I walk into the mega grocery store that resembles an airport hanger. It is  gargantuan in size. The generic soft listening music comically contrasts the  bright lights and the hectic pace inside. The population of the staff is  larger than a small village. There are at least fifty cash registers, and  all of them are lined with customers.

As I walk through the thief detectors, I am almost knocked over by a price  check boy flying by on roller blades. I think to myself, OK, no need to  panic, in and out as quickly as possible. I stride purposefully towards the vegetable section, but get lost in the labyrinth of geometric aisles. I pass  an area for clothes, electronic department with one-hour photos. Where am I? 
Maybe it's time for a new shirt, TV, VCR, CD's, Camera. My mind wanders, but  I focus on the mission.  I take a right and come upon books and magazines.  Maybe I should check out the Rushdie. I am lost in a desert of everything  you want but can't really afford. In a daze, I hail a stocker and ask,  'Where's the corn?" Nothing difficult about such a request, right! Suddenly,  I am faced with a friendly barrage of questions, utterly throwing me off  balance. Vertigo and confusion. My neurons start smoking.

  "Well sir, what kind of corn are you looking for? We have fresh corn, corn  on the cob, frozen corn, canned corn, bagged corn, cooked corn, boiled corn,  raw corn, sweet corn, baby corn, maize corn, American corn, Canadian corn,  European corn, Asian corn, homegrown corn, corn dogs, cornbread, corned  meat. If you wish, I will direct you to their respective aisles..."

  It is at this point my brain overloads, the circuits start firing randomly. The only clear thought is escape. Behind me I hear, "Sir, the corn. Which aisle should I direct you to? Sir!"
 

  Korea, what a different story. It is here that your selection is relegated only to which grandmother to buy from at the street market. You can find what you're looking for, and if not, a suitable replacement. Less of a dilemma, so much clearer, easier!

  So many mundane choices in the West. You are given the choice, and you feel a sense of pride and well being to be able to choose the corn of your choice. This is our Freedom! You gotta love it! I AM. A subtle, honey-tongued little voice whispers, that's it, expend more mental energy deciding between frozen corn and canned corn, MCains or Green Giant, between Nike and Addidas. It feels so good! It's so easy to get sucked into the mundane vacuum of choices. Fake and sterile. Maybe we categorize the difference first world, second world, third world; industrialized, semi-agrarian/industrialized; poor, rich; West, East.     Whatever the 
categories, Korea is different because the distance between illusion and reality is less far. When you go shopping in a 'sijang', you can almost smell the manure. It's an orgy of people and life. You can see the ragged, swollen hands which have planted and harvested the food. How different it is with the genetically engineered, perfect vegetables and fruit of the modern day supermarket with the beautiful people selling it. So many beautiful cashiers with white, smooth hands. I've had many a fantasy about my local Safeway girl. Truly, it's is an orgy of only the senses, negating all the unforgivable and despicable in life: the sweat and grief, shit and piss. Why has no Safeway I've been in ever had a customer's washroom?

  Thus, it was to my great horror when I walked into Home Plus in Sasang with a girlfriend. It was sic deja vous. It seems that the stamp of progress has been mailed and opened in many countries, including Korea. Of course their still exist the street markets, but for how long. The inevitable enlightening tide is slowly enveloping the globe. Nothing is wrong with cleanliness, but one must not forget that forgetting is quite easy to do. It's just a matter of pulling the golden toilet hand and flushing down the unwanted, easily forgotten shit down.

  Ok everybody, let's go! Everybody grab a hold of each other's hands, a multifarious union of people, and let's walk together into the new frontier. The bright lights of the MEGA this and that beckon. FIGHTING!!