Munch Munch for Swedish Lunch

Why is there a long queue at the SOL cellar? And why is not a simple sandwich enough lunch for the Swedes? Lundagård’s columnist Paula Dubbink reflects about the meal at noon.

“Is it true”, my Swedish housemate asks, “that you guys do not eat lunch in Holland?” I think that this depends on her concept of ‘lunch’. “Well, lunch is warm food obviously.” I reply that in that case we indeed don’t eat lunch in Holland. She laughs, slightly in disbelief.

No, I’m not making this up. And it’s only after a year in Sweden that I understand why people at the SOL cellar stand in long queues around noon: they are waiting for a free microwave to warm up their yesterday leftovers. Which, in the Netherlands, is a very uncommon thing to do – why would you eat anything but sandwiches for lunch, after all? You could complement your boterham (literally ‘butter-ham’, even if not covered with either of the two) with soup or a small salad, but that could already be considered somewhat of a luxury.

As such, colleagues at my former job would spend their break munching away two slices of bread with cheese, one with ham and one with chocolate sprinkles. (You thought those were for putting on birthday cakes? We have them for both lunch and breakfast…adults too.) For special days, they would add a pear, instant tomato-soup or a boiled egg. That was it.

This phenomenon results in awkward situations whenever Dutch people organize lunch for foreigners, especially when in a business setting. Whereas my fellow countrymen feel like they have offered a real treat – best quality bread, fresh fruit, cucumber and tomato for on the sandwich, possibly a deep-fried snack – the foreigners look at their plate, try to appear satisfied and see their stereotype of the moneygrubbing Dutch confirmed.

But please, don’t take it personally. We just don’t know any better.

Of course, I have considered it part of my integration to eat out for lunch rather regularly (poor me) to get used to the Swedish lunch culture. And whenever I don’t eat out, I see myself taking plastic boxes with yesterday’s pasta to Uni more and more often.

These are my top-three Lundanian places to get lunch.

1. Hemma Hos Greken (“Home at the Greek”), Sandgatan 10.Don’t ask me what is so Greek about most of the dishes they serve. It doesn’t matter. Just go in and order their lentil soup. It’s the cheapest dish (40 SEK), it warms you up during a cold and dreary Swedish day (and that’s what lies ahead of us) and, most importantly, it just has that taste of home-madeness, which brings out a little sense of nostalgia.
2. Falafel, Lundafalafel, Stora Södergatan 5. It’s a cliché and wholly unoriginal, getting falafel in Lund. But is that a reason for not getting it? I don’t think so. After all, the falafel shop provides valuable lessons in integration: how to eat the thing without ruining your clothes (challenging), how to order it in proper Swedish and how to know which sauces to ask for. Master your skills – and if you’re getting fed up with falafel, order a roll with halloumi instead.
3. Café Karna o Ilias, Bredgatan 26.Yes, actually they mainly sell sandwiches. And wasn’t I just telling that a warm lunch is to be preferred? This is the exemption that proves the rule. Here, prices are low (coffee for 7 SEK), bread rolls come with interesting toppings (grape leaves filled with rice?), the salads are healthy and big and bananas are being recommended with the sign ‘against depression’.  Don’t come after 12.30, there’s a big chance that you’ll find empty shelves.

Smaklig måltid!