Thursday, April 1, 2010

Grocery Shopping in Korea

Grocery shopping in Korea has been relatively painless. I've been able to find most things, some with a litle more effort than others, that I use to cook. I'm not a picky eater. Even being vegetarian hasn't posed as many problems as i tought! Though, it beats the heck out of my why black beans are so hard to find? Anyway, for the most part, it's been rather easy shopping! With a few funny stories of course!

There have been, however, a few items that just perplex me. Some seemingly common, highly desirable items have been either crazy hard to find and too painfully expensive to actually purchase. I don't get it. But let me share a few.

The Bloody Expensive:
  • Oatmeal. A large bucket of plain. No frill oats. 13,000-18,000 won. ($13- $18)
  • Cheese. The cheap kind. A little block. 8,000-9,000 won. ($8-$9)
  • Chunky peanut butter. An patriotic Korean knockoff. 5,000won ($5)
  • Avocados. 4 of them. Rock solid. 12,500 won ($12.50)
  • Asparagus. 3 short, measly stalks. 6,000w ($6)
  • Maple Syrup. In minimal ounce-age. 15,000w ($15)
  • A box of Splenda. 40,000 w. ($40 bloody bucks.)
The MIA
  • Salsa
  • Apple Butter (though i always look- i'm hopeful.)
  • Apple Sauce
  • Whole Wheat Bread. Or whole wheat anything for that matter.
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Bacardi Bottled Mojitos
Anyway, today i made my first trip to Costco. It was good friends. Really good! I didn't buy a whole lot, but now i'm prepared for next time.

My cart consisted of a box of Kashi Go Lean Cereal. Whole Grain Crackers. Pepper Jack Cheese. Coffee. And the only Easter candy i've seen in Korea- Robin Egg Whoppers. I shall be sharing those with the kiddos at school today. I don't think i've ever bought a 5lb bag of candy, but i don't think the kids will have a hard time helping me get rid of it! : )

Some interesting items at Korean Costco.
  • Bulgogi Bakes (like the coveted Chicken Bakes)
  • A gallon of Haagen Daz ice-cream for 20,000 w. YIKES!
  • A small bag of pine nuts for 40,000w. 40 bucks for nuts. NO THANK YOU! I like pesto. But not that much!
  • A box of Dodgerdogs
  • And yes, they have Costco muffins! Those suckers are international!

We finished our successful shopping adventure with a delicious Costco pizza. One i must say tasted very much like that back home. It warmed my heart. (Or shall i say my appetite.)

Viva la Costco!


Rachel. D, and Jennice. And our delightful pizza.


Jennice's packed car. We did well!


My "big" purchase. Minus the cheese.

1 comment:

  1. Yay for Robin Eggs! What no salsa? Is that Korea or something? Lol

    ReplyDelete