17 Weird Things Swedish People Do
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- čas přidán 15. 08. 2018
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every country has their own quirks when it comes to culture and behaviour, so here is a list of absolute weirdest customs from my own birth place - sweden. because swedish people definitely do some weird stuff. yep, it's roasting time !
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i talk about:
- the law of being humble ?!
- it's oj, not oi !
- the all-mightly swedish liquor store !
- how to keep badgers away ?
- why the women of the north are leaving ?!
- we love uniform clothing !
- why are swedes scared of their neighbours ?
- the brutally honest answer to a simple 'how are you' ?
- why stranger danger is not a thing !
- hej hej, tack tack, puss puss !
- we call each other by our actual names - no mr, miss or dr here !
- we take our shoes off, always !
- coffee is just coffee, no macchiatos, esprosso, cortado - coffee !
- the kebabizza, enough said !
- feminist fashion for everyone !
- card is king !
after i asked you guys on instagram what videos you would like to see, swedish culture fun facts was one of the most popular ideas. now, this is all just good-humoured fun, so i hope you like the quirks of my people. i am so curious to hear what some weird things your own country-people do too, please share !
love // jenny
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I think I’ve found my people. As soon as you said I could avoid people and not come off as rude, you had me packing my bags.
Denisse Gonzalez Welcome to Sweden! :D
Moonshimmer 😋
ME TOO this is a country for me
Consider Russia as an option too
YES my people too!!
Country of INTROVERTS??? *checks cost of one-way plane ticket to Sweden*
I’m a biiiig introvert ! But I got a question for Swede man !!! I ve been introduced to a Swedish guy, 35 years, (The guy’s dad is my dad’s friend) so this man gave to his son my number and told him that I was really interesting girl and that it would be nice if we can talk to each other ... etc. After 2 weeks ... the boy called me and talked to me for like 15 minutes, we mainly talked respectively about our jobs. I live in another country (far away) and I have no idea about Swede guys character ! The day after he didn’t call me back ! What should I do ? Call him ? Text him ? In my culture a girl isn’t supposed to call or text a guy until he calls for few days and shows interest ! The father calls me waaay more than the son !
It is a bit of a paradox, that claimed introvert stuff, because we swedes are very fond of participating in various sorts of groups or hobby or social clubs (sports, games, cooking, dancing etc etc), where we love to socialize with people that share our specific interests. Many popular movements in Swedish history has always been very successful because of the swedes need to belong, such as the temperance movement or the high percentage of the people unionising. So i would say that Swedes in general are more about being outgoing on our own terms and when we feel like it. And most often we do:)
you can also move to Toronto, nobody likes looking or talk to each other. city of introverts
EXACTLY!
Danishuia Adams: Me too. Let's go girl!
I married a Swede years ago. The weird thing I found is you must refuse any offer by your host three times, before accepting when they finally ask, "Are your certain?" weird.
That sounds like China.
Yeah, so annoying.
No it's normal in Pakistan too.
We have to refuse , if we are not very close.
But yes still in relatives we have to refuse, well if you really don't want to eat that because of your diet.
You have to explain that you are sick so you can't eat it
I don't recognize that at all, what do you mean 😆 If someone says here have a cookie I go, sure thank you haha
My grandparents immigrated from Sweden to Canada around 1940. Many years later our family inherited the family farm in northern Sweden (Lycksele District in Vasterbotten County). Some day I would like to go see it. All the old farm equipment was auctioned off about ten or fifteen years ago.
Hi
Oh, you should travel there! Sweden is an awesome country. You will love it, for sure!
Lycksele is close to where I live! Which is the largest city in Norrland (northern part of Sweden). The city is like the Stockholm of Norrland and everything you will ever need can be found there. (Except perhaps sunlight in the winter :) )
You should absolutely come and visit your family farm (and Umeå). You will most likely love it!
Hello😉
It's far north and the most socialist county in all of Sweden 🤣 But the north is beautiful in it's own way
I am American of Swedish grandparents. In 1997,when I went to Varmland, to the grocery store, I saw children's buggies lined up at the store. They all had babies in them. The mothers were shopping. They left their babies in the shade. How wonderful is the trust and the goodness in your country. Give your beautiful and kind people some credit.
You would never do that here in the USA, unless you actually wanted to get rid of your child. I can't even imagine it.
In many countries the parents would likely be arrested! It's probably not a specially dangerous thing to leave a baby unattended. I mean seriously what is the actual incidence of baby theft?! Does anyone know?
No hierarchy? I'd love the place, because here, I'm always at the bottom of the pile. Creates alot of internal anger.
People did that here in the 50's.
We used to do that in England, but not since the importation of Migrants.
The first time I met my Swedish friend, I asked her if she lived in the same rez building on campus and she said "yes", turned around and walked away. I think that pretty much sums up Swedish small talk :D
Katrin 😂😂😂😂
Haha hilarious it’s totally like that here in Sweden
GREAAAAT! Cause I reaaally love small talk lol (NOT)
Maybe she just didn't want to talk ,,
I greet people if they greet me, but i don't stop walking
I think the reason for checking the hallway before stepping out of your apartment thing, is also about not putting pressure on your neighbour and let them off going through the polite small talk routine. It's about consideration to some degree.
Hmm...det kan nog stämma. Good thinking 👍🤓
A second point is that while everyone goes to great lengths to avoid having to interact with eachother, when the train system breaks down, people are surprisingly friendly!
Craziest thing America believes? That everyone needs to be an extrovert. It's the most tiring social imperative I can imagine. Sweden sounds great.
The craziest thing Americans believes in must be God...
@@chalphon4907 we get it. You're atheist. Not what the commenter even mentioned. You people are just as boring as the Bible bashers.
Yes! It’s like we grow up believing extroversion is the default and if you need alone time then you’re rude. 😭
@@cassr6965 well he or she does make a good point though.. since the majority of swedes do not care about religion.. you will barely find any christians in the cities.. a lot of muslims due to our screwed up immigration politics (same as with germany).
when i say screwed up i am talking about the econimical factors.
say your country increased its population by 10% with mostly refugees within a decade and you will notice the toll it takes on the country's financial system..
our healthcare, welfare, school, police and well.. name any state funded branch and you can see how they get less and less funding.
so yeah, talking about religion isnt really high on the priority list and most sane individuals get annoyed when people talk about their religion all the time (as we are annoyed by most stuff).. so i would say that should factor in when it comes to moving to sweden.
if you find this comment negative.. well, she did mention in this very video that we tend to speak mostly about the negative stuff.. i cannot remember when i last had a "positive" conversation with a friend because we are all annoyed by the same shit.
Is that why so many Americans I have met are loud? No disrespect, I was just wondering why it sounds like they are shouting all the time, is it because everyone is loud in the USA?
"Swedes don't like to brag and they dress like everyone else."
"Everyone walks in the woods in Sweden."
"Swedes are extremely reserved people who try to avoid small talk."
"Swedes will tell you their whole life story and complain if you ask them how they're doing."
"Swedes are very trusting people."
People from Northern Michigan: Is this paradise?
What part of northern michigan are u from?? I live there too!
Northern Michigan was largely settled by Swedish immigrants, so the similarity is no mistake!
hhh keep in mind the depression and long dark winter , you one million people on anti depressive medicine , rasicm is in every level in society, education, job and even social relationsships
Yes my brothers join us and I can get y’all a mix kebabpizza and a kebab plate y’all want some tacos too we Swedes make hella good food in general
@@Alan-mz3sc alan ive seen the same comment multiple times now. What are you doing??
I am a descendent of Swedish immigrants, about 3 generations out and I am amazed at how many things I grew up with culturally that you did in Sweden.
I noticed the same things about myself and my (now deceased) father! It makes sense that some behaviors continue through the generations since that's the environment in which you're raised - especially there's a parental marriage with a culturally/behaviorally similar partner.
same, but my family don't know as much about this lineage, unfortunately. I'd love to trace my heritage by visiting the birthplaces and local lands of my forebears.
As a driver I’ve been to Sweden a lot of times and I always felt safe and welcome. It’s a great country.
Who actually wears shoes indoors? Other than slippers, she’s right, it’s barbaric.
Well i do if im not home
Me but I’m also barbaric so 🤷♂️
Pretty much everyone from the USA.
@@basicbaroque That's messed up.
Stephanie Putnam ...that's absolutely not true. Many do, but many dont. It is more common now than in the past and it also varies from region to region.
1. Be humble
2. Oj!
3. No alcohol
4. Crispy bread in boots
5. Guys generally stay North
6. Dress modestly and similarly
7. Speak cutely
8. Avoid socialising at all cost
9. Do not engage in small talk
10. Trust everyone
11. Double up words
12. You're equal to everyone else
13. Shoes off when indoors
14. Drink coffee
15. Everything is unisex
16. Kebabizza
17. Don't bring cash, use a card
Seems like the perfect place for me! I'm seriously considering moving to Sweden and I feel like it's just such a nice place with a great society
@Erika K just another reason to move!!
Some of these r a little excessive
@@cronehemma to you maybe, it just fits my personality perfectly
If you do you Will NOT regret it! Well maybe on the winter But otherwise no!
@@smhhelp7308 that's one of the reasons I want to move! Ideally I'd move to Antarctica but it's not realistic😂
You have cleared up a good many quirks of my Swedish/American family that have made us seem so different. My grandparents emigrated to the US 109 years ago, yeah, I am old, but not as old as I hope to be! There was always a pot of coffee on the stove and whoever took the last cup made the new pot - even Grandpa. My whole family seemed reticent and I can see them checking the halls so that don't have to ride the elevator with someone else. There are other things too, but I have a better understanding of my Swedish family now. The American side? Not so much.
The craziest thing about Brazil? Even with all of our difficulties we're still smiling, we make fun of our bad situation, there's a kind of joke here wich is "Even in the shit, we're still smiling"
Dosn't like to stand out ✔️
Avoids talking to people ✔️
Does everything to avoid bragging ✔️
Is 100% honest about "how I'm doing" ✔️
*Huh, I guess I'm Swedish now*
Im swedish and i do none of theses
Welcome to Sweden
The first 3 are true but not the last One
Last one aint true
Same... I've always felt connected to this country....
Cleanest country ever didn’t see one piece of trash on the road in a two week stay. They take a lot of pride in there land and it shows. They should be very proud it’s beuti!!!!
But they can't be "proud"!! It isn't allowed!! LOL
In secret we are 😉
Kelly Green we are. We dont show it tho. Except for these 12 year olds on the internet
That isn’t really true at least not in the big cities. I would say that award go to japan
@@jagkommerintepaettnamnfort3087 it's true we keep it clean becoase we spend billions just on cleaning. Ever noticed how there always seem to be a sertain amount of trash at all times?
it's really difficult when going to america or the uk and they use the phrase "how are you" as a greeting! because when someone asks me something, i try to answer it as truthfully as possible. so if an american asks me "how are you", i always stop and think how i'm doing and say it. even though i know it's not always a question from their side...
i usually return a question on that one: Are you a cop?
It's not a big problem. You can be what you are and answer what you think. It's not so difficult to change unless you are so old. Do what that nation do, and if you can't, it's not a problem.
@@minaazad2274 oh no, u really cant. Cause you will get assaulted or even murdered here. So my advise is, is to not trust anyone really. Social scorpions, thats what we are.
Better than the Chinese who say "Have you eaten?"
I have worked with a few Swedes in my time and I find that they take things quite literally. If you say “Can you pass me the knife?”, the expectation is that the person would simply pass you the knife. However, the response is more like “Yes of course I can pass you the knife”. So they literally answer the question confirming that they have the capability of passing you the knife.
I'm only half Swedish but you just describe my family. But we're even worse than that.
"Please pass the asparagus."
Someone picks up the asparagus and passes it to someone else.
You have to say, "Please pass the asparagus to me." If you ask, "Would you pass the asparagus to me," you're likely to get an answer to your question, "Yes, I would."
@@pauljones2510
Paul I am so fascinated by this that sometimes I answer questions in the "Swedish Style" just to see the confused reaction. I have derived a fair bit of amusement out of this, but I do enjoy the logic of it. Logically, the Swedes have got it right!
@@floydfloyd3706
"May I ask a question?"
"In addition to the question you just asked?"
Haha But no way we do that unless person is disabled mentaly:-)
@ Floyd Floyd. To be fair though, they did exactly as you requested. Please pass me the knife would result in your receipt of the knife.
This is so true, i am from sweden, and the first thing i do when i get on the bus on my way to school i start complaining about how my head hurts and that i am tired and hate my life etc. to my friend who will respond with her problems. when we've finished talking about it we will sit quiet right next to eachother- not saying a single word to eachother. And if you get a compliment from someone you will ALWAYS answer with something similar to "No, thats not true, but look at yourself thoe" and that person will probably answer something like "are you mad? i am so ugly" and then you will turn quiet... i love my country
Julia Dahlstrom: Such a sweet comment. I loved it! ♥💐♥
I think I’d like Sweden. Introverted and complaining is my personality. Add coffee and equality, I’m in heaven!
Tina Driscoll lol I frickin wear earphones on the bus so I don’t have to talk to random people
@@kasandraheric1162 Good idea!
Yeah It’s true. Sweden is the very definition of heavenbuuuuut then it comes to speaking swedish
I mean try to say a normal name from sweden
Göran
Equality????
Thanks for the laughs. My mother is Swedish and I went to University in Sweden. We spent a fair amount of time between the US and Sweden growing up, so I can relate to the oddities of both countries.
Hej!! My mom is Swedish, too.
I'm half Swedish and my grandparents emigrated here. I got a huge chuckle each time you said something that framed not only my personality but that of my family tendencies, Who knew that perhaps there's something genetic or at least well-learned behavior. Being handed a compliment is like being handed a hot potato that has to be tossed over onto another - ASAP!
I'm from Poland. I've lived in Stockholm for two months. Everything what you said is soooo true, especially the 'tack tack' and 'hej hej' thing! I found it strange but also so cute!
Pozdrawiam :)
yeah its used when u really dont want any contact, but still needs to show courtesy. as a swede, i stopped saying those things since its stupid.
@@romanopaso do you mean hur mår du i am swedish i live in Stockholm
Hi
"Puss puss" though?
I am from Latvia and I was working for a Swedish company for nearly 5 years. Went to the work trips to Kista, Stockholm couple times a year. People in Sweden are very nice and veery good looking! I also liked this no hierarchy thing, it was like that in our local office too, everyone is equal and noone is bragging, super healthy environment. I also liked fikas alot :)
Oh wow! It's so unusual for me to see another Latvian. Especially now that I live in the U.S. where no one has even heard of it :(
I'm Swedish, working as a cleaner, and our clients are made up of companies - shops, offices, factories.. (no private homes). I spend almost all of my time among my clients (regulars) it's abt 4-5 companies per day, and they all treat me like one of their own. Whether it's a boss or employee. If it's someone's birthday, they be like "Hanna, want a piece of cake?". Some are like "heeey we didn't see you last week, where were you? We missed you!". I know cleaning isn't a dream job for many, but here - at least in small towns like mine - people really notice you as a person. I feel very lucky! :)
That is exactly what the Swedes love to hear and not any bad thing or lets put this way a reality check about them. They are afraid of conflicts and not a good problem/conflict solver :)
Chaudhry Saad Sandhu - You’re absolutely correct, swedes are generally afraid of conflicts. On the other hand, we actually are very good at solving conflicts in general (perhaps not when comming in personal level). I do believe Sweden, compared to other countries, has been the most frequent global problem solver, in conflicts between countries all over the world. At least some one out there must think we’re good at it☺️
And reg hierarchy. Why shouldn’t we (always) treat everyone equaly? Employees should be concerned and focused on their mission, not on reducing other peoples effort, no matter if it’s cleaning or accounting or what ever. Same thing in a business team etc, everyone may use their voice and state their opinion, regardless of position. As long as everyone knows who’s in charge and makes the final decisions in the end.
Patrik Persson thanks for the Response... could you please let me know where Sweden has contributed to solve world problems since they never wanted to go into any sort of conflicts ever in their history... also their weapons are also used in Afghan war escalating the war and most probably killed innocent people along with bad guys... the source is some professor teaching business in Swedish university (cannot name to shame him) saying proudly that „our weapons were used in the war“... what a professor isn‘t it :)
Thank you for this wonderful video! I have a best friend from Sweden and he always tells me how reserved Swedish people are and I never understood (I'm Mexican and we are super warm and a bit nosy) and this sheds more light on that.
In winter when the streets and sidewalks get covered with ice we spread sand on them to avoid accidents. That sand sticks to the shoes and fall of when you go inside. If you do not take them of when you enter a home, soon that sand will be every where.
Swedish people are extremely nice but very strange.
Persi A. Thank you!
Like PHOEBEE BUFFAY!
Thanks!
Swedes are my favorite Nordic people, by far. And amongst my top 5 favorite Europeans.
So much for Star Trek's going to new planets to meet strange new exotic people.
Other weird things we do:
- We never say "please". We don't actually have a word for it. Closest thing is "snälla" which means more like "be kind" and sounds superwhiny. We just thank straight away: "kopp kaffe tack"
- In Göteborg, people spit on the ground a LOT
- Snus. You're talking to a gorgeous handsome person and then some black goo pours down their teeth. Ew.
- In Stockholm, people NEVER hold the door for you. Ever.
- Up North, people do this thing to say "yes" that's like a short loud inhaling. Usually startles foreigners who think you are suddenly surprised by something
- In the cities, one of the first thing people ask you is what neighbourhood you live and how you got that place (housing shortage oblige)
- During parties, people will leave in the middle of a conversation without warning
- Doors open in the opposite direction as the rest of the world
- If you're with a bunch of people and need to use the toilet, you'll announce that you need to pee. Because why wouldn't you.
- In the spring and summer, freshly graduated highshoolers wear all-white all the time.
- We often eat pea soup and pancakes on Thursdays
- We have so many baked-goods-related holidays. Cinnamon buns, semla, waffles, saffran buns... Sooo manyyyy
- If you don't have an invitation to a country-side cottage on Midsommar you're supposedly a loser. People will think you have no friends and pity you.
- While it's true that we avoid talking to our neighbours at all costs, if one of them disrespects the laundry room schedule, it's WAR.
- First time you greet someone you shake hands. From then on, you're on hug-basis. Unless you're two guys, then you shake hands for life.
I could go on for hours. Haha. We're a weird bunch.
I think laundry rooms in reasonable apartments is a mostly Swedish thing, most countries I have lived in, the norm is that there is a washing machine in every apartment when I mention we always had shared washing rooms, they tend to look at me wondering what kind of slum I grew up in... I kind of miss the washing room wars over a forgotten sock :)
Jeez and I thought Czechs are weirdos :D
Marki Faux yup
I think u are very wrong about the part that people don't hold the door open for u in Stockholm. I have never once experienced this, usually it is the opposite
@@cinnamongirl9024 In the 42 years I've been on this planet not a single person has held a door for me in Stockholm. So I think I'm pretty spot on about this one.
You are proof of the "we swedes do cute a lot" bit. When combined with such intelligence and humor, it must be quite challenging to not seem special. Thank you for an informative and endearing video.
My husband and I lived in Sweden for almost a year when he was on sabbatical leave, so most of what you've said was familiar. One thing that seemed odd until I got used to it was that when two people were having a conversation the person listening at the moment would not listen quietly, but would make sounds, usually "aah" or inhale and say "ja" at the same time.
We enjoyed our stay in Sweden a lot and travelled around as much as we could.
Sweden sounds perfect for an introvert like me 😍
Ikr :))
You'd fit right in =)
I was thinking the same thing
Trust me it's not...
as an introvert i'm afraid i'll have to disappoint you. probably better than other countries but i still run into INTROVERT TROUBLE every fucking day.
You would hate Ireland then, we talk to everyone 🤣🤣
Lovaine Niblock i’m swedish and i instantly fell in love with Ireland❤️. incredibly nice people and the country is mindblowing. So god damn beautiful! I wanna go back, i wanna go back, i wanna go back!!!
Ireland has the best people
Hahaha i love that! I were in Ireland in August! It was very nice! It was a gift to my dad at his 50's birthday!
I love irish people. Haven't met one single dishonest or rude irish person. The thing is that in sweden small talk is so much more awkward
I love Irish people.. so friendly and kind .. love from Dubai
Young lady you are so amazing. Just a joy watching your presentation. This planet needs more people like you. I wish you much success.
When I traveled through Sweden, I was perplexed by the 'passive aggression. ' Later, I would make eye contact and say, 'Howdy, ' just for fun. I confronted a rude Syrian, and the Swedes were like Zombies sneering at my 'Viking' attitude.
?
Haha good on you, we donät like the rude Syrians either, but most Swedes are wimps, not all tho.. like me
As an introvert I think Sweden is my home
😂😂😂you know why people are wearing the same clothes? Because they are conformist( Kolektivist!!!) so if wont joint to the group you are going be alone🤘🏽
I was born in Sweden and lived here all my life. Never heard about the bread in the rubber boots to scare away badgers.
It's like a really old myth and not true. For one thing; the badger can't turn the head, so it would be hard to take a bite of the leg. I'm not sure that anyone does that, or has ever done that with bread in the boots. But yes; my grandmother gave me that as a good tip. ;)
I was told to just try to check for any branches nearby and try to crack it for the same effect.
@@nikezor1 Yes, me too!
LOL this is a big myth, imagine being out in the woods all day collecting berries, mushroom or fishing for example WITH bread in your boots??? lol just stupid
There are a few things she mentions that don't make sense. Seems like she spent most of her time in the South
It's actually very funny how extremely similar the culture you described applies to the Midwest of the USA. I have lived in the South East of the US for the last
15 years, but I spend the first 17 years in the Midwest.
Lake Wobegon!
Being from Minnesota with mostly Swedish grandparents I recognize a few elements, but far more from Garrison Keillor's stories about Lake Woebegone. More rural Scandinavia descendants fit some of those personality traits though. Not being able to accept compliments is definitely a trait I am Very familiar with though. 🙄
When meeting some of my Swedish (somewhat distant) relatives on visits to Sweden, everyone was very warm and welcoming. We shared family histories and stories freely. Not a lot of hugs, but great "fika" everywhere. 😁
Lots of Swedes immigrated to the midwest.
Maybe the rural Midwest. Definitely not Detroit! It's a caricature of the U.S.A.
My granddad drank his coffee slurppled through a sugar cube just the way you described. He did it in the winter -- I always thought that was just his way but thank you for letting me see him in a new way -- he was missing his first home and the family and friends left behind. This little "quirk" was his connection to everything back home. Thank you. Something else, he left for Canada in the 1890's and for this little thing to still be a custom would make him laugh out loud.
I’m a simple person. I see Sweden, I click
hhh keep in mind the depression and long dark winter , you one million people on anti depressive medicine , rasicm is in every level in society, education, job and even social relationsships
Alan stop judging countries and their people. It’s rude and disrespectful. Not everyone in 10 million people is exactly like that. I hope you know Swedes like winter. Just be quiet
@@The_real_fbi Jag tyckte hans beskrivning stämde väldigt bra, jag! Till viss del såklart 😉
One thing in Sweden that actually bothers me that I STILL did not got used to after 9(!!) years of living here: is staring. People stare at you. In my country (Russia), staring at people considered to be a very bad manners and can be taken as an act of aggression. And in my turn: in Russia, we don't just say "Hello" to anyone, nor smile at, unless we KNOW them. Saying hello to a person out of the blue, or smiling at, considered crazy (i.e. someone with mental disability). Something that Swedes do a lot and I love it!
Maybe you're just that good looking ;)
I can't say I've noticed much staring here...I was stared at a lot when living in Japan though...
Born swede here, haven't noticed people staring, quite the contrary actually =S People are really afraid of being seen by anyone, eye-contact is REALLY scary! My friends always complain that "no one ever sees them". So staring? Perhaps if you're gorgeous and meet people from other cultures, but Swedes would do anything to avoid looking at another person.. =S
Vänta när du kommer till Tyskland 😂we stare even more (and smile noticeably less). Its even called The German Stare by foreigners. I think it might have a root in subtle (or not so subtle) social control
I’ve also moved to Sweden from Russia. As for my opinion people are staring more in Moscow than in Stockholm. In Sweden you can dress like shit and nobody will care about you or judge you. Maybe it depends on which part of country we are talking about. I guess in small towns it’s not much going on so people can stare both in Russia and in Sweden, only because it’s freakin boring there.
If you think that people stare at you here in Sweden please don't travel to Southamerica then. There people used to stare....a lot. Not in every country but in Argentina for instead. It is very annoying more if you are good looking.
American. I’m horrified when people take their shoes off indoors. We think that feet are gross and unhygienic. It’s customary to clean off the bottom of your shoes before entering however. We all have vacuum cleaners.
I had no idea it was my Swedish DNA that made me weird, but you pretty much described me. Except for the badger part.
PUT CRISPBREAD IN YOUR BOOTS. THAT'S AN ORDER SIR, THE BADGERS WILL BITE YOU OTHERWISE: THANK YOU, Asgeir from Sweden
*Oj oj oj någon annan svensk?*
Oliwer Wallmark oj det är faktist jag
Miranda Lundgren Nice im just used Google Translate, sorry haha bah driver men nice
noorSubber Ok👍🏼👍🏼
Pebba Nuce
Emma dog Tjo
A rather bad Swedish trait that floated over the Atlantic with us American Swedes, is when someone makes you mad, you never ever talk to them again. I thought it was just my weird family, but mina ex-fru’s family did it too.
R Johnson yup. Holding grudges is an art for my Swedish ancestors in Canada.
It takes a lot to anger a Swede. But when they do get angry, they get seriously angry, although not always with a lot of histrionics. Cold blooded. So it makes sense that it would lead to grudges. Mediterranean folks (and Finns, lol) get tee'd off by any little thing, with a lot of drama, then a minute or two later they've forgotten about it. Hot blooded.
Related to her point #8: My Swedish relatives tell this joke...Some Danes, some Germans, some Norwegians, and some Swedes get shipwrecked together on an island. After a week, the Norwegians have built a shelter, the Germans are designing a boat, the Danes have brewed some beer (and hosted a party) and the Swedes are still standing around waiting to be introduced.
Complaining is exactly just the same "I'm so special" as the self bragging we want to avoid. Ironically.. ☺🤭 btw I'm Norwegian, we are very much the same ❤
I was a foreign exchange student years ago in Sweden, so I loved this video.
A big one you missed was the weird sucking in sound made instead of saying Ja. It cracked me up.
Tack tack
That's a thing that's most common in the north, it's done in some other places but it's pretty much trademarked there.
(It gets worse. Sometimes it doesn't always mean yes, I've seen people almost hold entire conversations.)
Det är typ ska du med till biltema
@@tedlidman4251 nej fyfan vad sant😂
Saga Zetterquist haha
That's what I said! I moved in December and I always think they can't breathe. 😂 My partner does it a lot.
sooo north Sweden you say? I will think about that.
haha, you're not alone on that one :)
Really, I was just packing my furs and boots to go find me a husband🙃
JodyB can relate haha
They're not lonely though, they have each other and their snow scooters. There's also the samis to bicker with.
Or northern Norway😬 welcome😍🇳🇴😉
I am Polish / German. I visited Sweden / Stockholm last month. I must say..I love it. I know, I was just tourist buy my impression is positive. I book another trip for October, this year. I like your weirdness :))) Best Regards, Robert
I understand the shoe thing now. I am an American but my family is Swedish. I mean the whole family mother, father, all relatives, grandparents all from Sweden. As a kid we always took our shoes off at the porch. I thought everybody did that. My friends were Swedes. Theyndid the shoe thing. It is only when got older I figured it out.
I have one from New Zealand: they’re so casual here that it wouldn’t be considered strange to see people out in public, like the supermarket, without shoes on. And sometimes they’re so casual you’ll even see them wearing what can only be described as pyjamas to the shops. Casual is definitely the order of the day for most kiwis. We also don’t use formal titles very much either. Uni lecturers, tutors and even your family doctor. I haven’t quite managed to break my old habits on that one though so I call my doctor Dr Di 🤷♀️
I even saw people barefoot at the gas station🤣
@@tanjaw9569: What makes servos special? You drive barefoot, you stop for petrol, fill up, trot inside to pay for it. Why would you put your shoes on?
@@resourcedragon because it‘s a pretty dirty place
Almost like Walmart in the US - people coming to shop in their pyjamas, or smelling like they've never had a bath in their lives, etc. People even bring pets in (even though the pets aren't supposed to be allowed). Oddly, haven't seen anyone barefoot, though I bet that happens too!
my kiwi prof would teach us calculus in bare feet
In Germany it is really bad luck to congratulate someone for their birthday, before the actual date. For example, somebody makes a birthday party on a Saturday, because their birthday is on Sunday and they want to party into the birthday, don't you dare to congratulate them before it is midnight.
Sin Pre same thing in Italy!
Not in France! so weird!!
Yes it's true , don't do that or you won't have German friends lol .
same here in Argentina!
I grew up in a part of Canada with many Scandianivians (Fins, Sweds, Latvian, Nordics of several countries, now I see the Taking off shoes, not bragging about yourself, complaining about others, and avoiding even people you know - Now I see where this all comes from!
Thanks for posting, it was both entertaining and enlighting!
I'm from Mexico, I've spent a year abroad in Umeå, it's great to remember the country and its people. It became my favorite place on earth, i hope to come back soon
Don’t come to Australia if you hate small talk! We are the best at it! No awkward silence down here. Go to the pub anytime of the day and you are most likely going to make a friend for life.
I do not think that the silence is awkward for the Nordics, just for the people that come here ;) Also, quite many regional differences at least in Finland. The old "tribes" are still strong. Also, Nordics are also "friend for life" type of people. Finns especially can be most easily become your friend in a pub ;) And the more we drink the more we talk XD
Sounds like America..
Pubs equal small talk worldwide, don't you think?
Sometimes we avoid people we know on the street or at the elevator just like Jenny described, if shy or not feeling in a social mood. But yes, when switched on, Australians are excellent at friendly small talk! We like people to feel comfortable around us. And for that reason, like Swedes, we also are modest and avoid bragging. But we don't have to put ourselves down because we can trust somebody else to do it for us if our heads get too big!!
Stephanie Bant That actually sounds awesome! /a swede
Nothing to worry about, Eevee. You just smile, we'll manage the small talk. You will have a marvellous time!
Since I moved to Norway and learned the language I'm using "oi" all the time - when I'm excited, surprised, amused, thankful, embarrassed or just sorry. Or when I don't know what to say. Oi!
I also noticed the weird fascination with junk food combos in Norway - I went to a pizza place and in the menu there was "pizza italiano". Sounds yummy doesn't it? Tomatoes, olives, maybe fresh basil? Nope. Pizza "italiano" means kabab pizza with curry mayo sauce. Deal with it.
Ha Ha! My grandfather was from Sweden and I recognize a lot of these 'weird' Swedish traits...I was watching an episode of 'Welcome To Sweden' and saw the female star of the show peeping through her mail slot in order to avoid anyone in the hallway before leaving for work, much to the confusion of her American boyfriend! Turns out it's true! Love it!! Now I know why my mother was so 'shy'...she wasn't shy, just brought up in the Swedish tradition! Love this Tack Tack!! ☺
Having lived in Sweden for some time now I personally think the weirdest thing in Sweden is that the whole nation watches the exact same and very old Disney cartoon every single year at Xmas (also at exactly the same time) 😂🤣 The fact that this doesn't show up in the list means that Swedes don't even find it to be weird.. 🤠
check out our new house tour channel : bit.ly/3wOqvvy
love // jenny
Please do a little guide on Stockholm! I’m going there fir 5 days soon and would love you to take some tips from you!!!
"mors mors" sounds like Japanese "moshi moshi" for "hello" when you are on the phone.
Jenny Mustard never travelled to Sweden ...yet. would like to go soon after seeing your video so I can discover it for myself.
Allt är så sant haha
No 1 applies to Ireland too we’re terrible at taking compliments!
In Portugal when anyone asks you how you are doing you reply "Vai-se andando" that roughly translates to "we manage to walk", not good, but we manage. I can't explain it but it's a bit sad, like you're barely alive 😂
Also people seem to love small talk especially elders. They also love telling every single detail about their lives to complete strangers.
Exactly the same in Greece!
Same in Spain. We say " ahi andamos", or " vamos tirando" like we are barely managing to move along in life. Lol.
Some people say something similar in Sweden. There's a phrase that sort of means "How's it going?" which is "Hur går det?". To this some people answer "Det går.", which directly translated is "It's going.". It means you're at least going somewhere, not really good or bad I guess.
Haha, kind of similar in some parts in Germany. The shortest answer is „Muss!“‘ which roughly translates to „Well you have to go on“..
yah hahahaha tão verdade
And we talk a LOT about the weather! When we are uncomfortable or have to talk to people we do not know, we always say something about the weather. "It's so cold outside today", "It's nice weather today", "It's going to rain tomorrow".
Great stuff. Really enjoyed it. Keep it coming.
I didn’t realize how heavy the Swedish influence is in Minnesota! The only major difference is that Minnesotans will talk to anyone and everyone about the weather.
Erin Nelson in Sweden the only socialy acceptable topic for small talk with a stranger is talking(complaining) about the weather😄
My ancestors moved to Minnesota. We found relatives quite recently and they told us you celebrate midsummer there as well. The same way as in Sweden. :)
Erin Nelson i am from Minnesota and currently live there. I have Swedish and Norweigian ancestors...only 2nd and 3rd generation in the US. Its coffee black (except to dunk donuts or cookies), immaculate hygge homes, everyone seems to want to blend in, and same thing about the unisex stuff (women are very strong and self sufficient here) i lived in NYC for 13 years what a difference! They totally don't get the strong women, hip unisex guy thing. Other parts of the US are very different than Minnesota. And its darn cold and dark here in winter but we still ice fish, sled, trek and ski.
Haha, love this! So essentially Minnesota is Sweden without all the cool universal healthcare and access to higher education? 😆
Yes, 19th and early 20th century, an estimated 1.3 million Swedes emigrated to the United States and a lot of them ended up in Minnesota and other rural states where you could farm, work with lumber and the likes.
No distinction between different tipes of coffee? In Italy we are obsessed with it, we could write a book about varieties of coffee: ristretto, lungo, macchiato (caldo or freddo), decaffeinato, nero, corretto, con schiuma, senza schiuma, americano, al ginseng...
But we have a thing in common with Swedish people, we L O V E complaining. Especially about politics or the economy in our country. The best answer you can get to a "how are you" is " not that bad after all" 😂
I wonder if there's a country that doesn't love to complain. I know us Brits and Poles do as well!
Hey Sofia, apparently Australians inherited a love & respect for good coffee from our Italian immigrants. So thank you!!!
I feel like we complain only if there is nothing else to talk about (to be polite). But of course, there are always individuals of every race who just love love love to whinge, eek!
Yes, we have a LOT of types of coffee in Sweden now, but you can still order just a balck coffee as the regular one. But personally I think coffee tastes bad!
There is different types of coffee. But the best (according to me and most Swedes) and most common is still a cup strong filter coffee.
Well it is different types of coffee, it’s different in different places in Sweden, in Stockholm they have a lot types of coffee, but in most smaller places they often just drink black coffee! :)
I just had my British born black wife listen to this video - we have spent a considerable time in Sweden in the last decade as we have a sailboat on one of the islands outside Gothenburg. She was confounded - her take on Swedes is that everyone she's come across has been very open and helpful. Sure, not wearing shoes inside is a no brainer - who doesn't?
I can relate to a lot of this even though I’ve never been there my heritage is 52% Swedish.
From blending in, shortening phrases, complaining haha
In Argentina we curse as if it was an Olympic sport.
Julieta Daza Haha that comment made my evening! 😂👌🏼
Poland say hi! We're in for a competition :D
Mate is a really weird habit for foreing people too
Give me bigger capital letters
Jajajajaja😂 LOL
I am Italian and here everybody wears their outside shoes indoors. Even in their own house. And I too think that it's barbaric. I just decided to buy a shoe rack for the entrance of our apartment to force my man to put on his damn flip flops when he comes home (and eliminate the shoe mayhem in the closet).
SpoonG Here in Spain we do the same!!
Sì ma in Paesi come l'Italia e la Spagna il clima è più permettente, in Svezia invece figuriamoci con tutto il nevischio di merda che c'è sulle strade durante l'inverno. Cazzo quanto mi manca l'Italia e le sue strade asciutte.
My American/Swedish friend and many Japanese think it is barbaric too. I could understand the sentiment if you lived near farm animals or back in the old days with horses pooping all over but now that we all have motor vehicles or bikes I don't see the big deal since the pavement is clean. If you work in an office building you don't walk around in your socks?
Hi
When someone demands I take off my shoes in their house, I feel like they are trying to humiliate me.
I didn't even think about this but it makes so much sense, I feel called out 😂
In Canada, at least where I live, no one wears shoes indoors either. But there is this unspoken rule of politeness when other people come over: Canadians will sometimes insist that the visitor doesn’t need to take their shoes off. But I think it’s good manners to still do so anyways 😅
May Streetxx same in Denmark 🇩🇰
I hate when I have to take off my shoes indoor and by the way I live in Canada ...I spend hours to plan which shoes I should wear with what . I am Syrian , and they used to take off there shoes once they arrive to someones house especially in winter but nowadays they stopped doing that ...I think the way we clean our houses is different . We clean the floor by spilling water and soap all over the place and then sweeping them . In Canada , Europe or Us is very hard to do that . So , I totally understand why in other countries they do not go around the house with their shoes on.
It's because of weather. No one wants to bring mud or salted sand with snow during winter on the wooden floor and carpet. :)
Same in Poland :)
Canadians: sorry, sorry, sorry , sorry. Eh? LOL
But yes, as a fellow Canadian, the shoes MUST come off. I noticed a lot of people - myself included - will say “oh no, keep them on.”, but you still always take them off.
Other than our stellar politeness and no shoes in the house, I can’t think of anything else.
In Poland we also love to complain!😅
And when i found out that people wear shoes indoors i was like "what? but they are dirty" Hahah
Nice video, i always like to learn about other cultures❤
hihi, we certainly have things in common with polish people :)
Nope. If it is as dirty as Sweden in the winter, it is completely natural to take off your shoes. So, Canada and other snowy parts of the world pracitice the same manners.
I'm Estonian and we here also love to complain about everything and everyone. Also it is usually not nice to brag about yourself and most of us keep to ourselves, meaning as little communication as possible. But once you get to know us, we're very friendly and open and talk you to death even 😄😅😆
@@sarahb.2080 Irish wear shoes inside too.
And if you ask poles "how are you" you will get the answer too😆😆
My Dad's parents came from Sweden to Wisconsin. Never knew my grandad, but loved my Gram Hulda ! I always remember when she would comment on things by saying
Sounds like "woof"! I have a crystal footed bowl that was hers, which I treasure!!
being from Swedish decent myself this was nice to listen to and I feel like I relate, thankyou :)
In Russia, we also take off our shoes indoors & looooove to complain a lot! Besides, we value New Year much more than Christmas, in fact, we even celebrate it twice: on December 31th (which is New year) & January 13th (which is Old New Year).
aishat bay In Serbia too.
That's true) And we loooove pickles - soup with boiled pickles (solyanka), salad with pickles (Olivie) and pickle juice is a hangover miracle))))
Ты не ищещь их, они тебя находят.
I loved visiting Sweden, even though my reasoning for going was heart breaking, I still wouldn't mind moving there. My wife wanted a divorce out of the blue, for me anyways. Tried to put it back together by flying there, didn't work out. Her name is also Jenny. But yeah, the history and nature there are top notch, people were friendly even if they did follow some of the habits you mentioned. I stopped by McDonalds and I remember the employee taking my order got super excited because she got to use English to speak with me. I tried speaking the local lingo but her English was much better than my Swedish, which seems to be fairly common there. Thanks for the video, it was entertaining thinking of seeing some of that stuff now that you mentioned it.
Me too Mark. I use to think it was just me. But when explained, in retrospect it makes more sense. My memories of Sweden serve me well, after all these years.
@@nepiahemopo1702 This might be a place for a condo/change in the future :)
@@SaganJumJum Come to New Zealand.
Local lingo?
You are American in Sweden and you went to McDonalds.... You are so lame. Good thing no one put a cheap cheesburger under a cardboard box propped open with a stick tied to a string or you may have never gotten out of there.
Love it!! So out there but heck, whats not to love!!
Interesting video. And as a 50+ years old swedish man I reacted especially about nr4: putting crisp bread in the boots in order to avoid badgers. I have never heard about that. And common badgers are not feared animals. It has to be a VERY local tradition. But I guess it's actually only a made up rumor...
Yeah my wife is Swedish and never heard about that.
Jo då, myten finns. Fast vi fick alltid höra att man skulle stoppa grankottar i stövlarna, inte knäckebröd. Hade aldrig hört talas om brödvarianten innan jag kollade på videon.
I think North India (and I’m talking about Punjabi people and people from Delhi mostly) is the absolute OPPOSITE of Sweden-people are friendly to the point of being intrusive. You meet a stranger and have a 2 minute chat and they invite you over for dinner. If they come over to dinner for your house unannounced with several others they get offended when you don’t have a full cooked meal ready (so you always cook extra here). House guests also stay for hours and hours. If you have a pimple on your forehead, you will get told multiple times by random people that you have a pimple on your forehead.
Also, a lot of people get offended if you say thank you for something because you’re not considering them enough of a friend skip those formalities.
And there’s a lot of stress on ‘respect’. You can’t question elders. You just can’t. We’ll also always stand to greet a teacher, or touch an elder person’s feet out of respect.
Am Punjabi, can confirm this is way true
ok this sounds horrible
I will never touch an old bag’s feet.
Naw you get used to it :) it’s just the result of unfiltered spontaneity I suppose (though there are days when I wanna pull my hair out)
I’ve always wanted to visit India
It really made me laugh the part: "Spanish people believe in the Christmas poo man". You're right! In Spain we don't believe at all in Santa bringing presents, instead we believe in "Los tres Reyes Magos" (the Three Magician Kings, translated) that bring Christmas presents to all Spanish children. Yet, several specific regions of Spain have their own characters that bring their presents, like the Olentzero in northern Spain and the one you mentioned, the Cagatió or Tio de Nadal: it's a trunk that is fed, given water, put into a warm place and children sing in Catalan asking for presents, otherwise they'll hit the trunk. Next morning, the trunk's "poo" are the presents!
By the way, a strong difference of Spain and other European countries is that in Spain if you get to somebody's home, you DON'T take off your shoes EVER, unless you're asked to. Most of us Spaniards will feel disgusted about somebody else's feet odor...we live in a warm country. It's disgusting the footprint of the sweaty feet on your home floor. And here it doesn't rain, streets are dry and clean, why taking of your shoes? It's actually cleaner to keep them on.
Also we spaniards are OBSESSED about cleaning our floors, wiping and mopping those constantly with the worst-chemicals-ever-made, so it's not a problem entering with your dirty shoes, the floor is going to be bleached however next day. It's very likely that if a Spanish invites you home and they know you're coming, it's easy to still smell the bleach, because they'll clean the whole house for your visit.
We do the same in Greece. mop all the time
The same in Italy. No one makes guests take off their shoes - it's unexpected and quite rude too. If it rains outside, it cleans up later
I want to visit Spain, but now I'm a little concerned about the cleaning chemicals. I'm hoping to find a country whose customs cause them to NOT use the worst-chemicals-ever-made!!!!!
If you knew what our streets are like in the winter 😱
It snows, the snow gets very dirty from exhaustion from the cars 🤮We throw tons of grit on the roads to prevent them from getting slippery. It all sticks to our shoes.
+ we cover our floors with carpets to keep warm and cosy!
We can't mop up huge huge lumps of dirty snow from a wollen carpet, so....
I many houses you'll be offered a pair of warm socks of even indoor shoes. My Mum knitted one-size-fits-all shoes and had a pile of them by the entrance.
Peace and love
Thankyou for sharing! I love these cultural perspectives.
enjoyed this video so much!
"Oj!" is exactly what Ukrainians use, and exactly how we use it)) It may mean a disappointment, sorry, happiness, excuse and anything else, depending in the emotion))
wu
My mother who was Russian but studied in the Ukraine used Oj a lot. Funny hearing it again.
From an Australian perspective Sweden seems to be 180 degrees out of phase
HAHAH I totally get this! I live in sweden and have a ukranian friend who moved here a couple years back, she’s so funny. Always goes ”OJ” with a funny face when she’s surprised/shocked. Even does it when texting with me lol
"we trust society, we love having strangers in it, but we don't like talking to them, especially if they don't take off their shoes while at home, which we actually don't care cause we will never invite them to ours anyway"!! Hahaha, thank you for the insights!
THis is also false, we did trust soceity at one point, it the politics are now corrupted. And soceity is crumbling. Unless you live in a bubble. Its not good. Not good at all. ppl get shot every week.
klockrent , sen undrar. regeringen varför vi har problem =))
I csn relate to the comment that society in the US values extroverts. I'm an introvert. I get judged for being anti social or for assumed to be rude. Here the more social you are the better you are.
watching in English class, the teacher passed, but I don't understand anything, I barely know my language
My language is Brazilian Portuguese
Im from the north part of sweden and iv never heard about some of these, also does people really put things in their shoes bc of badgers? I live next to the forest and ive never done that
Lynx Exakt, är också från norra Sverige och gör aldrig de här sakerna.
Thats just a myth, but it works but we in Sweden doesn't do that. She lied.
@JOSEF BORG Never.
Some people definitively do that in Sweden, she didn't lie about that. And if you grew up in a family that often likes to be in the woods hunting, hiking etc. Then you probably would've heard of it
@JOSEF BORG Haha! I was mainly talking about Sweden! 😂😂
I’m American, but I think I’m secretly Swedish lol 😂 I can relate to some of the traits.
I was just thinking the same thing!
I´m Spanish and me too!!! hahaha
Tina Montano same here especially the avoiding people aspect.
I am Swedish and can only relate to a few of the examples. My experience from Sweden, Spain and Denmark is: people are individuals. It is not only the country borders that defines who or what we are. Thank god.
Sweaboo
(Jk)
Cool video. I’ve been to Sweden 3 times and enjoyed it immensely.
My biggest pet peeve of my fellow Americans is how FREAKING loud they are in restaurants. Get a group of women especially together at a restaurant and you can forget having a quiet conversation with whomever you are dining.
When I visited Germany I was suprised over why I had to wear cash on me. I never once had to take cash with me anywhere in Sweden.
You talking about people in Sweden dressing up the same really explain a few things about IKEA 😂
@@sheep1ewe We have IKEA too :) I think that in a way, it's an easy solution for cheap furniture, and you can change your Ming after a few years without feeling bad about it. But there's no doubt that it's fast fashion of home styling, and it's a shame.
Swedes don't shop at IKEA. It's not available in most of the country.
@@zynius really? That's interesting.
What are you on about? They have 24 stores in Sweden ^^
Daniel Ekeroth Yeah, but a majority of them are in the southern parts
A NY Times article, dated 6/2/2022, states that Swedes typically do not feed guests for dinner, the article starts as follows :
"A Swedish child sits at a dinner table while his friend and the friend’s parents dine on meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce. The delicious aroma wafts below the child’s nose, but there is no plate for him. This setting, while quite normal in Sweden and other Nordic countries, has horrified people around the world, shocked to learn that some Swedish families do not invite their children’s visiting friends to eat with them at mealtime. Instead, when it’s time to eat, a child might go home, stay in the friend’s room and play or sit at the table with the family and not eat."
Is this really the case in Sweden?
It has been that way, but my impression is that we don't do that any more. There may be exceptions though.
The reason Swedes started doing this at some point in time is probably a combination of various factors:
- firstly, for most people food was expensive. Although Sweden as a country has been "rich" for quite long, the same has not been true about it's inhabitants. Thus, you fed your own family and nobody else. The poverty might not have been rampant, but few families have had particularly large margins, and since everybody gets taught this kind of thing by their parents, it can live on for a few generations even when it the rationale behind it is gone.
- secondly, there has been a fear of offending others. One possible way, for a child, to offend others would have been to like some other woman's cooking over your own mother's cooking. By not giving other children food at your own dinner time, you avoid this potential offense without a problem. And since everybody was behaving the same way, nobody thought it was strange.
And yes, I am Swedish and live in Sweden. However, I grew up in Spain, where this kind of behaviour would have been unthinkable, so it's fun (in some sense) to see the contrast between the countries.
Great video, thanks!
”Hej gullet”? I would rather blow my own head off than utter such a phrase, but then again I’m a “boy from the north”.
Wilhelm: Yes, what she calls cute, I call silly, dumb, uneducated and lacking proper language and social skills +being emotionally immature, unhappy and inhibited.
Shut it then ya Volvo-ridin-coke-downin-“det här är fan inte kallt manneeenn”-probably-hella-nice-fellow-nord
Depressing Fax “manneeen”? Tror du blandar ihop Norrland med Fittja.
Om ngn skulle säga det till mig (e stockholmare så hare inte på mig nu tack) så skulle jag bli väldigt förvånad kan jag säga
Don't come down to Italy then! LOL!!!! Exactly the opposite of all you said LOL!!
Yes when I was in Denmark was a shock ahahhaha it was all so quite
Italy and Spain are the countries of extremely social people
@smadge100 what a ray of sunshine you are!
I'm a mix (swedish/Italian) so yeah understand both you and Jenny and that can confuse people sometimes 💯 😂
@@chandhand6539 Turkey too. It's a Mediterranean thing actually.
A few funny things from places I have lived:
1. Sweden: bananpizza: banana with chicken or ham and curry powder on pizza. Also marmelade (like orange marmelade) on turkey and cheese sandwiches.
2. German potatoes and Christmas: In Germany, people decorate christmas trees with potatoes, and one of the primary christmas cookies consists of Marzipan balls made to look like tiny spring potatoes.
3. In the US we love to talk to strangers.
4. German raw pork and onion sandwiches.
When you got to the part about not wanting to make small talk or just be around talking to people, I knew I had found my long lost people. I've been living that way for most of my adult life.
As far as weird things in my country, I live in the US so the vast majority of things that people do here are either weird, dumb, or both.