A Grocery Shopping Trip

     Well, I am so sorry it has been over a week since my last blog, but I will get you all up to date again.  First though, I will let you know about a shopping trip.

     I am in my apartment now.  That is another story.  I needed to go shopping for groceries and for some other things for my apartment.  There are three "grocery" stores near where I live and work.  They are very small stores and do not have nearly the items that I need or would want.  I have been shopping four times so far so I will tell you a bit about all of the experiences together.

     When you shop and it is raining, there is an stand at the entrance to the store where you can "bag" your umbrella.  You place your furled umbrella into a disposable bag.  Then you don't drip all over the store.  The first store I visited when it was raining, I did not realize what the umbrella bagging station was so the woman behind a counter tried to get my attention.  She wanted me to bag my umbrella, but I didn't understand what she was asking me so I just said that I wanted to shop and she realized I didn't speak Korean and let me go.  Ah, the trials these people have to put up with with us foreigners!

     Buying eggs in Korea is interesting as well.  You have a choice between chicken eggs or quail eggs.  Also, the eggs I bought have the photo of the farmer on them so that I know whose chickens laid these eggs.  I guess it is their version of buying local.

Chicken eggs on left and bottom, Quail eggs top right

Quail Eggs

     Another thing to get used to is how they sell their vegetables.  They sell pre-pealed onions.  The potatoes are unwashed as are the carrots.  They do sell some washed carrots and potatoes, but the carrots here are very large.  Here they prefer larger carrots not the small ones.

Extra large carrots

  In one of the three supermarkets near my house, I went down the isle with the canned foods.  They had canned tuna and salmon, they also had canned corn and right next to it was the canned silk worm larvae.  I know it was right where you would expect it to be right?

Buy your corn and silk worm larvae, maybe a casserole?

  In that store I looked for coffee, but they only sell the instant kinds.  I had to go to a large store equivalent to Walmart known as E Mart to buy real coffee.  Also, there was an entire isle (20 feet) plus a center display, of the instant coffee and only a short section (about 4 feet) of coffee beans and ground beans.  Although everyone here claims to like coffee, it really just means they drink the instant stuff.  The cereal choices are interesting as well, one brand has a kiwi and spinach flavored cereal.

     E Mart was an education in itself.  I took a taxi there as I didn't know which bus to use.  Also, I knew it would be easier taking a taxi home with all my purchases.  Inside, you use a coin to "rent" a cart.  That way when you return the cart you get your coin back.  You can also "rent" a locker to put your things in before you enter the store.  The greeter bows to you and says what is equivalent to hello or welcome as you enter.  The ground floor contains clothing, makeup, hardware, appliances, technology, toys, and stationary.  The hardware department is interesting as you can buy boards that are wrapped in plastic!  The basement has the housewares and groceries it also has a food court.  The E Mart has both very Korean food and some western food with brands that I can recognize.  

     Once you get your items, you take them to the check-out on the ground floor.  After paying for your items, you place them back into the cart and take them to a boxing station.  It is kind of like when Sams clubs had you put your purchases into boxes, but at E Mart you must use tape to reform your boxes.  Then you use some strong ribbon to make a handle for your box.

     The first time I went to E Mart I had to get an employee to help me with my boxes.  She also helped me call for a taxi because I didn't have a phone.  She was very kind and helpful.  I couldn't adequately express how grateful I was for her help.  Since then I have relied on 1. a nice girl at the bus stop and 2. a taxi that was already there, to get home.  The third trip was today and I took my fellow English teachers from South Africa to the store.  They were wanting to save money but I explained that really, a taxi is the only way when you have loads of heavy groceries to transport back to the apartment.

    Well, I am sure I will continue to be amazed by the shopping here!