Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Well, yes. I have heard this before. Yes, my parents still refer to anything that isn't milk or bread as "luxury foods." We have changed. Thank God we have someone that is prepared to discuss this rationally rather than just slam westerners for being lazy. More thinly veiled contempt for whites. To the original poster, you really want to know why? Because Koreans consume 30% fewer calories overall than people in North American and Europe. Koreans simply eat less, which is another thing that Korea shares with "developing" nations despite being a developed nation. Koreans, in many ways, still think like people in developing nations. If that means not being fat, good, but there are negative aspects: materialism, anti-intellectualism, racism, sexism and ageism being some of the most obvious.

[Korea Newfie]

[The Bobster]

Korea Newfie wrote

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Now. Lets talk about something really heavy:



These are The Fatboys in the 1984 film Krush Groove. They were heavy and proud of it and they made millions. Get down.

[Sliver]

cedar wrote

[mapomope]

[Skippy]

Why are westerners fat is such a large and loaded question. There are many reasons why and I mean many - re are few.


1. Diet - people eat different food in different countries Korea = rice and Kimchi and ramyeon Japan Rice and Sushi US, Canada, Australia=Bread, Soda, Meat, More Meat, Chips, Pizza, Pasta, Fast FOOD. I can go on.

2. Genetics and Hereditry. Westerns are are wide variaty of stock you have tall, skinny people, short, fat people. Look at koreans it the same usually body type and person. In a sense they all look alike and are alike.

3. Sendentary lifestyles. We walk less and sit and computer more and we just do not burn calories. Korean are becoming similar more relaxed. Expect more fat bottomed girls.

4. Changes in food production. Rice is out and meat is in. Less vegtables and more meat. Less healthy simple foods and more junk food like chips.

5. Self esteem. Westerners at time are more "comci com sa" about it. "So what if I am a bit big around the waste - what ever". As korean are more "Oh my god I am fat I am worthless I must diet"

6. Change in eating habbits. People eat less three squares a day and snack and over eat more often. In Korea this is becoming worse. Children are not having a healthy supper of Rice and Kimichi but are being given 2000 won and told to have a snack while they are at night school.

Well there are some reasons why. My personal belief is Koreans are in for the same as us in the future. More fats kids are visible now a days.

LONG LIVE THE FATSO!

Skippy

[Korea Newfie]

[Wombat]

There is a flip side to all of this - while thinness is the predominant desire of social culture, what about the naturally thin people who are constantly being told to put on weight? Comments over one's size in any form can be hurtful; just because someone is pointing out a lack of weight does not make it a compliment!

I agree - there are plenty of obese kids here, and it can be put down to what everyone's been saying: more processed, sugary junk foods, less wholesome healthy traditional foods. It is a syndrome of Asian nations who are enjoying their Yuppie Years. At the moment, Korea is a heavy economic power, and is consuming, consuming, consuming at a MASSIVE rate. So naturally, companies are taking advantage of this free-for-all and mass-marketing every bit of junk food they thinkj of. In about 15-20 years, I reckon Korea will wise up, sober up and hop on the treadmill.

Wombat

[mokpochica]

Was just reading 'Confessions of a Former Fattie' again and remembering how interesting some of those posts were.

Something I've been interested in for a while now is the connection between poverty and obesity. It seems counter-intuitive that those who are poorest would have such obesity problems, but another poster said it well when he states that a lot of cheap food these days is the unhealthy food. Here are some interesting links about the connection between poverty and obesity:
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/449.htm
http://www.undp.org/fojam/obesity_speech.htm

And of course much has been said about our new sedentary lifestyle and its connection to being overweight or obese. I found an interesting quote on this page linked below (full of interesting quotes):
"Globally, women generally have higher rates of obesity than men do, although men may have higher rates of overweight. "
The Sedentary lifestyle and obesity connection:
http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_global_epidemic.shtml

It's funny how public perception changes with time and situation. In some cultures, fat is beautiful and in others it's hideous. I remember a teacher once saying to me that in many ancient societies, people who were fat were looked up to as rich, prosperous, and beautiful. Nowadays it's flipped around a bit in some cases--some of out most rich and prosperous people (especially those who depend on their looks for their job) are thin. In some cases they have become more successful as they have lost more weight (Jennifer Aniston, Callista Flockheart, Lara Flynn-Boyle, etc. ). I guess the one thing we can count on is that the ideals of beauty will always be changing. Remember the Rubenesque beauties of yesteryear? http://falcon.jmu.edu/~brooksrg/rubens.html

[Zyzyfer]

The search function issue is a big grey area, from what I see. There's a ton of "Korean Girl" threads that keep getting rehashed over and over again, with little to nothing done about them.

I really think the search function is better for hard information or for things that really offer very little in terms of discussion or debate, and that these discussion threads should get a little more leeway. But, then, I'm not a mod, am I?

[mokpochica]

[The Lemon]

[Gord]

[HardyandTiny]