Packing Myths

When I was thinking of coming to Korea, I did a ton of research. I read articles, blogs, recommendations, etc. While I was researching what to bring to Korea, I came across a few things that turned out to be untrue.

I read that Korea did not have chocolate. Well, it does. It has a large variety of chocolate. There is Korean chocolate, American chocolate, European chocolate, etc. There are some types of chocolate that you can’t find. For instance, I have never seen a Reese’s peanut buttercup in Korea but, there are many other brands to choose from. You are always able to find chocolate in Korea.

I also read that Korea does not have deodorant. Korea does have deodorant. There are men’s, women’s, roll-on and spray deodorants. Now, there are not American brands of deodorant. That is true. Plus, the deodorant is more expensive here than in the US. But, there is deodorant in Korea. If you don’t bring enough with you, you can buy deodorant here. It’s not unavailable.

Many websites claim that Korea does not have spices. This is simply not true. Koreans cook and Koreans eat. Therefore, Korea has spices. You can easily find salt (many different types), pepper (again, many different types), basil, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon, paprika, parsley flakes, bay leaves, mustards, oregano, curry, chilis, garlic, onions, and many other spices.

While you can find a bunch of different spices, you will not be able to find spice blends. This, however, makes sense. I don’t see Koreans using Mrs. Dash or Old Bay seasoning in their cooking. I assume that this is where the “Korea doesn’t have spices” myth came from.

One giant myth I read about was that Korea didn’t have *ahem* ladies’ products. This was really confusing to me. It seemed to me that anywhere that has women would have these products. But, I read this on several different sites so, I thought that there must be some sort of problem if so many people wrote the same thing.

Korea does have ladies’ products – tons of them! Just like in the US, there is a whole store aisle devoted to them. Plus, during peak shopping hours, there are clerks in that aisle, waiting to assist you with choosing the perfect product. The clerks even have these catalogues with samples of various items to show you in case you aren’t sure of what to buy.

Another product that I heard didn’t exist in Korea was syrup. This too is a myth. You can find both real maple syrup and generic, plain pancake syrup. Now, the maple syrup is pretty expensive but, it’s expensive in the US too. So, either place, you pay extra for it.

When I look back at the myths I read, I have to wonder what these people were thinking when they wrote this. All I can think of is that these people were somewhere out in the country and unable to shop at normal stores. Or, possibly, that these people were just being super picky about their brands. Yes, if you will only use a certain brand, you may not find what you wanted. Thus, you may start to think that Korea simply doesn’t have your product. In my 21 months in Korea, I have never been unable to find a general sort of product. Of course, I have been unable to find a certain brand that I prefer but, I have always been able to find a similar variation.

I like this brand of chocolate. Lotte brand products are widely available all over Korea.

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Nivea is one of the most common brands of deodorant here.

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This syrup is like Aunt Jemima or some other cheap grocery store syrup in the US.

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