Veg Vocab

The following article will appear in the January 2012 issue of inDaegu:

While vegetarianism is certainly not the be-all and end-all of green living, it’s a great place to start, and it’s a great way to prove to yourself that you have the fortitude to choose compassion over habit on a regular basis. When I went vegetarian – two and a half years ago, after five years of intermittent trying and failing – I had no inkling of the self-confidence that I would build up by taking three or more concrete stands for my ideals every day. That confidence has led me to paths and places I never could have imagined, and has opened up many unforeseeable opportunities on the way. I’m not sure where or who I’d be had I not made the leap.

I’d recommend that everybody at least give vegetarianism a fair shot, and, actually, Korea is a wonderful place to do it. Once I gave up Kalbi anad Samgyeopsal, I was forced to seek out other options, for which I’ve been handsomely rewarded. I enjoy Korean food far more than I used to, and get a much wider variety of foods in my diet. So, whether you’re interested in going vegetarian, keeping it up, or just plain gaining a little more control over what you’re served, don’t let the language barrier prevent you from doing so. By memorizing a few words – most of which you probably already know – and learning to incorporate them into certain phrases, you should be able to wrangle a vegetarian meal out of just about any situation.

To start:

 I am a vegetarian.
저는 채식주의자예요.

This one may not get you very far, since there are various kinds of vegetarians, and everyone has different concepts of what counts as “meat.” The more specific you can be, the better, so it’s best to know the following words:

Pig/Pork – 돼지/돼지고기

Cow/Beef –소/소고기

Chicken/Chicken – 닭/닭고기

Meat (of the above 3 kinds) - 고기류

Spam – 햄

Seafood 해물

Eggs 계란

Dairy products 유제품

Which you can then insert into such sentences as:

I don’t eat X.   

저는 X을/를^* 안 먹어요. 

Is there (type of meat) in the (dish name)?
(Dish name)에 (type of meat)이/가^* 들어 갔어요? 

Can I have (food name) without the (type of meat)?
(food name)에서 (type of meat)을/를^* 빼고 주시겠어요?

Is there anything that doesn’t have meat in it?
 고기류가 안 들어 가는 요리가 있어요?

If you get a little testy, you might want to say:

It’s not that I can’t eat meat, it’s that I don’t want to.
저는 고기를 못 먹는 게 아니라, 안 먹는 거예요.

If some well-meaning servers, unable to give you a discount, suggests that you just go ahead and order the meat, since the price is the same regardless, you can say:

I don’t care if it’s the same price,  I’d rather not eat any X:
똑같은 가격이라도, X을/를^* 안 먹을래요

And add on:

Please give me extra veggies in place of the meat.   
고기를 뺀 만큼 야채를 더 주세요.

To keep it classy and avoid propagating the impression that vegetarians are jerks, it never hurts to show a little gratitude:

Thanks for your understanding.   
이해해 주셔서 감사합니다. 

If memorizing all this is too much of a chore, consider downloading printing out the following pictures, which contain slightly compacted versions of all the above phrases.  Both are the size of a standard 10k won note^^

Go forth and conquer! 

^*Language Note  Many Korean grammatical particles have two forms: one that starts with a consonant and is attached to words ending in vowels, and one that starts with a vowel and is attached to words ending in consonants. The six basic Korean vowels are ㅗ,ㅓ,ㅏ,ㅣ,ㅡ, and ㅜ.  Thus, for example, 돼지고기 ends in a vowel so it becomes 돼지고기가 if it’s the subject and 돼지고기를 if it’s the object. On the other hand, 해물 ends in a consonant, so its subject form is 해물이, while its object form is 해물을.  If you're not a hardcore grammarian, you can leave the particles off all together.  You might even sound more natural that way.   

**Thanks to 진선아 for help with checking for accuracy (and attitude!)

Eco-Film Night: Waste Land (December 18)

This month's Eco-Film, "Waste Land," received numerous nominations and awards and comes recommended by two dear friends, Julie and Wendy. Here's the synopsis from the website:

"Filmed over nearly three years, WASTE LAND follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores”—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. Director Lucy Walker (DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, BLINDSIGHT and COUNTDOWN TO ZERO) and co-directors João Jardim and Karen Harley have great access to the entire process and, in the end, offer stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit."

이번 달 에코필름(or 환경영화)은 "waste land"입니다. 다수의 노미네이션 뿐만 아니라 많은 수상경력이 있는 이 작품은 친애하는 나의 친구 Julie와 Wendy의 추천작이기도 합니다. 웹사이트에서 발췌한 시놉시스는 다음과 같습니다:

3 년 여의 제작기간을 거친 이 작품, WASTE LAND는 잘 알려진 아티스트인 Vik Muniz가 그가 살고있는 브룩클린을 떠나 모국인 브라질로 가서, 리오 데 자네이로 외곽에 위치한 세계 최대의 쓰레기장, Jardim Gramacho에 이르기까지의 여정을 따라갑니다. 거기서 그는 재활용 쓰레기를 주워간 사람들인 "catadores"라는 집단을 촬영합니다. Muniz의 원래 의도는 catadores의 모습을 쓰레기를 가지고 표현해내려는 것이었지만, Muniz와 catadores의 협력과정에서, catadores들은 그들 자신의 모습을 쓰레기들을 가지고 재창조해나가면서 점차 자신들의 절망감과 존엄성을 다시금 그려보게 됩니다. (DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, BLINDSIGHT, COUNTDOWN TO ZERO의 제작자인)Lucy Walker감독과 공동 제작자인 João Jardim, Karen Harley는 이러한 전체 과정들을 훌륭하게 포착해냄으로서, 예술의 무궁무진한 가능성과 인간 정신의 놀라운 힘을 보여줍니다.

This time, Korean subtitles will be available!

이번에는 한국어 자막을 만들어 드리겠습니다!

DGL's movie nights are always free and open to one and all. Come early to enjoy a drink, snack, or meal at Buy the Book, or join us afterwards for a group dinner, this time at a special noodle shop (willing to use vegan broth for us!) near Banwoldang.

대구녹색살이가 주최하는 친환경 다큐멘터리는 늘 무료입장입니다! 누구나 와다 좋습니다. 일찍 와서 Buy the Book에서 음료나 간식이나 식사를 주문하셔도 되고, 상영이 끝나고 나서 같이 식사하러 가셔도 됩니다. 이번엔 반월당 근처 녹두렁칼국수 집에서 식사할 예정입니다. 완전채식 국수를 만들어 준대요!

Buy the Book is West of Samdeok Fire Station and South of 2.28 Park. It’s marked by Greek masks on the following map:

Buy the Book는 삼덕소방서에서 서쪽, 2.28공원에서 남쪽에 있습니다. 다음 지도에서 그 장소는 그리스식 탈로 표시되어 있습니다:

http://noksaeksari.blogspot.com/p/green-guide.html

Sunday, Dec 18, 6:00PM

12월 18일 일요일, 오후 6시.

WooriCoop - Bokhyeon, Beomeo, Taejeon

In the last post, I mentioned that two new local/organic markets (man, I really need a catchier name for these places. Any ideas out there?) had opened opened up over the last month. I was wrong. It's three^^ The other two are both branches of WooriCoop (우리/Woori can mean "we," "us," or "our," depending on the circumstances), one in Beomeo and one in Bokyheon-dong.  It turns out that there's also a third in Taejon-dong which has been around for a little bit longer.  It's like whack-a-mole, except I want them all to stay. Or to proliferate, even.

(The owners were too embarrassed to pose for a picture.  On my honor, though: the grandma is super cute and friendly.)

I stopped by the Bokhyeon-dong branch, which is only about 30 seconds from my front door, to scope it out and have a chat with the owner.  The shop is run by Mrs. Kwon and her mother, who live nearby and decided to open the store so that they could have access safe and healthy food for their family, and so that they could share the same with others. Mrs. Kwon says that she enjoys spending time in the shop, chatting with patrons about the health and environmental benefits of organic and whole food. Although she's sandwiched between stores that sell conventionally-produced stuff at lower prices, she says so far she's been getting a fair amount of attention, both from people who are already head-over-heels for organic and from people who don't even know what the word means.

Perhaps it's some of the following goodies that draw people in:

Eggs from free-range, antibiotic-free chickens.  4,200W for 10, 5,800W for 15.

Milk from cows and goats fed organic, antibiotic-free feed.

Yogurt and ice cream from the same!

Chocolate bars, agave, peanut butter, and nutella...

Vegan non-meats

Banchan, for those interested in slightly more indigenous fare.

Curios about the differences between WooriCoop, iCoop, aCoop, and other stores, I asked if they knew any of the producers directly; they said they didn't, so I guess that sort of stuff is taken care of by people at other levels of the franchise. While places like The Farmer's Market and The She-Bears' Den seem to have an optimal system in place, where the store managers maintain direct relationships with producers, I suppose it's also pretty cool that even people without connections to farmers and agricultural advocacy groups can get their foot in the door by joining up with a franchise. In any case, it's better than a GS25 opening on the corner.

This sign explains what WooriCoop is all about:

"Mom, what is a Saenghyeop?"

"Officially, it means 'Sobija (consumer) Saenghwal (life) Hyeopdong (cooperation) Johap (association).'  It's called a "Coop" in English, and it means that the members join together to try to solve social problems.  One Coop in England in 1844 had great success, and since then others have been appearing in various forms around the world.

"In a Coop, everybody is the owner. Because we work together to manage the business, every additional member helps us to lower prices and share other benefits. It's also a way for us to help each other out when things get tough.  The name 'WooriCoop' captures this spirit: if you and I become We, more is possible."

A bit more noble than "HomePlus, HomePlus, the price is nice!" Right?

I also gleaned a bit more info from the quarterly newsletter and from the website. Here's my best go at translating their company intro page. I took a fair amount of license with these:

Local Produce: we only deal in organic and eco-friendly produce. 
We provide you with produce that's domestic, not imported (except in some cases where domestic options are not available.) We safely supply over 2000 varieties of products that have received organic or eco-friendly certifications.

Through Our Own PB Brand: We supply inexpensive and safe products.
We offer a wide variety of safe, inexpensive, high-quality products developed through our own PB brand.

Low Monthly Fee, Lots of Benefits to Enjoy.
Just 3,000won to sign up and 3,000 a month gets you a 3-10% discount on everything in the store.  [For the record, the Bokyheon branch doesn't charge monthly fees, and all branches will return your initial deposit should you decided to cancel your membership.]

Living Together, Creating Community: people and nature, love and help.
WooriCoop was put together by consumers and producers who love the earth and want to help neighbors in need. A portion of proceeds from sales and membership fees goes to help underprivileged children.


Stable Distribution System: three levels, rapid service.
Our integrated delivery system allows us to offer the freshest produce. From beginning to end, everything is carefully inspected and cared for, ensuring safe and trustworthy delivery.

In case those translations weren't awkward enough, please allow me to try my hand at the poem on the back of the winter newsletter.  Please note that the word play works much better in Korean, because the word "Woori" has several meanings.

Becoming a member
Of OurCoop.
Living together,
Imagining a better life.

There's something that "you" and "I" can't do alone.

"We" are not just an organic shop.
"We" have stepped up to work together on food issues,
"We" are the start of a better life, which we're making together.

If you're reading this now,
You probably started out concerned about
Your child's skin problems, adult-onset diseases,
And food safety issues that grow worse by the day.
In the middle of looking here and there for help,
You've probably thought to yourself,
"I wish I didn't have to worry about my food, too."

"You" and "I" can't solve these problems alone.
But we can if we become "We."

"We" all hope to live better.

"We" want to share our happiness with others.

"We" want to be there when you need a hand.

So "We" cut through the froth, the superfluousness
And share the benefits.

Please join us.
If we become "We,"
More is possible.

Note that there's no need to blame the people in the stores for my abhorrent translation! Stop by, tell them they're awesome, and get yourself some good grub^^

The addresses are as follows:
Bokyeon Branch 대구 북구 복현동 266-10.  Open daily 10AM-8PM.
Beomeo Branch 대구 수성구 범어동 899-11.  Hours unconfirmed.
Taejeon Branch 대구 북구 태전동 198 경북화성파크 드림와이드상가 102호.  Hours unconfirmed.

All three branches have been added to the Green Guide, but here are some plain old directions just in case.

No subway serves the Bokyheon branch; to pay a visit, walk from the KNU North Gate towards the airport.  Go straight up the hill at the 5 way intersection (복현오거리), then cross the street at the bottom of the hill and turn right; it'll take 10 minutes from the intersection.  From the KNU main gate, simply walk down the hill (away from downtown), cross one middle-sized intersection (복현사거리), pass the Yeungjin College east gate, and keep going.  15 minute walk, max.

I'm not sure yet how to get to the Taejon branch, but the Beomeo one looks to be just South of the subway station. Come out of exit 6, go straight, and turn left at the intersection before the Paris Baguette.  It'll be on your left.

Happy Shopping!

"Biche, or Emptiness and Fullness," Hwanggeum ( 비움과 채움, 황금동)

Had I posted this three days ago, I would have been able to say:

Verily, the last 30 days have been days of plenty!  In addition to the bounty of Thanksgiving, we Daeguites have been blessed by the appeareance of not one but two brand new local/organic/whole food shops: Biche in Hwangggeumdong opened on October 30th, and WooriCoop in Bokhyeondong opened on November 23rd. I've yet to stop by the latter, though it's practically right outside my front door. I'm friends with the folks behind Biche, though, so I popped by a few weeks ago to see how everything is going.  

I stopped by to get a little tour from Park Gyeong-ho, whom I met almost nine months ago while staffing the first Daegu Bike Festival of 2011.  Gyeong-ho graduated from Daegu's own Kyungpook National University not too long ago and has since been working with other members of the Movement for a Cleaner, Greener Daegu (맑고푸른대구21, I don't think they have an official English name) to put together an enterprise dedicated to several facets of healthy, Earth-friendly living.

The first floor of Biche fairly standard, as far as health-food markets go.  They specialize on providing consumers with healthy whole foods, safe processed ones, and other household items that have minimal impacts on the environment. They source all of their fresh meat and produce from the local Andong Farmers' Cooperative, and sell noodles, cereals, bread, and snacks made from Korean wheat. 

Here are Biche's Health Principles:

- Serving healthy and delicious fruits in vegetables in accordance with the seasons and nature's providence is our first priority .
- All animals that provide us with meat and eggs are healthy and rasied without antibiotics or growth supplements.
- All processed foods are free of harmful chemical additives.
- By developing a local food system, we support the unity of rural farmers and urban consumers.
- All household goods (detergents, makeup, cookware, etc) are free of environmentally-disruptive hormones.

I asked Manager Park if there's anything special he wanted me to convey to foreigners here in Daegu. He replied that he's happy to know there are foreigners here interested in eating healthy and doing what's right for the environment, and regrets that he can't offer a wider range of English services.  He also asks that we understand that slightly higher prices reflect significantly higher quality and fair pay for farmers, not excessive profits for those running the business.  Finally, he wanted everyone to know that there's a good reason organic produce doesn't last quite as long as conventional stuff: in addition to pesticides and fertilizers, many crops are treated with chemicals that slow down the decay process. If your potatoes aren't sprouting eyes after a week or two, you should be worried about what they've been treated with. Eating fresh, healthy, whole food may cost a bit more in terms of money and attention, but it's worth it for the quality of food and the knowledge that you're doing something good for the environment with every bite.

Here are some of the goodies:

Organic jams, vegetarian-friendly meat substitutes, beef and dairy from grass-fed cows, organic olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and, unpictured, a wide selection of organic grains, beans, sauces, eggs, fruits, vegetables, snacks, and household products. 

The second floor, which is still under construction, will eventually become a restaurant serving Korean, vegetarian, and fusion cuisine made from whole, organic, local ingredients.  The third floor houses a "Health and Culture" center, which is available for group meals, meetings, and events, while the fourth floor will be home to a "Healing through Heat" Center, operated by author Pyo Byeong-gwan, who was diagnosed with liver cancer 35 years ago and credits his survival - and even subsequent flourishing - to eating healthy and letting his body take care of the rest. The name of the store comes from Mr. Pyo's experiences with the restorative effects of fasting.

Biche is located behind the Hwangeum-dong Taewan Honors Apartments about 1.5km south of the Suseong-gu Office subway station and 2km southwest of Mancheon subway station.  The closest bus stop is Dongdo Middle School (동도중학교), which is served by the 349, 414, 427, 449, 순환3, and 수성1 buses.  They're open daily from 10AM to 10PM.  No membership is necessary to shop there, but if you sign up for one, it costs 10k won/month and you get a 10% discount on everything you buy.

If you live in the area or are hungry for some good eats, pop by sometime!  I'm sure you'll get warm welcome.

Manager Park (Back row, right) with two employees. 

Still quite where Biche is?  Visit the Green Guide to Daegu and zoom in on Suseong-gu.  Or, find another organic shop closer to you. There are a tone!

Biche
대구광역시 수성구 황금동 132-5번지
053-744-9373

Buy the Book, 12월 and 1월

Hello! Here's Buy the Book's official schedule for the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012.  New events are sometimes added, so it never hurts to check the Buy the Book facebook group. 

Daegu Green Living has 3 eco-film nights on the calendar: Dec 18, Jan 15, and Jan 29.  The films haven't been chosen yet, so if you have and suggestions or requests, leave a comment^^ Feel free to suggest vegetarian or veg-friendly restaurants that we could visit as a group, too!

If you're not quite clear on the location, have a look at the Green Guide to Daegu Map. Buy the Book is smack-dab in the middle of downtown.

Thanksgiving Ggureomi

I got a message last night saying that my Ggureomi had been packed and shipped.

Then, I got a message while teaching (just after 9AM) saying that my Ggureomi would be delivered between 12 and 3PM.

Then, I got a ring at my doorbell at about 12:30.  The maildude had come!  Here's what he brought:

I didn't have to wonder what was inside, though, because I had been eagerly awaiting the delivery since receiving the contents message in advance on Monday: 1kg each of apples, tangerines, persimmons, pears, chestnuts, and tomatoes.  6k of local produce for 25000 won?! To rephrase, 13.2 pounds of organic fruit for $21.625?! This is too good to be true. I don't think I even need to include any recipes in this one. Just dig in. 

The nitty-gritty
Persimmons: organic, from 장성
Chestnuts: organic, from 공주
Apples: pesticide-free, domestic
Tangerines: organic, from 제주
Pears: organic, from 상주
"Turning point of the season fully-ripe tomatoes:" Organic, domestic.

There's also a little note on the newsletter: if you get a friend to sign up for Ggureomi, they'll send you a bag of organic indigenous/heirloom rice.

For information about signing yourself or a friend up to receive weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly Ggureomi deliveries, email noksaeksari at gmail dot com!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  And a big "Thank You" to Heuksalim for providing us with all this goodness!

Purchasing Power: Organic Certifications in Korea

(from an upcoming issue of Daegu Compass)

After hearing that I’ve been here for five years, Koreans often ask me what it is that I miss most about the USA. My family? My friends? My house? My mother tongue? The food? All good guesses, and I’d hate to try to say which one sits at the top of my list. But there’s something else that nobody ever seems to consider: being able to give back to my society as much as I take from it. In a word, responsibility.

It’s nearly impossible for foreigners here to take an active role in standing up for our beliefs, in working to make the city we live in a better place. I’ve heard about and met so many people who were vegetarians, foodies, activists, or volunteers back home, who have been reduced to earner/consumers, not through any particular fault of their own, but simply because it’s so difficult to be anything else here. We can’t vote, and even if we could, how would we have any idea who to vote for? We don’t have the freedom to remodel our homes to make them more energy efficient. We have a tough time searching out and participating in meaningful volunteer opportunities. And, even at our schools and hagwons, where we all see a million things we’d like to fix, we’re often next to powerless. It almost seems like the best we can hope to do is take shorter showers and turn off the lights when we leave the room.

There is one thing we can do, though, that’s just as easy here as it was back home, one instance in which it doesn’t matter that you look and speak different from just about everyone else. I’m talking about shopping. If you’re one of those who have decided to put their idealism on hold, I want to let you know that there’s no need to do so. Your cash here is just as good as anyone else’s, and there are tons of ways to put it to good use.

Personally, I’m into food. Food is at the nexus of so many crucial issues, from environmental degradation to women’s rights, from individual health to social justice, from the slow death of rural communities to the explosion of cities and the expansion of corporations. Name a social or political problem – I guarantee you that someway, somehow, food links in. And, because we all eat three or more times a day, we have thousands of opportunities a year to make our dollars (yeah, ok, not dollars, but whatever) count.

One of the single best things you can do for your health, for society’s, and for the planet’s, is to support local, organic farmers as much as possible. This cuts down on fertilizer in the water, reduces the amount of pesticide in your food, decreases the amount of fossil fuel used to bring your food to your plate, tends to keep farms small and diversified, and leaves all the plants and animals involved – including us! – safer and stronger.

Or, at least, so one hopes. It all depends on what the word “organic” means. I thought I pretty much knew the answer, but in order to get a little more clarity, I decided to talk to someone a bit more informed. So, on a recent trip to Sweet Persimmon Village in Changwon, Gyeongsangbukdo, where I occasionally volunteer by picking persimmons or teaching kids how to sow and harvest potatoes and rice, I sat down for a chat with Mr. Gang Chang-guk (강창국). Mr. Gang’s family has been farming persimmons for several generations, and Mr. Gang himself graduated with an MS in Agricultural Science from Seoul National University. He has been studying and experimenting with organic agriculture for years, and his farm produces persimmons at each level of certification, in addition to rice, watermelons, strawberries, and all the food that he and his family need for the year. He pulled out a bunch of documents and we went through them together. Here’s what I learned:

Various public and private groups are authorized to grant certifications to farmers; no matter which one the farmer chooses to go through, though, all certifications in Korea share some basic ground rules, laid out by the National Agricultural Products Management Service (NAQS). First of all, farmers who apply for certifications of any type have to be willing to open their farm to inspectors at any time, and have to have produce samples inspected before sale. Second, they must only use government-approved varieties of low-impact fertilizers and pesticides, always keeping on hand detailed information about which and how much. Third, they have to keep detailed records of their yields and who they sell their produce to. Fourth, they must demonstrate a constant yearly decline in the amount of pollutants in the soil and water at their farms. Fifth, they may not make use of any GMO seeds.  Finally, there are some other non-binding standards that farmers are expected to work towards. They are encouraged to rotate crops, to plant beans and clover to restore the health of the soil, to refrain from treating their products with x-rays, and to take care with their own natural fertilizers and pesticides so as not to disturb farmers nearby. All of these rules make for healthy soil, plants, animals, people, and communities.

The lowest-level certification is “저농약농산물.” Jeo is Chinese for low, while nong, yak, nong, san, and mul mean “farm,” “medicine/poison,” “farm,” “production,” and “stuff,” respectively. Produce carrying this Low-Pesticide Produce certification

• has been grown with less than half the chemical fertilizer used on standard farms
• has been sprayed with pesticide less than half as frequently as standard produce (at regulated doses)
• has been grown without weedkiller; pesticide is applied only to the produce itself
• has had its final pesticide treatment more than twice as far away from the harvest dates as the minimum required by law.

The mid-level certification is “무농약농산물,” where Mu means “none.” Produce bearing this Pesticide-Free Produce certification

• meets or exceeds all the criteria for the Low-Pesticide Produce certification
• has been grown without any chemical pesticides at all
• has been grown with less than one third the chemical fertilizer of standard produce

This certification, when applied to animals, is called “무항생제축산물,” where Hang means “combat,” saeng means “life,” je means “drug”, and chuk means “animal.” Meat, eggs, and dairy with this certification come from animals that have been given feed without added antibiotics or antimicrobials.

The highest-level certification is “유기농농산물,” in which Yugi means “organic.” Organic produce:

• meets all the standards for Low-Pesticide and Pesticide-Free produce certifications, plus
• has been grown without any chemical fertilizers or pesticides for a minimum of two years for annual plants and three years for perennial ones

Meat that has been certified organic is called “유기농축산물” and, in addition being antibiotic-free, has been given feed that itself meets the criteria for organic certification.

When you’re shopping, keep an eye out for these emblems They’re usually placed prominently on the front of packages, and, ideally, will have some information just underneath about who certified the product and precisely what certifications it lives up to. NAQS-certified products are available in all of the Local/Organic specialty shops around Daegu, as well as in most mid- and large-size supermarkets. Isn’t it fantastic that you can support organic farmers, and all that they stand for, simply by buying and preparing whole, healthy, delicious food? Chow down.

For information about Daegu stores specializing in eco-friendly produce, to receive weekly or monthly organic produce deliveries, or for more on other ways of making a greener Daegu, check out the group Daegu Green Living on Facebook or visit our blog at http://noksaeksari.blogspot.com. Most of the official information quoted above is available at the English version of the NAQS website, http://naqs.go.kr/english.