Taepyeong Market

A couple of blocks away from my school, in Taepyeong-dong (neighborhood), is the Taepyeong Market. It's is a large farmer's market that sells pretty much anything, from seafood to clothing. It also has several street food stalls and it even has a cell phone shop...they're seriously everywhere. It is the largest "open air" market in the area. I like to come here to get my fruits and vegetables as they're usually cheaper than buying them at a supermarket. This is where I get my California oranges.

Entrance to Taepyeong Shijang (market).

There are several stalls that offer the same thing, which gives you options when it comes to bargaining.

 

You can buy food in bulk at this stall. People sometimes come to this market to buy in bulk and then re-sell the produce elsewhere.

 Lots of fish and octopus and other sea creatures that I never knew existed outside of sci fi movies.

It is common to have a lot of side dishes (banchan) with your meal. Instead of spending a long time preparing them, you can just come to this stall and take your pick of banchan. Quail eggs are one of my favorite side dishes. It is rare for people to eat salad here, instead pickled vegetables are served with every meal.

You can get a lot of street food here. The foods you can pretty much always count on finding at any street food stand are odeng (fish cakes) and tteokboki (rice cakes). They also have stands that sell fried chicken, mandu (dumplings), and sweets. Fried chicken is very popular here in Korea and I can see why...it's addicting! There's a place in this market that makes chewy rice doughnuts. Yummy! This is a good place to go to if you don't feel like cooking and want something quick and cheap. These foods are considered snack foods, but you can most definitely make a meal out of it.