Now that we have taken a break from hotels and are staying for a while in a condo, we needed to do a little shopping to set up shop. We found LOTTE Mart, a Korean chain, that sells EVERYTHING. You name it, they have it, from furniture to clothes, to toys, to groceries. Sorry guys, no pictures of the store, there was a lot of security and staff wandering the store and I did not feel comfortable whipping out my camera! It seems that all supermarkets are heavy on the security, you either have to check your bag/purse in or get it sealed up. They might put a zap-strap on the zipper or put it in a plastic bag and then heat seal the top of it.
We grabbed our shopping cart on the ground floor, and headed up three floors.
This escalator "locks" the cart's wheels so it does not
roll back/forward as you go between floors
I was excited to have a fridge, stove, dishes, etc. again. It is nice to be able to just head to the fridge in the morning and grab some yogurt or make some eggs.
After three months of eating at restaurants, street vendors or convenience stores, I was lost in the supermarket. I mean, I did not know what to buy! What do I want to cook?! What do I need? Starting a kitchen from scratch is hard, you never remember what condiments you need, and you always forget ingredients for a dish.
There I was standing in front of the produce staring at some items I was not sure what they were, and others I did, but could not think of what I wanted to make! I mean, it’s been months since I’ve cooked a single thing! Jason is very impatient whenever we have to go to the supermarket, so that always adds to the pressure. What I have noticed in other supermarkets in other countries, is that when you get your produce, there is a person (or machine) dedicated to weighing and pricing your items. This is genius as the person there knows all vegetable or fruit codes, and you do not hold up the cash register line with a price check or code!
After getting a few items, we then headed up and down the aisles. This is the fun part because you get to see what interesting things they have (and try!). Some of the things we bought:
Instant Congee - I'm a little worried, but I wanted to try it!
Jason loves the different chip flavors they have in Asia
Microwaveable rice
Microwavable congee
Jason's new favorite drink - Aloe!
Guessed this was yogurt - we were right
The smallest ginger root I have ever seen!
Battery is for scale purposes!
The smallest garlic bulbs I have ever seen!
See the total?
Close-up of the receipt
As were were leaving the store, an employee approached us and asked if we needed a taxi. Why, yes we do. She called one over for us (they were lined up outside), and pushed our cart to the taxi, the driver helped put our bags in the taxi and off we went. Such service!
The local markets are much less expensive, but we felt the need to visit a supermarket where prices were clearly marked and we could figure out what we wanted at our own pace.
~ Christine
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