You were once upon a time instructed in Swedish schools to walk on a road FACING the traffic. For good reason. A farmer I worked for in Wisconsin was walking on the road "with" the traffic. A big truck smacked him in the head with a side mirror. No more farmer, and there went my job, too.

You can buy frozen reindeer meat in any swedish supermarket, as Renskav. Fry it with some chopped onions, add cream and some mustard, salt and pepper, serve with lingonberries and mashed potatoes!

@xzantrax

4 күн бұрын

Renskav-stew: the tastiest!

It's not a debate about which side you should walk on, it's just that too many people are ignorant, uneducated or uncaring. It is the law that you should walk on the left and cycle on the right unless otherwise indicated by signs. The day after it became law and it was all over the news I went muttering to myself "you don't follow the news and you don't follow the news and neither do you"

@Lundis919191

Ай бұрын

And to add to that, as a pedestrian i appreciate seeing oncoming cars on my side of the road. If you're on a bicycle you're on a vehicle and are mostly almost moving at moped speed(depending on weather, roads etc.). edit: im out in the sticks there's not always a sidewalk to walk on.

@peartree8338

Ай бұрын

"Momma always said stupid is as stupid does..." Make a stupid law, get stupidly surprised when nobody except stupid people follow it.

@olsa76

Ай бұрын

​@@peartree8338Tell me you never ride a bike without telling me you never ride a bike.

The staring is like Swedes wondering what kind of person you would be to talk to. It is not so much about the personal space. It is mainly about the insecurity when it comes to talking to strangers. I get the feeling that us Swedes want to talk deep inside, but doesn't feel comfortable. So staring is the closest we get to talking to random people haha. When we realize that you know that we are staring at you we blush. Some times it may just be a crush.

Grate video =) Driving license can be very expensive but it doesn’t need to be. I don’t know the rules today but when I did take it I paid about 2000kr (about $200) as you was only obligated to pay for the permit to be able to take driving lessons, the 1day course for driving in slippery weather (much snow here), the theoretical writing test and the drive test itself. I know they added some more obligatory things, but the real expensive thing is the driving lessons if you go to a special school for. But this is not mandatory, as you can drive with a friend that can teach you. (after they take a course) How old we are and we answer in the year of birth. I think this coming from when we where back in school as if you asked another kid in school how old are you the response was often the year of birth due to then you know what grade they are currently at. Example if someone say they are 13years old that person can have turned from 12 to 13 this year or will turn 14 later this year so that person can be in 7 grade or 8 grade. So instead of saying “I’m 13 but I will be 14 in 2 month” or “I’m 13 and I did get 13 last month” It is easier to say the birthyear due to the person asking will probably be in the same age area and can easy calculate the age and grade. I think this way of telling the age will follow later in life when you start working but later as in a work environment this is just a headache to try calculate and most people will go over to just say the age nr instead. So depending who you are asking I think the older the person is, the higher the chance is you get the number instead of the year. Sweds complain, this is very true, but this also answer your question why we don’t small talk. When a Swede complain, it is actually the way we small talk. Like complaining about the weather. And if you don’t want to hear someone stand there complaining we don’t small talk =) What part of the road should you walk on. Well, this is actually very simple, but most people don’t understand this. Of course, if there is a separate walking path we should use that but if not you should go on left side. This is due to all vehicles are by law obligated to run on the right side, this includes cars, motorcycles, mopeds, normal bicycle or any vehicle that has wheels. So by walking on the left side we can see if a car and example a bicycle is coming at the same time, we as pedestrian can easy see this and move out of the way. But if we walk on the right side, the car will probably turn to the left to avoid getting to close to the bicycle, but the bicycle might do the same to avoid hitting me as I probably don’t know a cyclist is coming as I can only hear the car and that can be a dangerous situation.

Lexx you say how Americans are shocked by this with surströmming and the same with other tourists who come to Sweden. BUT now a history lesson for you all. In the past, before refrigerators and freezers existed, all fish in the world were salted and even they soured and smelled like sour current, but that was how the food was preserved and prevented flies from laying eggs in the fish. The same was done with all the meat. So Surströmming is very old. Then regarding getting a driver's license, the price rose sharply after Sweden joined the EU, before the EU it was cheap. My driver's license that I got 41 years ago cost me a total of $400. a driving lesson cost about 9 dollars. As for this with Swedes not liking small talk, is common in southern Sweden but not up in Lapland where I live.

@nattm6553

Ай бұрын

why this obsession on surströmming..none of my Swedish friends eat the stuff.. only older generation does it

@ingvartorma9789

Ай бұрын

@@nattm6553 Obsession. You don't know what you're talking about and you don't understand what delicacy is. Younger people eat it too.

@nattm6553

Ай бұрын

​@@ingvartorma9789 nej då jag har inte en aaaning...eller nått sånt.=) Lyssnar man på utländska youtubers låter det som ALLA svenskar smaskar surströmming 7 dar i veckan och älskar det. Surströmmings ätande är ganska regionalt och definitivt en generations grej, liksom lutfisk på julbordet, vilket blir mer och mer ovanligt varje år.

@Jonke75

Ай бұрын

@@nattm6553 Surströmming is a tradition and not a delicasy. It is special and not bad but it is not gods gift to man. It is earen once a year by most of the ones that eat it. The smell is so far off the taste that if you get past the smell it is ok.

@RobertClaeson

Ай бұрын

Right, there's no stopping us once we get going.

We do have a side to walk on. Trafikverket recommends walking on the left and cycling on the right on pedestrian roads. You won't get fined if you don't though.

It's definitly the left side of the road you walk on i Sweden, I think it's even in law or in trafic regulations. But as we have so much of side walks we don't have to think of that very much.

Swedes qre know to complain about the weather in all conditions. That is why we have the saying: "There is no bad weather only bad clothing." Wich basically days that if you have the right clothes for the season you are ok. The problem here is that in sweden we have about 8 different seasons of weather instead of 4 😂

I have been to the US a few times. I have never seen so many car accidents in such a short time as when I was there. I probably don't see a single car accident in Sweden per year. This is a consequence of the fact that road safety is high on the agenda in Sweden. Hence a rigorous education. We do not buy driving licenses in Sweden.

I am Swedish but I never use lingonberry sauce! It IS common, though. The use of week number always annoyed me too. Reindeer meat is good, you should really try it! Souvas is great but you can get frozen, thin, slices of reindeer meat in any supermarket. Finding reindeer filet or other parts is a LOT harder, at least in the far south (i.e. further north that anywhere in the contigous 48 states...) Surströmming is verey special and not many Swedes enjoy it. Mostly, it is an old tradition from the northern coast. It was the only way they could preserve the fish without salt - the Baltic sea is nearly freshwater there and salt was expensive. I have never noticed that anyone stares here...? My guess for the primary chock to americans would be the freedom to roam!?

My mother have always considered the store bought lingonberry jam to be way to sweeet. So the first thing I learned to cook was home cooked lingonberry jam without sugar. So tasty

@MegaBanne

2 күн бұрын

We often just use the raw with a bit of added sugar (to taste, don't like the sweet either).

Haha, the year thing I've never thought about :D But it's true. "Jag är 77:a"

Wrong - we don't put lingonberry sauce on panca... oh we actually do.

great video, and really accurate. I still don't get the staring behavior after many years here, haven't seen that in other countries

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

You and me both!

@wahaha6961

Ай бұрын

As a Swede, my best guess is it's curiosity getting the better of people; "I've never seen that man before, he doesn't look like anyone I know, the clothes are different, his walk is different, his hair is different, his features are different... I wonder where lives, what he does for a living, if he speaks Swedish at all, if he has kids, if he's married... What a curious individual - I've never seen one like that..! Wonder what "box" he fits; "hard-working".. maybe he's a "lazy".. not sure if "married man" appli-, OH NO, he's looking this way..! 😱😱😱 That's kinda what I observed as a kid, but I'm not sure that applies to everyone - naturally, there are some who are less curious who are just generally more frustrated and bitter inside, that have a more angry or jealous gaze (not appearance, but gaze). Now, of course you can stare them down if you so please, and if you really want to give them a heart attack (or piss the jealous once off), give them a wave and a smile..! 😂 Personally, my rule of thumb is to ignore the attention I get from staring strangers, and just live my best life without disturbing the peace of the public by singing, shouting, dancing or stealing the attention of others by acting strangely or suspiciously - by, for instance, dancing, shouting, singing, or doing anything else that is "out of the ordinary"! In public..! At home, do you - just don't disturb or trouble your neighbours..!

Try lingonberry jam in your oatmeal. Or try oatmeal for the first time with lingonberry jam.

Naw, you never have to try surströmming (rotten fish). I am a Swede and I have never and would never put that foul crap into my gob unless I had nothing else to eat.

@bengtolsson5436

Ай бұрын

Not many people eat it in Sweden. Mostly in northern Sweden.

@nattm6553

Ай бұрын

None of my swedish frends eat the stuff..only older generation does it

No. No no no. We do have a side to walk on if we're walking on a road. Left. Yes. Left, and we all know that. Don't we?

I agree on most, but everyoen know you walk on the left side of the road meeting the traffic. Maybe you are talking about the sidewalk then there might be a valid point

Complaining is how we bond over lifes misery and feel happy suffering together.

Dried reindeermeat is the best

Love your IG and Tube! You great ❤

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

Thank you so much!!

That week thing annoys me as well. I have no idea what week 42 is. Off the top of my head I know its in autumn but no idea what month

That whole week nr thing has taken me like 35 years to learn and I was born here, it never really made sense to me why people would use it when you still have to book a date anyway, I learned it out of necessity...

On a road with no pavement or dedicated pedestrian lane, you should walk on the left. This is explicitly defined in the traffic laws. The reason for using the left side is safety. As a pedestrian you're very vulnerable, and the greatest danger is, of course, vehicles on your side of the road. By walking on the left, you and the driver on any vehicle can make eye contact to determine that you are aware of each other's presence. And even if the driver doesn't notice you, you will have a greater chance of seeing the vehicle early enough that you'll be able to avoid it, than you would if it came from behind you.

@fredrichenning1367

Ай бұрын

Left of what? You mean against the traffic, I presume, since THAT is the law.

@rhalme

Ай бұрын

@@fredrichenning1367 On the left of the road, of course. And the law does not say against the traffic, it says furthest to the left in the direction of travel. 3rd paragraph of section 1 of chapter 7 of Trafikförordningen.

@fredrichenning1367

Ай бұрын

@@rhalme -- Still seems bloody ambiguous. Furthest to the left in the direction of travel would put the pedestrian on the "other side of the road" from a vehicle driving on the right, or whose direction of travel? Swedish paragraph writers again, and I've seen my share of that stuff as a translator. Much simpler to say "facing traffic" or "against traffic".

You walk on the right side of the road in Sweden, with ONE exception: if there's no pavement (such as a country road, or a mixed, undivided cycle and walk path), you instead walk on the let so that you face the vehicles.

@nairobie755

24 күн бұрын

Only place where walking on right is correct is if only pedestrians are allowed. On every road and every combined bike and pedestrian path the rule is to walk on the left.

@thedryparn1279

16 күн бұрын

That is on pedestrian only roads. If it's a road where both pedestrian and cyclists go you walk to the left and cycle on the right. Just like if you walk on the side of a car road you should walk on the left. It's not a rule though, it's a recommendation.

You have some good points and this is your experience so I can't take that away from you.... BUT 😊: - Lingonberries on everything? Nope! But of course we use it when it's a local berry, perhaps as you use cranberries. But on everything? - Yes, we use weeks BUT only when we talk about our summer vacations. We never use weeks in like february (right other swedes??). I have no clue what month week 21 is. - Eating reindeer (and you're right, it's more in the northen parts) is like you eat turkeys. We eat what lives near us. - We complain and talks about the weather YES, get use of it! But we don't complain about EVERYTHING. Dude?? - Leave the right/left side of the road be, not even swedes know what is right 😁 -

@wahaha6961

Ай бұрын

- Lingonberries on everything; personally, only to meatballs and renskav, and maybe other vilt. However, I know Swedes who like it to any dish featuring potatoes - that can get really weird, really fast..! - Weeks; in school, we used weeks a lot. When I started working in logistics, we only used dates and months. Then, when I transferred to industrial production, suddenly we used weeks and days (and dates for announcements)! As a father, we now have weeks and dates from school - it has been frustrating, and it's very confusing..! 😂 - Renkött/renskav; it's delicious! I'm from the south, but of northern descent - I'll take palt, thank you..! 😌 - Complain about everything; ye, we do! Mate... "Det är för kallt! Det är för mörkt! Det snöar! Det regnar! Det är för varmt! ... Det är för långt! Det är för mycket folk! Folk parkerar som krattor! Folk kör för sakta!" People love to complain! Personally, I laugh my ass off when people get to moaning, and that's mostly because it's so predictable..! Like, me and my pals.. "it's too cold..!", - it's freaking winter, but on an actual jacket, ye dumbass! 😂 - Left side/right side; I agree, Swedes don't know, but there are laws and regulations in place for it, and we should all do a better job at following these rules..!

Maybe its time to think about what Swedish people thinks is shocking about Americans. For example their ignorans, lack of empati and their "right to keep and wear arms" The world dont need arms, it needs love and understanding.

I feel like it's more of a regional thing some of what you said.

I love small talks. I have NEVER put that nasty fish in my mouth! Hahaha, about the winter and summer, swedes are "lagom". Warmer days in the spring are the best although i personally love summer to. Some people do stare and they are just rude!

All true...I do remember that one American friend whom I met here, like 12, 13 years ago. This guy was able to go out and make friends like WTF 😂...content is 🔥

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

Thank You

Week numbers can be really annoying to Swedes too 😂 if you don’t have your kids in school or study yourself, are employed, you’ll forget about it 😂.

Staring!?! Was that ironic? Cause in my world noone looks at anyone else ever! Or is it just me?? cause im so uninteresting looking?? 😂

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

Usually people find it to be an issue if you stare at them so long in the US

@saintofspades567

Ай бұрын

@@Lexxinsweden are swedes ok with being stared at? Or do you feel its common that swedes stare at you? Im just new to the idea. In my experience swedes avoid eyecontact or social ineractions at all costs… but perhaps your experience is different? It curious somehow.

@Jonke75

Ай бұрын

Is staring a southern thing? I live in the middle of sweden (northern parts for the ones in the south) and staring is unpolite. Are you sure they are looking at you or are they just staring at the distance dreaming away? :)

@saintofspades567

Ай бұрын

@@Jonke75 hm. Im from the north too… and now live in Stockholm. Ive never experienced any form of staring. perhaps its a Växsjö thing?

@wahaha6961

Ай бұрын

​@@saintofspades567It's a thing, but I think less so in Stockholm - people seem to filter out strangers in their vicinity as noise almost..! Between being stressed to get places, and blissfully going about their day when they are off from work, they just don't seem to pay attention to others as much as elsewhere.

Jag har bott i Sverige väldigt många år. Och jag kan fortfarande inte vänja mig vid stirrandet, jag stirrar också tillbaka nu. Och det är lite som du säger, deras kryptonit.😂😂

@RobinBergstrom-cb7ui

Ай бұрын

Stirras inget i Norrbotten iaf. 😂 Totalförbjudet.

@carinagidlof5331

Ай бұрын

Det var nytt för mig. Tycker snarare tvärtom. Att svenskar inte möter främlingar blickar. Aldrig sett någon stirra😮

@NennaC

Ай бұрын

@@RobinBergstrom-cb7uisamma i Stockholm. På tunnelbanan är det ju tabu att stirra på någon så alla sitter och glor ut genom fönstren istället, på de sprängda bergväggarna eller ner i sina mobiler. Stirrar man på någon för länge där så får man ju onda ögat.

@matszz

Ай бұрын

Jag hade ingen aning om att vi stirrar! Förlåt!

It is not Lingonberry sause, it is a jam :)

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

You know what is Americans mean

omg this one had me in stiches ..'now i have to explain whats happend to rudolf' ... ooh gosh...sry Lexx...

smoked and dried reindeer meat is by far the most delicious way to get protein even if it's damn expensive 😋🤤🤤

I have never heard anyone answer with the year they were born when asked about their age ! Is that a new thing !? / The reindeers belong to the Samepeople in the north and a small number are eaten every year and also moose and other deers ( hunted once a year ) Is is very healthy meat ! But if you want a real challenge - try Surströmming ! About staring - I am surprised that people stare at you - do you live in a small town ? We have more than one million people in Sweden with different shades of brown - it is not news anywhere ! Maybe they like your looks ! Arond 1970 I worked with supporting SNCC and the Panthers and we had many deserters from the Vietnamwar and sometimes people could shout rasist words. But since then the population has become more international so I didn´t think things like staring happened anymore !

Im a swede. And 50% of this list also bothers and boggles me ❤

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

😂

Reindeer meat? Ha, try horse meat, then, called hamburgerkött -- mostly sold as a sandwich "pålägg". Quite good, really.

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

not yet

I was sorry to hear about your experience of staring, especially since I was happy to hear, in another of your videos, that you are relieved about the police actually doing their job, to serve and protect ALL citizens. Because I suspect you where being stared at because you are black... that is, different. I don't know how much this would be racism or how much it is due to a society of conformity, but maybe that is the same. Otherwise swedes are known for their need to keep distance, and to often pretend that they don't notice you if you share space with a stranger. Personally I have not experienced being stared at, and that is probably because I look Swedish average. But when you say it, being in a crowd of strangers, I would sometimes observe someone staring at a person who look different in some way, and I would think the person staring is disrespectful, because you should have the right to non-perfect conformity, and I would start staring at the starer, like you do, and when they notice me observing their staring, they will stop... but when I think about it, this would more likely have been in my youth (I'm 47), because here in Stockholm we have nowadays a mix of differnt people, and black is not so outlandish anymore. I don't know, but tolerance might be less in a smaller town. When I went to first grade, all the other children where ethnically swedish, but since then luckily there is a greater mix, and when I went to university my two best friends were black but born in Sweden.

A) Walking and bicycling lanes separated by a white middle line; keep to the right. B) Combined walking/bicycling lane; keep to the left. C) Crosswalk with only long, solid lines; pedestrians withhold the right of way. D) Crosswalk with long, solid lines and short squares on one side; pedestrians and bicyclists withhold the right of way (bicyclists in the empty extension by the white squares, "naturally"). Of course, if there are street lights, obey those. Now, this is a mundane thing that drives me up the walls, but it seems to be rocket science to most Swedes?! In most places, the situation that occurs when this is ignored is usually not serious enough as to where this needs to be brought up and turned into a problem or a conflict. Again, it's usually not that serious, since nobody got hurt..! Furthermore, I'd rather grit my teeth, and forget about these surströmmingar-on-legs than end up in some situation where a fistfight ensues, seeing as the consequences will have severely detrimental effects on my life for the rest of my days..! In Sweden, throwing hands means that you are an animal unfit for society, and having a criminal record means that you will never fully regain the trust of those around (should they find out, but people like to talk, so.. ye)! From a legal standpoint, you are forgiven your wrongdoings once you served your sentence(/payed your fines), but SOCIALLY, you are DONE FOR FOR LIFE..! Nobody will employ you, and if people find out an employee has a record, they may very well tell the employer to get rid of you or they will stop shopping at that particular store..! This is what freaks me out about these underage kids getting drawn into criminal gangs, because there's "good money" and since they're young they'll get short sentences even for murder - what the manipulative gang leaders neglect to tell them is that once you have a criminal record, you are no longer human and you'll only ever be forgiven once you are six feet under and have stopped adding additional costs in the form of taxes! Unless they have a role model to tell them about these things in advance, this kids will be robbed of their futures because of a mistake they cannot undo (regardless of whether they murder someone, sell drugs, rob a store, or assault someone). Since a fistfight usually falls under "assault/battery" in Sweden, it doesn't really matter who started it unless you turn tail and run the first chance you get - step forward or swing one time too many, and claims of "self-defense" (usually) go out the window! And then you are done; "brännmärkt fram till din död", and scorned by everyone around you..! That's a "no, thank you" - I'd rather keep my job, and get to see my kid when I get home from work.

Are you shure that it is Sweden you live in?

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

YES. And because it never happens around you does not mean it does not exist

😵‍💫 Surströmming ? JUST PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN ! Nobody needs to consume that stinking stuff ! Norwegians have Rakfisk. Wich is fermented trout. In Iceland they eat fermented whale blubber. While Sweeds suffer their surströmming meals. 🪓Being Vikings at heart, this is the ultimate test of bravery. (You might get sick as a dog, but hey, your ancestors would be SO proud) ! 🤢🤮 ⛈️ Complaining about the weather is how all Scandinavians do small talk ! All can agree on the miserable rain/snow/lack of rain/lack of snow for Christmas, or spring flooding.... 🪓Being Vikings at heart, this is how we avoid war between us.... 🔴 The perpetual Lingonberry. Our old well proven source of Vitamin C. So. We drink it. And mix it with all types of food. 🪓Being Vikings we don't grow oranges in Scandinavia...🥶 🦌As for Rudy the reindeer, you best tell your daughter it's a myth they can fly... Reindeer, moose, roedeer are all on the menu in Scandinavia. Have been since the year dot... 🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🛷🎅 🪓Being Vikings at heart we swap fairy tales for a feast, at any given time... 🍻🍖 Love from Norway 👩‍🦳 🇧🇻

Driving license. In the USA, these are given out to immature kids like candy. The result is a humongous traffic death statistic (42,795 in 2022). We don't want that in Sweden.

I can not hear you over the annoying music. 😂

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

Turn on the closed caption. I am sorry!

@mzay1608

Ай бұрын

@Lexxinsweden I had to..😀 But overall, it's an interesting video.

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

@@mzay1608 sorry and thanks to 😂

Why spend time small talkin they will never be yor friends, for reall.

@Lexxinsweden

29 күн бұрын

You never know unless you find out

No one is staring! I really think you have a lot of wrong ideas about swedish people.. That is sad to spread false rumours. Why do yo do that?

@nattm6553

Ай бұрын

the guy probably acts like a loud annoying american therefore people are watching =)

@Lexxinsweden

Ай бұрын

Have you been with me when you see others staring at me? I'm just saying... I do not find it to be a problem, it's just somethings I see from time to time

@wahaha6961

Ай бұрын

I'm sorry, but people do stare. I'm Swedish, but even I have been stared at just walking down the street. I'm short, in dark blue jeans and a black hoodie, headphones on, casually walking the street, and one in six people stare at me for no apparent reason - I sometimes find myself doing the same thing, but I try not to. Again, it's not "everybody stares", but it's frequent enough to where you cannot deny it. That said, I'm positive it depends on the person, but the number of times people look at me for that little bit too long to where it gets awkward happens a lot. If you look someone in the eye, they look away instantly, but as soon as you avert your gaze, they cannot help but steal more glances at you - it's a thing 😂

Where do you get your facts?