Korean Job Discussion Forums

[RobLeeTeach]

Do markets sell organic food? Is there a government standard for labeling something as organic?

Also, anybody heard of organic cigarettes in Korea or should I bring some from home?

[cuvycuv]

You should check out this festival in Uljin. Its all about organic products in Korea. http://www.theoneonefour.com/2009/07/14/uljin-organic-food-expo-july-24th-to-august-16th/

[RobLeeTeach]

[NightSky]

yes, there are organic stores. I live near a smallish city of a few hundred thousand people and there are at least two speciality organic stores that I know of, with a few refrigerated products, a lot of grains and cooking/baking supplies, and some fresh produce.

also, most major supermarkets have an organic section as well.

are you looking for something in particular or do you just want to know if you'll be able to live a purely organic lifestyle here? if the latter, I would say it's possible but it will cost an arm and a leg. (then again, what doesn't here, if it's not the holy Han trinity of kimchi, rice, and mystery stew?)

[Straphanger]

Back in the 70's, my father (and many other organic gardening pioneers, aka hippies) did a study about organic labeling in the US. They found that in order to produce the amount of food that was labeled "Organic" in the US, there would need to be literally *ten times* more organic farms than existed in the US at the time.

Compare that with your Lotte Franks that are made with the "highest quality pork" and look on the back to find out that they're 60% chicken, and you've got a Ramsay sized recipe for disaster.

Never buy food from the street ajummas. They lie. I asked my local fruit stand (tomatoes are a fruit! someone's smart...) if the tomatoes are Korean, and she didn't reply "yes," she said "What kind of a question is that?!"

My student said I should apologize to her for asking that question, and the answer is yes. When you get here, get the lay of the land, find people / shi-jangs you can trust, and be a frequent buyer.

I have some spaghetti sauce in the oven right now, and I can tell you the farm that grew the tomatoes. I can take you there. That's how plugged-in we are out here on the farm.

[cangel]

Both Emart and Lotte Mart (at least in Jeonju) have organic food sections. Unfortunately, I have so little faith in food labeling in this country that I HIGHLY doubt that the "organic" food you're buying is actually organic.

[Straphanger]

[Straphanger]

[Koveras]

Do 'organic lifestylers' also prefer owning handmade local goods to massmade goods? If so, how far do you take it? I'm just curious, the two concerns seem complementary.

[kiwiduncan]

The editor of the Organic New Zealand magazine recently told me that there's an international organics conference being held in Korea in 2010, though I couldn't find anything about it on the net.

The Korean word for organic food is yu-gi-nong (유기농), and you can find organic sections in most of the larger supermarkets. Very pricy however.

Here are a couple of Facebook groups that might be of interest to you.

Korean International Green Group

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=7153561274

Seoul Vege Club

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=11299200065

[Straphanger]

^ this.

*that* should be a sticky.

Duncan, any more info on that conference in 2010?

[kiwiduncan]