Suna in Wonderland

After half year, I finally went to visit IKEA in Shanghai. On the way to IKEA, I kept repeating “Wo Yao qu IKEA!- I want to go to IKEA” several times, but taxi driver did not understand it. Turned out to be IKEA is called 宜家 (yí jiā) in China.

I was surprised how IKEA looked same exactly as one in Sweden. I recognized all the furniture and things that I saw from Sweden 2 years ago.

The main purpose of going to IKEA was to have Swedish Food, especially Köttbullar (Swedish meatballs). Although there was super long queue to get the Köttbullar, despite of huger it still did not stop us to get it. (Going to IKEA on Saturday evening is not a good idea!!)

In the restaurant section, not only  Köttbullar, but i also found Kanelbullar (cinnamon Buns). Somehow it really made me feel homesick. (funny i am not even Swedish) I remembered how I enjoyed FIKA having coffee and Kanelbullar and had relaxing time in Sweden. I immediately bought two Kanelbullar and brought back home.

I was bit suprised that all the products in IKEA were exactly same that was in 2-3 years ago. First I wonder if there is any innovation exist is IKEA, then  later I realized  perhaps this IKEA standard products is the strategy. This distinctive products make the ‘ IKEA brand’ and also make European people to feel nostalgia and exotic feel to Asians. I have to admit, being in IKEA, it really made me feel as if I am back in Sweden. If this was for my feeling, I guess for Swedes living in China would even feel home here.

Anyway, we ate our fill with various Swedish food and had little shopping. We went there to just to have dinner but I could not resist all the cheap attractive things displayed in IKEA.

Unfortunately frozen Köttbullar was all sold out, but i still got pepparkakor and two bags of salt lakrits. So I do not miss Swedish snack for a while. One coolest thing to live in Globalized era is such a thing like this, do not need to miss other culture while living in totally opposite continent.