[sho_hn]

I feel you. I moved to Seoul, South Korea a few months ago, a city of many thousands of coffeeshops. Among the natives, Starbucks is really popular -- meanwhile I go out of my way to avoid going there, because it's frustrating to move 8500km and not feel the distance traveled after putting the effort into it. The rising popularity of IKEA, which arrived in Korea about two years ago, is concerning for the same reason.

It's really not about naively craving exoticism (which inevitably wears off anyway), it's just a desire for an environmental confirmation of a major life change, the absence of which is psychologically disconcerting.

Luckily there's still a boatload of little unique, charming. non-chain coffeeshops to go to, too.

[hocuspocus]

If there's one thing I really missed during my time in Korea, it'd probably be Ikea. There's just no good alternative.

[sho_hn]

You can always play gmarket roulette ...