I've heard a story about a married couple (actress and actor/director), during their holiday, were hiking in the countryside and when they got hungry and saw some tables and benches they decided to sit in and asked for a lunch. When they finished and wanted to pay, it turned out it wasn't a restaurant, but a family house. And the country was... Italy.

I like how the dude from Sweden doesn't tries to deny his actions and thoughts and how everyone pointed to him as the least hospitable person among them

The Irish lady has completely sold me on Ireland! From what she says, the people are very welcoming and down to earth. Also, from this video, I can better understand why there were so many marriages between Irish and Italian people here in the states. Some of their cultural values are very similar😂 Btw Marina, I love this series! Please do more🥰

As a Mexicana, I gotta say that I’m absolutely shocked about this Swedengate thing. I was today years old when I found out about this and I can’t imagine it ever happening in a Mexican household 😅. Super interesting cultural video tho!

The hospitality thing is more of a Southern Europe thing. I wouldn't know how to rank Greeks, Italians, Spanish or Portuguese, as we all are very hospitable. Also, it depends on where in the country. I am Italian and the people of the North have a saying that goes " a guest is like a fish. After 3 days, he starts to stink". Southern Italy is on another level entirely. My family is from Sicily and in the island if the guest doesn't get out of the house rolling like a ball because of the food we have given you, we're not satisfied.

i like how they pointed to the italian 🇮🇹as the best hospitable and the swede 🇸🇪 as the least hospitable

I have talked to friends who have visited Europe and they picked Ireland and Italy as the friendliest to strangers. France ranks low in friendliness in Paris, but as the French representative here said, once you get outside of that area, the French are very friendly to strangers. It helps to have children along in Italy - that seems to open doors that may otherwise not be opened for strangers. The biggest shock from my friends who visited Ireland is (1) the language, which includes a lot of cursing (a lot!) from an American perspective, and (2) the sense of humor they have, where once they get to know you, they insult you (in a good way), a shock for an American if you don't know that is their way of including you and bonding with you. As far as the Scandinavian countries go, they do a lot of things with friends, the problem for visitors is that they don't do things with strangers.

Irish and Italians are very friendly!

As an italian i don't think it's cool to shame on swedish culture like that. There's an actual reason behind it and cultural differences entail different perspectives, we must approach to it with maximum respect. Plus, as the girl from the Netherlands said, REGIONAL DIFFERENCES exist too. Things may change drastically weather you're in the south or north of Italy for example.

It’s interesting how sometimes we have completely opposite interactions. I went to Sweden in 2019 to watch a band I like rehearse. They didn’t invite me. I asked if I travel there would I be able to watch it. Got there they were really nice to me we went out for lunch and they paid the lunch for me and one of the guys invited me for dinner at his home with his family. It was awesome.

I had a group of med students in my Airbnb in San José, Costa Rica. Once the hot tube broke. I came with the technical guy and the Irish guys made me sit down and had me drink coffee with them. That was the first time that a guest actually took time to hang out with me. They were surprisingly out going and talkative. Almost like in Latin America. I went to Ireland like 6 years ago and they were super nice there. I have a theory, based in mu latin background. When you come for countries with poverty and harsh times in the past, you really learn the importance, to lend a hand and be hospitable.

As a Turkish person I can relate to Italian guy Mediterranean countries are mostly similar to each other and we are very hospitable you can see this hospitality in every Mediterranean country Greece Italy France Spain Egypt Tunisia Lebanon and they are not a Mediterranean country but in Portugal to and you can see this behavior in Caucasus region and Balkans

How I understood it as a kid (born and raised Swede). For me my parents wanted me home for dinner every night since that was family bonding time. Often my friends parents and my parents would call and discuss where the visiting kid would eat and often the result would be each at their own home. I think there are a couple of reasons for this: 1. It is getting late anyway, 2. Tend to cook exactly enough for the family (less waste but no room for additional portions). Swedes are planners, we plan, and execute according to plan. 3. Dinner time is family bonding time, 4. Cooking food for your kids is expressing love, and if your kid eats elsewhere parents feel hurt. If it had been arranged the day before or during the afternoon eating at a friends house was no issue at all for either family. So I think point (2) is the main point. Swedes like planning and control. Call it cold, disgusting or unfriendly if you want. But for me, it is just a part of my culture.

As Chinese, I can relate to the Irish and Italian level of hospitality, as sharing food and feeding guests is also a big part of our culture! I was shocked about the Swedengate, it’s very interesting😂

love how honest the Swede was being, and there's no good or bad really in culture.. if Swedes are restrained in hospitality maybe they're better with integrity... there are always reasonings, compensations and balance going on within a society/culture.. can't really judge cultural traits in isolation.. always have to consider fuller context

6 years I lived in the Czech Republic where no one smiles in public (unless with your friends and families). From the countries Ive been to from travelling, I gotta say the Irish is up there at the top, most friendly and hospitable people Ive ever met. But I looooooved the scandinavians. Everyone keeps to themselves, quiet everywhere, people are polite and they are helpful when you ask for help.

Loved this episode so much very very funny!

This has a lot to do with religion (Catholic vs Protestant). It surprised me how nobody brought that up. That’s why Italians, Irish and ultimately French are positioning on the “warmer” spectrum, and others as Protestants are on the “colder” side, so to speak. Side note: Of course there will be difference between a German from the catholic south vs the Lutheran north as well

Yes, I love this series. Please, keep them coming!

Loved this new concept! Also, great book, I recommend it :D

I'm Scottish, so I know our Irish brethren well, but I live in Italy. So I would switch the Irish and the Italians. It's true that Italians will welcome you in and spontaneously whip something delicious up for you, but it is more about them receiving compliments for their food and joining them in disparaging your own cuisine (not true of every Italian obviously). The Irish don't judge and don't want to be judged. You could be gay, Muslim, African, trans, Asian or whatever and the Irish welcome would be the same. Unfortunately Italians hold a lot of prejudice against minorities. I'd also switch the French and Germans, perhaps just because I have more experience of German hospitality.

I didn't realize that European countries would have such different ideas on dinner parties and hospitality! It was neat learning about their cultures and getting to compare them to each other, very fascinating stuff!

Fantastic watch as always 👌🏿🔥

I'm from 🇦🇷 and I can definitely relate to the Italian guy! In our culture Sunday is family day and who's ever hosting that person will set up a spread plus the people coming usually show up with either food, beer or wine it just goes without saying! In our culture if you invite people over to your home and you don't offer them food, drinks or coffee it's considered rude! Either way cool and funny video!😂😂

I must say the times I visited Dublin was always great because of the open , musical people !

Since all the Celtic people are very hospitable and friendly I always wondered till a French guy told me it was because we were nomads and nomads have to be able to get to know and build trust with strangers regularly and being hospitable and friendly is a result of that. We are more friendly to strangers than our own and we are experts at knowing everything about everyone you don’t know by the end of a party.

That was a really interesting video. I loved the format.

It's interesting: I was at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin this May, and every night, I was at the bar with fans from all over the world, with an obvious emphasis on Europe. And while people there were generally very nice, by FAR the two groups I got along with the best were the Irish and the Icelandic. (Also the Israelis and the Aussies but they're not technically in Europe, although they're a lot of fun and fit right in). The Irish will just welcome everyone into their group with open arms. The very first night I was there, a couple from Cork bought me a shot after we'd only been talking for like two minutes. The Icelanders, meanwhile, very much lived up to the stereotype that people from Nordic countries are much less reserved when drunk, because they were a GAS and we shot the shit for like two hours. They're hilarious. As a New Yorker, those were the sensibilities I got along with the best. (And, of course, Italy is an incredibly hospitable country and Turin in particular is a big bear hug of a city, cannot recommend it enough).

As an example of the warmth and friendliness of Italians, the first time I visited we met many people in Amalfi. We were invited to their homes for lunch, dinner and other occasions. They would come and pick us up, take us places, etc. Fast forward 25 years and I still have those friends and more in subsequent visits. Very special. I've also had them visit me in the U.S. and returned their hospitality.

Amazing video! I love this channel! Why not the same video but only with Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece!!?? :D

This series is a hoot

Sheldon from TBBT reference is on point! 😂😂😂😂

Many years ago I was on a cycling trip in Italy with a group of friends. Among those friends was a married couple who were celebrating their wedding anniversary. While in this small village, they learned that there was this small business the served private dinners in a home and they decided that they wanted to enjoy that for their celebration. They arranged a date and time and then proceeded to show up to the wrong house. It wasn't until they had finished their meal and tried to pay that they realized that they had gone to the wrong house! They were given a meal as complete strangers by this Italian family! I'd definitely say that Italians are hospitable!

We had our Irish neighbours over for a dinner party a few times and every time the husband of the couple starts singing folk songs. They are a very fun, warm people.

Fun video & series, the guys are adorable ❤

Awesome video

As a brazilian I have to say that the whole latin originated cultures like ours in Latin America is very receptive with guests, we wouldn't never let a guest without food in our homes and if we have a family party we can invite others too. There is no problem.

Yes more of those videos,enjoyed that. It would be hard to argue against Italy on the hospitality front.

Great video

great video, Marina!!

I've been to Ireland and Italy - think it is unfair that the Irish lady had to switch places - Italian people are also great and very welcoming, but I have never experienced the hospitality the Irish have anywhere else in the world - you walk in a local pub and it's like you returned to your family. But of course Italians cook better - but this should then be a different ranking!

I love Italy and Irish people from 🇮🇷🏳🙏😊 so friendly

In holland, when i was a kid and played at a friend, the parents of the friend would say: we gonna eat. The meaning of this sentence means: you have to go home. If you wanted to eat, than you had to plan that, so they had enough food. It is really normal over here. #TrueStory If you are interested in the dutch hospitality. In this video "famous" dutch people are talking about the dutch hospitality. For me as a dutchie very familiar🤣😅 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hJ1maMKjxM_IlIk.html

oh my god love the irish girl ! great sense of humor and sold me on Ireland ! as arabs we can connect to that kind of culture.

As a kid growing up in sweden, it was often the other way around but for the same reason. I was actually asked many times if I wanted to stay for dinner at my friends house, but I said no. Not because i was not hungry, but because of the awkward sense of debt that would build up. But also I was expected to be home for dinner anyways, dinnertime was often considered the end of the playdate and the start of familytime.

Fascinating insights. Honestly kind of glad to see France get a little bit of credit, since they often get called "rude" (unfairly, in my opinion). Also, I suspect this ranking mirrors their introvert / extrovert cultural norms.

Being Italian i can say that we don't do it for hospitality but to impress the others, we're always afraid of what others thinking and afraid to do not meet expectations.....

Well, I have to say I enjoyed this new format very much. I'd say I pretty much agree with the line-up. Since I'm half-Central European cannot help but wonder what the line up for this region would be.

I’m from Iran and I see a lot of similarities between Italian and Iranian culture I’ve never been to Italy but I have seen some of them in Persepolis and Shiraz they were really friendly and warm people I would love to visit Italy one day love Italy from Iran 🇮🇷❤️🇮🇹

Marina, your videos never disappoint. This one was a lot of fun to watch (especially the LOTR reference), and your imaginative ideas always feel integral to everything that has come before. This is true art! :)

As a Mexican, I really relate to the French guy talking about lots of parties & kids sleeping on the chairs because parties are going late. Hell, as an adult I'm hardly phased by the neighbors parties at 3am because I was trained to sleep through it as a child 😂😂😂

Sweden rocks! My favorite. Great job!

The Irish woman made me think of "Jewish mother" stereotypes. It made me think the Irish like to play pranks when making food for guests. I am guessing Ms. O'Flaherty would serve anchovy pizza for her next dish if you liked the liver and onions. The Swedish sound smart for not wanting to be in debt. People have a funny idea of what "hospitable" is.

As an italian that likes sweden, I knew about the "least hospitable" stuff but not the kid part. I was very saddened by that. However Peter explained it in a matter that I found kinda sweet and that makes sense, especially considering the place where abundance of food was a luxury (is still a freezing cold place not suited for agriculture like the mediterranean area). However in the past also southern europe had the same problem but tied to poverty. In the north the approach is try to survive as long as possible for your close ones, in the south is feast when you can because you could die tomorrow. Different approaches to life, both correct in their own ways. I feel like nordics could throw big parties but they are afraid of letting you down or making you feel uncomfortable because you can't do the same as them. It's thoughtful in preserving your image I believe

Sweden sounds great! So...you're telling me I can live in a country where people leave me alone and I'm not obligated to speak with them? Therefore just live in peace without judgement?

I'd love to see a video comparing Australia / New Zealand / UK/ US with European cultures, since a large proportion of the population has European ancestry but have developed their own cultures.

As an Irishman 🇮🇪 who in my 20s lived in France 🇫🇷, Germany 🇩🇪, Belgium 🇧🇪 and Italy 🇮🇹, I really enjoyed this video. I’ve also travelled in the Netherlands 🇳🇱 and Sweden 🇸🇪 before, so I could relate to what each were saying. Basically, for food, it has to be Italy 🇮🇹, with Greece 🇬🇷 and Spain 🇪🇸 coming next. I believe the Portuguese 🇵🇹 are also good at that, but I’ve only been to their country once. I visited Stockholm 🇸🇪 when I was living in Turin 🇮🇹, and I found the cultural difference very stark. That said, having attractive, blonde women approach you in a bar and be very up front, made a pleasant change. It was much harder to meet and chat to single Italian girls socially. Whereas the Nordics really do let their hair down after a few drinks. The Frenchman 🇫🇷 was on the money that outside Paris they are much warmer and friendlier, and great fun. But it really helps if you speak French. Don’t just assume that they will speak English to you. That will not end well. Parisians do indeed give off the worst impression of their country. I studied in Lille in the north where that man is from. The culture there is quite similar to Flemish (Belgian 🇧🇪) culture and great fun. More beer and chips culture than wine and cheese which you’d get in the south. The Germans 🇩🇪 are actually very hospitable and make great friends for life, like the lady said. The stereotype about them being cold is way off the mark. As for us Irish ☘️, our social culture does indeed revolve around drink, in the way that Mediterranean culture revolves around food. I gravitate towards fellow Europeans who like the craic and the banter, so I always had many friends from Spain 🇪🇸 and Denmark 🇩🇰 (the Latins of the North). I guess I just really like hospitality and warm people. That’s why I now live in Guadalajara, Mexico 🇲🇽 ! Plus it’s nice to pick up new languages. I now speak fluent French, German, Italian and Spanish, in addition to my mother tongue, English. My Irish is only pidgin alas. 😕 So get travelling, people. It’s fun discovering which stereotypes are true and which are myths!

As an Armenian, I am shook to the core by the Swedish guy lol Italians and Irish are more of my vibe.. or our culture, rather :D

This lineup is good

For me it's Italy and also i think that people from italy are one of the most friendly in the world , even though i've n never been there i asked to people from my family who went to Italy and they said that's true

I'm Portuguese and I remember one time as a kid I visited my Irish friends house and his parents gave me so much food there. It was very good too👍 So I can confirm what the Irish lady is saying

I like the new series! It would have been cool to have seen someone from Spain or Portugal in this video. 😁

You know it’s a miracle this didn’t end with a beat down

I'm Italian and I have a house in a village near the border with France with a lot of foreign tourists: I normally throw parties on my terrace and sometimes I just count up to 8 nationalities there, including many Scandinavians. I've never been invited back from them: everybody else has always made sure they offer me something in exchange, but not Scandinavians. But I still like them: they're friendly and great conversationalists after some good Rossese (the local red wine)

Just want to say that they are a little happy to draw all Swedes under the same framework. It was not like that in all Swedish homes. sure they were a bit more common in the 90s and early 2000s. For example, my mother always asked my friends if they wanted to eat. and sometimes they wanted to and sometimes not but it were up to themselves. so not all Swedes are like that..

Us swedes finds it normal. Eating dinner together as a family is a really important thing here. I used to stay at friends' houses after school every single day, imagine if I always ate at their places, then I would have never ate dinner at home with my family? or do you guys eat 2 dinners? It's just the way it is here and we don't find it strange. But of course I have eaten food at other's houses, and especially breakfast if I stayed over!

I'm glad that the swedish guy was honest!

Clara is so funny she cracks me up every single time

I went to Sweden twice in high school touring w my singing group. We stayed in host homes. The families were welcoming but quite subdued and maybe a bit shocked our American outgoing nature.

In my opinion, Georgians 🇬🇪 are the most hospitable and friendliest people in the world.

The great video of my all fav countries..have been all of them except ireland..from nepal🙏🇳🇵❤️

Very nice. Make more. This happy group of people reminds my friends from Erasmus and some youth exchange program i had

for the swedengate thing... as a swede i've def been left in the room of my friends when younger!! But i also want to add that there's often an option. they ask you if you actually want to eat with them or not and often me and my friends would decline dinner at the friend's place, due to family dinners with your own family being such a big thing. also depended on what food they were serving ofc no one would decline or be left out of tacos!! Tho honestly my friends usually would decline my dad's cooking bc it was too spicy for them 💀

The Irish girl is someone I'd like to be friends with.

In Latvia, you'll normally would be offered a coffee or tea with some small snacks, if you have to come to someone's home, like to pick up a kid or to bring something, unless one or both of you are in a hurry. Or even to an office. BTW, just today, I offered a coffee to a vendor who brought some material personally to our office because it was on his way. He was in a hurry but at least I offered. If a friend of my kids comes by it is normal to serve or offer food if we are eating. Or even if we just have had a meal it's not unusual to offer a snack. It's also totally fine for kids' friends to stay overnight at our place, but it could be just a family thing because I've 4 kids and me and my ex-husband really like children, so they are always welcome in both of our homes. It's even totally ok to take our children's friends to a family trip we are going to. The same works for the parents of the best friends of my kids- they pretty often are taken with them to their family trip. Of course, always with the consent from the parents. But, as I mentioned, it's probably more our family &Co thing. The hospitality depends if it's a city, town or village. On the country side people are usually more welcoming, although the difference is probably not so large. Edited: but one won't usually invite a stranger into their home, although it also depends. If you're a traveller, people will normally be interested into your story and pretty welcoming. Me and my ex-boyfriend had a guy from Germany staying overnight and fed him, as well. He was just travelling around the Europe on his bicycle. He was shocked that we offered to stay at our place, since the local hotel was full. 😅

One thing that frequently gets overlooked when talking about the relative hospitalities of countries, is climate and soil fertility Italians and Mediterranean countries can be more hospitable because they can grow more food more often, and the weather is nearly always favorable for spontaneous strolls and excursions Up in Scandinavia, it's dark half the year, and frigid, and for lack of volcanoes replenishing the soil with nutrients and less sunshine, there's less food availability - and up until the early 1900s, you could only go out for spontaneous visits for maybe 3 months out of the year without risking frostbite or adverse weather conditions that could land you stuck in mud miles from home. So Swedes just went out less and had less to share for a majority of their history My family is from Norrland, and while I've found folks in Stockholm to be a bit chattier and more sociable than folks in the village up north, it's still very much like western Washington state there, across the whole country. I don't feel it as much as folks from sunnier climates do because I already live in the middle of the Seattle Freeze, so Sweden feels more like home than home, a lot of the time. But I really notice it when I interact with recent immigrants, or venture to other countries in Europe I've worked in Georgia, and Georgians are by far *the* most hospitable, friendly, and social people I have ever encountered anywhere. Their climate is warmer, and their proximity to a bunch of volcanoes + tons of silt runoff from alpine glaciers means their soil is regularly replenished with nutrients, so it makes perfect sense that they're so inviting I miss Georgia almost every day

As a Swede I like how the Swedish guy not only admits that yeah, Swedish people aren't the most hospitable bunch, but also tries to explains the reasons and the cultural nuances that makes it so. Swedish people are quite polite, and there is a massive emphasis on not being a nuisance to others, but sadly we really aren't very hospitable or "nice" as compared to other countries. Just like with every cultural practice though, there is a reason why things are the way the are. There's no denying that we generally do not have the same "warmth" and friendliness that other countries have, and I do hope that will change. It's not because we are evil or anything, we're just... weird.

While I can understand the Swede’s reasoning, it is still odd to me. I grew up in a Portuguese family so I was nodding with the Italian 😀 No matter if there is a feast or simple/humble food, we offer food, beverage, and spend time with guests. If a table seats 4 and there are 5 people, we will make 5 place settings and seats. My parents would often invite the hired contractors to have lunch/dinner with our family 😂 and some of them were surprised but were happy to accept.

Clara, do you have a social media presence? You are hilarious!!

Growing up in the southern US, I relate a lot to the Irish lady. Especially when it comes to feeding your guests. 🤣

Interesting to see, that countries from the north(germany, whole scandinavia etc) that are considered to be not hospitable, friendly and cold but are on the other hand very liberal regarding their politics, sexuality, equality rights and social standards if you compare it to countries from the south( greece, italy) that tend to have more extreme positions when it comes to their governments, but are considered to be warm and welcoming.

Not eating dinner as a child at a friend's place is not 100% in Sweden, but it is probably around 50%. It was mostly when you decided to go home with a friend from school, which already pulls limits of Swedish social spontaneity, also eating there was often a bridge too far. Often though, you would be asked if you would eat when you got home, and most of the time you would, since parents would not want to inconvenience each other. So it is partially a consequence of the non-spontaneitous and planning-heavy parts of our culture. Having someone else eat dinner with a family is also seen as a bit of a break in social borders, and that needs preparation. It was rarely a case of: "You are not allowed to eat dinner with us." And more of a case of: "You are going to eat at home, right?". Of course, the answer would be yes since, who does not get fed at home? And often, when the friend's parents said: "We are going to eat soon." it meant that you really ought to go home now, in most cases.

There are a few other territories this would be fun to try this with. Africa, the Middle East (families in the Middle East are incredibly friendly and welcoming), Latin America (particularly Mexico and Colombia, I've heard a lot of stories about how friendly families from those two countries are in particular), the Caribbean...all known to be pretty hospitable.

2:27 "What is happening?" 🤣

The Swedish example here is only applicable to a small part of the country (Southern big cities) so it is very biased. Northern and small town Sweden is hospitable and will invite complete strangers inside. We also have big public BBQs with activities. No fancy expensive food or tiring planning.

Could you do one for Eastern Europe?

Well this video was a culture shock and eye opener. As an African, we are more likely to act like the Italians and Irish. However, i would not say one culture is better than the other, it's just how it is. Thanks for the video

Swede here born '92. Regarding the Swedengate thing, I'm fairly certain the main reason for it is the fact that most Swedish parents would expect you to get home to have family dinner. I have never heard the point about debts that Peter was talking about in the video, but I'm sure that happens aswell. My parents ALWAYS expected me to be hungry when I got home after hanging out with friends, and I most definitely had to tell my parents beforehand if I had dinner at a friends house (OR ELSE MY PARENTS MIGHT COOK TOO MUCH FOOD FOR THE DAY!!! AHHHH the horror)

The Irish lady is the OG , loved her reactions and she is just too sweet 😊👍

Having been around the French countryside in Bordeaux, Perigord and Burgundy, I found the people to be very genuine and very friendly. They were very welcoming to our young children. At the end of the day they are Latins and they enjoy a good time with friends and family.

1:03 I like his hair lol.

Cool, should certainly do one for south Asian countries vs Arab countries! Who claims to be more hospitable?

Where im from Finland its a bit two edged sword, eastern parts of Finland its very same level with italy and ireland and beside in west its more like sweden. North and south its kind of mixed. But in general, we just need a couple portions of alc% and than we talk everything! 😂

I think all Europe is wonderful. Many different countries with their culture, art, history, landskapes, food... We are lucky for living in this Continent. 🇮🇹😘

I would like to visit Italy, Ireland and France. This channel relax me after studying. LOVE FROM SERBIA🇷🇸

All of their culture comes down to history, Ireland had a famine so when it ended, people started to feed each other to make sure it wouldn’t happen again, the famine has been long gone but people still feed each other because the practice stayed even after the famine. In Sweden, people are a lot more reserve, so they only feed you if you were formally invited, I understand. It’s interesting to see the difference in cultures despite being in the same continent. Cheers to Europe! 🇪🇺

really like this new format! would love to see more in this style!

In Italy (from my family experience) it’s not so much about inviting people to eat with you. It’s more that Italians tend to be relaxed about who is coming and don’t make a big deal if an extra person turns up - even unexpected. It’s more important to enjoy the meal and company. They will just make an extra place at the table and share the food. Typical Italian food is usually easy to divide and share - so that might partially explain the difference with other countries?

Dating A Finnish dude..? Go Aleksi!👍😊

I’m looking forward to the Eastern European version and The Balkans version… those sound like hilarious shit shows! Especially the Balkans! Lmao