The Pacific Northwest Explorers, a sub club of the Lewis Community Spouses' Club, ventured to South Tacoma Way, recently, to an area referred to locally as Koreatown. This international zone has a wide variety of shops and restaurants that are authentically Korean. If your family has been stationed in South Korea, you will likely find some of your favorite products and food. For those who haven't tried Korean food, it is a great place to sample some new culinary treats.

The first stop was Shin Shin Enterprise. This is a department store with an amazing variety of products from South Korea and other Asian countries. It is reminiscent of walking the stalls and markets in small South Korean towns. Some things our group found interesting were training chopsticks for kids, bamboo backscratchers ($1.99 for two) and Korean facemasks for 50 cents each. Korean skincare is trending now, and you can find a large selection at Shin Shin at bargain prices. Make sure to check out Cheong-ja, which translates to blue-green porcelain. It is also known as Celadon pottery and is a traditional Korean art. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday, 8726 S. Tacoma Way, Lakewood, 253.582.2975

The group moved next to Pal-Do World, a Korean grocery store that also has a food court and boulangerie (bakery), as well as other little shops. The food court has a variety of counter restaurants that serve Korean, Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Order at the counter and your food is brought out to you by servers, restaurant-style. Depending on what type of food you choose, condiments and pickled side dishes are brought to the table with steaming pots of hot tea (if ordered) while you wait for your meal. Food is cooked to order, so if you are really hungry, grab a Korean steamed dumpling from House of Mandoo. These soft pillows of warm spongy dough are steamed to perfection and filled with a seasoned pork filling. They are yummy and inexpensive. Two other varieties are available.

Once finished with lunch, the group explored the market, which has hard-to-find Asian ingredients to make your favorite foods. There were also interesting surprises like an intricate machine that makes what I can only describe as fish-shaped mini eclairs filled with creamy custard. It was fascinating to watch and very tasty to sample. The market sells a variety of pickled vegetables and kimchi as well as fresh seafood and has a giant tank filled with Dungeness crab at the great price of $8.99 a pound. On your way out, make sure to stop in the boulangerie, which, in addition to baked goods and breads, has a beautiful selection of colorful macarons packaged perfectly to present as a gift. Open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily, 9701 S. Tacoma Way, Lakewood, 253.581.7800

The Pacific Northwest Explorers meets the third Thursday of each month from September to May. You must be a member of LCSC to participate. For more information, visit lewiscommunityspousesclub.org.