@Djanita Dairy Game || 20-Dec-2024 || Exploring a Korean-Style Convenience Store in Karachi

Today when I woke up in the morning, there was this stress in my heart that I have to go to the university today and the semester is coming to an end, so the pressure of final projects is on our place. In a way, projects are not just projects, but it feels like a war, because final year project is also going on in the same period, and everything has become a complete mess. I started the journey to the university, and when I reached there, it was the session of presentations. I gave presentations together with the group, and when all this was over, I felt a strange kind of relief. But the relief did not last for long, because the report of the projects had to be submitted.

When I returned home, I sat down on my laptop and started completing the project report. This work cannot be done alone and GPT helped me a lot. I completed the report and submitted it, there was a strange feeling of peace but the place was my own. And then just as everything was finished, the electricity went off. It was dark and silent in the house and I had to charge the phone which was already dead. Load shedding seems quite manageable in winters as there is no heat, but when there is no internet and the devices die, life comes to a standstill. I just waited for two hours and at that time I felt how challenging all this is.

Then my sister came to me and asked if I wanted to go with her to a new convenience store that has opened in Karachi. At first I thought I would not go as I was tired and was not in the mood, but then I thought this could be a small outing which will lighten my day a bit and of course this could be a new experience for me. Till now this is the only solution to my day but this small thing has given me a refreshing energy.

I deserve a mention of that convenience store that recently opened in Karachi. This store is inside the Habitt Store at Sharah-e-Faisal, which is a furniture market. But now it is not just a furniture spot, as this small convenience store has attracted the attention of the whole city. Being the only store, it was obvious that people would be attracted to it. The sales increased day after day, and the store is packed with customers every day.

Many of the people I meet or talk to are K-drama and K-pop fans. Not just BTS, their craze for other groups and dramas is also worth watching. I also like this because I am a K-drama and K-pop fan myself. Whenever there are such cute things in the city, there is a different kind of excitement.

I have watched a lot of K-dramas and movies and I still watch them. I stare at my favorite K-pop idols and make my heart happy by watching their concerts online. Having a convenience store here, that too like this, seems like a dream. The small but aesthetic convenience stores that you see in K-dramas have become a reality. This is exactly what "True Beauty" feels like, if you understand it then winks.

My sister and I went to that store, and the first thing I noticed was the crowd. The place was very small and so crowded that I felt it would be difficult to just breathe. I literally started getting the opposite feeling, but had to adjust due to the excitement. Most of the customers there were teenagers like me, who either came with their friends or were fulfilling their K-drama fantasies.

This store which was supposedly supposed to be "convenient" was not like that at all. The place was already small and there were so many people that it was hard to have a proper experience. The line was so long that we had to stand for 2 hours straight for our turn. But both of us sisters were adamant and decided that now when it was time to come, we would eat something and then go back.

When finally our turn came, we decided to definitely try those noodles which we could never eat ourselves. I bought yellow buldak noodles, one of my sisters bought the pink ones and the other one bought the black ones. This noodles making experience was also different as the store had installed a separate machine where noodles could be made. But there was a different payment for it and there was a different story for toppings. Cheese, corns, meat, cheese slices, rice cakes, corn dogs and other side items all had to be purchased separately and their rates were quite expensive.

Still, since this was our first experience, we decided to buy as much as we wanted. I bought corns and sausages for my little hot pot dish and added rice cakes as well. My sisters added a cheese slice and corns to their dishes. When the food was ready, we felt we needed something to flush down the heavy food. I bought leeche soft drink, MOGU MOGU, and one of my sisters preferred canned drink. The third sister had a bad throat, so we didn't let her drink and saved her money. We thought it was a smart decision, but seeing her disappointed face we also felt like laughing.

All these things were definitely expensive, but since we had the first time experience, it all seemed worth it.

When we sat down to eat our noodles, we felt a strange embarrassment. People standing in the line were looking at us again and again as if we were eating some alien thing. These eyes were not only on our food but also on us, which was quite awkward. That is why we decided that we will go to the top floor and not go down and enjoy our noodles. Going there, we got the peace that both of us sisters wanted and finally we enjoyed our food. That moment was in a way bringing back K-drama memories and that experience was very much needed.

If I talk about ratings, I would give this experience a 6 out of 10. The reason for this is not only that the store was crowded, but the management was also lacking. If you come across such a setup which obviously attracts a lot of attention of the people, then there should have been enough space. Those things were missing here. And the price of the food also seemed too high.

The price of Buldak noodles was 11.338 Steem, which I would have got for 9.63 Steem if I had bought it from a regular shop. This difference is definitely small, but noticeable. Prices were increased for standards and aesthetics, but the quality of toppings like corn and BBQ sauce was not as good as it should have been. The corns were cold and hard, which was a bad experience. Toppings cost 0.944 Steem, which seemed quite high considering quality. Corn dogs, rice cakes, and samgak gimbap cost 2.83 Steem, which was higher than expected price.

But because this was the experience of a new place, and inspired by Eastern Asian ideas, its popularity is guaranteed. This is going to be a hit, especially for K-drama and K-pop fans. I would definitely like to go there again, but only when the atmosphere is a little peaceful and less crowded. At that time the experience feels even better.

Thankyou Everyone
@djanita🤗