About Me

Originally from Rochester, NY, I packed up my life after graduating college and moved to South Korea in September 2010 to follow my heart and my ambitions. I am currently teaching English as a Second Language in a public middle school in Suwon.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

"You want to go eat WHAT?"

Anyeong!


The reality of me leaving Korea and going back home has gotten me thinking. My past few posts could make you think that I've resisted every aspect of Korean culture. I haven't. There are many sayings, gestures, etc. that have become so natural to me that it's hard to define them anymore. Just to prove to you, here's a list things that are so second nature that you might catch me doing or saying them when I return stateside next month. A lot of these became apparant to me during my vacation to Malaysia and Thailand, especially the restaurant-related things. Actually, you'll see that a lot of these are food related.



  • Speaking Konglish (Korean + English). I tend to incorporate the very little Korean I do know into my normal conversations. For example: "Lunch was so mashisoyo [delicious] today!" "Pali pali [hurry], we don't want to be late." "Hey chingus! [friends]" "Milk opseyo [there is no milk]". OR, you might even catch me speaking English like Koreans do. Example: "That shirt costs much money." or, "Ugh, octopus is not delicious!

  • Making an "X" with my arms (or sometimes index fingers) to indicate that I don't want something. For example, if I'm ordering food, I might say "I'll have the salad, but no olives." [*makes "X" with arms*]

  • Slurping my food

  • Instead of sucking noodles up from the plate, I might place them on a spoon by picking some up with my chopsticks and swirling them in a circulur motion (like preparing a soft-serve ice cream cone) while slowly lowering them towards the spoon so the noodles are in a neat pile. This is how Koreans eat noodles, especially if they are in soup. It's actually a good system because it gives the noodles a chance to cool off before you eat them. This is good when Koreans like their food piping hot and I would like to keep my taste buds THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

  • Eating with chopsticks like a champion.

  • Waving goodbye or hello with two hands, especially to friends.

  • Happily eating shrimp or clams. These are the "safest", most normal, and most familiar seafood to me in a sea (pun intended) of octopus, prawn, squid, and jellyfish-laden food in Korea, so I am relieved if I can find a dish with only those in it.

  • Really enjoying (and often craving) eating dried seaweed. Still can't stand it when it's wet and slimy in soup or vegetable salad, but it's really quite good when it's dry and seasoned with salt and olive oil. It comes in packages like this, and I sometimes eat it straight from the package as a snack.



  • Wishing everyone a good meal before we eat. Koreans always say Jalmukesumneda before people start eating. It translates directly into "eat a lot", but the meaning is the same as bon apetit. I actually really enjoy this becuase it makes the meal more special, more ceremonial. Saying "enjoy your meal" turns people sitting at a table together into a community of people eating a meal together. This is probably something I'll make an active effort to continue even if I never return to Korea.

  • Taking off my shoes whenever I go inside a home or restaurant.


  • Becoming complacent with mediocre Italian food (though I am determined to change this the minute my feet touch American soil!)

  • Giving and taking things with both hands, or with one hand touching the elbow of the outstretched arm. This is the polite way to give or recieve something in Korea, especially money or a gift.


  • Pouring everybody else's drinks at the table. In Korea, you're never supposed to fill your own glass (especially with alcohol). Or, if you are pouring my drink, I will pick up the cup from the table and hold it with both hands (or with one as I described above) as you pour.

  • Looking for a button on the table at a restaurant to press for attention from the waiter or waiter. My friends & I call it the "yo-gi-oh button" because yo-gi-oh means "over here" in Korean. It's what you shout when you're ready to order at a restaurant. Most places have buttons, though, which you can press for immediate attention from the staff.

  • Forgetting to ask for the check at a restaurant. Here, as soon as order the waiter or waitress will bring you the bill and set it on the corner of the table. Then you bring the check up to the cashier and on your way out. In Thailand and Malaysia we all found ourselves puzzled that we got up to leave and realized we didn't have the check. We were all used to not having to ask for it!

  • Bowing my head and upper body when saying hello, goodbye, or thank you.

I'm sure there are more, but that's a good list to start with I think. I wonder what American tendencies I'm no longer doing...



See you all very soon!
Love, Mel

2 comments:

  1. mel! these are GREAT! i can't wait to witness all of them. at once :) the one that made me laugh out loud was waving with two hands. really?! that is a very funny image.

    i know what you mean about wishing people a good meal before starting. it's the same in israel, and i continue it here. we can have a multi-lingual before meal ceremony!!!

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  2. how fun! I can't wait to see you be all Korea-ey when you get home :)

    I, like Maren and you, love the idea of wishing people a good meal. Also, the pouring your own drink thing also stands in Italy, and at Passover too, remember?

    2 WEEKS

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