As many of you know, this year long relocation was done rather on a quick decision and move process so Chris and I did not have time to learn Korean before we came. As a result it poses an interesting problem when it comes to performing the day to day tasks such as grocery shopping. Oh how we take for granted our ability to read packages when we purchase and under appreciate the value of a picture. In this case a picture says a thousand words one of which is a grateful shopper.
As any new home owner knows, there is always the task of the first shopping trip. The task of buying the basics so that you can cook a meal, wash the laundry, and clean the house. After Chris gets off work at almost nine pm, we head to one of the four "box" stores. They are a Meijer equivalent except that they have multiple floors. We head off to Carrefour, a joint French and Korean store. Carrefour has four floors and a driving range located on the fifth floor. The driving range extends out over the parking lot. The only thing keeping the balls from hitting your car is a green net. We turn into the parking lot where the first dancing parking attendant is pointing us towards the entrance. There is a second dancing parking attendant. This woman is dressed in what looks like a stewardess outfit with complete with hat and short skirt. Her dance is much more elaborate. She is motioning us to the left towards the up ramp. Through a series of elaborate hand motions by multiple parking attendants we end up on the fourth floor and head in. Parking is tight and many in the US would have great difficulty in parking in these narrow parking spots. Our car is directly below the driving range net.
Ah a food court with plastic food on display so you can pick your food, the Korean version of Starbucks, and a Baskin and Robbins. First we grab dinner. Check out the plastic food and determine what looks good. Find the corresponding number and tell the women at the register. Wait for your number to be displayed on one of the boards above the various kitchen counters so you can pick it up. After all remember that you can't understand the what there saying to you have to wait for the display. Get your glass of water from the central water cooler and off we go.
Head around the corner and find the gym and the eye glass counter. Down the escalator, which has no steps, to the third floor past the clothing departments for the supermarket. Oh we need a cart, but you don't get them for nothing. You'll need a down payment. 100 won dropped in the slot of the handle, slide it over and wah la your cart is freed from it's chain gang. On to the shopping!
Usually, shopping would be a simple task if you can read the language. However, this task becomes much more difficult when the writing is in Hangeul and you can't read Hangeul. At least if it was a European country they use Romanized characters and have many of the same base words as we use in the US so you can figure out names and get a rough sense of what you are buying. This is not the case in Korea. As I was told by another Korean friend, the Hangeul does not always translate well since it often describes a Chinese character that represents the word. This is where the value of a picture comes in play. Imagine trying to buy detergent for the wash machine but you are not certain if it's for a wash machine until you go. Oh good there's a picture of what I think is a wash machine so this must be laundry soap. Hooray! I found one.
Onto the next item on the list. Dish soap. Ok well this looks like it could be dish soap but I don't see a picture on the container. Oh wait look there's an American brand (which is a rare sighting by the way unless you are at a specialty counter) Ah a land where Joy really brings joy to one's heart. Ok, the American brand is pretty expensive so let us look at the other one's. It's on the same shelf it looks like it could be dish soap, and guess what it has a picture of a grapefruit on it so it must at least smell good right. Excellent! We'll take it on to the next item.
Flour, Sugar, salt - So were are in the baking aisle based on the bags of sugar and flour ( which are labeled in both English and Hanguel and the sugars are in clear bags) bonus! Easy enough scoop em up and let's go. Oh wait we need salt. Hey this container looks like it's salt the tag on the shelf says salt so let's take it. Get it home and the taste is off. This salt does not have the flavor of American salt but has some odd flavor which I have yet to completely characterize. I think I am going to go back and buy good old Morton salt for baking.
Western food. Ok let's gets some pasta. The one kilo package should be cheaper than buying two 500 gram packages right? Not so much. Ok so we buy two 500 gram packages and head on our way. We see a jar of spaghetti sauce. Good old Prego. It does my heart good pick up a jar and head to the next task. Ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise easy enough.
Meats no problem. If it looks to strange for now we'll leave it until we are feeling adventurous. Which means we pass on the various forms of dried fish and squid. A lean meat is hard to find. Go figure. The Koreans like fat in their meat.
Cheese - hole cats! look at the price, almost ten dollars a pound for swiss. Brie is actually cheaper but still pretty expensive. We'll pass for now.
Bread - easy enough. God bless see through bags.
Bakery for muffins - oops how many do we have to buy to get the price? Oh wait, thankfully, many Koreans are very helpful, so one steps up and tells us that we need seven in the bag. Good deal on to the fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables- How hard could that be? Many different fruits and vegetables which are not sold in the US are used here. This means the buy it and try it method of shopping will have to come into play. Good thing we are adventurous. So what if you don't know what it's called. It looks like a mushroom so let's give it a try. Ah watermelon, something I know. Let's give it a go. Skip the US grapes, roughly $7.00 a bag and we complain in the US about the outrageous price. So much for that. Look for lettuce. No luck. The Koreans do a tremendous amount with lettuce wraps but heads of romaine or leaf lettuce are hard to find.
Cleaning Supplies - We'll skip cleaning detergents for the moment I will go in the morning since the store is getting ready to close.
Ah finally check out. Ok so we forgot to get our fruit weighed so they send it back to the fruit area with the worker on roller blades to be weighed. No big deal.
Special trash bags for regular trash have to be purchased. The cashier turns the screen to show you the price since she knows you can't understand her. You hand her a credit card and pay the bill. She hands you the receipt two handed and you forget to accept to handed which does not pay her the same respect that she has just paid you.
Oh you want a bag for that? That will cost you. And please remember you bag them yourself. If you choose not to buy a bag then the convenient wrapping station with cardboard boxes is located at the end of the check out with tape to reinforce your boxes. Through the store to the escalators with no steps up the escalators with the cart and back to the car with the cart and the groceries. Ah you ask how do the escalators handle the cart? Magnets. Lock the cart back up in it's new chain gang and get your 100 won back and off we go. Home by 11:15 pm. Unpack the groceries and off to bed. Until our next shopping adventure.