Today I’d like to talk about something I really love about the US: the Family Restaurants. I’m talking Chilli’s*, Perkin’s, Denny’s, Applebee’s, etc etc. What they are, is family friendly places with affordable menus. Perfect for Friday night family fun, date night or that office lunch in the middle of the week. Or what I like to say, delicious food for tired and poor students. (:

So, what makes these places so great? Firstly, in my experience there is something on the menu for everyone, regardless of age or taste. There is always a lot to choose from, which in my opinion is very American. When you go to Swedish food places, the menus are usually much more limited with less choices and variation. Secondly, the atmosphere is super relaxed. Whether you’re a big party or only one person, you are welcome. Whether you’re dressed in a business suit or sweat pants (this is something I’ll get back to…), you are welcome. Whether you’re 4 or 94 years old, you are welcome. They are happy to have you there. This relaxed and service minded atmosphere, is very American.

I don’t know about all the Swedes out there, but when I go to a restaurant in Sweden, I often feel a little uncomfortable. It’s almost like they expect you to feel privileged to get to be there, rather than the other way around. It’s usually a little more formal, I’m not talking Downton Abbey dining style, but more like do-not-wear-sweatpants-or-joggers style. Anyway, the point I wanted to get to with this post, is that the Family Restaurants I talk about in the US, hardly exist in Sweden. It’s either fast food (like Subway or McDonald’s) or a proper low key formal restaurant. Of course if you really searched, you could probably find something close to a Chilli’s or Perkin’s (Pincho’s** is the only close thing I can think of), but I wouldn’t count on it. Wow, didn’t mean to slam Sweden this hard, but you know, food is a serious matter. (:

-K

*https://www.chilis.com/

**https://www.pinchos.se/

A lot of you have probably heard that Swedes are known to be big coffee drinkers. They actually drink an average of 3,2 cups per day, which makes them the second biggest coffee drinkers in the world, right behind Finland*. Having coffee with friends and family is a big part of culture and something almost everyone does from a pretty young age. You’re probably thinking to yourself “oh, she means Fika**”, but no, I’ll come back to that later. Today I just want to talk about actual coffee habits.

Back in Sweden I can’t think of a single person I know, that doesn’t have a coffee maker at home. To make your own coffee at home in the morning, afternoon and sometimes even in the evening after dinner (crazy right?) is a natural part of everyday life weather you are alone or with friends. Shortly said, coffee is the answer in every sort of situation. It is social, relaxing and practical. Of course Swedes also go to coffee shops to buy coffee and meet with people, but that is usually in addition to having coffee at home.

Now to the main difference I have experienced. In the US, it is much more common to always go to a coffee shop for your coffee. Currently I work at the Minnesotan company Caribou Coffee. It is basically Starbucks, Minnesota style. Every day, hundreds of people come in to the shop and get their morning cup of coffee. We have a lot of regulars that come in every single morning and get the exact same drink. Instead of brewing your own coffee at home, people tend to stop at the coffee shop on their way to work. I’m not saying Swedes don’t do this too, because believe me, they definitely do, but in the US there seems to be many people who do this exclusively.

To end this post I thought I would share an interesting cultural difference I have experienced at work: the using of names. When we have a customer come in, we are supposed to always ask for their name. Throughout the sale and time they wait for their drink, we have to address them by their first name as much as possible. “Will that be all for you Jeff” “Anything else with that Jeff” “Here’s your latte Jeff” “Have a wonderful day Jeff”! Anyone else that feels this is a little creepy? It’s not like we know each other? This very personalized service is in my experience also very American. As a Swede, I prefer to stay as anonymous as possible. Of course a lot of places ask for a name for the order for practical reasons, but that’s where the using of names stop.

So that’s a little about coffee culture in Sweden vs America, I hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget this is all based on my personal opinions and experiences, as well as stereotypes. One culture is never only one way. (:

-K

*https://hejsweden.com/en/drink-strong-coffee-in-sweden/

**http://www.swedishfood.com/fika

Alright, I thought I would begin by telling you a little bit about the actual geographical countries and what it’s like to live in them . Let’s start with the “land of lagom” – Sweden. (Lagom = just about enough but not too much*) .

Some stereotypes about Sweden:

Sweden and Switzerland: No, they are not the same, anything Swedish is from Sweden, and anything Swiss is from Switzerland. While Switzerland is located in the middle of Western Europe, Sweden is in the north.

Polar Bears walk the streets of Sweden: Sorry to disappoint you, but no. However, we do have Reindeer up north, and sometimes they do get out onto the streets.

Lagom – just about enough but not too much – is what I would call living in Sweden. With its 450 294 sq km / 173 859 sq mi it is the third largest country in western Europe, however, compared to the USA with its 9.8 million sq km / 3.8 million sq mi, it is pretty small. Just like in the US, the climate and environment varies depending on where you live, for instance in the north you might experience some of what Minnesota has been through this Winter, but where I come from on the west coast, it rarely gets that cold. Also, the general climate tends to be pretty steady, not too extreme so to speak. The one time Sweden felt an Earthquake, a couple of lawn chairs fell over… you get my point.

Anyway, living in Sweden is much more low scale than living in the US. By that I mean, everything is smaller. I can walk across Gothenburg if I have to, it takes me 20 min to get into the town center. Where the US has alot of space between town center and suburbs, Sweden has it all connected. This results in shorter distances and less driving. Yes, everyone who knows me knows I hate driving…

On to the USA. Some stereotypes:

This first one is better presented through a picture:

Obviously, this is not the case.

The US has 48 / 51 / 52 States: Nope, wrong again. It has 50. Only 50. Not more, not less. The main clump of land contains 48 of the states, Alaska and Hawaii are 49 and 50 in that order. They were both admitted as states in 1959**.

Now, as previously mentioned the USA is enormous. It is the world’s third largest country*** which practically means you spend a lot of time commuting/traveling, mostly by car. Luckily for me, there is an express bus that takes me from my neighbourhood into the city center, which is awesome, go Chanhassen! Just like in Sweden, the climate varies depending on where you are. And I mean it varies ALOT. If you are in Alaska (or Minnesota as I’ve experienced) during Winter the temperatures are low, but if you are in the dessert in California, it almost never goes below freezing. Right now I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This means the climate is continental, which results in a lot of extremes. When it rains, it REALLY rains and when it snows it REALLY snows. The other day, I pulled my car out of the garage onto the slightly sloping driveway. I got out of my car, and just started slipping down the ice. Remind me to not wear flat shoes again.

Okay, so contrary to in Sweden, life in the US is pretty intense. At least in my experience. Even though the amount of things you are expected to do in a day are the same, it takes longer in the US because of the long distances. This results in you doing things back-to-back and having less free time, which makes everything feel more intense.

I hope this gave you an idea of the geographical aspects of the two countries. I will talk more about it later. (:

-K

*https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lagom **http://www.senclewises.com/statehood.html ***https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-largest-countries-in-the-world-the-biggest-nations-as-determined-by-total-land-area.html

Hi! Welcome to my new blog: Swede&Sour. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Katarina, I’m 20 years old and I am half Swedish, half American. That last part is important to mention, since the purpose of this blog is to talk about the differences between Swedish and American culture.

Swede, that’s me. All my life I have lived in Gothenburg, Sweden, thinking I was pretty American. I spoke American English, celebrated Thanksgiving and had American themed birthday parties for all my Swedish friends. However, last August, I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. After not long at all, I realized to my great dissatisfaction, that I’m pretty Swedish.

&Sour, I was. I didn’t feel like I belonged and I couldn’t seem to understand the lifestyle. Everywhere I went I felt nervous and different. I started to notice all of those little things that differed from what I was used to, and it scared me. I was supposed to know what America was like, but I didn’t. Needless to say, I have learnt alot about the cultural differences since I arrived, which is the point I wanted to get to.

Swede&Sour will be a place where I talk about cultural differences between Sweden and America. My goal is to both be personal with opinions, as well as accurate with facts. The topics will definitely vary, yet be tied to everyday life. My hope is to post about three times a week, we’ll see how it goes. I hope you’ll enjoy it (:

-K