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bejarano-korea
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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 Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject: Loss of face at lunchtime |
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During summer camp here I have lunch with the rest of the teachers and a pleasant time is had by all. Today we had cold noodles in red hot liquid -well it was a bit too hot for the Korean teachers but I ate the noodles and slurped down the liquid - when I attempted this the whole table went 'nooo
too spicy' but I drunk the red hot liquid in 3 gulps whereas none of the Korean teachers could/did saying it was 'too spicy'.
Have the lost face by me doing this?
Will they hate my guts for the rest of my stay because
I have shown them up?
And will they make my life hard from now on?
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IlIlNine
Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Location: Gunpo, Gyonggi, SoKo
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:52 pm Post subject: Re: Loss of face at lunchtime |
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| bejarano-korea wrote: |
During summer camp here I have lunch with the rest of the teachers and a pleasant time is had by all. Today we had cold noodles in red hot liquid -well it was a bit too hot for the Korean teachers but I ate the noodles and slurped down the liquid - when I attempted this the whole table went 'nooo
too spicy' but I drunk the red hot liquid in 3 gulps whereas none of the Korean teachers could/did saying it was 'too spicy'.
Have the lost face by me doing this?
Will they hate my guts for the rest of my stay because
I have shown them up?
And will they make my life hard from now on?
|
you are now under orders to ask them if their food is to spicy every single day for the rest of the camp. Even if it's not spicy, but especially when it is.
Also, you may want to submit an article to the Korea Times (they seem to print anything) entitled: "Korean food too spicy for Koreans!". Interview your coworkers. Include a picture. |
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michael5799042
Joined: 16 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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Just bring in McDonald's for lunch tomorrow. Then all will be right in the universe again.
Whatever you do, don't bring in Indian food and say "now that's what I call spicy!" |
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bejarano-korea
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:54 pm Post subject: Re: Loss of face at lunchtime |
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| IlIlNine wrote: |
| bejarano-korea wrote: |
During summer camp here I have lunch with the rest of the teachers and a pleasant time is had by all. Today we had cold noodles in red hot liquid -well it was a bit too hot for the Korean teachers but I ate the noodles and slurped down the liquid - when I attempted this the whole table went 'nooo
too spicy' but I drunk the red hot liquid in 3 gulps whereas none of the Korean teachers could/did saying it was 'too spicy'.
Have the lost face by me doing this?
Will they hate my guts for the rest of my stay because
I have shown them up?
And will they make my life hard from now on?
|
you are now under orders to ask them if their food is to spicy every single day for the rest of the camp. Even if it's not spicy, but especially when it is.
Also, you may want to submit an article to the Korea Times (they seem to print anything) entitled: "Korean food too spicy for Koreans!". Interview your coworkers. Include a picture. |
I'm going to do that from now on! One of the people round the table was the VP - I may get away with it the once but it is too good a chance NOT to do it. |
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bejarano-korea
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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| michael5799042 wrote: |
Just bring in McDonald's for lunch tomorrow. Then all will be right in the universe again.
Whatever you do, don't bring in Indian food and say "now that's what I call spicy!" |
Well I sorta said that to placate them but I saw their little faces screw up at my attempts trying to make them feel better - I may buy them lunch tomorrow to make it up to them. |
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cheeseface
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Location: Ssyangnyeon Shi
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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I usually cook and bring my own food into school, when I've make Korean food and brought it in the Korean teachers have complained that it is too spicy for them!!!!  |
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samd
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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| You are thinking waaaay too much. It's just food. No 'face' involved in this situation. |
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Hobophobic
Joined: 16 Aug 2004
Location: Sinjeong negorie mokdong oh ga ri samgyup sal fighting
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nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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| samd wrote: |
| You are thinking waaaay too much. It's just food. No 'face' involved in this situation. |
I have downed multiple raw chillis in front of them, slurped down spicy food they could not bare, and explained over and again that chicken curry is one of the most popular dishes in the west.
Nothing works. Nothing.
They just repeat the old "Ooh, is it too spicy for you?" every day, with the infantilising "oohs and Aahs".
In short, I've given up and let them hold onto their imaginary feeling of superiority. Nothing good is served by showing them up, no matter how obvious and tempting it may be. Just agree with them. There is a stubborness in Koreans that defies every law of the universe, and it is foolish to attempt to dispel. It only earns you a year of tension. All that koreans want, is for the foreigner to show.. humility. Thats it in a nutshell. |
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billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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| I realize the OP is a joke, but I've never heard about loss of face so much as on this board. It's like its the key to understanding everything Koreans do. I haven't really noticed such a phenomenon beyond normal pride. |
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monkinwonderland
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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| nautilus wrote: |
| samd wrote: |
| You are thinking waaaay too much. It's just food. No 'face' involved in this situation. |
I have downed multiple raw chillis in front of them, slurped down spicy food they could not bare, and explained over and again that chicken curry is one of the most popular dishes in the west.
Nothing works. Nothing.
They just repeat the old "Ooh, is it too spicy for you?" every day, with the infantilising "oohs and Aahs".
In short, I've given up and let them hold onto their imaginary feeling of superiority. Nothing good is served by showing them up, no matter how obvious and tempting it may be. Just agree with them. There is a stubborness in Koreans that defies every law of the universe, and it is foolish to attempt to dispel. It only earns you a year of tension. All that koreans want, is for the foreigner to show.. humility. Thats it in a nutshell. |
My first boss here loved to take me out to dinner. Each and every time he would regale the others with stories about how I hated spicy food, how I couldn't handle, etc until I came to Korea. He helped me and now I love spicy food.
I eventually gave up, but I would insist I've always liked spicy food and that many types of cuisine in the West have spicy food. All was for naught though. |
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I_Am_The_Kiwi
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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they will hate you...
expect a lynch mob tomorrow
and a protest at your school, candles will be optional |
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bejarano-korea
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I_Am_The_Kiwi wrote: |
they will hate you...
expect a lynch mob tomorrow
and a protest at your school, candles will be optional |
Oh no.. what am I gonna do?  |
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Stevie_B
Joined: 14 May 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:19 pm Post subject: Re: Loss of face at lunchtime |
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| bejarano-korea wrote: |
During summer camp here I have lunch with the rest of the teachers and a pleasant time is had by all. Today we had cold noodles in red hot liquid -well it was a bit too hot for the Korean teachers but I ate the noodles and slurped down the liquid - when I attempted this the whole table went 'nooo
too spicy' but I drunk the red hot liquid in 3 gulps whereas none of the Korean teachers could/did saying it was 'too spicy'.
Have the lost face by me doing this?
Will they hate my guts for the rest of my stay because
I have shown them up?
And will they make my life hard from now on?
|
No, because you failed to properly capitalize on the situation. You should have taken some of the supposedly 'spicy' liquid and rubbed it in your eyes, and then on your nob, and then you should have taken a knife and scored a deep cut along your palm and then rubbed it in there too, all the while telling them 'ahh too spicy imnida!! too hot for silly round-eye!!'. And then you should have stood up suddenly, stared them all down for about half a minute, and then given them a derisive laugh and strutted out of there. |
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bejarano-korea
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:22 pm Post subject: Re: Loss of face at lunchtime |
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| Stevie_B wrote: |
| bejarano-korea wrote: |
During summer camp here I have lunch with the rest of the teachers and a pleasant time is had by all. Today we had cold noodles in red hot liquid -well it was a bit too hot for the Korean teachers but I ate the noodles and slurped down the liquid - when I attempted this the whole table went 'nooo
too spicy' but I drunk the red hot liquid in 3 gulps whereas none of the Korean teachers could/did saying it was 'too spicy'.
Have the lost face by me doing this?
Will they hate my guts for the rest of my stay because
I have shown them up?
And will they make my life hard from now on?
|
No, because you failed to properly capitalize on the situation. You should have taken some of the supposedly 'spicy' liquid and rubbed it in your eyes, and then on your nob, and then you should have taken a knife and scored a deep cut along your palm and then rubbed it in there too, all the while telling them 'ahh too spicy imnida!! too hot for silly round-eye!!'. And then you should have stood up suddenly, stared them all down for about half a minute, and then given them a derisive laugh and strutted out of there. |
I'll try that tomorrow then - They will probably order pork cutlet though  |
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