Tales from the Aisles

I think the time has come to satisfy your curiosity and tell you what you've been dying to hear about since day one: what it's like to grocery shop in Korea. So come take a tour of our local grocery store. But let me first warn you. This is not a journey for the faint-hearted or the narrow-minded.....

The night view of our grocery store, conveniently located just two minutes by foot away from our apartment. Frustratingly, however, we were not aware of its location until 3 weeks into our stay, after making several trips from another store up a very large hill with armloads full of groceries.


Just inside the first thing you come across is the small bakery section. It was here that we discovered that, much against popular belief, one could indeed find whole wheat bread in Korea. What's somewhat annoying, though, is that you have to pay for your bakery purchases here, and not with the rest of your groceries. I'm sure that 6 months from now this will make perfect sense and we won't be able to believe that Canadians actually pick up their bread with the rest of their purchases. For now, however, we still find it baffling.


Here's Shayne in the next section of the grocery store proper: the dollar store section...sorry, the 1,000 Won section. You can buy pretty much anything here, including clip-on ties.

Unfortunately closed in the evenings, this is a take-out stand right in the middle of the store. You can buy dumplings, deep-fried meat on sticks, and of course, dinner in a styrofoam carton.


The deli section of the store. Whereas in Canada you would find potato salad, sandwich meats, and individually-sized macaroni and cheese, in Korea you find pickled garlic, strange black corn, and 50 kinds of kimchi.


Shayne still not being able to get over either the size of the beer here, or the fact that you can buy it (and any other type of alcohol) almost anywhere. I, however, cannot get over the fact that they seem to drink only light lager comparable to our Lucky Brand or Old Dutch Pilsner.


This is something that has Shayne shuddering (while I just try to ignore it). Various marinated meats in open, seemingly un-refrigerated bins. Fantastic.


Onward to the seafood department - a must in any Ulsan grocery store. Here I am holding up an eight-pack of baby octopi. Yum.

And if that didn't get you salivating, have a look at these bad boys.....


One thing we can't seem to get over is how strange the seafood is here. These had to be the scariest catch of the day and we have no idea what they are....although they seem like a cross between a frog and a piranha. I think the watermelon garnish was added to soften their image. It hasn't worked.


Here is what amounts to the foreigners' section, and it ain't much. There's more to be had in the bigger stores in town, but this is pretty typical for a neighborhood shop. All we can say is thank God for Costco.


And this, my friends, is the Spam section. Yes, Koreans love their Spam. I don't get it either.


A small taste of the vegetable section. Most of it's similar to home, although slightly different (like skinny, prickly cucumbers, and fat, stubby carrots), but we still have no idea what these are. We've narrowed it down to either some form of root vegetable, or tree branches.


One of the really great things about being in Korea is the prevalence of fresh fruit. Not only can you get it in the shops, but you can buy it from sidewalk vendors who seem to be everywhere. Another thing of note is they don't make the cashiers here memorize dozens of fruit and vegetable codes. Just like the deli, they have staff who weigh and tag your baggies of produce. A much better way of doing it, I think.


This was a shot we couldn't pass up on. I'm standing next to the mainstay of Korean grocery stores, the walking, talking, in-store flyer. When we first encountered this phenomenon, we thought they were simply telling everyone that they were closing and to get out. But no, he just belts out special after special. Anyways, he's friendly enough.

Well, there you have it. Not completely different from back home, but there's definitely enough here to keep us head scratching...and for some time to come.

Cheers,
Jo