What Is #Swedengate? Debate Sparked Over Sweden's Hospitality Norms

A massive discourse has been sparked on social media site Twitter over Swedish hospitality. The controversy began from a Reddit post in a forum titled Ask Reddit where a user had questioned users to speak about the weirdest thing they had to abide by at someone else's house because of their culture or religion.

One user’s response received particular focus from the internet. They said, “I remember going to my Swedish friend’s house. And while we were playing in his room, his mom yelled that dinner was ready. And check this. He told me to WAIT in his room while they ate.”

Swedengate Trending On Twitter 

Taking a cue from there, the Reddit post spread like wildfire across social media, with the hashtag #Swedengate trending on Twitter. Thousands of users were found sharing their own experiences of not being served food in a Swedish household. Many Swedes protected the practice, while non-Swedes began carping the country for its dining practices.

While the bulk of the internet was shocked to find out that Swedes are unlikely to feed guests in their homes, the exercise is actually the norm throughout Sweden. As a rule, the Swedish people do not serve food to guests, notably to children who are playing at their house so as to not mess up any dinner plans their family might have instead.

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“I can’t believe Reddit and Twitter have changed the entire outlook of how people look at Sweden. Over 100 years of Sweden is seen as such as a good place to live and a screenshot has ruined them #swedengate,” wrote one user on Twitter. 

The user further added, “To all the people saying people are lying and it doesn’t happen in Sweden, there are literally WHITE SWEDES that have confirmed the stories on TikTok.”

“I grew up like this, and it was out of respect for the visiting child's parents who may have planned dinner which would then get wasted. Also, sitting down to dinner as a family was an important part of the day, so you shouldn't mess with another’s family's mealtime,” said a Swedish user, defending the custom.

Feature Image: Representative Image of Swedish Dish (Lacadmie)