It\u2019s been rumored for months now. Hushed whispers in the Swedish-American community. Disgust. Fear. Sadness. It\u2019s been a time of uncertainty.\u00a0 Swedes around the world have been stocking up on the essentials. And by Swedes everywhere I mean my dad. And by essentials I mean Kalles Kaviar.\u00a0 IKEA has decided to discontinue their sale of name-brand Swedish products like Kalles Kaviar.\u00a0 Instead, they will only be selling IKEA brand Swedish staples. That means no more Abba sil. No more Daim. No more Bilar. And worst of all, no more Kalles.<\/p>\n
I love IKEA. Unashamedly. There are few pieces of furniture in my apartment that are not from IKEA. It\u2019s perfect really. I can buy them cheap. Live a student\u2019s lifestyle on them, and replace them in two years\u2019 time. Just like IKEA intended.\u00a0 But this latest move stings a little bit.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve written about Swedishness Abroad<\/a> and how IKEA helps to maintain some semblance of connection with Sweden.\u00a0 Jennie even wrote about what kind of food items you need to buy for that Swedish nostalgia, all the while noting the slow descent into solely IKEA brand Swedish foods in How to Buy Swedish Food Abroad<\/a>. But now it is official. No more.<\/p>\n From a business standpoint, this makes sense. IKEA wants to have more control over the products they sell. Plus, chances are they\u2019ll be able to pull in a few extra kronor with this move.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t mean that the products won\u2019t be missed.\u00a0 There is a sense of nostalgia that comes with opening a bag of Bilar and hoping that they are just the right level of stale.\u00a0 Or of flipping the cap over on a tube of Kalles and popping it open.\u00a0 Or of chewing your way around the chocolate-y center of a Ballerina cookie.<\/p>\n Of course, Swedish brands do not define Swedish identity. Swedish identity is constantly evolving. It is not a static idea that is dependent on some sort of Nordic ideal; instead ideas are constantly being imported from and exported to different countries. Just as Swedes pepper their language with English loan words, Americans pepper their homes with Swedish design. It\u2019s a cultural exchange that gives excitement to living in an international setting.\u00a0 As Swedes living abroad know, Swedishness is not defined by a border on a map. Or words on a page. Or even the brands at IKEA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s been rumored for months now. Hushed whispers in the Swedish-American community. Disgust. Fear. Sadness. It\u2019s been a time of uncertainty.\u00a0 Swedes around the world have been stocking up on the essentials. And by Swedes everywhere I mean my dad. And by essentials I mean Kalles Kaviar.\u00a0 IKEA has decided to discontinue their sale of…<\/p>\n