Buying Local in Korea

Box store chains like Emart and Lotte World have greatly Westernized the shopping landscape in South Korea, but more traditional street markets still thrive on the broad sidewalks and back alleys of major neighborhoods.

Instead of my usual Sunday trip to Emart, I walked across the street, past the rooftop Jesus, and down over the hill to our neighborhood market. A blue archway marks the entrance. Cars, motorcycles, and bite-sized delivery trucks continually cut their way through the pedestrian hoard — which made me nervous — but no one else seemed to care that they were almost side-swiped by a dirt bike. The first two encampments were selling fruit. They had everything from locally grown tomatoes, oranges, and apples, to the more exotic and expensive strawberries or pomegranates.

Unless you’re in the downtown district of a major city, it’s foolish to expect any English speakers at these markets. Bring a pen and paper, so when the shrimp dealer says “sam chun,” you can wipe the shit-eating grin off your face and just have him write down the number. Very view things are actually priced, so if you want something just point while holding up the amount of money you are willing to spend. In most cases, the vendor will know what you mean, and the language barrier won’t matter. Everything is negotiable.

I bought a tomato the size of a softball for 2000 KRW ($1.72). The seafood vendors also had a wide variety of items laid out along the roadside. Air filters drove fresh oxygen into an array of different salt water holding tanks, keeping fresh such delights as eel, octopus, king crab, and squid. Being from the coast of Maine, I’ve had a lot of different seafood, but there was some real crazy shit those vendors were carrying. Who knew there is seafood you can comb? Recognizing the prawns immediately, I went with the familiar; eight jumbo-sized prawns for 3000 KRW ($2.58). The exact same thing had cost me 2000 KRW more at Emart the week before. Only a few steps away were the vegetable tents. Upon buying a few carrots still covered with topsoil from a middle-aged Korean woman, she unveiled a plate of fresh kimchi from behind a milk crate and insisted. “No thank you. Really, that’s ok, I’m good with my dirty carrots”. I had them for dinner. They were delicious.