okay i just got back from two fried-oyster-poboy filled months in new orleans. while there, i worked on filling my suitcase with stuff i can't get here...chunky peanut butter, instant grits, brownie mix, reeses peanut butter cups, cetaphil lotion...etc. i also picked up some stuff that for whatever reason is insanely expensive here. good dishtowels for example (tea towels for you brits). even at ikea they run 3 euros a pop....since getting to ikea is like a two hour ordeal by metro/bus...i turn to places like casa, habitat and the evil ole corte ingles...all massive purveyors of expensive-for-no-reason dishtowels. (yes i could go chino, but those euro-store towels seem to lack soaking-up ability which is a pretty essential part of tea-towelness IMHO). anyway i bought some really great fluffy absorbent dishtowels stateside for 1.50 a piece...that is like a euro to you and me. NOW i come home and realize i should have bought aluminum foil (aluminiunium ..sp?.. to you brits) because i went to the ole evil corte ingles, which is so conveniently, evilly located between my office and my metro stop...and aluminium foil was 7 freaking euros. i actually stopped a chick pushing frozen rice entrees to clarify for me that indeed the foil was 7 euros and not...3 or something normal.

ugh! this is when chinos rock. sure their foil doesn't have the neat little teeth to make a clean tear...but for a euro, what do you expect.

i'll spend the savings on some face clothes, thank you very much! (anyone wanna give me a lift to ikea? we could make it an mm outing!!!)

any other wacky overpriced stories out there????

7 euros for aluminum foil!!!no way! carrefour is so much cheaper. you can even buy carrefour brand and it has teeth to tear it up. i use a roll every two weeks and believe me i won't pay 7 euros for that.

ok, aluminum foil is in most supermarkets.

you can get it cheapest in "dia", "gama", "mercadona", etc... i think even "lidl" has it.

no need to go to carrefour even and MUCH MENOS el corte ingles

Candela, as for that ride out to ikea, ena and i go once every few months and we are about due for a trip, will talk when i see ya tomorrow.

saludos,
jer...

where is the Ikea nearest Madrid?

Ikea

Take the Metro to "Parque Oeste" stop - from there it's across the big parking lot, exiting left from the Metro - I learned (the hard way) to call ahead to make sure that it was open.


Parque Oeste Alcorcón
(Metro Parque Oeste)
Tel: 91 664 52 00

Or if you have a car, you can take the N-I
Pol. de Moscatelares
Salida 19 Nacional I
Tel: 91 659 85 00

there are two ikeas. if you go to http://www.ikea.es you can get directions, hours and transport info.

we go to the one in s.s. de los reyes.

saludos,
jer...

Hey--if you guys have an extra seat that you want to rent out on this Ikea trip, can you let me know? I'll be happy to donate gas money and buy you one of those fancy lingonberry desserts...

Oscar has one of those little Ikea kid easels and I can't find paper to fit it anywhere... other than Ikea (that's how they get you to keep going back).

P.S. I was just at the Alcorcon location last week and lots of stuff was "agotado"--including the aforementioned rolls of paper, but somehow I still managed to spend 60 euros on god only knows what. Moral of my story--try to call ahead if you are looking for something specific, because the new catalog is coming out this month and they are letting the stock run out on many things.

P.P.S. A couple of months back, El Corte Ingles had black toilet paper that cost 7 euros for four rolls. Ziploc bags are also ridiculously overpriced.