Buying Organic Produce and Ethically Raised Meat In Korea

I want to stay away from factory farmed animals and their tortured existence. They are not raised well and eating them is bad for your health. For those want to avoid this and the eat organic, ethically raised animals, there are options.

Buying organic in Korea is becoming more popular here as Korean consumers and expats have asked for it. Through my own efforts my local Lotter Super now carries organic milk. However, it can be hard to find.

So carrying about my health and my wife's I've thought out organic options. The foods that follow organic standards are labeled 유기농 I found out from healthyhomes.asia and also that there are brands like LOHAS and PULUONE that claim they are organic. There are some stores in Seoul that sell organic foods too. Nothing specifically about what is available though, so I decided to look myself with some footwork.

In Lotte Mart I've found pasture fed beef from Australia and organic milk and organice kale and some other things but not much else. I had to concede that I will have to buy some non-organic vegetables just to have staple vegetables in my diet. For instance, I haven't found organic cabbages and radishes, two cheap local staple foods.

However, limited the search in the supermarkets were I've found a second option to the supermarkets which I think is better for most purchases besides the milk and beef.

The local market near me who sell the freshest fish meat and locally grown vegetables compared to the big chains. However they are not local or organic in priinciple. I go there to support the local businesses. It opens every 0 and 5 day of the month, so 0 5 10 etc. There I've found local produce that is easy to grow in Korea and good quality meats. These markets differ when they are open in different places but they are everywhere and through some know the days when the freshest meat is served. H

The more Korean you know the better and the more you go the better the locals treat you. I've started to become a regular customer and the butchers and meat mongers are giving me extra's. Sunday, I went and got two really small chickens for 3 dollars, and the woman gave me a big bag of chicken hearts. This tells me one thing that she slaughtered these chickens really soon and that she has a connection to the animal. I respect the person who can eat the chicken but not be afraid kill it, rather than claim some moral superiority by not eating it.

There may be better ways to find healthier food in Korea. Until I know of better alternatives, for now, through networking and improved Korea, the market is the way to go.

Korean Cosco

Today, I went to Costco today. I wanted to explore what they had to offer in terms of Western food, because certain foods are either impossible to find or too expensive to buy in a normal store. So I went to Cosco because I heard they offered good deals on items in bulk and I was very happy. In fact, I felt that it was a western wonderworld! There were samples of cookies and fruit and even baked beans on bread. Waiting for a sample of baked beans on bread was a large line of Koreans. There were too many things that I wanted and not enough hands to carry them all home, so I am planning to make another trip as soon as I can.

Some of the things I found were artisanal bread, bagels, microwave popcorn, real coffee- not the instant stuff, cereal, instant oatmeal, soft cookies!, granola, pasta sauce, and sharp cheddar. I wish I could have taken them all home, but instead I took home cheddar for my friend Paul, and Earl Grey Tea for Sarah, tootsie roll pops for student prizes, and Lipton Ice Tea mix for myself.

I live north of Seoul, in Dongducheon, so the closest Cosco was at Sangbong on the 7 line. I just got off at exit 2 and walked straight two blocks and it was on my right. It was that easy. This might not be the closest Cosco to you since there are others located around the city so its best to check it out.




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