Shopping in Korea

Through the year, I have experienced some fun stuff shopping in Korea. For example (from above,), when you pass anyplace with a cartoon animal on the front, it is always saying to you: "I am so happy because at this place you can come in to eat me!!". It gets creepy when you see the pigs and cows and chickens all dancing together on a sign. This one seems to be both eating his friend and getting tipsy while waiting for you to show up. I want to include some shots we've taken over the time here while beating the streets shopping in Korea.

Here is a shot from the everyday market near our house- the older ladies are out all day selling local produce and trying to make a good deal. Yummy yummy.

Once, (no picture available, so I'll try to describe this!), I found a contraption that was being sold in a store, alongside a bunch of other Japanese products. It was a thin piece of plastic and from what I could tell, it is designed to give a 'slimming' mouth, perhaps by stretching it lengthwise? Not sure, but it looks painful. As I looked incredulously at it, two Korean women picked it up, marvelled over it and immediately walked over to the cash register to buy it. (it cost about 12 bucks).

my sister trying to enjoy her hot choco

Ah- the dog cafe in Gwangju. I am still not sure how I feel about this place. They have a decent array of pet supplies for Korea, and all of the animals seem pretty happy. But it is pretty weird. There must be 20-30, maybe even 40-50 cats and dogs in this place, the size of a small Korean cafe. In the back, there is a grooming room where the animals get groomed all day. These aren't other people's pets, mind you. They live here. some of the dogs have wacky doos (does?) (dos) ?? how DO you spell that? Like a few of the lhasa apsos have shapes shaved into their bodies so as to create a vision of something resembling willie wonkas fun house. There are white dogs, with neon blue wings groomed into their back, and flourescent pink or orange ears and tails.

There are cocker spaniels? with purple paw prints groomed onto their bum. Lovely dogs, and much better treated than the majority of Korean dogs, but a strange place. Even the cats are really happy there- love to be petted and wear sweaters.


Most dogs in Korea kept as pets are smaller than the cats.

Some are in cages and we are trying to figure out if that is a constant thing, or a periodic thing. In any case, there is coffee and hot chocolate if you want to order it, but usually you have to share your seat with some animals who aren't as polite as the ones in restaurants in France.

There are also some interesting and colourful things that get sold in the markets. At one stall I found some very interesting displays of colourful 'dduk' (sweet korean rice cakes). They were shaped in all sorts of ways:

Yes, a nice sweet fishy cake...appealing no?

and shaped like meat rolls, sushi rolls, and fish pancake. I find it a strange delicacy...sort of like us making a birthday cake shaped and coloured like a pot roast or a roasted chicken ...

Also, here are some fun names of clothing stores:

Because, really, its a great marketing ploy is it not?

This one simply scares me!

And because I forgot to add these pics on the halloween post, this is bryce with our friend Matt Amond, musician extraordinaire. For Halloween, he went as ESL Milk, and won the costume prize. Brilliant:

Bryce and Matt

I don't know this guy- but he got second place.