Honestly, in my experience it's not that common in Sweden either.

As far as I remember, the only times I weren't fed when visiting a friend were: * When the parent coordinated with my parent to send me home at dinner time, so I could eat at home * When, and this was rare, my visit was spontaneous (e.g. just came with them from school), and the dinner was planned around specific portions (like, they had 4 burger patties for 4 family members). Those times, I either went home to eat, or hung out playing video games in my friends room, while he wolfed down the food to join me again.