Walking along the streets of Uijeongbu and other places around Korea, I have become accustomed to the regular sight of convenience stores on nearly every major street.
This was, at first, a novelty to me because of the familiarity of such stores in the United States. As I saw the familiar brand of Seven-Eleven, I felt comfortable knowing in the familiarity of the brand and that I have some idea of what happens there. This is comforting to me, in a world that still is complete foreign to me, there are “safe places” to go where I understand what happens there and can figure out how to manage the basics.
But, in Korea these stores are different. In the United States, most of the time, these stores are also gas stations. These stores are also have more variety in the their limited selections in the States. In Korea, I have found, the stores are focused more on food. In most cases, the stores will have an entire aisle of Ramen Noodle Bowls. Then the other aisle will be made up of other kinds of food—some snack and some other convenience type offerings. It may be that the types of food are different to me, but the selection of food and the amount of food for sale stuck me as different.
Still, the stores are convenient. I can understand what is in these stores. I can pick up something to eat if I need to, and typically, can find American brands available. And not only are these store convenient—they are also plentiful. I was surprised to see as many as I did. But, with the large population in and around Seoul, it makes a lot of sense.