free rommy New York → Kansas City → San Francisco → Stockholm → Berlin

Just say you're from New York

When talking to new people, whether its friends of friends or just meeting a random tjej (Swedish for lady/woman) at a bar, there's always one thing I can talk about that is sure to keep the conversation interesting.

New York.

I used to say I was from San Francisco, which never really worked out so well when trying to meet women. The common misconception among the rest of the world is that all men who are from or have lived in San Francisco are gay.

Random: Where are you from?
Rommy: San Francisco
Random: Oh...yes...I...um...hear it's really beautiful there.
Rommy: I'm not gay. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with it...um...I'm actually from New York. Well that's where I was born and raised...so well I guess I'm from New York.
*awkward pause*
Rommy: Sooo...I'm going to go now and probably jump into oncoming traffic.

And the truth is, San Francisco is a bit too obscure and abstract for Swedes. It's a cool place, it's really liberal, and it is indeed beautiful...

...but it's not New York.

Random: Where are you from?
Rommy: New York
Random: OH MY GOD!!! I LOVE NEW YORK! IT'S THE COOLEST PLACE EVER! ARE YOU REALLY FROM THERE?
Rommy: Yes! From just outside the city. Have you been?
Random: Well...no...but I really want to go! So what's it like...
(and the conversation continues until we're both way too drunk to even remember where New York is)

Then there are those who have been there and they tend to be the more interesting people to talk to. I tend to feel like these Swedes have an immense appreciation for the grandeur of Manhattan. The size, the energy, the personality, the attitude. It's one of those places that could arguably be considered the opposite of a city like Stockholm; a city which by its very nature is small, laidback, and subdued.

It probably goes back to the Swedish lagom way of life. If there is anything that New York isn't it's lagom. The people yelling, the cars honking, the general feeling of rage, the loud restaurants, the pollution, the mad work ethic, the horrible traffic; in general, just the extremes by which New Yorkers live their life is a fascination for the Swedes, because although I'm pretty sure none of them really want to live a life like that, it's about as foreign to their culture as lagom is to New Yorkers. I think Swedes are the only people who, when they go on vacation want to introduce a significant dosage of stress in their life to counteract the "lagomic" nature of their lifestyles.