Sweden's Dark Soul by Kajsa Norman

Author:Kajsa Norman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hurst
Published: 2019-02-26T16:00:00+00:00

SWEDISH IMMERSION

It is Saturday afternoon and Samvel has just been invited to have dinner with his friends Henrik and Gurbet. He wants to bring a bottle of their favorite Amarone wine, but by the time he stands beneath the green and yellow sign that marks the entrance to Systembolaget (literally “The System Company”), it has already closed. It is only 3 p.m., but as Sweden has an alcohol monopoly, only the government-run chain of stores is allowed to sell alcoholic beverages, and they try to avoid doing so. Through a combination of limited opening hours, exorbitant alcohol tax, and odd rules, they aim to decrease consumption.

Samvel can’t quite get used to the bizarreness of shopping in a place where the salespeople are meant to dissuade you from buying more than you intended; where there are never any special deals, ads, or promotions; and where you are always made to feel a little bit guilty for contributing to the deterioration of the folkhälsa (people’s health). “Try alcohol-free,” is the only spontaneous recommendation staff are allowed to make, as they must “sell responsibly” and inform shoppers about the risks.

Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs are Samvel’s other options, but they are so expensive that, for a student like him, drinking out is not feasible. Consequently, he arrives apologetically empty-handed at Henrik’s place. It’s a bright, one-bedroom apartment arranged in a very Swedish manner, with an IKEA Billy bookcase juxtaposed beside an exclusive Norrgavel sofa, with its characteristic wooden frame. As Samvel takes a seat on the fine, off-white fabric, he is reminded of all the times he has helped Henrik carry this family heirloom to different student dorms and temporary housing options. “I tried to get some wine, but Systembolaget was closed,” he comments sheepishly.

“As it should be,” Henrik immediately counters. “Alcohol is a huge drain on society. It costs taxpayers tens of billions every year—addiction, disease, violence, accidents, deaths…” he pontificates.

“Sure, but it’s a question of freedom,” Samvel replies. “Shouldn’t it be up to me if I want to drink myself to death?”

“Not when society has to pay for it. Do you know what would happen if the state abolished its alcohol monopoly? I was just reading this. Every year there would be an additional 29,000 cases of physical abuse, and many thousands more cases of DUI and alcohol-related deaths. It’s important for the folkhälsa.”

That word folk, again… Samvel sighs wearily. In a society where the unhealthy choices of individuals are billed to the taxpayer, the state will naturally want to keep you from making sub-optimal choices, but freedom, and choice, suffer in the process.

“We’re having tacos,” Gurbet exclaims as she and Henrik bring out the bowls of carefully chopped up vegetables.

“And it’s not even Friday,” Henrik adds with a smirk that accentuates his dimples.

“Very osvenskt [un-Swedish],” Samvel smiles back.

Having first Swedified Chinese food beyond recognition in the 1970s, a couple of decades later, the Swedes took on Mexican food, and turned “tacos” into the national Friday staple in many homes. Having stripped

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