Shopping

Some of you have been asking what its like to shop here. The shots below picture our friendly neighborhood shopkeeper in what is a pretty typical local market. These tiny little shops, about the size of a shoebox, are in abundance. Out front is the fresh produce (which is not bad at all, and is reasonably priced), while inside are the dry goods and beverages. This kind of market sells little, if any western products (aside from Starbuck's Frappuccino. Take note, Sally!) This shop is only steps from our front door.

At the other extreme is Wal-Mart. I can say with some confidence that the term "super center" doesn't convey here what it does in the states. Pickings are pretty slim, and while the shelves are are full, there could be a lot more shelves in the amount of empty space. In my opinion, Wal-Mart Busan isn't one of the better local shopping options.

Costco, on the other hand, was soothing in its familiarity. Costco is located in Daegu, Korea's 3rd largest city, 2 hours north of Busan. Mr. Lee, our driver, recently drove us there to stock up on staples. Happily, many familiar products were available there including Cheerios, Triscuit crackers, and tortillas. Of greatest appeal, though, was the cheddar cheese. Costco is reputed to be the only place in South Korea where cheddar is available. Lest you think Costco is totally Americanized, in Daegu Costco, one can buy seemingly infinite varieties of kim-chee and ramen noodles, and lots of other familiar looking products labeled only in Korean.

Lastly, the best shopping option in Busan is the department stores. Department stores here sell groceries, housewares, and some sporting goods and clothing. These stores have names like Mega Mart, Save Zone, and E-Mart and typically have several floors. In terms of food, each store carries a small selection of western food items, but each store carries different items, so a shopping trip may, by necessity, require stops at several stores. We are learning to recognize the locally available Korean version of things we use regularly, like orange juice (we must be careful because juice and sweetened organge punch look alike), fish, and milk (sometimes we're forced to drink whole milk, haven't seen skim milk yet!). We're definitely in the learning process.

Pictured below is E-Mart, on a typical shopping day (notw how crowded; this is normal!)