Recognize These?

I couldn't get a picture of the iconic blue and yellow front, but any devotee will recognize the logo in the corner. We went to Ikea today to get an ironing board. No, I did not brave a cab--a friend called and asked if I needed to run anywhere in the car, and who was I to say no? Aside from the Chinese writing it was completely like my Bloomington Ikea.

Then we went to an electronics store. Like an American store, it had anything you could possibly want. Unlike an American store, things are arranged by brand, not by item--so irons or toasters are spread out over the floor. Also, absolutely NOTHING was written in English. Trying to figure out comparisons between items involves eyeballing them and taking a guess. When you want something you tell the salesgirl and she gives you a written ticket. You take that to the pay station and pay. They issue you a receipt. Then you return and find the salesgirl and give her the receipt and they give you the item(s). Yes, it takes a bit of time. No one speaks any English, so you're pretty much on your own, so it was good to have someone go with to explain the procedure.

As a reward to the kids, we came home and walked to McDonalds which was (again) all in Chinese. Luckily the food looks (and tastes) the same. The Coldstone Creamery was doing a booming business next door so we stopped for a bite of ice cream before walking home.

Now I'm completely sweaty and need a shower.