How a Swedish coffee break can boost your wellbeing and performance - BBC REEL

[@mariagotherstrom9533]

As a Swede I would say that this video is more or less correct. We have two fika a day but we don't eat cake everyday. Cakes are only for Friday afternoon fika. Fika on Friday sometimes involves bringing your own home made cookies or cakes for your co-workers to eat. It is quite common that you arrange a list so you know which Friday is your turn to bring cakes to your co-workers. And you don't have to make the cakes yourself you can buy a cheap spongecake as well.

[@lizakroberts]

Ah! So we were joking about that, I thought it couldn’t be right, Swedes seem so healthy, they couldn’t be eating a round of cinnamon buns, cookies and Princess cakes every workday, twice a day!!!

[@brightspacebabe]

I love bringing homemade treats to work. Everyone loves it and requests their “favorite” cake or pie. ❤️ from Austin Texas

[@yalda3339]

enlighten me how is it that even your older generation is so good in English?your pronunciation also sounds like an American too!the language has a Germanic root i think,how is this possible!

[@elliott7050]

@@lizakroberts cinnamon buns are pretty standard for workday fika actually. However they arent as unhealthy as the cinnamon buns that americans eat so i think thats why its not as unhealthy, we dont have frosting on them and if i remember correctly we put slightly less of the cinnamon cream thing inside

[@Ikajo]

@@yalda3339 Immersion, movies and shows are usually not dubbed unless they are for kids. And even then you can see it in English too. Music is in English a lot as well. Far more than Swedish.

[@jimasplund5257]

I grew up on my grandparents' farm. They were Swedish and we had fika every day at 10 and then again at around 3 or 4, depending on what we were working on. Unless something urgent happened - eg cattle getting loose - we would not skip it, ever. Such a great way to break up the day and it enabled harder & more efficient work. Also, grandma was an amazing baker! 40+ years later, I still maintain that habit and recommend it to anyone who can!

[@lizakroberts]

Did you also have lunch? Was it cookies or cake TWICE a day? Were there sweets in tiny portions?

[@msdarly89]

@@lizakroberts hi, another comment on here said that they only have sweets on Friday afternoon. Not everyday. So maybe this person also only had sweets on Friday afternoon only?

[@sioxz8435]

@@lizakroberts yes we have small cookies aswell but it's not very often we eat those. fika can just mean a cup of coffe and a chat with your work friends no need for sweets. but in this context i think his grandma made those small cookies and they ate 1-2 of those everyday.

[@RoyalPurpleStar]

OMG, I’m so jealous!!! Had never heard of fika before this video (I’m American, who don’t know much about Swedish culture or way of living), but it’s right up my alley. What a wonderful and delightful tradition to have not just coffee but pastries as well!!! Love European pastries of any kind and I so want to move to Sweden. Your talking about your grandma being an amazing baker totally makes my mouth water…

[@RoyalPurpleStar]

If most Swedes are having pastries twice a day every day, I can’t understand how there aren’t a lot of overweight Swedes. Can’t imagine eating pastries even just once a day everyday, let alone twice a day. Don’t get me wrong, but that sounds like the best life ever!

[@stariadreamtea]

I get it. A few of the comments are suggesting this is no different from any meal break or coffee/tea break... But I think those comments don't get that this is done in a certain way, as a habit/ritual that's socially ingrained and that time protected. They also seem to have etiquette surrounding the type of conversation allowed and the order of the food eaten - so it's more like a habit of relaxation rather than just a sugar pick-me-up or solitary break. This is very specifically done as a social activity.

[@TDOTEMPIRE]

Good point! Can't believe people think its just a "coffee break".. when here in North America, people are just taking breaks beside their computers or desk. Fika seems way more mindful than just "fueling the body to go back and work more".

[@Tpb247]

It's an unwritten rule in Australia. It's very common for work colleagues to go out for 1-2 coffee breaks in a day just to hang out and chat. Yeah just a normal day here. By the way Australia has some of the best coffee in the world.

[@miyounova]

@@Tpb247 it really isn't. It's very much frowned upon in Australia to take up actual coffee breaks where you would leave you desk, sit somewhere else and chat with someone while eating cake. Lunch break is only 30 min as well! Don't get me wrong, people will go get a coffee, but they do it as quickly as possible and drink it sitting at their desks.

[@anniegreen9427]

Nah as a finn I must say we also have coffee breaks written in our job contracts, we also have coffee breaks around 10am and 2pm and we drink coffee at lunch, dinner and some even drink it before they go to bed. Coffee culture is a huge thing in Finland, we've had the highest coffee consuption in the world, most people drink their coffee black and light brew (it has more caffeine). We tend to eat savory things first and then the sweet stuff. You are supposed to drink coffee or at least tea but if you don't drink either one of them you seem odd. It's kinda a taboo if someone hates coffee or doesn't drink alcohol. Before you enter the coffee table, you must pretend you're not in a hurry or that you don't wanna be the first to take the cake or whatever. You can't take the last piece either or if you do you must cut just it in half or just take a tiny piece. If you go first or take the last bit of cake, you will seem rude. You also cannot drink the last cup of coffee from the pan unless you make more. A lot of people have strong opinions on what kind of coffee maker is the correct one.. Oh and our swedish speking minority does use the word fika and some of us finns use the word "fiikata". I never even knew swedish people considered themselves as coffee nation when I grew up! So it's not just Sweden when it comes to a social culture around coffee. ;)

[@Tpb247]

@@miyounova I have never had any one complain or frown upon at all for a 10-15 min coffee break with my colleague(s) at the places I have worked. Maybe in some industries like retail it must be true. Sorry might be my narrow world view 🙂

[@williamlouie569]

When the country gives you a break during work day it shows that it care for its workers.

[@hanswoast7]

Many European countries have rules on total working hours, minimum pauses per day etc. But usually it is not made into a social ritual like with the Swedish fika.

[@FlightNSurf]

Are u from USA?

[@verresmilliterres]

@@FlightNSurf Are you from USA ??, what ??. That's it ?. Are you from the USA ?. Other than desiring to know what country one is from, what's your fkn point ?.

[@khust2993]

@@verresmilliterres because break during workday is normal in other countries you fkn nugget

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

And you clearly haven't been living in Sweden if you say so.

[@sociolocomtsac]

Sweden invests in people. That's what makes them productive members of society.

[@yuppers1]

It sounds like they're protecting employees from burnout. That's wonderful

[@baxterandcotton]

but they're not productive. I'm from friggin Ohio, a joke flyover state, same population as Sweden but much higher GDP.

[@keefriff99]

@@baxterandcotton Most Americans are miserable. This country treats its people like garbage.

[@CodeCorruptor]

And they’re mostly white

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

Sweden invests in money and treats people like useless objects and numbers and it's a scary place to live.

[@84071639]

This is the sort of thing that makes me motivated to live a better/mentally healthier life.

[@shailiparekh9679]

So jealous of all of these countries that care about quality of life. I'm in the US and work 10 hour days on my feet and only get one 10 minute break to eat a meal. Even though I legally get 20 minutes throughout the day, no one else takes an additional break because there's too much to do so I don't either because it would look weird (I also work in restaurants and not in an office)

[@jbela]

Yeah that needs to change. I used to be constantly moving no breaks,but I noticed I was very agitated. So now I take several small breaks. My boss knows our work ethic so long as the work is getting done,they don't care. I work in a relaxing environment

[@alicerabbit8]

Don’t you get a lunch break? Should be minimum of 30 minutes

[@ls-l1518]

It's because we pay a lot of tax that our countries are so good. That we have free health care, 1 year maternity leave, free higher education, and work 8 hours. And in the US you don't want to do that. And especially the many rich people.

[@MsGenXodus]

@@ls-l1518 Low and middle income Americans pay a larger percentage of their income to taxes than do many of the nations with these kinds of social protections. If you include the expense of paying for health insurance, then Americans are easily paying a larger percentage of their incomes towards these social services. 1/3rd of my take home income is used to pay for health insurance alone. Sure, I only pay 20% in federal income tax and another 8% in state income tax, but we have to pay "fees" for a variety of things that really take a bite out of the budget. (And considering that health insurance only covers 70% of medical costs, things just keep getting more and more expensive if you are sick) I can expect to see about 65% of my gross income as my take home pay (Federal tax, state tax, city tax, SSI tax, FICA tax), then when you add on the 33% of my take home pay that has to go towards health insurance premiums, I would argue that Americans are paying a lot more and getting much less than the "high tax" nations. Don't even get me started on how I have to pay for a service that in turn tells me how much tax I need to pay the government. That's right, Americans have to pay someone $100-200 a year to tell them how much they owe in income taxes. Not even joking.

[@ls-l1518]

@@MsGenXodus You live in a very unjust society. The rich are too rich. But we also have a lot of extra taxes, on property, here in Denmark, there is 25% VAT on everything. I am Norwegian, and therw is less tax there. But then we get free health care and don't have the hassle of insurance companies. I just had a chataract operation. There is waiting to get to the eye doctor, but once she sent an referral , I was operated within 3 weeks. And then the schools. I have studied 6 years psychology on the university without paying a dime. And gotten student loans to live on. Some of that I got deducted, because I was faster than the 6 years, 5 1/2 years. I think now with social media, many Americans realize, that what they have been told is sosialism, is simply taking care of each other, and the strong carrying the weak/sick. And then we don't work as much as you, but still are better off. You must get general health care.

[@alexandertangqiye5554]

When things evolve overtime, its simplicity is well over-stated

[@mirandachristina3412]

How nice and fun! I'm in Australia and at my workplace I can definately say that we do fika at work, it gives us a chance to sit down, relax for a moment and catchup or chat. We have coffee and cakes and it is a nice little social break and definately boosts our productivity. Well done BBC for covering this topic

[@BeeMcDee]

I came here to say this. Definitely appreciate our coffee and lunch breaks here!

[@benjaminodonnell7041]

yeah it's called a bloody smoko mate

[@EvanAristyaYudha]

Aw yea mate but you guys come to work at bloody 8-9 so having a smoko at 10 is just plain lazy. I worked in cbd cafes, plenty of office wankers grab their morning coffee at 8:30 then already out and about at 10 blowing a smoke outside again.

[@nikolaisedov2295]

@@EvanAristyaYudhais that how you really talk in Australia? 🤣🤣

[@ruthsowter503]

It does depend on the workplace though. I've worked in lots of places in Australia where breaks are only taken by everyone for a special occasion like a birthday or someone leaving.

[@deplant5998]

The acting here is fantastic.

[@jamesclayton3388]

I used to go and have coffee and cake every day when I lived in Halmstad Sweden, and I loved it.

[@bladerunner30]

Nowadays I think BBC Reel is one of my favorites KZbin channels.

[@albusfr]

We have something similar in New Zealand, it's just a simple morning tea/afternoon tea break. Most workplaces have a mandated 15min morning tea and 15min afternoon tea to relax, have a cup of tea or coffee and some biscuits/cakes. Goes for our schooling system as well

[@michaelfarkas2257]

yep, all these lands protected for free by the american military and taxpayer get to enjoy such things.

[@epistemophobia69]

@@michaelfarkas2257 why are you like this

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

With the difference New Zealand is an incredibly beautiful country.

[@hballantyne0]

New Zealand - very important morning and afternoon tea stop and chat over coffee, tea. Many employers also provide the snacks, normally cookies which we call biscuits. Workplaces I have been in have a dedicated staff kitchen/eating room with nice furniture, often a coffee machine, and everyone stops at the same time to chat. Three times a day - you may go out for lunch but morning and afternoon are normally 15 - 30 minutes at work.

[@miyounova]

Not really no. Not to this extent. Some workplaces pay for a 10 min break in the morning and a 10 min break in the afternoon, but many people either take it on their own, or quickly go out to get a coffee and might chat with someone while going to buy the coffee, but they don't actually sit down to have coffee, cake and a chat. Also, many people don't take those 2 breaks and just go home 20 min earlier. If you were to take 30 min, outside of lunch break that is, you'd definitely get told off and wouldn't do it again.

[@SabineWald_NowHere]

@@miyounova I agree. I think it is too stressful in Australia and New Zealand to sit down, relax and enjoy some extra breaks. I can't remember myself ever having an extra breaks in any companies I've worked for apart from the lunch break. It's all rushed. Some Euro countries have that but us here certainly don't.

[@michaelfarkas2257]

but what will happen if china invades you? will you pick up your biscuits and go fight? no america will come bail you out and protect you. so you can have your coffee breaks.

[@joaodibosco8902]

I’m a bit suspicious to talk about such an interesting country like Sweden, which I had the chance to visit once for a week stay while living in the UK. Sweedish people are above all courteous, hospitable and supportive, especially towards tourists and yes, they seem to have taken this small breaks throughout the day(Fika , whatever …) especially at work in order to either unwind and socialise based on the fact that life and healthy human interactions as well as stress-free moments (in work environments) take precedence over work or everything else there is…Can’t wait to visit Sweden again…

[@RaymondHng]

They bring the custom over to the US here at work.

[@michaelfarkas2257]

lol yeah they dont have to have a serious military. america protects them for free. if we didnt have to have a military, we could just chill on break all day as well. imagine if america didnt need to spend the 1 trillion per year it does on its military? that is reality for these nothern european countries and the entire western world.

[@ct4074]

Ok, so what would happen if you refuse to fika with Mohammad, would you get your head cut off or blown to fleshy bits?

[@nla5892]

Make the move!! We were living in London and decided to move to Sweden after having kids - it was here or Australia. The childcare costs are crazy in London and here we pay next to nothing for förskola. Also, we only afforded ourselves a one-bedroom flat which we have since sold, now we can get a house for that price. Taxes are a lot higher but the quality of life is much more amazing!!

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

You clearly don't know what you're talking about. Move to Sweden then get back here and tell me about " healthy human interaction" in Sweden.

[@angelofang1312]

As an Italian guy I totally I agree !!! Having fika is great

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

Haha. But you mean another kind of ...

[@sarahsuntheimer7350]

This video is absolutely hilarious when you speak Italian, I was dying laughing. "Fika is the key to a productive workday" 🤣

[@bluegas]

Having worked in Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Netherlands. I can guarantee Fika exists in these countries too.

[@bearhustler]

Except it's not Fika, each country will have it's own name and traditions and those should be celebrated.

[@felypeforte]

If you look at Brazil, also, that is exactly what we do every single working day: 9:00am and 3:00pm. It’s like, an institution. It’s sacred.

[@gftfttogp]

We Koreans have too much Fika at workplaces

[@RaymondHng]

Is having English high tea in the afternoon the same experience?

[@miyounova]

It's not just at work though.

[@paolagrando5079]

Having a break at work is healthy for workers and the companies too. Every 2-3 hours depending on the hours that you do. It should be everywhere.

[@lsamoa]

Swedish workplaces also have to give you a 5 minutes break every hour by law, on top of the day's lunch break and fika break.

[@RichardLaurence]

A great idea although I would gain about 50kg in a few months!

[@uuzuzshshdhhxhx5867]

Why

[@helena3284]

Same here!

[@Marlou622]

Hahaha me too! To much cookie love here

[@raquellochoa]

Also how do they sleep at night with so much coffee?

[@lmao2351]

Why

[@tulinercen7394]

I liked Sweden very much . Calm , clean and happy environment ❤️

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

HAPPY environment in Sweden? Oh dear. Come and live here then tell me how "happy" you are.

[@lmao2351]

@@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126 statisticaly sweden is one of the happiest countries in the world. Try living in another country like the US and youll come back in no time when you realise how good we have it here in sweden.

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

@@lmao2351 I lived in 8 countries, 9 with Sweden. I'm sorry I don't agree. Most probably it's you that you never lived here.

[@lmao2351]

@@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126 im swedish. Acording to many studies sweden is one of the happiest countries in the world. All nordic countries are. You think sweden sucks because thats what youve been told by the people around you. Sweden literally ranks number 1 in the quality of life index

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

@@lmao2351 I live in Sweden and Sweden sucks. And I look forward to leave this country. Also I've never met so many pathological liars as I met here. I'm sorry for kids and elderlies who live here, and I'm sorry for people who happen to have emotions and sensitivity too. Statistics doesn't even say how many criminals don't end up in jail here just because they are Swedes, and your beloved statistics can't see how many women had been abused by Swedes, to mention another problem we have here, just because those women are silenced and can't report anything. Sweden is not happy, Sweden is fake.

[@BS-ob3hp]

I love fika! Honestly, that's one reason why I never want to leave this country!

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

Wow very deep reason!

[@annieask3128]

Svenskt fika är det bästaaaaaa

[@donnacampo6568]

My grandparents on my Fathers side were born in Sweden. I wish I knew more about them and the Swedish traditions.

[@annasahlstrom6109]

This makes me so happy being part Swedish.

[@laurenosmond6127]

With the world so screwed up today, it made me smile to hear adults talk about how much they delight in fika. I want the princess cake!

[@SueTube7]

I think we in the UK are stressed out by constantly having to make profits for bosses but Scandi culture seems to address that without being the communism that many are scared of. Attitude to wealth seems to be a deep factor in this.

[@rooneye]

Exactly. More Socialism. Americans have been brainwashed to he TERRIFIED of it by greedy corporations influencing the government to do so.

[@donuseeisee6465]

@southernfriedchicken92 Sorry to disappoint u here lil honey bunny. But Sweden has no oil. Neighbour country Norway though, has oil. And the inbreeding? A thing of the past, and it was never widespread. None are inbred today , to the extent you want to imply, in either country. DON'T GO AROUND SPREADING MISINFORMATION ABOUT THINGS YOU CLEARLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT FIRST HAND. Stay healthy, stay safe. All the well wishes 🙏

[@donuseeisee6465]

@southernfriedchicken92 I'm really sorry, but your english and sentence pattern is really hard to understand 😔. No ill intentions/ malicious intent, with what I just said! I think 🤔 and I really mean think, that what you are looking for to describe with your use of "inbred" which has a completely different ring to it than "bred for the climate " is probably: ACCLIMATISATION, acclimatised to the region, which they have lived for generations. But even that is an unusual viewpoint when talking about social life, interaction, stress and wealth? Though I hope I found the word for you! 😊 All the well wishes!

[@thegodfather_8455]

@@rooneye no they haven't, the socialism the US pedals only benefits benefits rich while flying the middle class, Scandinavians are not an economic drivin culture, meaning they are more generous and do not only live to make money

[@bjrnjensen7074]

@@donuseeisee6465 I had a good laugh when I read the bit about the Swedes having oil.. together with the rest of the comment...well, I guess it tells something about the general knowledge among some people in certain countries. NOT mentioning any names, of course.. Greetings from Oslo.

[@Heresheis0818]

It’s concept of taking the break to calm the nerves that helps boosting the productivity pulling people crawling right back to the track

[@justsome.anna.]

This makes me want to move to Sweden even more than I already did

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

Come to Sweden! Then get depressed and run away like everyone else.

[@bearhustler]

So exactly like the tea-breaks that were standard in the UK until fairly recently when office culture/attitude work became more American in style. This used to be such a thing it was a cliche about British people - everything stops for tea. If you ever see a documentary about the film Aliens you'll see how tea-breaks drove James Cameron insane as he didn't want to stop filming.

[@miyounova]

Yep. The American model ruins everything.

[@RaymondHng]

@@miyounova I'm having a coffee break at 3:30pm in California now.

[@joshuamalaki2316]

Concepts of it are basically the same as Afternoon-Tea, just the elements are different. But it's something each region does differently, but the idea of an interval for tea and treats is the same. Americans just have it in their social norm to work their employees from 9-5 nonstop.

[@downbntout]

Helps people see each other more as whole persons

[@VisualiseTheFun]

Great stuff! Over in the the UK, we don't know how to socialise without a pint in our hands

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

In Sweden they need weed+ more that just one pint.

[@deliman7203]

In Canada, Coffee Breaks, 2 x 15 mins are paid time.

[@into_the_void]

Well... The 2 Swedish fika breaks are very much like our standard coffee/tea break in my country.. one in the morning and one in the afternoon usually

[@Novilicious]

What country my friend?

[@KatarinaS.]

I am now seriously considering moving to Sweden.

[@bioAtoZ]

That is interesting Fika is considered to one of secrets for Swedish happiness, even though many countries have time for tea or coffee like a Fika. I guess specially their view to coffee make to special. As a Korean, we also drink coffee a lot, especially nowadays it is increased more and more than before, most people take time for coffee for 30mins but some experts just analyze it shows the tired people rate also increase. On the contrary, Swedish seems to use Fika very well to control their stress. I would like to go Sweden for it someday!:)

[@chelseagirl278]

i LOVED the picture of Pippi Longstocking :)

[@jamescook4048]

We are so behind you guys.

[@suguspjr]

Argentina and Uruguay slang has a habit of switching syllables, and we often call it “Feca” (“Café”) when drinking it and about it’s related social customs.

[@lsamoa]

Same in French, it's called verlan (for à l'envers backwards)

[@mariebussinger6565]

So lucky Princess Cake (authentic) is available here daily at the Polar Bakery. Lantana, FL

[@tyson5794]

Same thing in Finland 👍

[@walv7952]

how nice and fun! working in japan is stressful and tough. PM kishida should learn this culture definitely

[@playerunknown3961]

Welcome to Sweden

[@heatherlundquist-buffalo]

I miss having REAL Swedish fika, I can't wait to move back to Sweden.

[@ericpmoss]

In the US, the law doesn't even guarantee effective restroom breaks -- several Amazon warehouses are known to not allow enough time to even get to the restroom and back unless you run.

[@catd11ng74]

And still the americans believe they are the no.1 country

[@maryhaucke-davis6695]

Try teaching in the US…if you can even GET to a bathroom and back in time

[@selamidurmus]

Swedish happiness is a secret till forever.

[@espnoberg6130]

It’s a secret for us swedes as well…

[@AS-js9gi]

Especially because several other countries are officially happier....

[@joeblack4436]

"fika whenever you want" sounds nice

[@ZhasD]

Super tradition

[@aylasalci1883]

Nothing beats tea! Çay içenler burda mı?

[@akula9713]

In the U.K. we used to have the tea lady, a trolley with tea, biscuits and cakes.

[@dennismorris7573]

Tak. Cool!

[@renafielding945]

Caffeine and sugar: the secret of winning.

[@scxiao]

One thing they forgot to mention is you don't HAVE to eat anything with your fika. A cup of coffee/tea and just chitchat and relax is 100% acceptable too

[@mmed5992]

Wish we had this here! Amazing!

[@michaelfarkas2257]

nope, we have to work 24/7 to provide military protection for the entire western world, no biscuit breaks for us

[@michaelfarkas2257]

@Seaworth lol what? the USA military protects the entire western world.

[@killaskrilla5320]

In Malmoe a fika is a Slots Guld and a Hash joint in Folkets Park. But we diffrent…

[@applejuice3562]

I like the way they say cookies

[@liamangelo3731]

This video has a completely different meaning for Italian people. Non-Italian speakers won't understand what I mean. Alright, I'll give you a hint: it's not about coffee.

[@kittyblingbling]

Love this...love Sweden culture

[@88HaZZarD88]

We like Fica in Italy too

[@tonytorques]

How to get a guaranteed date in Sweden: “hi can I invite you to a fika?”

[@ovaismir6618]

And a fuka after that 😉

[@tonytorques]

😂

[@jamesmcmillian9896]

Alot of rules for relaxing.

[@gustavogonzalez2542]

en Argentina tenemos esto hace 200 años, evidentemente con otro nombre

[@jurgenjr93]

In Italy fika brings a whole other type of happiness

[@holyishe7903]

Lol

[@Peter_1986]

I am from Sweden, and almost every single time I visit someone, one of the first questions is if I would like a cup of coffee. I also have like 1-2 coffee breaks with my family members on most days.

[@Thedaleb1]

I really want a piece of that cake, really cool way to take a break and socialize

[@HomeGirlSV]

I love pastries! I should do it at work

[@sutats]

Enjoy life. Enjoy fika.

[@BeowWulf]

Fika, the coffee break/tea time the you simply CAN NOT refuse. Not the same, but this makes me miss my afternoon teas with my daughter after I picked her up from school when she was in kindergarten through about grade two or three.

[@olympian3]

You would fika with your daughter?

[@paw44]

WOW! I had no idea I was doing FIKA for the last 20 years !! I need to check with my wife if she knew….Thank you KZbin!

[@RoyalPurpleStar]

Wow, I really, really love this fika culture and all the pastries that come with it!!! OMG, my type of dream life. So jealous…we don’t have anything close like that here in the US. But I don’t understand how Swedes can have those yummy pastries twice a day everyday or most days of the week and not get fat/overweight? BTW, the fact that there’s an order in eating those yummy pastries is so incredibly interesting. My mouth is literally watering watching this video… Wow, how great would it be to live this kind of lifestyle! Now I wanna move to Sweden, but not sure how I would survive the cold weather.

[@kisuli2734]

This sounds a lot like coffee culture in Finland. At workplaces we always start the day with coffee and if someone doesnt drink coffee people will look surprised 😊

[@themiamilife]

This should definitely be introduced to the United States! I guess working remote has increased people's productivity but I think fika will decrease work related stress

[@michaelfarkas2257]

we actually have to provide military defense for the entire western world so we dont get breaks

[@thekraken1173]

@@michaelfarkas2257 If USA stopped policing the world for its interests, usage of dollar would decrease and value of dollar would collapse. You should be gratefull for having a state which protects its citizens wealth. Also living conditions in USA is one of the best. What are you complaining about? Its physically impossible for USA to have the working conditions of a Scandinavian country.

[@jacqueline755]

@@michaelfarkas2257 If it were important (f/ex you do take bathroom breaks when needed?) you can always trade off Take turns.

[@MultiOranuch]

I am appriciated for FIKA coffe paus in Sweden - Relaxing in social contacts with friends both at work and free time. Swedes are more open minded than they normally do daily. So we feel good even I came from other country and culture but after some years in Sweden so I really like FIKA,, Good cakes with good Coffee is wonderful for every one here,, Happiness come through :-) Best wishes from STOCKHOLM - SWEDEN

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

Swedes open minded 😂😂😂

[@joshuamalaki2316]

It really isn't a foreign concept. The variations to it differ from region to region. The English have after-noon tea, India has 'chai' breaks, etc...

[@lsamoa]

Except in Sweden, fika is mandated by law in workplaces and have to last at least 30 minutes

[@shirinshaikh9268]

In a POS like India, no one works!!

[@aroundtheclouds1]

This would be really cool to introduce into my classroom in the U.S.!!

[@coalminecanary1277]

Groundbreaking! Breaks make life better and more productive!!!! :0

[@joeljoss1916]

I hear that they keep their forest floors clean. That alone would make me pretty happy.

[@MrWhite-yg6yk]

I need to throw an afternoon fika into my daily routine!

[@turhantelyar]

Dreamland

[@Happy-wb8gi]

Italy in Swedish culture with the coffee. As an Italian, we love Swedish woman, 😁

[@rouseAvila]

In my city there's a coffee shop called Fikafé and it's quite nice and calm 👌☕

[@Spada-et1wk]

Watching this from japan and it’s like What sorcery is that?

[@SueTube7]

Relaxed approach to work, perhaps due to an underlying relaxed approach to gaining profits by employers.

[@ilhamrj2599]

The Japanese does this as well, they just do it after office hour and over an alcoholic drinks (not Coffee or tea) While Swedes have both, in between working hours and after work as well. The Swedes are also well known as evening coffee drinkers as well.

[@mrpeel3239]

We had a terrific chain of Fika coffee shops here in NYC, but the company overexpanded and went broke.

[@lumberjackdreamer6267]

“You just fika whenever you want…”

[@patriciamartin6756]

My LTR who is from Sweden and I have been together two and a half years. From the first morning, he never sais a word to me about Swedish Fika; I offered him not only Gavaglia coffee but Ameican coffees too--- plus Hazelnut,Creme Brulee, Chocolate. Since I am always baking, I had already had a tray full of cinnamon rolls in the oven plus a cake,cookies and half a dozen other things. I am Italian so you know they are always eating or drinking aomething. When I told my new roomate that in the morning Coffee with all the food would be ready at 6AM promptly and asked him if he liked coffee, he just about died laughing; moreover because I drink coffee continously throughout the day. He called up his family and told them about me and they couldn't quit laughing especially since they were soon to pay us a visit. I din't realize at the time about Fika or how important Coffee was to the Swedes. All they knew was that during their visit, I couldn't function without coffee. When I showed his mom all the varieties of coffee and pastry I I always had on hand she thought it was really funny when I told her she was welcome to coffee anytime she wanted it

[@FlyMuslima]

Wow! Swedish cakes and pastries look delicious! Their coffee shops look really cosy too.

[@lsamoa]

Best pastries in the world imo. I've tried many and nothing comes close to it.

[@catd11ng74]

They are delicious

[@loric1909]

In the US you are treated more as a slave than a person in workplaces. You feel bad for getting up to use the bathroom and you are probably being timed. That is something that definitely needs to change.

[@tracychen9556]

very interesting, good to know when next visit Sweden. thanks

[@tanujSE]

Ofcourse latte with iris cream remained favourite but finally compromising that it works,instant coffee powder of your choice,added milk

[@AnandDharan-tf1jo]

In New York, there is (or at least used to be) a great chain of Swedish coffee shops called “Fika”. But an Italian colleague said that the word had a very different meaning in his language…

[@walktheparth]

I had to google to find out what you mean. Hahahahha

[@lucatacchi4985]

Just watched the video and as an Italian I just peed myself… lol

[@KatarinaS.]

Just googled it. I'm sure many men would be more than happy to take a fika break twice daily.

[@AT-AT-AT-AT]

I truly hope this tradition survives the current year

[@williammontes2894]

Moving to Sweden now

[@soli8483]

Coffee break twice a day? Corporate America will have a heart attack! You can not even decline a lunch time meeting!

[@lilyfrenchy6971]

I am lucky if I get time to pee, that is of course if I had time to drink any water- I am a nurse- it’s all about run run run

[@anne-mariev.3295]

how sad

[@michaelfarkas2257]

thats right, because we provide military protection to the entire western world, which is very expensive. so we have to work while they take coffee breaks - and then cry for america to come save them every time russia or china invades.

[@abdifirin5703]

Damn nothing makes my day than a perfect brewed coffee ☕

[@erik....]

I recognized that old house in Örnsköldsvik immediately.

[@curagiu]

shout out to my German fellows who probably can't stop laughing like me, fika in the morning, fika in the afternoon, best to fika all day long

[@stevieray6216]

You nailed it. Fika is almost always a good idea. 😇 Greetings from 🇩🇪

[@curagiu]

@@stevieray6216 🤣🤣🤣

[@rrr441]

I work in Germany and I can hardly take a break in the workday. I have to deliver projects with tight deadlines so it's almost impossible to stop for coffee more than 5 minutes. I would love to work in Sweden.

[@encinosarah]

We need two mandatory Fika breaks here in the USA!

[@patriciamartin6756]

I am here in the USA but my LTR IS FROM SWEDEN. I DON'T CARE WGAT MY EMPLOYER WANTS. I TAKE 3 BREAKS A DAY FOR FIKA. SET YOUR FOOT DOWN AND DEMAND YOUR RIGHTS. POWER TO THE PEOPLE, NOT THESE CAPITALISTS RUNNING THE COUNTRY!

[@CheeseBae]

A "fica break" would have a completely different meaning in Italy.

[@jamessquare]

And those are the only times acquaintances are allowed to acknowledge one another. If outside of fika you come across each other on the street, you are both supposed to look the other way.

[@aymensayed7604]

Having fika makes it possible for you to relax and chill! I agree bro 😂 For Italians this is a hilarious most well acted comedy video. In Italy fika is known differently 😁

[@aymensayed7604]

Let everybody have a fika!

[@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126]

And Italian fi(k)a is way better man...

[@sarahngo8096]

Coffees no1 sorces of business not just in Portuguese but in many country because of its benifits to our body.. I love coffee