Food News

Hi all!

Sorry for the late news update. Here goes...

This past weekend was nice and quiet, peaceful and restful. On Sunday, I went to Costco (like Makro). It's in the US and Australia, too, I believe. Electronics, homeware, foodstuff, bakery, meat, fish, etc. Basically, its the place to go when you want Western food products.

Such a pity, I couldn't buy meat or chicken cos of my long trip back home. But it was heartwarming to see skinless chicken breast fillets!!! And steaks imported from Australia! I ended up buying a big pack of salami from Italy (just for you, Di!), a sizeable block of proper cheese from the USA, a tub of basil pesto, parmesan cheese and dried basil.

Koreans don't really eat cheese. They have those horrible, artificial processed cheese slices. Then they also have 'pizza' cheese (mozzarella) which is also grated and pre-packed. That I can find at my local supermarket. But REAL cheese, has to be imported. At Costco, you can find Belcube, Laughing Cow, Brie, Camembert, flavoured cream cheeses, parmigiano, gruyere, emmenthaler, mozzarella (sigh... cheese lover's paradise.)

Then, there's the cold meats, proper ham (even the Korean 'ham' is processed plastic stuff), salami, russians, frankfurters, etc etc. Bulk packs of bacon! Proper bacon! Koreans have pork belly, which looks like bacon, but the cut is thicker and it's not smoked. I actually found bacon at my little supermarket - not bad, but definitely not the same as back home. It's much thinner and it's been cut into smaller portions.

I still have not found where I can buy fresh chicken in my town. The supermarkets in my town have mini-butcheries at the back of the store where they sell only pork and beef. You purchase your meat, which gets cut for you. Unfortunately they don't seem to mince meat, but they do have little beef strips, pre-cut, which they weigh and you pay the butcher directly. Last week, the butcher asked me how I was going to cook my beef strips. When I told him I wanted to make curry, he immediately put it away, went to the walk-in fridge to fetch a cut of beef and had almost begun slicing it up when I stopped him. It was the end of the day, I was tired, just wanted to get home and cook supper. And then I was kept waiting by this man trying to teach me how to cook! He said that the beef strips were for soup not curry! I eventually told him that it's FINE, that's what I want! Yes, I know...when in Rome (Korea), do as the Romans (Koreans) do. But aai yaai yaai yaai yaai!

There are chicken houses, though, most of which seem to be chicken specialty restaurants, or so I think. I'll get my students to take me there sometime. In the meantime, when I'm in the mood for chicken, I just go to a nearby chicken and pizza place and order take-out. They do really great sticky ginger and sesame chicken. Very yummy. And I don't have to cook it! Only thing is, Koreans cut the chicken up in strange litle bits and pieces. The only recognisable portions are the wing and drumstick. Included in a box of sticky chicken will be a neck, and small bits of breast and what I assume to be portions of thigh portions! Don't get me wrong....it's enough chicken to last me through 3-4 meals. Just like everything Korean....it's small. The nice thing about Asian culture, though, is what they call 'service'. 'Service' is a little free gift you get when you buy something. When I buy my cosmetics (facial cleanser, toner, moisturiser - I'm using a Korean brand which is actually very good - apparently they really spend tons of money on skincare research. Beauty and appearance are right at the top of the Korean list.) Anyway, I can't keep up with the samples that they pile on me. At this rate, I don't need to spend money - I can just use all the 'service' samples! At the chicken/pizza place, too, I always get a Pepsi thrown in. Buying plants at the florist, they will wrap things up as though its a gift, when it's only for me. Last time I was there, they gave me a beautiful long-stemmed red rose. I remember back in SA, when I was staying with Fran in Lansdowne, I went to a nearby Chinese clothing shop one day. Bought some tracksuits, and they gave me a choice of jewellery or socks as 'service'. It's a lovely heartwarming aspect of Asian culture.

Back to Costco: one can also find fresh fish like salmon at Costco. They have DelMonte fruit juice, herbs and spices, Heinz ketchup, Mailles mustard, Ceres fruit juice, Kellogg's Special K, kettle fried chips, Evian water, etc etc etc. There's even Oral B dental floss. (I was searching for dental floss a few weeks ago!)

I am now looking forward to finally cooking Italian in my own South African kitchen in rural Korea! With fresh farm produce on my doorstep (brinjals, tomatoes on the vine), and spaghetti and macaroni in my local supermarket, my Italian salami, parmesan and basil pesto.....mmmmmmmm. Laugh all you want, you don't know how good you have it back home! Just being able to go to any supermarket and find almost everything from around the world.

I said it before, when I went to Amsterdam....us SA's complain too much about what we have/don't have. Even Amsterdam couldn't come close to the wide range of choice we have in SA. And that was back in 2002!

Of course, you can find anything here in Korea. It just takes some time and patience hunting and tracking things down. (By the sound of that, I could be on safari in the African bush! LOL!)

On Monday, I had invited my Extra English class over to my apartment for English movies, pizza and ice cream. How nice it was. The kids showed me how to find more movies on my Internet TV, they wouldn't start dishing until I had been served first. (Again, no one eats until the eldest person has begun eating.) It was so nice, being waited on in my own home. They even cleaned up, washed dishes, cleaned the floor.... Too sweet!

Hope this satisfies the weekly news craving, especially those of you who have been nagging me for the latest instalment! You know who you are! Especially you, Mrs Knight!

Love and hugs to everybody....

Andrea

PS Can someone please go out and play in the rain on my behalf?