When living in a strange new place one of my main worries is that there won’t be any of my favorite food or that the food I love will be crazy expensive. In some respects for example cheese, it is true that you do have to pay a premium for a quality which at home you take a little for granted. However something I hear quiet often from other foreigners is that they are paying so much more for certain fruits, meats and also some vegetables. The main reason for this is timing as unlike at home Korea is less reliant on imports for its vegetables and so prices of produce are highly dependent on season.
What I Bought at the Mart
A great example of seasonal cheapness is that recently strawberries have been widely available at a knock down price. Here are some I picked up last week for only ₩3980.
Another example of cheap fruit from yesterday is this large bunch of bananas at a stunning price of only ₩3000. I’m not sure where in the world they are from however at this price you can grumble.
Here we have a range of vegetables all at affordable prices, mushrooms ₩1000, Carrots ₩1000 and Spring Onions at a crazy ₩300! I’m not sure exactly if the mart makes any money from these products or if they are just sold at cost of bring in customers, either way long may it continue.
Finally the seafood part; here we have 3 good sized squid for only ₩3900. I love squid so this is heaven for me but I understand others may not feel the same way.
Location & Conclusion
The mart where bought most of these items is located just outside Gyesan Station (Incheon Line) Exit 5, however the prices change almost daily so it’s all about timing and luck. There are many local marts that often can be cheaper than the big supermarkets such as EMart and Homeplus, so sometimes it pays to shop around.
Happy Shopping and Eating TimModern Seoul
tim@modernseoul.org
Modern Seoul 