When we first arrived at iCOOP, the co-op program we've been getting to know, at first we weren't sure whether we had to be members in order to shop there. We walked into the store timidly, half afraid that some sharp-eyed housewife would glance our way and sound the intruder alarm. Fortunately, we soon learned that anyone can shop there, and ended up spending a long time looking around.
In addition to selling fair trade and organic food, iCOOP really knows how to present its offerings. The store was well-lit and warm-colored, with no sky-high shelves like the ones I usually struggle with in American grocery stores. There was also a small seating area near the bakery and pizza station. The items available included many foods I had never seen before; among our purchases were Drew's 12-dollar tomato-smelling sweet Schizandra juice, Dante's goat's milk that smelled like rich yogurt, and Ayesha's super-soft, Italian-seasoned bread.
Not two minutes into shopping, a few of us became enthralled by the woman in the bakery section decorating cakes. Chris was amused by yet another example of Koreans using scissors for preparing food, and Tracy and I gaped at the speed, ease, and grace with which the cake decorator produced such beautiful desserts. The woman continued to work as if we weren't there, but when she finished decorating all the cakes, we applauded and she smiled and blushed.
After this clean, organized, and modern experience, what we saw next seemed particularly flavorful. We journeyed to 남대문 (Namdaemun), a bustling market with vendors selling fruit and veggies, seafood, snacks, and more. While some people in our group had visited similar style markets, it was a first for most of us. The order seemed to be random, and a lot of the same foods were being sold by different vendors. I found it interesting that the vendors didn't really try to differentiate themselves to compete, or at least it wasn't obvious. I don't have any pictures, but when whoever the photographer was posts theirs, I'll hopefully remember to put some here.
Most of the vendors were quite friendly. Lena had an amusing interaction with a cheerful 아저씨 (ajeossi) vendor, during which she jokingly called him 할아버지 (harabeoji) and he retorted with "할머니! (halmeoni!)," pointing at her. A younger vendor, a chubby guy with a little ponytail on his permed hair, immediately greeted us with a barrage of "Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi..."
There were also some 아줌마s (ajummas) selling 떡 (ddeok), the chewy glutinous rice flour bites filled with red beans, sesame seeds, sweet syrups, etc. A few students purchased the packages of six. Ddeok is awesome.
I only made one purchase today. Since coming here, I've decided that 배 (Asian pears) are one of my favorite foods. Their crisp watermelon texture combined with apple-pear flavor never disappoints me. I bought a pair of them from a vendor and I'm eating them as we speak.
The street market experience left me with some questions. Where do the vendors get the foods they sell? Do different vendors sell foods they purchased from the same farmers? I wasn't able to determine this answer.
While we were in the 남대문 area, we also checked out a more modern grocery store nestled within the old-fashioned area. This market was markedly more crowded with both foods and people than supermarkets in the US. In addition, I'm starting to think that the concept of ten-foot shelves in stores is American but not Korean. I literally have to climb the shelves in the US at times, but here in Korea everything is well within reach.
Ryan, Chris, Ayesha, and I were fascinated briefly by the wide selection of packaged dried seaweed available, and by their gargantuan size--some were probably one foot by two feet. Overall, the store was much less organized than US supermarkets, but this had a kind of charm because you might stumble upon something cool just chilling by itself. (Later note: it seems market style influences a lot of organization in Korea; Coex is also laid out more similarly to an outdoor market than to American-style malls. Even the jjimjilbang we went to could be considered market-style.)
Anyway, this is yet another example of old Korean traditions coexisting with a constantly modernizing society. Korea continues to be a thought-provoking endeavor and I'm excited to see what's next.
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