What do you need to know about Sweden?
Sweden is a great country to live in. The climate is mild and the weather is great. The Arctic Circle has a near-constant daylight, and the midnight sun makes it easy to stay outside even in the dead of winter. The Nordic countries have a long-standing tradition of hospitality, and the country is no exception. A visit to Sweden is a unique experience, and it will leave you with a lasting impression of the Nordic countries. As a college student you may think about your grades at the same time. Seeking and checking so much writing services while traveling or studying would be a daunting process so dealing with ClassTaker will help you feel at ease everywhere and not to worry about anything.
There is no shortage of convenience stores in Sweden. Pressbyran has more than 300 stores in various regions of the country. You can stop at any Pressbyran store for directions, tickets for public transport, or toothpaste. The prices are low, and you can purchase a transport card that allows you unlimited travel throughout the country. It will also help you save money. If you are in a pinch, grab a pastry and coffee for around 25 SEK.
Sweden is a great place to live if you enjoy the outdoors. Its low-cost living is also a huge benefit. While the country has relatively high prices, it is a great place to spend your vacation time. You can find a fantastic bargain at discount supermarkets and discount restaurants. You can also save money by traveling to Sweden during off-seasons. And last-minute train tickets are a great way to save even more.
What food do you need to try in Sweden?
The U.S. colleges offer a variety of dining options, from buffet-style dining halls with unlimited food to students to fast-food outlets at student unions and late-night greasy meals that can fuel them through long nights of studying for exams. The college food experience in Sweden is quite different. Students have a daily fika with their friends, where they cook most of the meals at home. They also get their junk food fix from snacks such as “creamy taco”-flavored potato chips or salty octopus shaped licorice candies.
Dining out
Swedish universities such as Uppsala do not have a single campus. Instead, they have many buildings spread across the city. Instead of eating in student unions or on-campus dining halls, undergraduates can choose to eat at private restaurants located throughout the university and at Nations.
Students at Uppsala must be a member of a Nation. This is a coed club for students. Every Nation is run by students and offers a bar and restaurant that offer food and drink at a lower price than dining out. They offer snacks and drinks for fika along with lunch and dinner. Club nights have drink specials.
Privately owned university restaurants serve healthy and tasty dishes such as roast pork with cider, applesauce, and wok-fried rice noodles and beans.
Fast-food chains such as Max Burgers offer affordable meals. They serve burgers and shakes along with fries. Max Burgers may seem like a fast-food restaurant, but the food is free from GMOs and trans fats, as well as antibiotics and growth hormones. You can choose from chicken, fish or vegetable alternatives to beef patties. You can also substitute your fries for fruit or salad.
Fika is an integral part the Swedish food culture. Students can stop for a cup and eat a variety of baked treats like vetebullar (cinnamon-cardamom buns) and knackekex (crisp bread crunch crackers). Wayne’s Coffee is a Swedish coffee chain similar to Starbucks. It’s a popular spot for students to meet for their daily fika.
How to Cook and Pack Lunch
Swedish colleges don’t have student unions or dining halls so students cook at home and bring lunches on campus. This is an affordable way to eat and it also makes it easier to save money. Many university buildings have break rooms that allow students and professors to warm up their meals and eat in-between classes.
Breakfast favorites include filmjolk (sourmilk) and musli (granola), as well as toast or knackebrod (crisp bread) with preserves such lingonberry. For lunch and dinner, you may find students enjoying Artsoppa (a traditional Swedish pea soup), kottbollar, potatoes and falukorv (sausage), or a smorgas (an open-face sandwich filled with delicious cheeses, meats and vegetables).
Treats and snacks
Snacks like potato chips are a great way for students to get their junk food fix. They come in a variety of delicious and unusual flavors in Sweden. Svenska LantChips comes in dill, graslok (chive), graddfil(sour cream) and lattsaltade (“lightly salted”) flavors. OLW chips offers intriguing flavors such as “creamy taco” and “sour milk with sweet chili.”
The bulk section of a grocery store is the best place to make trail mix or goody bags. It contains a variety of godis (candy), nuts and dried fruits. Other than the Swedish Fish, Salta Blackfiskar is a salty octopus-shaped candy. Citron-Apelsin Klyftor is a hard candy with lemon- and orange-shaped hard ingredients. Ahlgrens Bilar are car-shaped chews. Marabou chocolate is another option.
Ramlosa flavored sparkling wine, beer like Omnipollo and hard fruit ciders from alska, Kopparberg or Rekorderlig are all great drinks to wash down all the delicious treats. Although drinking a beer in a bar can be a great way to relax after a hard day of study, alcohol in Sweden can be very costly. College students usually purchase beer and liquor at the Systembolaget (a government-owned chain liquor stores).
Wrapping up
Despite living in another country Sweden is a great place not to live in only but take into account some new foods to try and cook in the future. As you see, Swedish cuisine is traditionally called home and rustic but you will note one is varied by such products as fish, bread, meat or cheese. Also mushrooms or dairy products may be included. Locals add cranberry jam instead of a bouquet of spices, season them with a variety of dishes.
