Comments on: In China: the IKEA theme park

By: Ymarsakar

Ymarsakar — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 00:11:16 +0000

China kind of has the same system as the Left. Chairman Mao, often lionized much like Ted Kennedy, destroyed much of China’s tradition and even knowledge of the sciences and arts. Not to mention the human loss of so many families killed or exiled.

So everything good is attributed to our good Chairman, considered a divine father figure. All the bad stuff is attributed to Japan and Taiwan.

Much like the system Democrats use.

And the effects… even in 1980s, it wasn’t this bad.

By: southpaw

southpaw — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 22:50:29 +0000

CV
No, they don’t pick it up. If they wanted to dispose of it properly, there would be no escape hatch in the first place- hence the invention of the diaper.
I’ve only seen the split pants on the mainland of China. The toilet is a rather novel thing too for lots of counties. The hole in the floor with the little foot placement doohickeys on either side is more common. Anyway in China , When you get outside the areas that cater to the West, there’s some real squalor. It’s sad and unbelievable how millions live.
Anybody fellow travelers ever tried the deep fried bird’s heads? I haven’t had the courage- I just keep turning the lazy Susan, nodding and smiling, looking for some lettuce.

By: Ymarsakar

Ymarsakar — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:27:31 +0000

Communism does interesting things to the spirits of… well, can’t quite say human at this time. Not for the majority any more.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:06:40 +0000

Add: Mandarin is spoken in Taiwan, so it’s not a dialect issue.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:05:16 +0000

Interesting. The Taiwanese don’t act like that, either. I’m pretty sure that’s a distinctly Mainland behavior.

By: neo-neocon

neo-neocon — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 18:23:57 +0000

expat:

Yes—say what you will about the Germans, but they’re probably not peeing and sleeping in the beds at IKEA en masse.

By: expat

expat — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 17:30:51 +0000

IKEA was a life saver for me when I moved to Germany. At that time, there were few built-in closets, so you had to buy a wardrobe that covered a whole wall of your bedroom. The expensive furniture stores were pushing solid white doors; the cheaper stores had more colors and styles, but the sizes were terrible (a series of 12-inch doors to fill out the wall space. We go an IKEA one with white shutter doors that had various-sized units. It’s in our guest room now (27 years later) and still functions. I also love the Billy bookcases. They are cheap and unobtrusive. German furniture tends to follow trends, so if you want something basic that won’t clash with your other stuff, IKEA is the place to go.

The Germans are a bit more decorous in their behavior at the stores–thank God. You do see a lot of families with young kids, but they are usuall well behave and fun to watch.

By: DNW

DNW — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 16:00:47 +0000

“Sometimes I take a recreational approach to shopping, too. I’ve been known to go to IKEA just to see the place (and to get some exercise–it’s BIG) but I’ve never actually bought something there. “

I’ve been in an IKEA a couple of times, looking for cheap, but solid wood dressers for the hunting cabin, or something along those lines.

If you’re 21 years old, middle class, and setting up in your first house or apartment, it’s probably the place to go.

I also saw those tricked out display apartments they have, “Comfortable Living in only 589 square feet” or something along those lines. I thought to myself, that’s cool … better than some of the larger apartments I lived in, with those toy fireplaces that don’t draft and which sent the Duraflame, or damp-supermarket-bundle log smoke drifting around the living and dining areas.

I might even like one of those Ikea places on the side, just for the hell of it. Kind of an in-city retreat. Do you get a corner location with windows on two adjacent sides, and a park across the street?

“Neat” as they look though, you couldn’t actually live in one. Where would you store your chain saws, guns, and tool boxes? Not even an extra area to keep your barbells and treadmill, if you think about it.

Maybe it’s, “Comfortable living possible in only 1,200 square feet” … with a full basement … on a big lot … with a garage.

By: Lizzy

Lizzy — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 15:54:43 +0000

I love going to IKEA and just wandering around!

This story reminds me of a childhood neighbor from Wales who likened visiting our (then) new Super King Sooper’s grocery store as a trip to Disney World. She was overwhelmed with how many choices there were in America.

By: CV

CV — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 14:17:39 +0000

I must lead a sheltered life. I do enjoy a trip to IKEA now and then (I especially like small housewares in the marketplace section), but I have never seen the split pants for toddlers “in action.”

Good grief, is this a common thing in China or elsewhere? Do parents at least pick up after them? I guess it would cut down on the diaper bills….