Norwegians will often try to avoid unnecessary verbal communication
And only ask for help if they really need to
They like to be independent
Not to owe others
Not to disturb others
They are polite in their Norwegian way
And this may create surprising situations for people not used to this type of politeness
The " Norwegian Arm" is a good example
The Norwegian arm is an arm that stretches in front of you at dinner to grab something on the other side of the table
For Norwegians, asking someone to pass the butter is more disturbing than grabbing it directly across the table
The pragmatic and efficient Norwegian way of being polite may be surprising for those coming from cultures where politeness norms are more focused on communication
For Norwegians, it is much simpler, polite and pragmatic to reach out to what they want across the table than disturbing the one sitting next to them by asking to pass them something
In that way they make sure not to interrupt a conversation and create awkwardness
I like to say that politeness in Norway is about not disturbing others.
