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EXPLORING KOREAN FOOD AND OTHER KOREAN PRODUCTS: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF TWO NIGERIAN KOREAN LOVERS

As a fervent admirer of Korean culture, I’ve always wanted to try freshly prepared Korean food and feel the excitement of physically shopping for Korean goods. However, there are no Korean stores in the part of Nigeria where I reside, so I have had to buy all of my Korean products online. Imagine my delight, then, when my friend Kadishi Oliseh sent me an invitation she saw on Instagram inviting everyone interested in Korean cuisine and skincare products to Lagos, Nigeria, for a free sampling and opportunity to buy Korean goods. Coincidentally, we had a conference in Lagos that week, so we promptly RSVP’d that we will be there.

Screenshot of the flier of the pop-up event gotten from Korean wife’s store Instagram page

The event was held on Sunday, June 25, 2023, and was supported by My Big Fat Pop-Up Shop in conjunction with Korean Wife’s Store and Korean Wife’s Table. For the benefit of Nigerians who may not be aware, the Korean Wife’s Store is a Korean convenience store based in Seoul that also operates in Lagos, Nigeria. They exclusively bring a quality-verified assortment of grocery, lifestyle, and cosmetic products from Korea, which they then deliver on order to consumers in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna, all in Nigeria. The Korean Wife’s Table, on the other hand, makes homemade kimchi and other Korean delicacies such gimbab, Korean sauce, noodles, dubbab, gogi, soup, and jujeonburi, which they deliver to customers in Lagos, Nigeria.

Being a part of the event will always be special to us, and especially to me as this was my first time visiting a physical Korean pop-up event.  We also had the opportunity to sample some freshly prepared Korean dishes, starting with Korean Kimchi. As a mainstay of Korean cuisine, kimchi transcends class and geographic boundaries and is ingrained in the culture, tradition, and national spirit of the country. Kimchi is consumed as a side dish with practically all Korean meals. It is low in calories and high in vitamins, calcium, and minerals like iron. If you enjoy watching K-dramas, you must be aware of the significance of kimchi to Koreans. You will barely ever watch a Korean drama without seeing food scenes in it and aside from ramen, the other food that is prominent in these Korean dramas is kimchi. I will always remember the scene in Boys over Flowers where Jun Pyo joined Jan Di’s family in making homemade kimchi.

Homemade Kimchi given to the HR for tasting

I was initially hesitant to try the Kimchi because my first experience with eating Kimchi was with canned Kimchi, which I didn’t particularly enjoy due to its sour flavour and overpowering garlic aroma. Unexpectedly, the Kimchi I tried at the event was surprisingly very good and tasty. The host attributed this to the fact that it had just been produced and was therefore less fermented than the canned Kimchi. When I shared this photo on WhatsApp, I got a lot of comments from people asking what Kimchi was and how it was made, so I looked into the materials and methods involved in making it. Kimchi is a common side dish (banchan) in traditional Korean cuisine. It is made of salted, fermented vegetables such napa cabbage, spring onions, and Korean radish as well as ingredients like ginger, garlic, brine, fish sauce, and scallions.

Chapagetti given to the HR for tasting

Chapagetti noodle, which is Korean black bean noodle, was the other dish we sampled. Ramyeon is a well-known food in South Korea, much like Kimchi, and is featured prominently in almost all Korean dramas. As a result, I was quite eager to taste the Korean noodles and see how they differed from our own Nigerian noodles. Although it wasn’t at all hot, the Chapagetti had a sweet flavor, and I really enjoyed eating it. When compared to our Nigerian Indomie noodle, the Chapagetti is significantly thicker in size when cooked.

Korean skincare gifted to the HR by the event host

The fact that a sizable segment of Nigerians, including guys, were enthusiastic about buying Korean goods—particularly skincare items from Korea—was also fascinating to me. I was taken aback when I first noticed a man at the event who had come to purchase some skin care items. He responded that he was buying them for himself when the vendor asked whether it was for his wife. As early attendees at the event, we received some free Korean skincare items; I can’t wait to try them and write a review. In order to expand my collection of chopsticks, I bought some wooden Korean ones at the event. I also purchased some Korean noodles (Shin Ramyun because it is spicier than the Chapagetti), which I am very eager to prepare on my own and eat for the first time after years of yearning for it as a result of its frequent appearance in k-dramas.

Before leaving, we also got to interact with the vendors to learn more about the various products at the stand, the ingredients contained in them, and how we can go about using the items we bought. Additionally, we made a list of several other products that we plan to buy, particularly the k-beauty and k-grocery items. Most importantly, we had a great time and can’t wait for more occasions like this to arise.

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