120 Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists
At Copperberg, where we spent the night after leaving Stockholm,
we first had an opportunity to observe the Swedish table customs. In
the dining-room of the hotel was a table having a large flower-pot in
the center, and spread with bread, butter, cheese, cold salt meat, and
various relishes and liquors. All are expected to patronize this table as
an introduction to their regular meal,—a novel method of stimulating
the appetite, which those unaccustomed to it are not likely to find
successful. Men and women help themselves to what they wish, and
walk about the room, talking and eating. After this they order whatever
dishes they desire, seat themselves at one of the small tables, and eat
at their leisure. But this first course, called “smorgas,” is always eaten
first, and usually in the manner I have described.