Huge Debate Explodes Over Swedes’ Refusal to Feed Their Children’s Guests, And Here’re 30 Foreigners’ Best Reactions

So the poor kids aren’t worthy of rich people food. I get it. Really disgusting tradition

Ah, so it's the rich Swedes it seems from many of these posts. Eww.

That is ridiculous and cheap. How rude and just awful!

This is soooo interesting to me. I thought "forcing" food on guests was a universal thing. From these posts I still can't tell if not offering food to guests is a Swedish thing or an a*****e thing.....

Good for her cause this is awful. What if the child is hungry?

Key words: "from my context". In my context this mom would have ruined the dinner plans of many families.

My Italian nana would roll over in her grave if I didn't feed guests in my home.

Sharing food is the epitome of hospitality. OMG - the first thing ANYONE is asked at my house is "Have you eaten, what can I get you to drink? You're fine, no, nothing? Okay, I'll fix you something". Seriously, I would be utterly offended if someone left my home hungry.

As a young adult, I went to my Egyptian friend's house. He wasn't even home as it turned out, but his *uncles*, who I had never met before, absolutely insisted I stay for a bowl of food, they were so dead set on being hospitable. While trying to talk middle eastern politics, which went way over my head at that age. :)

Same with Indian. You have to eat, they even say (jokingly) if a burglar came into an Indian house, the people would give him coffee and food, and then call the cops.

This I understand. I’m Greek we feed everyone that walks through our door whether we know them or not

Russian Jewish mom here - we feed everyone! I remember times when I was broke, too, (I'm a single mom) and I wept inside making food for 5 hungry pre-teens, because I knew it was our week's food supply gone in one sitting. But I was not going to tell them children "you have food at home!" You come to our place - you are fed! It might be Kraft mac-n-cheese, but it will be hot and there will be plenty!

Yes, my grandfather grew up on the lower end of the income scale, went to work in a Virginia coal mine at age 12 (his father was the mine supervisor), worked his way up to better jobs in a shipyard and oil company. If you came to his house, you were fed. They could always throw on one more chop, or make a quick pan of cornbread to extend the meal if needed, but he would have felt shame if anyone left his home hungry.

Neighborhood kids house, everyone getting a drink, no drink offered to me, but their mother saw me standing in front of the open refrigerator (which her kids just left open) and starts freaking out on me for trying to get food without asking. I never went back to their house. They were from Scotland, as was my one grandmother, who was also a fkd up lady.

My parents had 11 children. There was always at least 5 at home at one time (births were spread out, you know. lol!). With that many children there were sure to be kids' friends over. If it was lunch time, they ate with us. If it was dinnertime and we were doing something we wanted to finish after dinner, the friends call home to ask if it were alright to eat with us. Most of the time their parents said yes. Some asked to speak with our mother before agreeing. Even though I caught my mother counting pennies, we always had our fill as did any friends who came over to play. No one left hungry. It was the same way at our cousins' homes, friends ate with them. I also remember neighbors calling to borrow food items. Everyone's home was like an emergency ingredient pantry when someone was lacking something. My mother used to have us run an item down the street to a neighbor. My wife and I have fed our neighbor's 12-yr son dinner when his (single) mom had to work late. And how he can eat! lol

lol yeah, this Swedish thing is the exact opposite of my Korean MIL who always asks if we are hungry. Ill be like, "no I'm okay we already ate." She makes like 3 banchan anyway and tries to hand feed me :P

My Asian family in law have meals like in this photo every day! When we leave to come back to Switzerland the sisters always make a huge picnic to take on the long trip back home. My sister in law are amazing cooks. They are so kind.

I can confirm this is true. We went by my friends house to get her computer, and her mom started cooking for guest. Apologized for not having any western food, asked if there is anything I don't eat, was I vegetarian or muslim, because she can cook for those things. Sweetest people ever. You will not be hungry there.

I've only seen tables like that in a Chinese restaurant in Canada.

My mother is from Taiwan. When I finally went to visit my family there they fed me until I was almost sick. I've never eaten so much. And my father's family is Italian, so I am used to eating quite a lot with family!

That's next level! I had parents pack my kid lunch when she only dropped by after school to say hi! Different nationalities - a Korean family, an Assyrian family, a Pakistani family, a Mexican family... I've always fed my kid's friends (and always will!) but I will never be as good as those parents, alas :( They are my heroes!

How sweet is that!!!!!!

I have a Greek mom and this is accurate. Even we were "government assistance, food bank waiting, and getting everything from the salvation army" poor, my mom would feed anyone who was over. Even if that meant she wouldn't eat. Food is our love language.

🤣💕

Had a Greek friend growing up. Only ever ate dinner at his home once. Turns out you do not serve yourself. The father sits at the head of the table and he serves how much food he thinks you should have. I should also add that NO ONE can leave the table until they finish their plate. My friend was a big eater, I was not. His father assumed that since we were that same age and build that I should be given just as much as him plus extra because I was a guest. It took me an hour to finish all of that food without puking. I declined to ever eat there again.

🤣🤣🤣

Yes, I will eat anything you cook me!

Same here with my Mexican family! 'Hi, honey! So glad to see you! How have you been? Have you eaten yet?' Usually the 3rd question but sometimes sooner! 😂😂

in philippines, its a good manner to ask strangers to join in eating. "Let's eat!" "Thanks. okay" (but replies are just out of respect and not actually joining the fiest)

Same for most POC's homes.

In the US: I have no kids but in my house if we are eating, so is everyone else. My mom used to bring us cookies and milk when I had friends over to play and the guests got first choice. We always fed our guests first and I thought everyone did that because all my friends parents did that too! I would have just left if they did that to me. To rude and hurtful implying I'm not good enough to eat with them. This was 60+ years back but things should not have changed.

So true, my girlfriend's mom was Ukrainian, she used to make the best pierogies and her father would keep piling them on my plate(I had gotten a reputation as a good eater due to having 4 brothers). Her dad even started packing 2 lunches, because she told him that I never had one..

Not in my house. I was ashamed of this and never invited guests.

Even though I'm Danish, I'll always offer my kids' friends food if they're at our place. If they don't want any, that's fine, but they WILL get the offer. I will say, though, one time my youngest ate dinner at a friend's house, some marinated chicken and whatever on the side. Shortly afterwards, she starts having problems breathing, and it turns out there was peanuts on the chicken. My daughter KNOWS she's allergic, but it never once dawned on her there could be peanuts on chicken-sticks. She's also gotten sick from drinking apple juice at a friend's, again due to allergies........ so that IS another factor to consider when offering other people's kids food 😊

I can confirm this! When you are our guest better accept that you gonna eat whether you’re hungry or not. We don’t care 😂

My Italian friend, the second you were in the door “ have you eaten” “I’m not hungry thanks” “ I’ll make you something anyway” . Her mum was the same, you never left their house without having at least a large snack. 🤣

Please stay and watch us eat.

I would have told them I was leaving because I was hungry too. How cruel! IMO, allowing a child to stay over and NOT feeding them is abuse! If you can't afford the extra food for a child, then don't let them stay over. I would have been livid if someone did that to my kid.

I almost never brought my friends home, I went to their house. They had dinner an hour earlier than us and I ended up having two dinners most nights, because my mother told me to stop eating at their house, which I didn't. I stopped telling her I was.

They sound like sadists..

Poor people are always more gracious and appreciative than the rich

Lack of money tends to make good manners.

The rich don't know what it's like to go hungry, the poor do.