One of the many wonderful things about Sweden is that each week, the country hands over its official Twitter feed to a different Swede, to tweet their Swedish thoughts and do their Swedish bidding. Most of the time, @Sweden, like the @RestOfUs, simply posts mundane musings or pictures of snow or Eurovision nominations. (Unfortunately, sometimes @Sweden gets racist, and Sweden gets embarrassed.) But every so often, @Sweden is downright delightful, just like the real Sweden.
Earlier this week, Heather Jonasson, the woman manning the account, tweeted what seemed like just another idle @Swedenism:
It's lunchtime here in Stockholm. Let's take a look at a random Swede's fridge. pic.twitter.com/NcQd9zwY1T
— @sweden / Heather (@sweden) February 24, 2015 It wasn't long before the world joined in, opening their iceboxes and letting people peek inside.
@sweden Canada. There's beer and maple syrup in there. The rest is unimportant. pic.twitter.com/SteZRgJbKW
— Ludo Martin (@LeKurosawa) February 24, 2015 So what does humanity have on hand? Mostly, a lot of eggs, milk, beer, and ... condiments, especially Heinz ketchup.
This was true in Sweden, across the country, from Uppsala:
And medicine bottom shelf “@Mimmi_T89: #fridgie from Uppsala! Lots of leftovers...and milk. Payday tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/zLC9SVLxgF”
— @sweden / Heather (@sweden) February 24, 2015 To Stockholm:
@sweden My fridge in Stockholm. Lots of non-milk milk products. And organic soda. pic.twitter.com/3WDKNsOs8C
— Sara J (@underbarasara) February 24, 2015 As well as abroad. Here's Puerto Rico:
Last one. :) “@vvicthor: @sweden your run of the mill fridge in Puerto Rico. Hi! pic.twitter.com/SjSo5Aiyf8”
— @sweden / Heather (@sweden) February 24, 2015 Ireland:
Dublin, Ireland. @sweden #showyourfridgeday pic.twitter.com/4RyBtD9CHi
— Pierre (@PiEHRu) February 24, 2015 Spain:
@sweden here's one from Spain pic.twitter.com/o8tJvKikIu
— Ana Berlanga (@berlanguis) February 24, 2015 Denmark:
@sweden A Danish fridge, mostly beer and pickled herring. #showyourfridgeday pic.twitter.com/oKvVkQ3X4W
— Henrik Nielsen (@niels_neutron) February 24, 2015 Hong Kong:
@sweden hello from Hong Kong! pic.twitter.com/zzDOTI0OTi
— Jonathan Leung (@joleung) February 24, 2015 Singapore:
@sweden hello from our fridge in Singapore! ^^) pic.twitter.com/Krt70TMEqw
— Yasmin (@shutittight) February 24, 2015 Australia:
Sydney, Australia @sweden #tupperwareaddict pic.twitter.com/zd164jo0Gp
— Lisa Jane (@ljasydney) February 24, 2015 The U.K.:
. @sweden #showyourfridgeday A sad looking UK fridge pic.twitter.com/2wGj0DTNi7
— Herre_Mörker (@HerreMorker) February 24, 2015 Japan:
@sweden Not random. So orderly. Here's one from Tokyo. pic.twitter.com/kLVuSHnACn
— Ted O'Neill (@gotanda) February 24, 2015 India's seemed by far the healthiest:
@sweden my submission for the random fridge photo series. Its watermelon (and leftover) season in southern India. pic.twitter.com/BndE3K8IZv
— Buridan's Ass (@chau_s) February 24, 2015 And the most under-stocked was perhaps in Belarus, "the country":
@sweden In Belarus, the country pic.twitter.com/qroFLjaKI3
— syarozkaby (@syarozkaby) February 24, 2015 Some even offered a look at their magnets:
@sweden my refrigerator, from Curitiba, southern Brazil. ;) pic.twitter.com/rqxAiXJIZO
— Sérgio SP3 Pires (@sergiosp3) February 24, 2015 The far-flung fridges seemed remarkably similar to the American ones. Here's Seattle:
@sweden fridge in Seattle Washington pic.twitter.com/EALQ3IaYmM
— Nipuna (@nipunad) February 24, 2015 Maryland:
@sweden Here's my fridge from Frederick, MD, USA. I just noticed my eggs expired last month. Oops! pic.twitter.com/5X8r61ckpc
— Brian E. (@BurritoElito) February 24, 2015 Burbank:
@sweden Lookin' all artsy in the morning light. Burbank, CA! pic.twitter.com/l6d8td2qIQ
— Jeff Powers (@JDPBBANK) February 24, 2015 Buffalo:
US fridges have double doors?! “@sophie_inBflo: love seeing fridges from around the world!Here's mine in buffalo ny. pic.twitter.com/5YLtKbFFXK”
— @sweden / Heather (@sweden) February 24, 2015 And a New Orleans newsroom:
@sweden Here's our @nolanews newsroom fridge in New Orleans. Salad dressings and lunch boxes. #partylikeajournalist pic.twitter.com/S7dbRMBREx
— Carlie Kollath Wells (@carlie_kollath) February 24, 2015 Perhaps none were as sad, though, as the dorm-room fridges. Like this one in The Netherlands:
@sweden my tiny student fridge in Deventer, the Netherlands :) pic.twitter.com/evDIBEolV1
— (@moigimy) February 24, 2015 Or Turkey:
@sweden a dormroom fridge from Istanbul pic.twitter.com/x00evMtWT6
— uc (@utkucb) February 24, 2015 Or Finland:
@sweden here's one from Finland! (poor student who lives alone) #showyourfridgeday pic.twitter.com/1F7VKiOWjK
— Janna (@wonderlessjanna) February 24, 2015 Why is this so compelling, that the whole world would pause to tweet their leftovers at a small Scandinavian nation? Food voyeurism has a well-established appeal, based on the popularity of past projects examining what the world eats in a day or what kids in various nations eat for breakfast. Traveling is exciting, and other countries seem exotic. But when you're at some picturesque Parisian sidewalk cafe, don't you also wonder what ordinary, frazzled French moms whip up for dinner when they rush through the door after work? (Or, okay, after they stroll home sexily with a perfectly-behaved baby in tow and cigarette in hand.)
It's kind of comforting to know that, despite their differences, people everywhere let the milk go bad and order pizza even when there's perfectly good kale sitting there.
We've seen the fridges, and it's opened up our eyes to at least this one universal truth: Mankind really does not like to go grocery shopping.
So sad Oklahoma “@SNChalmersAVC: @stefapie @LincolnsRevenge Oklahoma, USA pic.twitter.com/LsV6otSNQZ”
— @sweden / Heather (@sweden) February 24, 2015 This article was originally published at http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/fridges-of-the-world-unite/386138/
