Wohnst du noch oder lebst du schon?

That is IKEA’s slogan that never penetrated the US market and it means “A better night sleep.”. I slept well on Friday night because I ate in my favorite restaurant in NJ, after driving Ziggy and family to the airport. I may have been the only idiot since the store’s grand opening a decade ago that went to eat there and not shop and this wasn’t even the first time.  When HWW (Hummus Whisperer’s Wife, or the (“Wife”) was expecting, I convinced her to go there just so we can eat (but never told her that).  This time, to make sure no one finds me suspicious, I stood on line to buy 2 bibs for the baby behind a newlywed couple waiting to buy the Fyrkantig, the Nortviken, the Ramvik, and the Sleegensagen, just to name a few.  Good luck in your  “easy” assembly you fools, you’ll be back to return half of this junk next week! Been there, done that.  Anyway, Ikea’s restaurant not only boasts one of the best views of EWR and surrounding highways, but also serves the best Kottbullar (aka Swedish meatballs) outside of Sweden (On a few occasions I tried wanna-be imitations at Swedish restaurants in NYC for three times the price.) The $3.99 Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes are only a step behind Costco food samples in terms of value for the money but are a hearty and delicious lunch. The meatballs and mashed potatoes plate is above your average babushka-made meatballs, but what makes the dish is the sinful but tasty gravy cream sauce,  but most significant is the genuinely tasty lingonberry jam. It was supposedly made from the lingonberries grown in Swedish forests that are picked while they cut down and steal the wood from the woodchucks living there. I just realized I forgot to pick up my favorite bathroom reading material, the IKEA catalogue.  I’ll pick it up before I get Ziggy from the airport and will try the new baby back ribs meal.