Korea shopping wrap up!

Well all good things come to an end so did my trip to Korea. It was really fantastic and fulfilling. I’d attended conference in Daejeon and visited Profs and friends back in Busan as well. But there was a huge disappointment in hunting for clothes and accessories. Really don’t have enough time and luggage space for this. I’d even strained my hand for pulling the overloaded luggage.

Yeah of course, the overloaded luggage is a result from my shopping! On the first day itself I already stuffed it with food to be brought back to Malaysia. I went to Emart which is the nearest hypermart available to me. E-Mart is a subsidiary of Shinsaege and it’s the largest discount store chain founded in South Korea. Like any other hypermart, it has shelves, neatly stacked with sections for food, vegetables, groceries, toiletries, consumer items and so on. I walked around the mart and tried to take pictures of every single corner until a staff came forward to stop me from doing so. Nonetheless I still managed to snap few pictures before my “illegal acts” being exposed^^

Emart in WolPyeong, Daejeon

Fresh Vegetables

Raw fish - Korean called it "hwaei" (they get offended if you called it sashimi -.-)

The food and snacks section interests me most! It sure brought back a lot of memories of me crunching my favourite korean snacks late at night -.-" (hehe soooo fattening). Currently many hypermarts in Malaysia carry a wide range of Korean tidbits and snacks. For instance, the so-called Korean traditional snacks – 새우강 (Nong Shim Shrimp Flavoured Crackers) and 꿀 과빼기 (Nong Shim Honey Twist Snack) are selling in Malaysia at reasonable price (with about 10% higher compared to Korea). Besides, Crown brand butter waffles like 초코하임/화이트하임(Choco/White Heim) and 쿠크다스 (Couque d'asse) can be found in Malaysia too. On top of that, the famous 유자차 (Korean citron tea) is selling at Jusco and Isetan at around RM40 per 1kg bottle. It has a jam-like texture and melts when mixed with water. Traditionally it’s an herbal remedy for the common cold and sore throat which contains high vitamin C. It has got lots of reputation and strongly recommended to try! I personally like it to be served warm… Anyhow, it seems that these days I can find most of the Korean food I like without coming to Korea , which is a good thing :D And from this shopping trip, I'd bought citron tea, candy, ginseng tea, kimchi, seaweed and some snacks perhaps for a cheaper price than getting them in Malaysia ^_^

Korean coffee -Maxim is my favourite!

Snacks

I also made a trip to their traditional market. The market is very clean and tidy! I like their fresh vegetables and fruits very much. Guess now is the season for peach and grapes as they lined the narrow alleyways. Very often you would find stewed silkworms pupae (번데기) in their market. I did try this scary looking street snack before but it doesn’t suite my taste bud, probably because it tastes like a bug. . Hehe.. Anyone who is feeling adventurous should mark it as a must-try if you happen to be there. 

Traditional market

Street snacks - silkworms pupae (Beon Dae Ki)

After a long walk.. I couldn’t find my favourite strawberry during the visit. Strawberry there is so much nicer and cheaper, which is probably one of the reasons for me to miss this country. I definitely miss Korea I and don’t really want to write a wrap up -.-" Since I came back a year ago I catch myself telling people about Korea in conversation very frequently. I guess many of my sentences will now start with “In Korea..” again after this trip...