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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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 Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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| How much is litre of milk here? Now, how much is it back home? |
How much arable land is there here, how much is there back home?
Every time the food question gets brought up the fact that people are comparing a mountainous, densely populated, island nation (for trade purposes) to a continent spanning country that has massive states, double the size of Korea, that are ideal for growing grains, then I just shake my head. |
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ZIFA
Joined: 23 Feb 2011
Location: Dici che il fiume..Trova la via al mare
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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| freddy teacher wrote: |
| when it comes to patriotism, the majority of koreans are worse than americans...and thus, they dont care if samsung screws them when they buy a p.o.s phone or laptop.. |
The govt and associated jaebols have promoted and exploited ultra-nationalism for so long that they couldn't survive without it. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Quote: |
| How much is litre of milk here? Now, how much is it back home? |
How much arable land is there here, how much is there back home?
Every time the food question gets brought up the fact that people are comparing a mountainous, densely populated, island nation (for trade purposes) to a continent spanning country that has massive states, double the size of Korea, that are ideal for growing grains, then I just shake my head. |
Sorry, SR, but that doesn't fly. I'm not debating as to WHY there's a price difference, I'm saying there IS one.
As a consumer, I care about how much I am spending... not that there's a mountain next to the supermarket.
Debate all you like as to the 'whys', I don't give a toss. I care about how much it costs me to stuff my pie hole.  |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Quote: |
| How much is litre of milk here? Now, how much is it back home? |
How much arable land is there here, how much is there back home?
Every time the food question gets brought up the fact that people are comparing a mountainous, densely populated, island nation (for trade purposes) to a continent spanning country that has massive states, double the size of Korea, that are ideal for growing grains, then I just shake my head. |
A very simplistic view there.
Getting cheap produce onto supermarket shelves has little to do what is grown locally. Not in today's global economy. It's about having good trade links and being able to import produce from countries which sell the stuff cheaply.
I'm from Ireland where most exotic fruits can't be grown......but the supermarket shelves there are groaning with cheap kiwi, oranges, pineapple, grapefruit, pear....etc...
And that's because big supermarkets in the west do their own importing. Direct from farmer to supermarket. No middlemen. And in many cases minimal import duties/taxes/tariffs whatever...
The Korean produce industry doesn't want to do this. Korean governments are protectionist by nature and Korean farmer unions want to keep the status quo going.
And this isn't going to change anytime soon. Too many people are making too much money by selling foods in Korea, a country with a GDP per capita of around $24,000, at prices more in line with a country of around $40,000 GDP per capita.
C'mon, when your basic foods in the supermarkets are more expensive than even rip-off Britain!!? Something's rotten in Denmark... |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Quote: |
| How much is litre of milk here? Now, how much is it back home? |
How much arable land is there here, how much is there back home?
Every time the food question gets brought up the fact that people are comparing a mountainous, densely populated, island nation (for trade purposes) to a continent spanning country that has massive states, double the size of Korea, that are ideal for growing grains, then I just shake my head. |
If the tariffs on imported food weren't so high, would arable land make that much of a difference?
Obviously, there are drawbacks to the U.S.'s industrialization of food, but I bet farming here could be much more efficient. Look at what happened to Brazil's agriculture when they started to modernize and put some R&D into it.
As for milk, I bet it would be a lot more efficient to use fewer dairies with better distribution systems. Of course, that's often what choice amounts to in Korea, a dozen types of the same exact thing. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| How much is litre of milk here? Now, how much is it back home? |
Drinking milk into adulthood isn't too common in Korea, so I think there is a premium attached to it.
4-L milk in Canada $5 (+/- $1 depends on where and sales on stuff). So 1L is around $1.25. However if you only buy that 1L carton of milk it's around $2.25
1L milk in Korea sets me back between 2000 to 2800-won. And I think 1L is pretty much the max you can buy (or at least the only ones I can find easily).
Prices are comparable for 1L quantities. But the 4L is a steal, if you drink that much milk. Also, in Canada you get the choices of skim, 1%, 2% and whole. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 12:28 am Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
| Quote: |
| How much is litre of milk here? Now, how much is it back home? |
How much arable land is there here, how much is there back home?
Every time the food question gets brought up the fact that people are comparing a mountainous, densely populated, island nation (for trade purposes) to a continent spanning country that has massive states, double the size of Korea, that are ideal for growing grains, then I just shake my head. |
A very simplistic view there.
Getting cheap produce onto supermarket shelves has little to do what is grown locally. Not in today's global economy. It's about having good trade links and being able to import produce from countries which sell the stuff cheaply.
I'm from Ireland where most exotic fruits can't be grown......but the supermarket shelves there are groaning with cheap kiwi, oranges, pineapple, grapefruit, pear....etc...
And that's because big supermarkets in the west do their own importing. Direct from farmer to supermarket. No middlemen. And in many cases minimal import duties/taxes/tariffs whatever...
The Korean produce industry doesn't want to do this. Korean governments are protectionist by nature and Korean farmer unions want to keep the status quo going.
And this isn't going to change anytime soon. Too many people are making too much money by selling foods in Korea, a country with a GDP per capita of around $24,000, at prices more in line with a country of around $40,000 GDP per capita.
C'mon, when your basic foods in the supermarkets are more expensive than even rip-off Britain!!? Something's rotten in Denmark... |
I think that's a good thing.
I'd say that the Ireland is in-line with the EU so that certainly helps.
I mean Korea's natural trading partners are China and Japan. One is another "island" and is equally dense, the other is hoarding water and has over a billion mouths to feed.
Now I'll agree that prices are higher than they "should" be, but I'd submit that they'd be above-average regardless, given the circumstances.
| Quote: |
As a consumer, I care about how much I am spending... not that there's a mountain next to the supermarket.
Debate all you like as to the 'whys', I don't give a toss. I care about how much it costs me to stuff my pie hole. |
I for one would much rather pay higher prices for domestic consumer goods than have cheap imports (to a point). Then again, maybe we all need to have more Wal-Marts... |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 12:59 am Post subject: |
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Then pay it. No one is stopping you. I hope you carry this philosophy through your whole life. Pay more for local products whenever possible. Enjoy.
But don't begrudge people who want to have the option of paying less. |
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carleverson
Joined: 04 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:04 am Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| eamo wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
| Quote: |
| How much is litre of milk here? Now, how much is it back home? |
How much arable land is there here, how much is there back home?
Every time the food question gets brought up the fact that people are comparing a mountainous, densely populated, island nation (for trade purposes) to a continent spanning country that has massive states, double the size of Korea, that are ideal for growing grains, then I just shake my head. |
A very simplistic view there.
Getting cheap produce onto supermarket shelves has little to do what is grown locally. Not in today's global economy. It's about having good trade links and being able to import produce from countries which sell the stuff cheaply.
I'm from Ireland where most exotic fruits can't be grown......but the supermarket shelves there are groaning with cheap kiwi, oranges, pineapple, grapefruit, pear....etc...
And that's because big supermarkets in the west do their own importing. Direct from farmer to supermarket. No middlemen. And in many cases minimal import duties/taxes/tariffs whatever...
The Korean produce industry doesn't want to do this. Korean governments are protectionist by nature and Korean farmer unions want to keep the status quo going.
And this isn't going to change anytime soon. Too many people are making too much money by selling foods in Korea, a country with a GDP per capita of around $24,000, at prices more in line with a country of around $40,000 GDP per capita.
C'mon, when your basic foods in the supermarkets are more expensive than even rip-off Britain!!? Something's rotten in Denmark... |
I think that's a good thing.
I'd say that the Ireland is in-line with the EU so that certainly helps.
I mean Korea's natural trading partners are China and Japan. One is another "island" and is equally dense, the other is hoarding water and has over a billion mouths to feed.
Now I'll agree that prices are higher than they "should" be, but I'd submit that they'd be above-average regardless, given the circumstances.
| Quote: |
As a consumer, I care about how much I am spending... not that there's a mountain next to the supermarket.
Debate all you like as to the 'whys', I don't give a toss. I care about how much it costs me to stuff my pie hole. |
I for one would much rather pay higher prices for domestic consumer goods than have cheap imports (to a point). Then again, maybe we all need to have more Wal-Marts... |
you're crazy... |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:36 am Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
Then pay it. No one is stopping you. I hope you carry this philosophy through your whole life. Pay more for local products whenever possible. Enjoy.
But don't begrudge people who want to have the option of paying less. |
I think the key thing is choice. I try to buy local--in my case made in the U.S.A. or Korea as a fallback--but there comes a point, and it's worth noting that rusty said "to a point," when it becomes unaffordable for most of us.
Shoes are a good example. It costs a pretty penny, no matter where you buy them, to get a pair of shoes that aren't made in China or some other developing nation.
But I love my North Face made in the USA Gore-tex parka. I've worn it for 20 years now and all I've done to it is refreshed the Gore-tex. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
Then pay it. No one is stopping you. I hope you carry this philosophy through your whole life. Pay more for local products whenever possible. Enjoy.
But don't begrudge people who want to have the option of paying less. |
What do you think the long term implications of buying cheap consumer goods from China are? |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Captain Corea wrote: |
Then pay it. No one is stopping you. I hope you carry this philosophy through your whole life. Pay more for local products whenever possible. Enjoy.
But don't begrudge people who want to have the option of paying less. |
What do you think the long term implications of buying cheap consumer goods from China are? |
Who says they're from China? Maybe they're from the Philippines. Or Vietnam. Or... well, there are a host of places that make things on the cheap.
Must all things 'cheap' be from China?
I suspect that a lot of the higher prices here are not only due to being imported, but are because of a number of other factors.
I'd be happy if some of those "other factors" were reduced.
But as a consumer, I'm fine with people having the option to buy various products at various prices - even those from China *gasp
Again, if YOU don't want to buy them, YOU should have that option. But if I want to buy them, why shouldn't I have that option?
If you're fine with me wanting cheaper/less expensive goods, what exactly is your point in this thread? |
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tran.huongthu
Joined: 23 May 2011
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Captain Corea wrote: |
Then pay it. No one is stopping you. I hope you carry this philosophy through your whole life. Pay more for local products whenever possible. Enjoy.
But don't begrudge people who want to have the option of paying less. |
What do you think the long term implications of buying cheap consumer goods from China are? |
We've seen the longterm implications and they are ugly. That has to change at some point though right? Future generations will wonder why we sold our labor base away for cheap goods, no one will have a good answer. |
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Son Deureo!
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="atwood"]ea
There's a pretty good Indian/Nepalese restaurant in Yeokjeon Market near Suwon Station. Most curries go for 6-7000, and a Nepali Thali set for 10K that comes with two curries, rice, and soup. It's a good deal.
PM me if you need more specific directions. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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| myenglishisno wrote: |
| Modernist wrote: |
| Quote: |
| It's not expensive per se, but, considering what you're getting, it's not all that cheap. |
And let's not forget, for your hard-earned won you are actually, BY CHOICE, REGULARLY consuming disgusting Korean food. Disgusting Korean food without any meat!
I didn't think it could get worse than what I had spent two months trying to choke down every day, but by God you've done it. The only vaguely tolerable thing about the non-fish disgusting food was at least there was some pork, chicken, beef, something. Now, no meat, it's like 4 times as bad!
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Know why there are so much fewer morbidly obese people here than back home?
Korean food is great. I'm not in love with all of it but it is definitely one of my favourite foods, up there with Indian and above Japanese. I'm glad to be able to live here so I can eat in on the cheap almost every day.
You've obviously never had a decent, homemade serving of 쌈밥 or 된장찌개  |
This.
Although I will say that whether one finds Korean food disgusting or appealing comes down to personal opinion and not fact. Personally I find that some dishes are disgusting some aren't. Other people may find the dishes I don't like appealing and hate the dishes I like. |
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