Costco

Because I didn't start this blog until a few weeks into our Korean adventure, I have yet to blog about all of the amazing memories from our first two weeks in Busan, South Korea.  As this blog serves as a written history of our family's adventures, it's important that I backtrack a bit and do some posts from our first two weeks here.  Enjoy!


Earlier this year before any of us left for Korea, Talton found out that there is a Costco here in Busan.   We were psyched about this, because we were hopeful that we would be able to get at least some food we were accustomed to while living in a foreign country.  We did the happy dance all the way to Costco to sign ourselves up!

Within days of arriving in Busan, Talton took us all to Costco to see what it was like and to pick up some things.  It was very much like the Costco in Houston, but unfortunately it doesn't carry some items we thought they would (Kraft macaroni people!!!!!) AND the prices are super high.  Oh well, we get quite a bit here, including 5 jugs (calm down, they're not gallons!) of milk per week, all of our meat (steak, pork chops, chicken), cheese, and apple juice, just to name a few.  Now, with all these "normal" things we're used to, they also offer interesting items you won't find at our home town Costco (pics below of some of these gems!).  :)

And how about this... You know how Costco has little booths every couple of aisles that offer free samples of food?  Well, the Koreans take that to a whole other level.  There are lines and lines of people waiting for a cracker or a piece of pepperoni on a toothpick.  I'm talking serious lines, where the people don't want to move out of the way for you to get by because they're claiming their place in that line!  Because of this and how crazy busy it sometimes gets, Talton now goes to Costco by himself once a week on his way home from work to save us the hassle of taking the boys there.  Thanks, babe!  :)   

By the way, the Korean girls Talton works with are amazed that he goes to the grocery store by himself.  They said Korean men NEVER do that.  Even if the woman works too and they have kids, the husband will never go to the store or the market to pick up necessities.  Crazy, huh?!  Just another cultural difference that reminds me of how good I've got it.  :)

Big stores like Costco and HomePlus (the other grocery store we go to each week) are closed on the second and fourth Sunday of each month to give smaller stores and people selling food and goods at the market a chance to earn some more business they otherwise might not get.

A watermelon for $15!!!!!  Are those seeds golden?

pickled pollack guts

Oooooo yum, it's what's for dinner....if you live in a Korean house, not mine.  :)

boiled octopus

Yep, they sell wine too.  My guess is you need lots of this to eat the boiled octopus and pickled pollack guts.

a bag of dog food = $46

Remember everything is built UP, so the multi level parking garage is above the store.  Love these escalators where your cart sticks so you don't have to use every muscle in your body to keep it from rolling back.

my little helper toting some of the goods in using the wagon -- Thank you, Mrs.Claus, for being so adamant about the elves building this wagon for the boys last year.  How did you know it would come in handy for something other than carrying cute kids around the block or to the beach?  ;)