The Food (and Decor) of Ikea…
The other day we enjoyed the good fortune of being taken to IKEA.
It was a cool, balmy day, the sun was warm and bright, the temperature perfect, both inside and out. As we trod up the inviting staircase, I was filled with anticipation:
1. To view the lovely little vignettes of picture perfect ‘apartments’ so clean and tidy
2. To share in a Swedish meatball luncheon festival with a happy friend and family member
3. To revel in acres of gadgetry and gizmos, articles and sundry homemakey stuff
4. To EAT
But First
About those picture perfect little demo “apartments” and displays at Ikea: How come they look so inviting and nostalgic?
What designer tricks do they use to make you feel so at home, so welcome, so comfy?
It isn’t that they’re luxurious with fine exotics, wide expansive spaces and stunning brocades, etc. No.
Nor is it use of antiques, expensive furnishings, fine artwork.
Everything is so… simple! Not really elegant, but still… so very nice. I think they use magic.
I’ll tell you why… of all the apartments and houses I’ve ever visited and been invited to, I haven’t
EVER seen one that looks and feels as good as one of those little vignettes at IKEA.
And some of those homes are all IKEA furnished. What is missing? Perhaps my friends and family have improper taste. Well, no, absolutely not… can’t be that.
Perhaps it’s the lighting! Could it be, that the layouts of most homes and apts are crude and not so clever as those in IKEA? I just don’t know. If you know, please tell me! (yumdee at yummydelicious.com)
I will complete these thoughts with these final observations…
1. It pays to go to college and learn designer tricks
2. When you have the big bucks, go to IKEA anyway
3. Send all architects to IKEA to learn how to make tiny spaces feel big
4. IKEA is a yummydelicious place!
NOW… about LUNCH…
I truly love IKEA’s meatballs. You can buy them in the bag downstairs, but with the tasty gravy, delicious potatoes and seasoned veggies at the light bright convivial restaurant, they’re a true taste treat.
Here’s a question: Why can’t people make meatloaf taste like IKEA meatballs? Could it be the pork? The soysauce seasoning? The magic gravy? The lingonberry jam?
Now if your a little yumdee piglet like yours truly, you will want a bite of cold smoked salmon salad with fresh onion circles on top along with your meatballs.
The salmon is always perfectly textured, beautifully colored, and not too salty. With those few sprinkles of dill, it’s a dish fit for a king.
Now I will inform you that some of these foods contain Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) of which I am sensitive to. So, maybe just one delicious meatball for me and a bite of salmon.
Someday, perhaps, they will eliminate this addictive additive but until then, it’s only one little round cute fellow for me.
Also, I would like to encourage IKEA to procure meat only from farmers and ranchers who raise their animals humanely and kindly, non-GMO and naturally fed. And killed quickly and painlessly. Sorry for my diatribalry, folks, but it’s my sworn duty. 😀
Onward
Oh – lest I forget… there’s… dessert! After you’ve finished shopping and paid, what’s waiting for you right there past the checkout stands?
Why, it’s the cinnamon bun counter. Now how tricky is THAT? You’ve just spent more money than you thought you would, and maybe your feeling a bit regretful.
You look up from the credit card terminal, and lo and behold, the heady fragrance of fresh baked cinnamon rolls to assuage your wounded pocket book and lift your spirits.
Yes, fresh, hot-from-the-oven soft chewy sweet cinnamon rolls for only 79 cents (12 for $5.00) to soothingly send you on your way.
What a lovely, lovely trick. Don’t you love it?
PS: Did I mention the IKEA potatoes? No? I inhale them, they’re so tasty. See you at IKEA’s!