The Korean supermarket was one of my first hurdles I had to get over when I first moved to Korea. Korean supermarkets are not wildly different from stores back in America. They are set up in a similar fashion with fruits and vegetables towards the front, followed by dairy products, then meat and fish in the back. Of course, there are mostly Korean foods sold inside, but the three supermarkets in town do have western sections. So, buying things to cook up western food recipes is not as difficult as it sounds!  

Now, I LOVE cooking; it’s one of my biggest passions. I do my fair share of cooking in my tiny studio apartment, and the majority of my dishes are comfort foods I miss from home. All of this means that my weekly grocery list is comprised of things that I sometimes have to search high and low to find in the supermarket.

The biggest challenge is the fresh produce section. You would think finding vegetables would be easy, but wait until you no longer have English signs to clearly tell you what spinach looks like. You suddenly realize you actually have no clue what spinach looks like (see picture – that’s spinach!). Additionally, Korea does not have all the same vegetables you might be used to back home, or they may sell a different variety of said vegetable. For example. Korea has mushrooms galore, but different types. Shitake and king oyster are two very common examples, but baby Bella and white mushrooms, which are common in America, are a bit harder to come by. You’ll find Japanese eggplant easily in Korea, but you won’t find the big round variety that inspired your emoji. Because of this, I often find myself having to alter the recipes I’m cooking by using different varieties of vegetables, but I don’t notice too much of a difference!

Reality is, when you move to Korea you have to learn to be flexible and open-minded to the options Korea gives you. Where I live in Geoje, I have three supermarkets in town. So there is quite a bit of options for myself in terms of food. However, for those who might live in more rural areas, it could be more of a struggle. Teachers in these areas might have to incorporate more Korean ingredients into cooking. I’d say the positive side to that is you can truly immerse yourself into the Korean experience and learn how to make great Korean dishes!

Now, on the other hand, Korea has COSTCO! For those who already have memberships back home, rest assured that your membership WILL work in Korea! I recently made my first trip to Korean Costco last weekend, and boy was I excited. Costco is amazing because, while it has many Korean and Asian style food items, it is still well-stocked with Kirkland products. For those who might not be familiar, Kirkland is the main brand Costco carries. If you make a visit to Costco, you will be able to get pretty much every kind of western food item you might want. From cheese, to hot dogs, to chips, to western style bread – Costco has it all! Unfortunately, Costco is an hour and a half from where I live, so regular trips will not be happening. However, if you are lucky enough to live near one of Costco’s eleven locations in Korea, I suggest either getting a membership yourself or making friends with current members. Even with having the amazing experience of living abroad and being in Korea, you can’t beat having some of the comforts of home available to you!

 

The Korean grocery store will only be an intimidating experience if you let it. Learn to use the products available to you, and appreciate the little things you find which you truly love. Once you know your way around your local store, doing your weekly shopping will be a breeze!

***All photos except header photo by Jordan Taylor***

Writer: Jordan Taylor

Editor: Kaily Long

Lead Contributor : Rachel Cassiline Pinnock