Wondering about grocery shopping in Korea? Let’s talk about the realities of moving to a new culture and the struggles in Korea.
Grocery shopping in South Korea
Moving to South Korea is a shock in the kitchen!! Grocery stores are organized differently, packaged differently, taste different, and so much more. It’s likely that you are going to notice a difference in how everything cooks and tastes. It’s going to take a while to get used to all the new vegetables, fruits, meat cuts, and more.
When I first arrived I had a mental breakdown because nothing that I made tasted right. I learned that every fruit, vegetable, and other ingredient was just a little bit different. Adjusting for things like different sweetness levels, acidity, or bitterness nearly drove me to drink. Ok, it actually drove me to drink, but I just kept cooking until I found my groove again. For a year, I decided to only cook with ingredients produced in South Korea. It was a challenge that truly changed how I look at food.
Don’t get discouraged! Dig into studying the new ingredients, ask questions, and try all the new things!
Why do the foods taste different in South Korea?
This is part of the uniqueness of culture. When you move around the world each location has a different view of how much salt, sweet, bitter, sour, or spicy is ok to eat. This change can impact you deeply and emotionally. Many, maybe even most, ex-pats get very angry about these changes. The new tastes may feel like an attack on all that is right and sacred during a very stressful life change.
- In Korea, salt is a big issue. In the western world, iodized salt is used more often than sea salt. In South Korea, sea salt is used more than iodized salt. These two salts impact the tastebuds very differently leaving both sides feeling like the other food is too salty.
- In Korea, things are sweet that you don’t expect, and things that “should” be sweet are not. This will be very hard to adjust to, and you are going to get mad about it for a while. Breathe deep, it will be ok.
- Fruits and veggies taste different because it’s grown in different soil from different types of seeds. Basically, this is biodiversity in action. Korea likes their corn less sweet than you like your corn, so they grow different corn. Carrots here are super sweet. Get prepared.
The funny part is that when you go back home you will feel like food is weird there! Life is funny that way. We evolve without even knowing it.
What surprises exist in the grocery store in South Korea
Don’t be too scared, but be ready to be overwhelmed on your first trip to a Korean grocery store. It’s going to take you a lot more time to do your grocery shopping than you originally planned. Here are some of the culture shock points:
- You are going to pay for your grocery bags. Your grocery bags will double as your trash bags at home. You pay your trash fee when you buy groceries but you don’t pay a monthly trash fee at your house. This turns out to be a very affordable option for waste management. You will also need to buy your food waste bags at the grocery store. Here is a blog about waste disposal in Pyeongtaek.
- The International Section is going to include the western items. Your western foods usually are not integrated into the rest of the grocery store. Things like western mustard, olives, salsas, and western pasta sauces will be in a small section together. This section will also include ingredients for other Asian countries like Thai or Vietnamese foods. Not every grocery store has an international section.
- Veggies and fruits are seasonal. Some newly arrived ex-pats might find this inconvenient. However, once they realize how much more delicious fresh, seasonal produce is they get over their sadness fast. The Korean strawberries and blueberries will blow your mind.
- Fruits may be crazy expensive! Especially in the fancy grocery stores where we have seen 125,000 won watermelon. You are better off getting fruit from street vendors. Frozen fruit tends to be more affordable but less intense in flavor.
- Imported goods are expensive. If you want to eat exactly like home, you are going to pay for that privilege. Korea is essentially an island nation and has only been heavily importing western foods for about 7 years. That means these items are quite pricy. If you adjust to a more local diet your grocery bill can drop fast.
- Meat cuts are nothing like you are used to from home. You will likely need to get used to cooking with meat in a new way. Or, you can go to a butcher and request your specific meat cuts.
- Koreans value meat cuts differently. You will find that bones and fatty meats are the most expensive. The roasts and lean meats are much more affordable. This is especially true at the butcher.
- Koreans have different convenience foods. That means you find more pre-made Korean soups, frozen mandu, and pre-marinated meats rather than lots of different types of pizza. However, more and more western convenience foods arrive all the time.
Since all of this change is overwhelming, we recommend going to the grocery store before you need to buy anything and just walk around. Taking a few hours to get comfortable with the new setup can change everything.
Here are some more blogs that are going to help you in the kitchen
Founded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences.
