I ' ve seen the map and it ' s funny because it is an exaggeration of a common attitude in Italy , which is people are insanely conservative when it comes to food . Italians are food talibans there are lots of rules about how to prepare each food and people are skeptical of food from the other side of Italy , let alone other countries . Swedes are much more open minded and flexible , which I love . I do miss the variety and taste of Mediterranean fish , the fantastic street food and cheap high quality vegetables but , in general , I really like Swedish food . Actually , I think Swedes really under appreciate their food . Swedish cheese , for example , is pretty fucking awesome , but people don ' t seem to think about it all that much . Swedish food may not have a lot in terms of variety , but it ' s delicious and the food culture gets better and more interesting every year . Finally I used to eat at 9 pm , in Sicily . Awful habit you get to dinner stupid hungry and you go to bed when you still haven ' t digested . Having said that a small part of my soul dies every time my kids eat pasta med ketchup .