Sweden as a good place to live. A single screenshot ruined that view.#swedengate

Redditoru/sebastian25525asked:

What is the weirdest thing you had to do at someone else’s house because of their culture or religion?

From Redditoru/Wowimatard:

I remember going to my Swedish friends' house.

While playing in his room, his mom yelled dinner was ready. He told me to WAIT in his room while they ate.

That was wild.

From Redditoru/TeaRaveler:

I stayed at a friend's house. We woke up, and he said he was going downstairs for a few minutes. After fifteen minutes, I went up the stairs to see what was happening; they were eating breakfast. They saw me and told me he was almost done and would be up soon.

I still think about that stuff twenty-five years later.

I grew up this way. It was out of respect for the visiting child's parents who might have planned dinner that would go to waste. Eating dinner as a family was an important part of the day. You should not mess with another family's meal time.

As a Swede, I confirm this. The second case without breakfast is weird. But the first case is normal. I find it weird to feed someone else's kid just to play. Sleepovers mean they get food.

As a Swede, I do not think this is a culture thing. It has more to do with guests showing up unexpectedly and not having enough food for everyone. We only make enough food we think we will eat. Otherwise, they eat with the family. (At least in my experience)

I am not kidding. I went to a friend's house. Tea time was approaching, and I was getting ready to leave. They insisted I stay. They ate without me. It was awkward. How do you insist someone stays and then not feed them when a meal is near? I was very hungry.

My family (British and French) lived in Sweden for a time in the 90s for my dad's job. My mom made friends with the Polish guy who ran the local video store. One day, during a chat, she invited him and his wife over for dinner. The guy started crying, and my mother was confused.

In the Middle East, they had to make ads telling people to stop inviting and feeding census workers.https://t.co/Rb3E8MIpSB

One of my best friends is Pakistani. When I stay at hers, she does not just feed me; SHE MAKES ME A PACKED LUNCH FOR MY JOURNEY HOME THE NEXT DAY.

“Mom, my friend is here. Can they stay for dinner?”

Taiwanese household: “Sorry we only had one hour. Not enough time! We would have made more. Just simple food, maybe not tasty enough. We should have made some duck. But please eat.”pic.twitter.com/RMv2qYLj2t

My best was a Greek kid. At his place, his mom opened his room door. We played video games. She started yelling at him in Greek, pointing at me. He shouted back a few times. Then he stopped. He asked me, "Do you want tomato on your sandwich?"

My Moroccan parents say if we have guests and lack food, give them tea, biscuits. Or, the Moroccan way: olive oil, homemade bread, and olives on the side.

In Brazil, I was lost in a small town looking for my hostel. I stopped at a house with an open window. I asked the woman inside for directions. She was cooking. She asked if I was hungry and invited me to lunch with her family before I left. Then she asked my name.

I waited for my Swedish friend to join after he finished eating with his family.This is the picture for 'The Rest Of The Internet Started To Respond... In Memes' in the list 'Internet War Over International Hosting Etiquette'.

Kids in Sweden. Their friends eat dinner downstairs with their family.This is the picture for 'More Memes' in the list 'Internet War Over International Hosting Etiquette'.

We tried sharing a meal in Sweden.This is the picture for 'And Even More Memes' in the list 'Internet War Over International Hosting Etiquette'.

This is the picture for 'Finally, We Got A Basic Layout Of Which European Cultures Feed Their House Guests' in the list 'Internet War Over International Hosting Etiquette'.

Sorry, I cannot make our morning meeting. I learned feeding a guest dinner in Sweden is strange. So, I read 500 people discuss it until 3 AM.

I wish my abuela was still here. She would try to airlift tamales to Sweden.