op shop/second hand shop in Seoul

when we went to Hongdae for the gig we had some time to kill, so we visted this op shop / second hand shop we found online.
there are lots of flee markets in Seoul but not many op shops, so we were really excited!
it's called Object Recycle. (there's a map under the tab MARKET, click object store)

they not only sell second hand stuff, but also some original products of their own. some artists also sell postcards, bags and etc.
i didn't purchase anything but there were certainly some very interesting things to see, like the Bratz dolls with very seductive looks:

Jukdo market in Pohang

on my last day in Pohang we visited the largest market, the Jukdo market, which is full of completely random stuff:

and loads of fresh foods:

and random men delivering stuff on bicycles:

addictive rice and corn snacks!

a woman shopping in her beautiful Korean traditional dress, Hanbok

and some exquisite beans:

and chilli peppers. just looking at them makes my eyes, mouth AND nose water

this stall sells pumkin and red bean porridge and some other noodle dishes, and we're an old regular.

the lady who runs this stall is SO generous she always gives us so much food for free. and that day she served us four bowls of noodle soup and two kinds of kimchi all free of charge.

People in Pohang are extremely generous. When you buy something they'll give you double the amount of what you order. In less than 50,000won (USD$50) we were able to buy 4 different kinds of vegetables and pickles, and about 8L(yes, 8 Litres) of pumpkin and red bean porridge which is still sitting in my fridge, and some rice cakes.


WADDA BARGAIN!





Address: Buk-gu Jukdo-1dong Jukdo1-dong, Buk-gu, Pohang-si
Tel: 82-54-242-7373

giant supermarket in Seoul

today mum is visiting grandma who's in hospital, so we went food shopping Sunday night to see what we can get her

supermarkets is my other obsession. my exhilaration reaches its peak every time i'm in a supermarket so blogging about it is the perrrrfect to procrastinate!

So,
we went to the nearest supermarket and that's Lotte Mart, located in the basement of the amusement park, Lotte World. (Jamsil Station)

We chose to go at 8p.m, (it shuts at 10) thinking it won't be too crowded just 2 hours before the closing time.. but oh boy.
i wanted to scream my head off. every isle was packed with families with little kids who couldn't contain their high-pitched voices, (don't get me wrong I love kids) and

controlling a shopping trolley almost as big as Volkswagen's Beetle wasn't an easy task.
this could have almost ruined my fun!

anyway, here are some photos.

rows and rows of tofu! different types of tofu - hard ones and soft ones (usually for soups or for frying) mmm-mmmmm!

 environmentally-unfriendily packed kiwis

more fruits

fish fish fish

veggies

kilos of rice

dried seaweed

different kinds of grains

a tiny food-courty place. if you get tired from shopping then you can take a seat and have something to eat! but today it was so packed i couldn't even see what they had on their menu (i'm guessing they have noodle with soup and some sushi rolls)

Now, i know my friend F.R. will cringe.. but here is a photo of my favourite Natto, fermented beans! they could smell similar to something that comes out of your rear end if you're not used to it.. but i love every bit of it. really good for your health too!

and of course, the market will be incomplete without several sections entirely dedicated to  Kimchi!

yes, they are ALL soy sauce. Kikkoman isn't the only soy sauce brand! 

The best thing about supermarkets here is that there are lots of sample tables available, from tofu, mushrooms, fruits... to milk, coffee, bread.

Here's a naughty tip:

if you're broke and hungry, you can enjoy a more-than-20-course meal. Just pretend you're buying the product..

so yea, we started off pretty mildly--

and ended up like this. my grandma won't go hungry for a whiiiiile.