Afraid so, reports the Korea Times:
Japan and many other countries are abuzz over the safety of “made-in-China” products, but Seollal holiday foods are unlikely to be China-free.
Many housewives and market distributors complain that the soaring price of domestic vegetables and other ingredients is drawing them to Chinese products, which are only about half the price.
[...]
Most of the fish used in ritual ceremonies is also from China as is the bean sprouts. “Not many people seek for Korean ones because they are quite expensive,” a clerk at Lotte Mart said.
Fear not, dear readers — the mutton in the Tsagaan Sar buuz at Chez Marmot comes straight from Kiwiland.
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5 Comments
Will departed ancestors mind the lead and mercury?
Oh, that buuz sounds GOOD!!! Wish my woman could tolerate lamb/sheep.
This also is a long-term problem for the soundness of classical Korean cuisine (not street food). There has currently been a shortage of Korean soybean, thus the importing of soybean from elsewhere. I always try to find produce from Korean farmers, even if it is more expensive because of quality and also to support farmers here.
I also note that the new government will be subsidizing organic fertilizer more so from now on. Though their reasoning is that Chemical fertilizer prices have risen dramatically, if the Korean Government could help Korean farmers go organic, it could increase the global market share and price of organic produce grown in Korea, especially since there is a growing market for true organic food that is healthier than industrially processed food that is causing much concern (rightfully so too).
Anybody think that China is unfairly being given a bad rap?
Absolutely not, judging upon past reports of contaminated produce from China. They have been used as a bad guy for certain things such as the frozen dumpling scare in Japan, which may indeed be the result of someone in Japan but we do not know yet where the pesticide found in the frozen Chinese dumplings came from yet. Per the IHT article on this: