Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

So recently I've started having recurring dreams about going to Kroger or Whole Foods...I've been in Korea almost four months now and I think my health is starting to dwindle from lack of healthy food. I've been sick and weak all week and I basically haven't eaten because I couldn't bear to eat any more junk food!!

At home, most of my food was frozen...especially healthy & organic frozen dinners. I also did a lot of cooking with steak, fish, etc...and things like macaroni and cheese (add tuna and peas) or hamburger helper, etc. And what I wouldn't kill for some fresh fruits and vegetables (that don't come in 30-person portions) and dips. ;_;

I've gone shopping at HomePlus and Costco here. I'm just having trouble finding food that isn't either junk food or 100% Korean - or $50 steaks!! And TBH, I find going shopping at those places to be extremely stressful and overwhelming. The narrow aisles jam-packed with 1000s of unrepentantly pushy, shopcart-wielding ajummas is just about more than I can bear.

So, for those of you who have experience - is there anything you can recommend, with either a wider selection of Western-style food or at least a more relaxed atmosphere? I live in Gaya, near Seomyeon, if that helps.

[oskinny1]

Doesn't Lotte (Seomyeon) have a grocery store in the basement? I know the one in Nampo-dong does, and they have an organic section. Homeplus sells lots of healthy foods in non bulk sizes and sells US and Aussie beef, which is much cheaper than Korean.

I buy chicken breasts from GMarket. 10kg for 60k and get my vegetables from a local outdoor market.

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

Yeah the Lotte in Seomyeon does have a grocery store, but I've been afraid to look because everything else is so expensive there. I think I'm gonna break down and try it today though. Fingers crossed!

[CentralCali]

Try Home Plus, E-Mart, and Mega Mart. They all have rather large grocery stores.

[Senior]

Probably 50% of the food you listed is worse for you than the average Korean food. Frozen dinners, mac and cheese, hamburger helper?

There is plenty of decent meat in the big stores. I usually buy Chuck roll steak from E=mart for 10,000 a kilo. You have to be careful about preparing it, but you can get a decent steak out of it. Or stir frying it is good. Bulgogi, chicken, pork, BBQ Duck, whole chickens etc can all be got for reasonable prices at E-mart and the other big boxes.

Find the local market for your veges. They are usually cheap and fresh. And you can buy whatever portion size you want.

Hole in the wall restaurants are cheap as. Near my house there are 3 choo oh tang restaurants. Heaps of different soups, a few meat places (you need a buddy if you want to eat there, though). Contrary to what people say, the soup places ARE perfectly good for you. Better than mac and cheese anyway.

[phatrick]

Go get a Costco membership. You can get somethings you might have liked back home. The meat is much cheaper also. Then go hit a large outdoor market for fresh veggies! There is smaller one by the Gaya Homeplus, just walk from there toward Gaegeum subway station it's on your left. There are a couple Asian/Indian stores in Sasang you can buy lamb or stuff to make Thai food, etc. Another good spot to pick up stuff then eating the same old thing.

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

Senior - the frozen dinners I'm talking about are Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice, along with a lot of organic vegetarian/vegan food (vegetable lasagna, vegetarian chili, stuffed eggplant, etc.). As for the mac&cheese etc. - you're right, not the healthiest, but certainly not any worse than white rice at every meal.

And you're also right that there's plenty of Korean food around. The problem is, I really just don't like most Korean food. I have tried to, trust me. I hate fermented foods. I don't like the red chili pepper/paste very much. And my stomach is dying from all the sticky rice, fried stuff, and spicy food.

The rest of y'all - I have tried HomePlus and Costco and was pretty disappointed. I understand - if that's the best I'm gonna find, I'll make do. I was just hoping for some secret someone might have, haha. Anyway - I will try more of the outdoor markets. And lamb sounds like a good idea actually.

[sshemma]

Where abouts in Sasang are the Asian / Indian stores? Actually where's Sasang?! Is it on the subway line?

[Senior]

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

I will agree to disagree with you on my frozen dinners, Senior ^^ They're seeming almost heavenly to me now that I've been deprived for 4 months, lol...

I have had a good beef soup before, it's true. Maybe I can find something pre-made at the supermarket. The places in my neighborhood are mostly Korean BBQ (which is nothing like I had hoped! Although not entirely terrible) and old ladies on the street boiling grass.

You're right about looking harder. I think part of the problem is that I tend to go grocery shopping on the weekends, so I pretty much get in and out as fast as I can before I get eaten myself. I'll try the Lotte at Seomyeon today and see how it goes *fingers crossed*.

Of course now I've been reading that there's a Taco Bell coming to Itaewon...so maybe in another year or so there will be one in Busan? Not that I need it, or that it's healthy, but...hey...there's tomatoes and lettuce, right? And besides...mmmmm...Taco Bell......

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

Oh also, I found this, which I might make use of if I get desperate (even if it is kill-yourself expensive!!)

http://www.ezshopkorea.com/

[Pyxis]

The real answer is that there is no "quick fix" for healthy foods in Korea, nor is the a hidden, secret grocery store. You can make healthy foods for yourself, there are many raw ingredients available, but you have to be willing to do the work to cook it. I often will cook a week's worth of dinner on a weekend or something to save time.

You mentioned wanting tacos. You can easily make them yourself. I had chicken tacos all last week. The healthier corn tortillas are available at the ezshopkorea site listed, but you can get flour tortillas at both Costco and Homeplus.

[drydell]

In the organic section of the supermarket at Shinseagae they do an organic frozen vegetable lasagne. sounds similar to what you're after...

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Greekfreak]

The Gaya Homeplus might be the best to shop in for your purposes, but I generally go after 9:30pm when most of the families are gone.

The problem generally stems from the fact that most specialty items are all over town and not all available at every supermarket.

I have to visit all 4 to get the stuff I really want/need, plus other things out in Sasang in the Asian market, but then I'm a little bit pickier than most.

Costco has a big thing of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and peppers that's good value for what you get. And frozen veggies are just as nutritious (maybe moreso) than fresh veggies.

Costco also has the best prices for most of the meat they sell--Mega Mart in Namcheon has the best selection of specialty cheeses, and the Bexco Homeplus has some interesting discounted items regularly.