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Welcome to Finland, the happiest country in the world. With lots of beautiful nature, a wonderful education system, a passionately burning love of saunas, and deep respect for their fellow human beings, Finns are truly great. And you’ll know that if you have any Finnish people in your social circles, dear Pandas.
However, the Finnish can also seem mysterious, even peculiar. For one, they stereotypically love being left alone and social interactions allegedly scare them more than the local wildlife, the biting cold, and the fairytale creatures that lurk in the dark. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what it means to be a Finn, as presented by the ‘Finland Jokes’ Instagram page.
As you’re scrolling down and upvoting your favorite Finnish memes, don’t forget to read through Bored Panda’s interview about introversion and extroversion with Dr. Andrew Spark from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.
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The ‘Finland Jokes’ page has been posting memes about what it’s like to be Finnish since way back in 2017. In the half-a-decade since then, the page has carved out a comfortable niche for itself on Instagram, having drawn in 73.1k followers.
Make sure to follow the account on Instagram if the jokes they post made you chuckle, dear Readers.
#4
Jasper Cool 3 years ago
Lol we do not give coke with school lunches in the U.S. and yes we definitely don't have the best lunches but they usually have a veggie option. That fish looks delicious though.
BukkitBrownie 3 years ago
I currently am in high school and everything in the American picture is served as options at my school.
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Kayla J 3 years ago
Yeah, not sure why'd they switch that since the Finnish version still looks fine
Finland: 25C3DF2A00...473399.jpg 
USA 25C3DEFE00...473610.jpg 
kathoco 3 years ago
I've been to Finland at least 4 times, and I have to say that the food is....not great. Which does not mean they don't have healthy school lunches, but it"s not exactly a culinary capital.
TheOneWhoKnows(Nothing) 3 years ago
You just haven't eaten in a good restaurant (/home). Best food is outside the capital, like fresh fish from Saimaa lake etc. I might be bias though 😅
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Hana Jello 3 years ago
This is not accurate at all, as someone who works in a school, there is hamburgers, pizza,corn dogs, Michelle Obama changed the food system and they intentionally serve the meals to meet the caloric consumption a growing child should eat to get the proper nutrients, there is a salad bar that includes many vegetable options as well as fruit and the drink that is served is milk every single day
Shawneen Hammer 3 years ago
I worked in the school lunch program in the US and this is a true photo that's for sure
Firstname Lastname 3 years ago
Perhaps a semester abroad to brush up on my schooling is in order here...🤤
Vicky Zar 3 years ago
Do you really get Burgers, Pommes, Nuggets and Cola at school? Oo My sons plan for this week is Spagetti Bolognese and salat, Fisch Potatoes and spinach, vegetable casserole and salat, hash browns with apple sauce, Putenrahmgeschnetzeltes (turkey pieces in a cream sauce) with rice and fruit. Drinks are: water with or without bubbles
Jasper Cool 3 years ago (edited)
No. No one is getting Cola for a school lunch. Unfortunately burgers, corndogs, pizza etc are pretty common. There's usually some veggies and fruit though. I should amend this to add no one in elementary is getting Cola in a standard lunch. Teens get a lot more options in general and could possibly get colas and forgo all veggies because they have a choice.
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Remy Peacock 3 years ago
Damn! All that for one little kid!? Even growing teenage me would throw some of that out after getting full. Unless I had an hour to eat it maybe.
Michael Mann 3 years ago
Nobody wants to "come there." You are safe. Get over yourself.
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Jo Iverson 3 years ago
Lunches in Japan look incredible. Reagan once declared that ketchup was a vegetable. It's just embarrassing.
Teresa Groth 3 years ago
This meal is what I wished for myself and other children of the United States!
Joyce Plaate 3 years ago
I could not finish all that, unless spread out over breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner.
Redwood Rebelgirl 3 years ago
One looks like actual NUTRITION, to build healthy body, mind, & intellect. (Hint: It's not the US' "meal")
Marquelle Adkins 3 years ago
You don't get soda with school lunches in us...u get milk or water ..but rest is accurate and I'd rather have a Finnish meal!
10,000 subscribers without a single video? Can we 3 years ago (edited)
American school food is worse than the picture. You would be lucky to get a cookie or non plastic cheese.
Mario Rivas 3 years ago
That's better than i eat most days and i consider myself to be fairly health conscious!
Sue Navolio Galman 3 years ago
How long is Finnish lunch time? Kids in US where I live get 30 minutes to wait in line, eat, clean up, and line up to leave. Barely enough time to eat those grapes!
Sami Rezler 3 years ago
Hey that Coca Cola isn't there! Stop lying. There's 2 milk cartons at the top of the screen with Tea in them
Maryanna Baldridge 3 years ago
Why is that Coke can photoshopped in? They don't serve that in schools.
Michael Mann 3 years ago
Because this isn't about trying to be accurate. This is about trying to knock Americans down a peg or three, and other Americans falling for it by playing into it. Show us the article detailing the flaws of Finland. Rather homogeneous and SMALL country they have there...must make it somewhat easy to produce perfectly plated 5-star meals for all of their school children every day. How much do you think their "lunch ladies" make? Probably trained by the finest chefs from around Europe. Oh...what am I talking about...ALL EUROPEANS know how to choose the absolute best food and prepare it to exquisite perfection! You simply can't BE European without such knowledge. What's interesting is that we have all of these Americans here falling all over themselves declaring their love for Finnish school lunches from some random picture, but they probably don't serve anything even remotely like this to their own kids at home! But they expect the schools to do it. Sheer idiocy!
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Lauren Lee 3 years ago
What the!? That would realistically cost at least $12 here.. should’ve been Finnish
Lady of the Mountains 3 years ago
coke is never included in american school lunches. you are required to take a fruit or a vegetable (though bear in mind that they stretch the fruit/veg definition on that a bit) the cookie would likley need to be packaged, and you would never get that many tator tots because salt is not really a thing :) I work in my school's cafeteria, and the above lunch would not be allowed.
𝙸'𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚋!(new account) 3 years ago
wth, I live in america and my school lunch doesn't even look remotely close to the picture in this post. Ours is all packages food. And you gotta buy the cookie separately. :(
Laurel Jean 3 years ago
We don’t get any soda, it’s water with milk powder, you hit the jack pot if the factory adds a little bit extra powder. And no tater tots it’s stale “McDonald’s fry’s” and the meat is made of rubber.
Vesuvius 3 years ago
That's definitely not a school lunch in the US. They always serve a veggie and fruit. Very rarely do they serve potatoes. At least that's how it is at the school I work at.
Vesuvius 3 years ago
They also do not serve pop. There isn't even a pop machine accessible to the students.
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PittiMommi'93 3 years ago
But tbh the previous poster is right k-12 I NEVER** had a school lunch that didn't include fruit & veggies of some sort.. they're def showing part school lunch part mall food court.
2022emmam trent 3 years ago
I wish the school at my food looked as good as the one in the American pic, we eat garbage basically
That nerd Zoe 3 years ago
Nah, we get milk in the US. but that food is on a good day. Usually it's worse. :(
Candy Hanson 3 years ago
Why is it so much more difficult to provide healthy good meals in our children's schools. This is why I always pack my kids lunch.
Alanna Grace 3 years ago
American school lunches are disgusting and making our kids overweight!!!!
Briana Landers 3 years ago
I wish american food was as good as depicted there. We literally got served strips of shicken, sour cream, and 2 small torlillas for lunch today. All of it the size of my hand in its cardboard tray.
Mari Bryant 3 years ago
I don't understand all the zings against America. Annoying. Esp when it's photoshopped.
Noel Bovae 3 years ago (edited)
In the US, no money = FREE school lunch. Source: I was poor and got free lunch as a kid. And I'm STILL poor, and my kids have qualified for free lunch their entire lives. If you're poor enough to qualify for food stamps, you automatically qualify for free hot lunch at US schools. Edited "got lunch, to hot lunch."
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Most of the memes showcase a slice of Finnish life. From their love of the cold and the great outdoors to learning to embrace the calm, the silence.
It is perhaps this stereotype about Finland, the deep introversion the country’s citizens supposedly live by, that is best known around the world. That and the sweet tooth they have for licorice in all of its forms.
#8
#9
Dasha Slepenkina 3 years ago
I'm Russian and grew up with a children's story in which to illustrate the characters going to a "cold place" they go to Lapland, which is a region in Finland.
Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Spark from the Queensland University of Technology to have a chat about introversion and extroversion. We asked him about the upsides of extroversion and how introverts feel when pressured to act in a different way than their instincts tell them to.
The expert told us that there are several options that introverts can take to reduce the stress they feel when outside forces are pressuring them to act extroverted.
#10
“We can simply force ourselves to push through it and act out of character (i.e., to act more extroverted),” the expert suggested that powering through an uncomfortable situation is one way to deal with things.
#15
According to Dr. Spark, there are scientifically proven benefits to being extroverted rather than introverted. It’s something that some people might not like hearing, of course. However, there’s also absolutely nothing wrong with being introverted either. Though, at the end of the day, different situations call for different behaviors and mindsets. In short, sometimes it’s very advantageous to act extroverted even if you want to be alone in the middle of a snowy forest.
#16
#18
“Many introverts don’t like hearing this—and I can understand that—but the science is quite clear. When we act extroverted, we experience more positive emotion,” he said, adding that this can, actually, make us feel more tired later on.
“However, if this idea [of pushing through] does not appeal to you (and there has been some research looking at why introverts don’t like the idea of acting extroverted), it may be a better idea to remove yourself from the situation or to reframe how you are thinking about yourself,” the expert told Bored Panda.
According to Dr. Spark, even being aware of the research on extroversion and introversion can help alleviate some of the stress that some people feel in situations they’re uncomfortable being in.
“As part of any such reframing effort, try to keep in mind that there is nothing inherently wrong with being an introvert, but you also have to be realistic and accept that there are certain situations that are better suited to either extroverted or introverted behavior,” the expert noted.
#22
troufaki13 3 years ago
It's better to be happy inside and not show it, than the other way round... :/
“Take heart in knowing that we all have a lot more agency to act out of character if we really want to—and introverts have shown to be quite adaptable when it suits them,” Dr. Spark explained that we are far more flexible than we sometimes give ourselves credit for. Human beings are incredibly adaptable. Whether or not we’re comfortable with change is another question entirely.
#25
Britches are for everyone 3 years ago
I'm from Minnesota. It's colder here than in Helsinki. We still go to school.
Despite the Finnish having a reputation for enjoying being all by their lonesome, their country is actually widely known for its strong feelings of communal support. In fact, it’s one of the things that helped Finland rank as the happiest country in the world in 2021.
#28
MyOpinionHasBeenServed 3 years ago
Except it's dark in the morning and dark by mid to late afternoon.
Some other factors that contributed to Finland’s overall happiness index include a thoroughly transparent government with very little corruption, as well as the level of autonomy given to the country’s citizens. The Finns felt like they were free to make their own choices at all times.
#33
#36
MyOpinionHasBeenServed 3 years ago
This will definitely be Winnipeg if the Jets ever win the Stanley Cup.
#38
MyOpinionHasBeenServed 3 years ago
I kinda ... okay yeah, lol relatable here, too. But more like when it gets above -10C in April.
#40
MyOpinionHasBeenServed 3 years ago
If I had to experience a long bout of not seeing the sun for a while I would do the same.
#46
#50
Eevi 3 years ago
Okay so the ones in bottom left and bottom right do have blood as their main ingredient. They are blood sausage (musta makkara) and blood pancake (veriletut). They are both served with lingonberry jam and they are delicious. The one in the middle that looks like poop is called "mämmi". It is traditional dessert that we serve with cream and sugar on Easter. It contains rye flour (not blood :D) and is in my opinion also delicious. The one in the top right is called "hernekeitto" (pea soup). It is traditionally served on Thursdays (because before reformation Friday was the day of not-eating in the Catholic culture, and we needed some nutritioning and cheap food the day before.) When you put some mustard in it it also tastes quite good. I have to admit I googled the one in the top left. It is in facr chocolate with fishs, from Finnish trademark Taiga, but it's not a common thing in Finland.
#56
King Kashue 3 years ago
I mean, all of those are one language family (Indo-European, specifically Germanic) and Finnish is a very different one (Uralic). They're not related in the slightest. Modern geographical proximity isn't terribly meaningful with language.
#58
Auntriarch 3 years ago (edited)
Goes to Sweden, tries to speak Swedish, my Swedish is so poor that Swedish people beg me to speak English so they can understand me
#59
Jasper Cool 3 years ago
So it's introverts who care about their community and like saunas? I was definitely born in the wrong country because I would love this
#61
#62
Karis Ravenhill 3 years ago
Like the Scottish year. Was the reason I moved overseas, just couldn't take the long dark half a year of cold anymore.
#63
#66
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Stefan 3 years ago
Some years ago, in Tampere, friends told me once to avoid some suburbs, saying it's dangerous. I imagined some petty criminals or something like this. They replied : No, you have to be careful for the bears !
Angelar 3 years ago
That was very interesting and entertaining...Please more posts about life in different countries🤗
Karis Ravenhill 3 years ago
My friend who's from Cape Cod moved to Finland to be with his Finnish girlfriend, they married and had a beautiful daughter. He says life in Finland is so calm, peaceful, respectful and at a pace where you can actually live your life. He says he looks back on his life in America and honestly can't think HOW he managed in USA, with the endless back-to-back jobs, paying for education, high cost of living, constant stress. He says everything is set up in Finland so you can just prosper, enjoy life and be a member of a flourishing community. He said he's never moving back. I envy the crap out of him. Any of you Finnish lads need a wife? I need a greencard back to Europe. Fuc* this for a game of soldiers.
Niekka 3 years ago
I could use a wife. You are not one of those talkers, are you? 😏
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Derpy_Greyh0und69 3 years ago
I still remember the line from how to train your dragon," it snows 9 months here and hails the other 3"
Lou Lopez 3 years ago
So...serious question; as an American who is...concerned about our proto-fascist Rethuglicans, I'm wanting to immigrate to Finland. I feel like the introvert in me would prefer a country like this. Should I start looking into the process now? For some countries it can take several years. I'm in the medical field and gathering certificates to become more valuable, but is that something that is needed?
Eevi 3 years ago
I would advice you to look it up at Google. And to visit us before you make any huge decisions. We are not perfect either, but some of us are quite good. Tervetuloa (welcome), if you decide to move.
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HalfFinnishedAustralian 3 years ago (edited)
All of these are correct for me, except for the sauna ones, I'm still not a true Finn.
Gina Volpe 3 years ago
Loved these memes about the Finns! Educational and hysterically funny!!🤣🤣❄️🥶🧊☃️👏
Ancy Antony 2 years ago
Nice, you can also check https://www.accountantsacademy.in they are one of the best accounting professional coaching Centre
ThePanInPanda 3 years ago
Being antisocial, nature-loving, and tolerant to cold weather... I may have to move to Finland!
Pedro de Paula 3 years ago
Nice. I'm Brazilian and I know very few things about Finland. I knew, now I know a lot. 50 memes is like the entire Finnish history.
Norma Irizarry 3 years ago
I first became interested in traveling to Finland when I discovered that one of my favorite bands is Finnish.
DogGoneOlive 3 years ago
I don't mean to offend anyone, but in #4 about the whole school food thing- yes, Finland, we know you get good food in your school lunch, but in California, the school foods don't have coke and chicken nuggets or even burgers. If you're lucky, you'll get a small cookie and a calzone.
Goth Nurse 3 years ago
Have you read it? Full of violence, hate and weird incest stories. Also it's an old storybook written by various people and heavily edited. It's like believing every nightmare storybook being true.
Load More Replies...
Stefan 3 years ago
Some years ago, in Tampere, friends told me once to avoid some suburbs, saying it's dangerous. I imagined some petty criminals or something like this. They replied : No, you have to be careful for the bears !
Angelar 3 years ago
That was very interesting and entertaining...Please more posts about life in different countries🤗
Karis Ravenhill 3 years ago
My friend who's from Cape Cod moved to Finland to be with his Finnish girlfriend, they married and had a beautiful daughter. He says life in Finland is so calm, peaceful, respectful and at a pace where you can actually live your life. He says he looks back on his life in America and honestly can't think HOW he managed in USA, with the endless back-to-back jobs, paying for education, high cost of living, constant stress. He says everything is set up in Finland so you can just prosper, enjoy life and be a member of a flourishing community. He said he's never moving back. I envy the crap out of him. Any of you Finnish lads need a wife? I need a greencard back to Europe. Fuc* this for a game of soldiers.
Niekka 3 years ago
I could use a wife. You are not one of those talkers, are you? 😏
Load More Replies... Derpy_Greyh0und69 3 years ago
I still remember the line from how to train your dragon," it snows 9 months here and hails the other 3"
Lou Lopez 3 years ago
So...serious question; as an American who is...concerned about our proto-fascist Rethuglicans, I'm wanting to immigrate to Finland. I feel like the introvert in me would prefer a country like this. Should I start looking into the process now? For some countries it can take several years. I'm in the medical field and gathering certificates to become more valuable, but is that something that is needed?
Eevi 3 years ago
I would advice you to look it up at Google. And to visit us before you make any huge decisions. We are not perfect either, but some of us are quite good. Tervetuloa (welcome), if you decide to move.
Load More Replies... HalfFinnishedAustralian 3 years ago (edited)
All of these are correct for me, except for the sauna ones, I'm still not a true Finn.
Gina Volpe 3 years ago
Loved these memes about the Finns! Educational and hysterically funny!!🤣🤣❄️🥶🧊☃️👏
Ancy Antony 2 years ago
Nice, you can also check https://www.accountantsacademy.in they are one of the best accounting professional coaching Centre
ThePanInPanda 3 years ago
Being antisocial, nature-loving, and tolerant to cold weather... I may have to move to Finland!
Pedro de Paula 3 years ago
Nice. I'm Brazilian and I know very few things about Finland. I knew, now I know a lot. 50 memes is like the entire Finnish history.
Norma Irizarry 3 years ago
I first became interested in traveling to Finland when I discovered that one of my favorite bands is Finnish.
DogGoneOlive 3 years ago
I don't mean to offend anyone, but in #4 about the whole school food thing- yes, Finland, we know you get good food in your school lunch, but in California, the school foods don't have coke and chicken nuggets or even burgers. If you're lucky, you'll get a small cookie and a calzone.
Goth Nurse 3 years ago
Have you read it? Full of violence, hate and weird incest stories. Also it's an old storybook written by various people and heavily edited. It's like believing every nightmare storybook being true.
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