2019 JB LIFE! Magazine Spring Edition

Local Food
local restaurants also use Local Food
markets to supply their stores. Even
large shopping marts such as Lotte
Mart and E-mart have begun to scale
up their local food sections and expand
their local food distribution systems
to reduce the amount of time food
spends in transit. Local food packaging
tends to be much simpler than massmarketed
products, and its package
marketing often includes text such as
“no additives”, “homemade”, “organic”,
and “slow food.”
Living in Korea, the land of the bballibballi,
everything-must-be-done-atthis-moment
attitude has made me
better able to appreciate the recent
push toward “slow foods” and “slow
cities” - such as Jeonju’s now primarily
pedestrian-traffic Hanok Village. My
family and I have been shopping at
Local Food marts for a few years now,
and we feel great about supporting
local farmers while also enjoying the
freshest produce and cuts of meat.
Local food spinach tastes softer, the
sweet potato sweeter, and the root
vegetables richer. Take it from me.
I’ve spent the last 10 years in Korea
helping my in-law’s on their farm, and
nothing tastes fresher than something
you’ve just plucked from the field on
the way home to cook for dinner.
Although Jeonju is home to many
Local Food markets these days, one
in particular caught my eye in recent
weeks. On the north end of Jeonju, on
the road between Eco City and the
Jeonju Train station, near Hoseong
W-Park and the turn off toward
Yongjin Eup, a new Jinan Local
Food market has appeared. Jinan is
famous for its red ginseng and hosts
a Red Ginseng Festival every fall.
Likewise, this new local food market
is filled with many native (and local)
Jinan red ginseng snacks, candies,
roots, and even a Red Ginseng Cafe.
There are multiple displays showing
ginseng through the seasons and
how ginseng grows from a sprout
into a large plant. There is even a
foot bathing area where patrons
can get their feet washed in a red
ginseng mixture.
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