Meatballs for sure

[bex77]

We had a grand trip to IKEA in Stoughton yesterday. It's rare that I get to IKEA, so the trips tend to turn into grand adventures both in planning and execution. I didn't get to my first IKEA until 5 years ago on a summer trip to Toronto. About six months after that, we popped in to the one in New Haven on our way back from seeing a Broadway play in NYC. And finally, the one in Stoughton opened...I've now been there three times.

We sailed down the Expressway in record time...I love that road in the middle of a clear day. N. tried out his smart phone talking GPS directions app for the first time with me in the car...I kept wondering why this weird voice was distracting me from my driving...oops.

My main objective was to eat Swedish meatballs. Mission accomplished! They have a $4.99 special with 10 meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam. I had a side of meatballs, too. For $1 you get 5 more...heh. Oh, and the hazelnut torte. It was divine!

We wandered around the cavernous showrooms marveling at the selection, the fun Swedish names for things, and low prices...N. got a new bookcase and drawers to further the organizing effort he's working hard to do. I hugged the wonderful plush stuffed animals, but left them to go home with someone else.

We checked out, then picked up some Swedish food to take home (yes, more meatballs) from the bistro and headed back up the Expressway, inching along to remind me why I hate this road any time between 3-7 pm.

Every time I go, I wonder why I don't go more often. I am so looking forward to having one in Somerville...

Comments

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

Last time (and only time) that I went was when Mari moved in with me on Sycamore Street, so... 4 years ago?

And we went on Labor Day weekend.

Bad experience and nothing left in stock. I'd love to go sometime with you when the crowds are manageable and their storeroom is full!

[bex77]

I'd love to go again. Let's plan! Maybe right after Christmas?

I think figuring out when no one else will be there, and there won't be traffic, helps a lot. There was no one around midday yesterday.

They have this cool feature online where you can look up their stock for any particular item. It tells you what aisle and bin to go to, so you don't have to stroll the showroom if you don't want to, and then tells you how many are in stock and what that means for your chances of getting one.

[trinalin.livejournal.com]

Since our nearest Ikea is over an hour away, we always make a day of it. Breakfast w/ free coffee (for the parents) before they open, shop shop shop, lunch, shop shop shop, buy, leave.

[shanghaibex.livejournal.com]

Wow, how interesting. Kirk hates Ikea with an unholy passion, so I have to plan our occasional visits there as SWAT-team intervention. Go, find, buy, leave. I am not as anti-Ikea as he is but I find it mildly unpleasant most of the time.

Of course the Ikea in Shanghai is the biggest in the world and it ranges from slightly busy to packed madhouse full of Chinese shoppers who always wander slowly across your path and then stop, blocking you from going anywhere. But for the Chinese yuppies who shop there, the restaurant is also a big draw. I've seen couples there on what is clearly a date.

[bex77]

Not sure why, but it is odd to think of there being IKEAs in China. Shouldn't come as a surprise. Yeah, it's not my favorite shopping place. I am not much for decorating and never buy furniture. I do try to figure out when the crowd is likely to be the smallest. But the lure of the meatballs is irresistible!

[shanghaibex.livejournal.com]

Oh, Ikea in China is a phenomenon. The prices here are probably a bit less than in the US (certainly less than the UK) but because of the low relative earning power in China, that positions the store as Not Cheap, but good quality.

Many of the styles are suitable for people trying to fit things into a small apartment and make each room multifunctional, which is a big issue in China. And the clean Scandanavian design ethos is a clear contrast to the overdecorated traditional Chinese furniture, featuring heavy dark wood with lots of carvings. So it's 'modern' and therefor much in demand with upwardly mobile urban Chinese couples.

The oddest thing I've seen there is an Ikea Wok, which probably costs 5x what you'd pay in the local stores. Who, I wondered, would buy it at Ikea?

Of course I bought my wok at Carrefour, a French chain which is also a phenomenon here. Go figure.