Paws_On_Keyboard at 2023-07-25 08:18:47+00:00 ID: jtcy4je

Never been there, but I’ve often gotten the feeling that we’re quite similar in a lot of ways.

cemilanceata at 2023-07-25 11:46:39+00:00 ID: jtdf6g4

I actually prefer a little more flavour myself, but that doesn’t change the fact how we are perceived among the masses.

gullijan at 2023-07-25 08:06:16+00:00 ID: jtcx7ji

Yeah, people in Sweden, Norway and Denmark share the same ethnicity. We also understand each others language but I have to say I struggle with Danish (am Swedish).

TheWolfwiththeDragon at 2023-07-25 08:23:53+00:00 ID: jtcyije

As a Swede, our sense of ethnicity is much more based on language and nationality. Since Swedes, Danes, Norwegians and Icelandic are all descendants of the same Norse people, we are all very similar. We can also understand each others’ languages fairly well.

The odd one out is Finland, since their linguistic roots are completely different from any other Nordic languages. Swedish is more closely related to Persian or Hindi than it is to Finnish! Despite us being neighbours. But Finland was part of the Swedish empire for 700 years so there has probably been quite some mixing between the two.

There is also the Sami people to the north, which are a semi-nomadic group of people not ethnically or linguistically connected with the Norse. If you ever see reindeer herding while traveling here, it is run by them as that’s their privilege.

BTW, as the term ”Scandivania” is sometimes only used to refer to some of the countries in the region, you could just use the term ”The Nordic countries” to refer to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland all together. Explanation.

Paws_On_Keyboard at 2023-07-25 08:15:16+00:00 ID: jtcxv6o

Yes, except the sámi in the north, though they were there before modern borders and cross all three countries. Then of course we have had a lot of immigrants in later years.

ravyalle at 2023-07-25 08:05:20+00:00 ID: jtcx4yj

Its pretty much the same ethnicity in northern and central europe but people do look sliiiighly different in different countries, its pretty cool. I for example am from germany originally but always immediatey get spotted because i dont really look like the average swede. We are all caucasian but the faces are different somehow. I have even noticed some differences between eg sweden and denmark

andre-lll at 2023-07-25 08:06:29+00:00 ID: jtcx84c

I’d probably say that we are more or less the same people. We all see ourselves as brothers and would fight for each other, same with Finland.

Axxx69420 at 2023-07-25 08:05:46+00:00 ID: jtcx66g

Yes basically. You won’t notice that much of a difference as a foreigner. There’s just slight differences in culture that you might notice.

Krongsky at 2023-07-25 13:59:54+00:00 ID: jtdvlvk

I think south Koreans are waaay better at this stuff than Scandinavians, I’ve never felt crowded or uncomfortable even in the rush hours when I’ve been in South Korea or Japan. In a bus in Norway or Sweden, however, it can become completely chaotic by comparison (even though us Nordics are quite well organised people). But yes, it’s a good point, especially if we’re talking spanish, german or american tourists

dscDropper at 2023-07-25 15:49:08+00:00 ID: jtec7rm

My experience from travelling in Korea is that people over there have great public transport etiquette:)

Threaditoriale at 2023-07-25 09:15:52+00:00 ID: jtd3eu2

Some days are rainy, windy and 17°C while some are 23°C and clear skies, with the occasional unexpected downpour.

Bellum_Romanum05 at 2023-07-25 09:12:49+00:00 ID: jtd239o

As soon as the sun pokes out between the clouds it can get really hot and humid. When it dissapears it gets chilly. Random rainstorms and thunderstorms can also appear from out of nowhere. Typical Swedish summer weather. Being in the sun all day can be dangerous so far up north during the summers as well. Be careful and wear sunscreen in that case. Sunrays up here can easily burn your skin if left unprotected.

procrastinationprogr at 2023-07-25 08:27:17+00:00 ID: jtd2b4m

It’s been around 16-22 degrees which is cold for this time of year.

Pudding5050 at 2023-07-25 08:46:59+00:00 ID: jtd0781

She should pack for anything from chilly and rainy to hot summer weather.

bawng at 2023-07-25 08:27:17+00:00 ID: jtcyrj5

It is. A few weeks ago it was warm and lovely though so we hope it’s coming back.

stressedraccoonie at 2023-07-25 08:59:24+00:00 ID: jtd13ui

Javisst

Threin at 2023-07-25 10:06:42+00:00 ID: jtd66j5

No tipping

Melonskal at 2023-07-25 10:02:25+00:00 ID: jtd5u5a

That’s your employers fault not the customers.

Common-Wish-2227 at 2023-07-25 08:47:39+00:00 ID: jtd08x6

No tipping.

Grayseal at 2023-07-25 12:35:49+00:00 ID: jtdknwl

The only instance where you tip is when the tab is 780:- and you want to round it up to 800:-, et cetera. Assume that the restaurant/bar staff are already being paid. Avoid tipping more than 20-30:-.

Keffpie at 2023-07-25 08:47:01+00:00 ID: jtd07a5

Not totally true, it’s common to “round up” at bars, so if a drink is 96kr, you’d pay 100kr. At a restaurant, good service usually gets a 5% - 10% tip.

That said, recently a lot of places has bought card payment machines with American software that asks whether you want to tip 10, 15 or 20%… but this is sort of a scam by restaurants trying to get people to start tipping more.

BloodyHellBish at 2023-07-25 08:42:18+00:00 ID: jtczv1e

Tipping culture isn’t really a thing here since servers make liveable wages.

I can only speak for sweden, but I suspect the same goes for all of Scandinavia since we’ve all had large workers rights movements.

Rapustaja at 2023-07-25 08:38:58+00:00 ID: jtczm9v

Fin and Swe here, we tip in fine dining restaurants where you had a waiter, unless the service was bad. The staff do not need the tips, but the money goes to staff parties or gifts to the staff (kitchen also) so I always feel good tipping if the food/service was nice

manInTheWoods at 2023-07-25 09:26:47+00:00 ID: jtd341b

In Sweden, you can tip 3-5% in a nice sit down resturant if yuou like. Many people do, and have been doing that since as long as I can remember. It’s not somethig new.

Apart from that, taxis were common to tip also but now they just scam you anayways so don’t do it. :)

Kriss0612 at 2023-07-25 08:35:31+00:00 ID: jtczd79

To my knowledge (and bare in mind Europe is very vast culturally and can be quite different), taking off your shoes when entering a home is standard everywhere in Europe. I couldn’t imagine people in southern Europe sit around on their couch with their shoes on, and I’ve never understood it myself…

s-maerken at 2023-07-25 09:09:28+00:00 ID: jtd1ugu

Same goes for Finland, Norway and Denmark? No-tipping???

Tipping is not a thing here and we don’t want it to be, so don’t tip. If you tip you’re only encouraging the tipping culture to grow which nobody wants. You might think you’re being nice when you tip here but in reality you’re just ruining the non-tipping culture we have.

If you’re hellbent on tipping, don’t tip something ridiculous like 25% of the total. If I am ever pressured to tip, I tip a few SEK, maybe 20 SEK regardless of total.

eric_dh at 2023-07-25 08:47:04+00:00 ID: jtd07fz

No tipping in Finland.

Swordfish_89 at 2023-07-25 12:05:50+00:00 ID: jtdh95j

I moved to Sweden 22 yrs ago at 33… before then only people with new carpets asked others to remove shoes at the door. I had Swedish friends in UK though so learnt to do it there.

So within months of living here and visiting UK it felt so wrong to have shoes on inside anyone’s home, even my sisters.

My biggest struggle back in UK was no where to site to remove shoes because i have mobility issues, most places here have plenty of space or seating. And years on from carpeted rooms, and seeing what we vacuum up off hard floors without outdoor shoes coming in… OMG, carpets in UK with outdoor shoes must have be so gross! So thankful for hardwood floor and indoor slippers. lol

MagzyMegastar at 2023-07-25 09:51:12+00:00 ID: jtd4yb6

Taking of the shoes when entering a private home is the norm also in Norway. However, there is one particular place were this is taken to the “next level”. In the city Longyearbyen on Svalbard (not the mainland Norway), the local tradition is to take off your shoes also when entering hotels, office buildings, museums etc. The reason for this being that historically there were coal mines near the city, and to avoid dragging coal dust into the buildings, people left their shoes at the door, and this is now the local practice in this particular city.

Thaeeri at 2023-07-25 13:36:02+00:00 ID: jtdsbhh

In Sweden we often do tip a little bit if the service at a restaurant was really good, but usually by simply rounding up and not more than 5-10%. But no one will give you the stink eye if you don’t, it’s simply seen as a nice bonus when a patron does.

We never tip at coffee shops, hair salons or hotels. Some tip taxi drivers, but it’s way more uncommon than in restaurants.

artonion at 2023-07-25 10:28:00+00:00 ID: jtd7x2q

I work in service. Do not tip. There’s no need. Tipping is “optional” but it’s not expected. If you ever feel insecure about it, just inform them “My Swedish friends said I’m not expected to tip, is that not the case?”. The Nordic countries are already quite expensive, you don’t need to pay extra just because you are a tourist.

TheSwedishTitty at 2023-07-25 09:55:21+00:00 ID: jtd5a11

If you sit down and have dinner for example, it’s polite to tip the server if they’ve been good! But 10-20% is not necessary :) /server in stockholm

eolisk at 2023-07-25 08:55:30+00:00 ID: jtd0trr

No tipping anywhere in Europe.

DursueBlint at 2023-07-25 09:41:06+00:00 ID: jtd46cq

Well the previous comment may be a bit too much with the barbarian comment. The no shoes inside is a side effect of homes having gotten far better heating in the last 20 years. Before that though it was common for people to switch to inside shoes when coming home and it is still practiced in a lot of schools as a way to keep costs down. The cultural differences are honestly quite interesting. With Korea I wonder if it is due to korean homes traditionally having floor with heated vents beneath.

Netcher at 2023-07-25 09:31:53+00:00 ID: jtd3hce

Yes, no tipping. Now, you can tip (but please don’t, we do not want that shit here), it is not illegal, it is just not something you really do.

The servers (and the rest of the personnel) are payed wages for their work. You do not pay them a second time, you already pays for their service with the bill. The pay is around 2700Euros/month

… now, there are a few underlying cultural norms here that are fairly complicated. Think of it like this; It’s a very strict honor-culture (Not that any Scandinavian would use those words). The honorable thing in this case is to pay exactly the right amount and to each equally. The amount is pre-negotiated and before you order, you know what you are going to pay at the end. Some might reason “But I want them to like me and treat me really well, so I’ll pay them extra.” That is a dishonorable thing to do. It is bribery, exchanging wealth for special treatment. That i a bad thing.

The weird honor spills over into alot of things, For example; Scandinavians tends to refrain from lavish gifts, the honorable way is to only give what the receiver can reciprocate in some way. Buy a friend a glas of wine = Nice Gesture BUT Insist on always paying the tab = Not okay.

PrinceOfFucking at 2023-07-25 08:44:49+00:00 ID: jtd01j6

Many restaurants will subtly ask for tips by letting you Enter the tip amount when paying, the workers ofcourse get a real salary (but not that much) so the tips are just extra, OP exaggerated a bit with them being crooks

If you think the food and service was really good you can tip them as you like, but its not at all as in like the US

isetnt at 2023-07-25 09:19:46+00:00 ID: jtd2li8

Wearing shoes indoors is a big no no in most of Europe, except maybe big parties where you go in and out a lot