I was excited to visit a Korean Costco for the first time. I wondered if they’d have any of the things that I used to buy in America and to see items only available in Korea. There were definitely things that you couldn’t buy back home in the US. One item that grabbed my attention were giant octopuses in the meat and seafood section. They ranged in price from $40-$60. They had some regular steaks, but they were a little pricey at between $60-$70 a pack. I was also drawn to a couple of interesting snacks, one being little dried fish (I can hear you gagging). The other one appeared to be icing between saltine crackers….now that just sounds like something you eat as a poor college kid, not a legitimate packaged food! 

There were lots of fascinating items throughout the store, but nothing caught my attention as much as what I saw in the snack bar. I stopped to grab a famous Costco hot dog and see if it is the same as back home….I think it is, not 100% sure, but it was good. After receiving my hot dog, I walked over to the condiment bar to add some freshly chopped onions and mustard of course. As I waited, and waited, and waited in a line to get onions, Questions were going through my head…. 

•How long does it take to put some onions on your hot dog?

•Why is that man filling his drink cup with onions? 

•Is that a plate full of onions? 

•Who needs 30 pumps of ketchup?

•Am I on ‘crazy pills’?

•What in the hell is going on here?

I sat back down to eat my dressed up hot dog, and looked around trying to figure out what the heck was happening around me. I saw piles of it on every table. I found out later it is something referred to as ‘Costco Kimchi’. It’s a concoction of chopped onions, ketchup, and mustard—so basically the condiment bar as a buffet. People were making it by the plateful and sharing it with their group. People were filling up plastic bags and drink cups and taking it to go. Costco even provided plates and utensils at the condiment bar which made it seem as though they were intended to be used for the purpose of making this ‘D.I.Y kimchi’.

After I got home, I did what any curious person pondering one of life’s great mysteries would do—I googled it. That’s when I read a story from Business Insider discussing the phenomenon known as ‘Costco Kimchi’. The article said that out of the 13 Costco locations in South Korean, they use 200 tons of onions! That is 20 times more than in the US Stores. 

I guess for this to make any sense at all, you must first understand kimchi and its important role in Korean cuisine. Typically kimchi is eaten at almost every meal, and at many restaurants it is a side dish that is unlimited—all you can eat! There are 100’s of varieties of kimchi and around 1.5 million tons of it are consumed each year! Kimchi is not just a food, it’s an important part of Korea’s culture (so important that there is a Kimchi Museum in Seoul—yes I went!). So if you’re used to having free kimchi with every meal, and Costco doesn’t offer any…I guess you make your own. This impromptu kimchi created from the condiment bar satisfies the need for something that is acidic, a little spicy, and can cut through the heavy, greasiness of the snack bar food items. (allegedly, since I didn’t try it!). After witnessing this culinary creation in person, I’d say Plato was right!—“Necessity is the mother of invention”