Shopping in Korean Supermarkets - Seoul shopping
Korean Supermarkets and shopping
I have always felt that visiting a supermarket in a new country is a good way to get an initial insight into the new culture. Certain things such as your yoghurts, washing powders and soft drinks may be pretty much the same worldwide, but a stroll down the meat section in Korea can be very different from the meat section in England or America. Pig’s heads, 
types of fish you’ve not seen before and desserts you do not recognise all tell you something about the new place. Things you would not find in your own supermarkets, in your home country, become visible in front of your eyes.
In Korea Chinese medicine is very popular, and in supermarkets you can find some traditional remedies such as deer antlers, which are thought to be able to give energy and strength. On first seeing them they look unappetising to me, cut into thin bloody slices. They are nevertheless very popular as a remedy and are also quite expensive. I tried a medicine that contained deer antlers extract, ginseng and other herbs and my taste buds didn’t quite agree with the taste BUT I felt more energetic. I think though that the way in which the taste made me almost jump out of my skin had something to do with the sudden burst of energy I felt. I get the same feeling from drinking Soju.
As well as certain types of meat, Korean supermarkets do offer a great selection of items such as ‘Tofu’ and ‘Kimchi’. Tofu (dubu in Korean) comes in many different types in Korea, usually varying according to the consistency. Tofu is very good in soups, especially in one of my favourite soups ‘sun-dubu’. Sun-dubu is soft tofu, not yet completely processed, whilst hard dubu is also used for soups, or is cut into slices or diced, and fried.
