Do I have to put my sandwich together myself? Will I need allen wrenches?

IKEA offers food, lots of food actually. You may not have known this, but they’ve been doing it for a long time. IKEA, IKEA Swedish Marketrandomly, is the only place in the United States where you can purchase Daim candies (a European fave), but the furniture company is now really trying to promote their foods. As school gets back into the swing of things, IKEA wants you to know that they offer everything from lunch box essentials to dinners on the run. Oh yes, there is an IKEA Swedish Food Market. It’s not just for piecemeal furniture anymore.

For lunchboxes, the Swedish market carries a number of different kinds of cheeses as well as varieties of juice boxes (in unique flavors like Elderflower and Lingonberry). IKEA also offers a wide variety of frozen meals and desserts; specializing in Swedish meatballs, organic pastas, Swedish cheeses, and oddities like Swedish bread-in-a box… simply add water, shake and place in the oven for hot bread in an hour’s time! The market goes even further, selling frozen hot dogs, fish and meats native to Sweden. It is actually pretty easy to put together quick (if not oddly northern European) meals.

IKEA Rib NightThe market surprisingly offers a large variety of organic foods including pasta, whole grains, cereal, crackers, cookies and juices. A number of Swedish ethnic foods are also carried, including sweet cheeses, fish and frozen crayfish (a delicacy from New Orleans to Stockholm apparently!). I was further shocked in perusing the imported Swedish chocolates, coffees and teas, lingonberry (native to Sweden) jams and jellies, dry biscuits, and even caviar!

You can even eat out at IKEA, their restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with weekly specials such as a $7.99 rib night on Wednesdays! I still can’t tell if I’m scared or intrigued. Oh wait, they have cinnamon rolls too. I’m intrigued!

IKEA FUD, WTF?

-bryan