Dong-bu Market

Yesterday evening I was in the Dong-bu market near Belmonte. It's a nice market to shop at. They have most of the things that  you'll want for cooking. Now that Spring has arrived they have a lot more fresh vegetables and fruits. But year round, they sell all sorts of things. Mainly food but also shoes, clothes, household supplies, etc.

For some people coming from abroad, it may be a surprise to see that they have fish and meat out in the open air for sale. It's safe though. They are cooled. Sometimes the fish are still alive (technically). If you watch, they sometimes blink or move a tentacle or something.

The most important vendors are of course the kimchi vendors. Here you will find a small group of ajumas (old women) selling  at least a dozen types of kimchi and related relishes and side dishes.

Like at all markets, they have also some prepared foods that you can eat as a snack while you shop, or take home for an easy meal. Here is a picture of the mandu (dumpling) vendor.

The open air markets (Korean: shijang) are slowly disappearing from Korea as most young people prefer the speed and convenience of a supermarket.