SEOUL – In the United States, Everything but the Bagel seasoning is a favorite from Trader Joe’s, known for the savory goodness it adds to foods from salmon to waffles. But in South Korea, the trendy topping is generating a different kind of buzz as fans realize it’s actually contraband. South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has the bagel seasoning on its list of “hazardous foods purchased overseas” – and in recent weeks, some South Koreans who have had it confiscated at the airport have warned other Trader Joe’s aficionados about the consequences of bringing it in.
South Korean law classifies poppy seeds – an ingredient in the seasoning – as a narcotic, meaning possession is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of about $36,000. While punishment is rare, it seems those coming to the country will have to bring anything but Everything but the Bagel. Kang Joo-eun, 31, read about the ban on social media the night before she returned to South Korea from her honeymoon in New York.
She was planning to bring the seasoning but she eventually decided against it. To her surprise, after she landed in South Korea, Kang was pulled aside for inspection. “Agents walked around showing people a picture of Everything but the Bagel seasoning and took away the jars,” she said.
It turned out she had forgotten to discard nuts that were coated with the same seasoning. Kang was asked to fill out a customs form declaring that she brought a narcotic item .