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Parents of the bride/groom meeting at Starbucks

 
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mindmetoo



Joined: 02 Feb 2004

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:26 pm    Post subject: Parents of the bride/groom meeting at Starbucks Reply with quote

I was in Gangnam the other day, in a Starbucks, with a couple friends. One of my friends was Korean. Anyway, behind us there were two older couples. One of the women just started on a little tear, then the man I presume was her husband started getting loud. His wife started pounding on the table. They all had various papers in front of them.

I asked my Korean friend what they were all fired up about. She listened it. It sounded like the loud couple were upset at what the other couple were providing in terms of appliances. I think they were negotiating the marriage of their children and the loud couple felt the other couple weren't contributing enough in terms of worldly goods.

Anyway, eventually the loud guy got up, grabbed both his umbrella and his wife's umbrella and stormed out. The way he was dressed too was hilarious. A pin striped navy suit with an out of date cut over a multi colored golf shirt with stripes going the other way. Pure ajusshi wear.

Everyone in the starbucks (mostly people studying for those english exams they need to get promotions) were shooting them some dirty looks, insofar as Koreans can shoot old people dirty looks.

The loud guy eventually came back. They lit up a bit more. He started lightly hitting his wife. I got my camera ready to film this but it never came to real blows. And then some how they seemed to quiet down and everyone left as one.

The amazing thing is the other old guy sat back through the whole thing with his eyes barely open. He had this look on his face like "I just got to sit here and it will be over eventually."


Last edited by mindmetoo on Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:25 am; edited 1 time in total
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ajgeddes



Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks god that'll never happen in my life.

On another note though, my parents met my girlfriends parents and it went really well. The dads even both had shorts on.
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pkang0202



Joined: 09 Mar 2007

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The gifts that are exchanged during Korean weddings is pretty serious. In fact, its gotten so serious that its become outright ridiculous.

I remember a few months ago, it was in the news that a couple Korean stars got married and the apartment that the bride's family offered the groom's offended the groom's family.

Getting married in Korea is not expensive because of the actual ceremony, its expensive because of all the gifts being exchanged behind the scenes.

Personally, I know a girl who is getting married after just knowing the guy for 2 months. She's a pianist and her parents set her up with a rich older man because she wouldn't be able to support herself with just performing.

From what I've heard from my Korean and Indian friends, the whole gift giving is taken to a whole new level in India.
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RACETRAITOR



Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My parents met my inlaws recently too, and they got along great. No Starbucks as far as I know.
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Atavistic



Joined: 22 May 2006
Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

pkang0202 wrote:
Personally, I know a girl who is getting married after just knowing the guy for 2 months. She's a pianist and her parents set her up with a rich older man because she wouldn't be able to support herself with just performing.


Not shocking in a country with marriages still being arranged today.

None of my Korean friends think it's unusual to get engaged at 100 days. "Nope, normal."
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the eye



Joined: 29 Jan 2004

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wonder if there was any livestock in the agreement. Oh, right. Silly me. This is 2007.
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jdog2050



Joined: 17 Dec 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

the eye wrote:
I wonder if there was any livestock in the agreement. Oh, right. Silly me. This is 2007.


In so much as you can herd a flat-screen, sure.
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shaunew



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Calgary

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My in-laws are still going crazy because when my wife and I got married we never bought a brand new washing machine. ( ours was 4 months old at the time. A new fridge, ( again 4 months old) tv ( we had a brand new Pavv 42 inches), but they wanted us to give all our old stuff to the brother and buy new, because that is the Korean way. Thank god my wife is not like that and told her parents off. But to be Korean and marry here my wife said it was like 100 million to 200 million won. The only thing I got from my dad on my wedding day was this advice " enjoy the sex now, because after the honeymoon it's all down hill".
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oldfatfarang



Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

shaunew wrote:
The only thing I got from my dad on my wedding day was this advice " enjoy the sex now, because after the honeymoon it's all down hill".


Pure gold. Words of wisdom from Dad.
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bassexpander



Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hahah...

I told my lady that my family likes to keep gifts small (true) and expects small gifts in return. She was actually relieved.

Her family has married Western before (cousins) so luckily, a lot of this has been dealt with before.
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