A shopping experience

The first time I went to the E-Mart, I was with one of the Korean guys and we were on a time limit. Someone was already waiting for us at my apartment to install the internet. I was rushed. In the end I got some funny things - enough bacon to last me for weeks, some coffee, and some bread. That's pretty much it.

Much to the concern of my Korean hosts - disregarding the short time I had, and that I could not understand anything in the store, they were concerned that I did not buy enough. Not enough food.

Today I went alone - I got my Korean host to take me, and call for me an hour later. I had some BIG things to get - including a mop, and a stainliness steel rack to dry my washing on. (No outdoor clotheslines here!)

It is always a challenge - some things are obvious. Fruit, vegetables, meat, etc, but some packaged goods create challenges. Is the bottle of liquid with no English, but with a diagram that could be a top loading washing machine, the right product for my washing? Later my Korean friend said it wasn't, but then after reading the bottle told me it was actually very good, but not for wool or silk. Phew. I can use that.

Butter - now I'm not a big butter eater but I have bread, dry biscuits and very little to put on them. Butter might be etter than nothing. But which butter - the pure butter (with oil, I read???), the two pack, which is Morning butter, whatever that is.

Trying to find a tea towel, a face towel. Which is which? Some are in packages, Some are not. I will just have to manage with the things i bought.

Tissues are a challenge. There is little English and in the rows that contain paper towel, toilet paper, nappies, and all sorts of things I couldn't identify tissues. I had to ask. Sign language. The lovely lady took me to another area - where the tissues were on display.

I bought some fish, salad, dry biscuits, grapes, oranges, and some toffeed peanuts.

After my hour was up my phone went off - so I had time to meet him at the footpath and return my trollet to get my 100 W back.

Successful - and now I think I could walk there. Good idea.

I must say the food section was impressive. Far cleaner and better packaged that any supermarket I have ever been into - better than Coles and Woolworths in Australia, Tesco in China and Ireland. Better than them all. Fantastic. Brilliant. Service? Brilliant too!