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www.groovekorea.com / February 2014 44 FOOD & DRInK Edited by Josh Foreman (joshforeman@groovekorea.com) T he first time I heard about iHerb.com was, appropriately, during my lunch hour. As I munched lazily on my rice, daikon radishes and creamy corn salad — you know the one — I thought, gee, how lame. Staring back up at me under the fluorescent lights was another lunch, the same friggin’ one I had yesterday. It’s not like I didn’t enjoy miso soup, kimchi and those teeny little quail eggs; hell, rice has become one of my favorite things, lovable for its warm comfort and cheekstuffability. But even the happiest expat, the biggest Korean food junkie and even those who are thoroughly dazzled by their new life on the peninsula have a desire for diversity. I’m in love with Korea, but man, some- times a person needs a change. How perfect, then, that a previously unremarkable c ow- orker came walking down the aisle, bouncy and bubbling as I stared careworn at my uneaten seaweed and said, “Do you want to share my quinoa? I brought enough for both of us.” Do I ... wha? Do want to share your, um ... WHAT? She casually passed over a container full of quinoa and kalamata olives, and I gaped. In that little box was a simple meal shining far brighter than my rice and radishes be- cause, damn, how long had it been since I’d had quinoa? And olives?! Her generous offering only represented a slice of what she had at home, as I would eventually come to see later that week: organic sea salt chocolate bars, shredded coconut, whole wheat stoneground flour, green An ode to iHerb An American site is the wistful foreigner’s friend story and Photo by Shelley DeWees
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