Swedish Delights!

A friend wrote to me recently after reading my article on "Fresh Seafood": "I heard they even gave salmon head for free in the past. My brother-in-law used to go there. Thanks for the tip." So I replied: "Alamak! Why didn't they give me?" His answer was profound - "Be at the right place at the right time...life will be different. Not just for salmon heads." So the Guru said: "True. Please teach me some tricks." And he said: "There are no tricks, just part of life and it is called fate...but it can change by reading your articles packed full of information. I did not know Fassler and that my brother-in-law goes there too but only after reading your blog...ha ha...give me more, give me more!" 

Great Concepts 

Sometimes in life, we just get more and more of the same things. They are all good and comfortable. Then along comes a new product, a new shop, new service or a new concept and they take you or the world by storm like Creative Technology's Sound Blaster and Apple. Prior to all these techie stuffs, do you remember the day Yaohan of Japan came along? The new list of food introduced, the store concept and the way they promote and peddle their wares. They were shouting and banging and making noises and you go round food tasting. Later, Yokoso came along and gave you 24 hour shopping. 

Carrefour's big store concept, high ceiling, width and space and they way they display their goods and the variety of their products makes it a pleasure to walk through the aisles. Even if you had not originally planned to get something you would inevitably end up buying some. Just look at Carrefour's bakery. But good products, services, shops and concepts besides creating excitement must be able to last too.

Ikea is a pure Swedish delight. They make useful things in a simple and more cost effective way. Not that everything is cheap, far from it but they are cost effective but comes with good taste in terms of designs. It is another place where you can go to not planning to buy anything but ended up buying some. Over the years, I have bought almost everything there from carpets, to furniture, plants to vases plus many more. Once, I reared some fighting fish one in each vase and it was such a beauty.

Sometimes, you can just pop in after a long while to browse through leisurely or have some food before or after shopping. It is a great experience even after so many years and so many times. We came for early lunch and pick a nice spot on high chairs before the hunt.

The concept is simple and sweet. Take anything you want, mount them on trays and place them in a trolley, get to the counter and pay up.

Then enjoy your meal.

You can start with healthy salad and add desserts.

If you do not like western, need halal or love curry, get nasi padang.

This salmon is a must! Don't you agree just by looking at it, you will feel like a bear waiting for salmons to leap. I know some of you will fight with other bears for it. The avocado resting on top of the salmon, skinned potatoes, broccoli and the golden stuff - pumpkin?

This is a must have! A guy who went to a restaurant in Spain ordered meatballs and when it came he tasted them and they were very good. The meatballs were big and juicy. The next day he came back and ordered the same. This time, the meatballs were very small so he ordered the waiter to explain what happened. The waiter said: "Senor, you see - sometimes the matador wins and sometimes the bull wins". But no in Sweden, they don't have bull rings and bull fights. These are just pure beef balls drenched with their special sauce and a special jam. They are really delicious! If you like, you can get some to bring home to prepare them yourself with the sauce and jam too.

Of course salmons are best eaten fresh like all others such as in sashimi form. But sometimes, you need a little different form of food preparation to get a different perspective. Smoked salmon.

This is quite good too but chicken wings are too common and everywhere. Imagine all the chicken wings we have eaten and what happen to the rest of the chickens? Sometimes when I eat frog legs, I could imagine the chef wheeling out the frogs in wheel chairs.

We should have too much of these but what the heck. Apple pie with cinnamon and cheese cake. One of the best apple pies I have ever eaten was from the former Troika. The apple here is quite good but the cheese cake takes the cake!

Nasi Padang, your local favourite.

The Guru. If I go on like this, I'll be doing advertisement for those "before" and "after" pictures for slimming programmes. The Mona Lisa smile means it is bittersweet. You can't tell if Mona Lisa was happy or sad. Happy when eating, sad when you have one too many. You like to eat some and then you have to work like hell to get in shape then you top up some more.

If you like coffee, it will be free flow so you can drink till sunset.

Even the stuffed toys are cuddly. Eating too much will give you a feeling of how stuffed toys feel.

In my time as a child we were ingenious. We don't waste money (maybe because we didn't have much) so we often made our own toys. We were fed lots of Japanese Samurais v Ninjas movies and TV programmes where besides smoke bombs, the ninjas will throw star-shaped darts known as Shuriken and I thought hey cool so we went out to get bottle caps, dug out the lining and using a hammer we could carefully and gingerly knock it flat with the jagged edges facing out, sharpen a few points if needed and bingo! Some doors at the common corridors (where electrical stuffs were) had so many pierced marks that you will know some neighbourhood ninja warriors visited. Now, you can pour molten metals and pour them into this tray or you can make ice with these. I'm losing touch with technology and advancement.

Beautiful lights.

Where oh where can you get an ice-cream for $0.50? Hot dog in a bun for $1? And coffee too.

For those of you who haven't tried milking a cow, this may be a good alternative. Just be careful to control yourself and not waste the chili, mustard and tomato sauces.

Pay a dollar and have fun and the machine will help do the rest. We should have one like this at home. Why don't Ikea sell them?

Then watch the magic unfolds.

And the little child in the man appears.

Coffee lovers will be spoilt for choice.

This is where you can buy these things home and replicate them. The beef balls, sauce, jam, biscuits and everything else.

Remember, a fool and his money is soon parted! But it is fun so remember to have fun! Always!!

Does it look like fun? You always need some help. I used to look like a walking Christmas tree when my children were young but I have a dream and I believe in angels and I always listen to my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFHbwikzNds (I Have A Dream - Abba)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktRsl2hAPhY (Listen To Your Heart - Roxette)

Mama Mia, here we go again! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unfzfe8f9NI (Mama Mia - Abba)

That's how I would sometimes like spending my time. This time at Tampines instead of Alexandra.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG0IYV6G0I0 (Spending My Time - Roxette)