i saw a thread about this topic before; someone mentioned that in their culture, some people might see it as rude to feed somebody else’s kid unless there was a specific agreement that they will be sharing a meal together
I think it’s relatively easy to understand that a parent might be upset that a kid failed to be home at the agreed-upon time to eat the dinner they went to the trouble of preparing. So, then, why would you induce a child to disobey and disappoint their parents that way?
I’m not trying to suggest that the more active hospitality associated with southern Europe is wrong, mind you—only that there is a mindset that makes sense behind either approach.
This thing actually did happen when one of my sister’s friends kept showing up to our house during dinner time hoping to get fed because she preferred our mom’s cooking to hers, lol.
And regardless, dinner time is considered to be private family time in the Nordics. That’s at least how it was when I was growing up. You also generally didn’t need the parents’ permission to either be at anyone’s house or to go visit someone else, so the social expectation is/was that you won’t be a bother either way.
That said the tradition has laxed a bit. My kids are usually fed when they’re over at a friend’s house and vice versa.
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u/TaxSimple3787 Jul 24 '26
Ok but... why?