Shopping in the suburbs is as inspiring as visiting my OBGYN. Not my favorite thing to do, but it is one of the evils of life. You see, I needed a new showerhead. I am a showerhead snob and so I tend to go through showerheads at the same rate others go through stilettos. I know that the Swedes are showerhead snobs too. Remember my shower at the Hotel Diplomat in Stockholm? Dang, that thing took me an hour to figure out it was so technical (Then I spent the next 2 hours enjoying it).
Okay, back to my story. Just across the highway from the new Four Season’s hotel in Palo Alto, the Swedes have built a monolithic structure dedicated to all things IKEA. I figured that was the place to go to pick up a new showerhead. I walked in, and the first thing I saw is their IKEA café – well, more like a Swedish cafeteria. At first I was skeptical, but I was as hungry as I was curious. So, I stepped up to the counter, and you would not believe what I saw. REAL SWEDISH FOOD! Yes Divas, you heard me right. They had herring and shrimp on toast, and even poached salmon with dill. I ordered the salmon and it was out of this world! It came with a side of steamed vegetables and 2 potatoes.
The serving size was realistic – not like those ridiculous fat-producing servings at other American joints (heh hum). Besides the screaming kids (something you won’t hear in Sweden) my meal was delicious and very enjoyable. It would be so wonderful if other stores and restaurants took the IKEA challenge and revamp their menus and include healthy choices and smaller sizes.
So, if you happened to be at one of those crazy-big IKEAS, make sure you order the poached salmon, all that’s missing is a gorgeous blonde and a shot of Absolut vodka. But you can always bring your own. Blonde, that is.
