Several years ago my sister got me a Korean Cookbook for xmas and I have had so much fun trying new recipes. Unfortunately a lot of the special ingredients I needed were hard to find locally, so I would get them from amazon. It was pricey and the quality was low. I follow so many people who cook online that I started to compile a list of their recommended ingredients. (Better quality, less additives/fillers etc…)
For weeks now I have been waiting to go to this huge market called 888 with my friend. Thankfully, this last week, we were able to go. It was HUGE!
So many items, so many ingredients, so many languages that I do not speak. It was incredible. I found Japanese sweet potatoes that are SO delicious they taste like a cupcake. I found napa cabbage for kimchi and daikon radishes for pickled radish. They had an assortment of delicious candies. I didn’t get a ton, but I was thankful for what I did find.
A week before I was able to visit a smaller Asian market across the city that I had heard was focused more on Korean items. They had the non-gmo red pepper paste and organic fermented bean paste. The higher quality ingredients that I have been looking for.
In our town we have a Sprouts, and while they don’t have a ton and they are VERY pricey, they did have the produce that I was hunting for. I am thankful that for the more frequently bought items I won’t need to venture far. Someday I hope to grow my own radish and cabbage so that I won’t have to venture past my yard.
My overall goal is to add diversity to my diet, improving the quality of my gut microbiome and adding more pre/probiotics to my food through fermented vegetables. It’s also really fun to eat the things that I frequently see on tv when watching my Korean dramas.
Redheaded Jill 
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