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stevieg4ever
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Location: London, England
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 Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 5:23 am Post subject: |
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OP its important to remember that when Koreans are abroad they do not 'travel' they 'sight see'. There is a big difference. They dont interact with the locals, they are not interested in sampling the local cuisine, they do very little independently of their guide etc etc
Even when they are not part of tour groups their body langauge and such make them very unapproachable.
| eIn07912 wrote: |
| weatherman wrote: |
| Why didn't you ask for an explanation of why "but we are Koreans" gives them an exception? |
i thought the visual of me rolling my eyes and smacking my forehead in disbelief was enough for them to understand the total ignorance of their logic. perhaps i assumed too much... |
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exit86
Joined: 17 May 2006
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 5:32 am Post subject: |
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Might I point out that Shabu Shabu is not Korean, but Japanese?????
(Developed in Tokyo after Meiji's promotion of meat consumption. The name "shabu Shabu" derives from the sound of swishing the meat back and forth in the boiling water.)
To add to the list of Japanese foods Koreans think are Korean:
kimbap (makizushi)
kim (nori)
twi kim (tempura)
cho bap (nigirizushi)
Yoo Boo Cho bap (inarizushi)
Poong o Ppang/Ing o Ppang (Taiyaki)
Omurice (omurice)
Kyeongju ppang (dorayaki)
kukmin/kukhwa ppang (imagawayaki)
odeng (oden)
udong (udon)
kuksoo (miso shiru)
tonkassu (tonkatsu)
sashimi (sashimi)
the list goes on and on |
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stevieg4ever
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Location: London, England
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 5:32 am Post subject: |
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Ridiculous! Ill argue this point with you till the cows come home. Koreans expect us to drink and eat their filth yet, when they are abroad, bring their own instant noodles???
If someone doesn't want to drink it they shouldnt be forced to drink it... End of story. Is to be force fed part of your obligation to them, is it in your contract??? What really annoys me about this is that I know Koreans that are exempt from this and others think nothing of it yet foreigners have to conceed their foreigness and yield before the almighty Koreans and their all-encompassing culture. That is a double standard right there.
The frivolty of this post can clearly be seen in your pathetic 'Now they like you and think you're the best teacher ever' comment!! As if???
'Where the heck are people's social skills?' is more relevant to the op's hosts then the op himself in this case??
| RyanInKorea wrote: |
Not to be off-topic here, i.e. hypocrisy, Korean or otherwise, aside, I honestly don't understand how people can go out, eat with Koreans and refuse soju when offered, especially if it's an older dude like your boss. You should always take it. Use two hands and accept the pour, take the bottle, pour him one with two hands and hit the glasses together. Pretend to sip or whatever. Now they like you and think you're the best teacher ever.
You don't have to drink it, you don't have to get drunk and you don't have to like it, but you should act like you do. Where the heck are people's social skills?
Ryan |
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stevieg4ever
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Location: London, England
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 5:51 am Post subject: |
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Does he have a clause in his contract stating that he must, eat and drink exactly as they should?? At what point does he try to 'challenge Korean social norms', or 'straighten Koreans out'?? Can you read?? Way I see it he is there to teach English and it is THEY who shouldn�t worry about what he is 'doing or not doing'.
Have you noticed that many of the fast food joints in Korea are normally filled with, wait for it, Koreans?? If they are allowed to eat it them why can't westerners? A friend of mine went to Australia with her class for 4 days and they had Korean food 7 times!!!! Who else would do that in a foreign country?
After seeing Korean's in the UK and westerners in Korea and both in mutually foreign countries I can say , without a shadow of irrefutable doubt, what group assimilates better to international cuisine.
Just what Korea needs another blinkered apologist with one eye open and one eye shut. Every coin has two sides... remember that next time you post again if not for your own benefit then at least for ours....
| rollo wrote: |
| Do you have a clause in your contract that states that you are to challenge korean social mores , traditions, beliefs or did you just in your overwhelming caucasianess decide that you need to straighten Koreans out. Teach English! Dont worry about what Koreans do or dont do. ITS A DIFFERENT CULTURE!!!! Why do so many get upset when Korea is not just like the West. Pointing out the flaws of korean culture in a classroom is Not your job. It is arrogant, borderline racist. The crowds of WEsterners who cant live with out pizza or McDonalds when they go abroad , then lecture koreans about their eating habits. The posts on DAves about where to find Cheese or other Western foods everyday and you accuse Koreans of not trying the local foods when they travel. Stick that Big Mac in your gob the next time you want to spout off about Korean Hypocrisy. |
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flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 5:54 am Post subject: |
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| rollo wrote: |
| Pointing out the flaws of korean culture in a classroom is Not your job. It is arrogant, borderline racist. |
If I had 10 won for every time the word "racist" was used here on Dave's, I'd have enough to buy a 50+ pyung apartment in Seoul. If I had 10 won every time it was used accurately, I'd have enough to buy a bag of chips. |
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RyanInKorea
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:13 am Post subject: |
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| stevieg4ever wrote: |
Ridiculous! Ill argue this point with you till the cows come home. Koreans expect us to drink and eat their filth yet, when they are abroad, bring their own instant noodles???
If someone doesn't want to drink it they shouldnt be forced to drink it... End of story. Is to be force fed part of your obligation to them, is it in your contract??? What really annoys me about this is that I know Koreans that are exempt from this and others think nothing of it yet foreigners have to conceed their foreigness and yield before the almighty Koreans and their all-encompassing culture. That is a double standard right there.
The frivolty of this post can clearly be seen in your pathetic 'Now they like you and think you're the best teacher ever' comment!! As if???
'Where the heck are people's social skills?' is more relevant to the op's hosts then the op himself in this case?? |
Is it hypocitical that some Koreans expect us to engulge their culture, but refuse to do the same when they are abroad? Yes, of course it is.
I was saying that you should just do it regardless to make your life easier and, heck, even get promoted. No one should be forced to do anything. Is it a frivilous reason to like or promote someone? Yes, of course it is.
I think we agree on both accounts,
Ryan |
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Goku
Joined: 10 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:25 am Post subject: |
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| exit86 wrote: |
Might I point out that Shabu Shabu is not Korean, but Japanese?????
(Developed in Tokyo after Meiji's promotion of meat consumption. The name "shabu Shabu" derives from the sound of swishing the meat back and forth in the boiling water.)
To add to the list of Japanese foods Koreans think are Korean:
kimbap (makizushi)
kim (nori)
twi kim (tempura)
cho bap (nigirizushi)
Yoo Boo Cho bap (inarizushi)
Poong o Ppang/Ing o Ppang (Taiyaki)
Omurice (omurice)
Kyeongju ppang (dorayaki)
kukmin/kukhwa ppang (imagawayaki)
odeng (oden)
udong (udon)
kuksoo (miso shiru)
tonkassu (tonkatsu)
sashimi (sashimi)
the list goes on and on |
How can we be sure Japanese "invented" it?
Most people I know either Japanese or Korean take credit for the food. But no one ever considers they could be developed simultaneously or of mixed origin.
Don Katsu I believe is Japanese because the name is Japanese. And Katsu is a common expression used for fried cutlets in Japan. So Koreans did not "invent" it and it was brought over from Japan because deep frying is a more modern cooking method and the Koreans use the Japanese term. Katsu is not a Korean sounding word. So in this case, it's valid to think of it as being invented by the Japanese.
However, It's not like Sashimi is a an imaginative food. It's just fish that is raw. Or seaweed, it's just seaweed. We'd have no way of knowing who "invented" it first. Admittedly Japan has a much more seafood oriented food culture but that doesn't mean the Japanese invented eating fish raw. I'm sure there was a fisherman off the coast of Korea, Japan, and maybe even European countries all eating raw fish at one time. Who knows just because the Japanese have proliferated their term for the food doesn't mean they invented it.
That's like if a country took credit for inventing milk.
And I do think that some of food came from Korea first. Just because WE consider the food to be Japanese doesn't mean the Japanese invented it. We really don't have a way of knowing. And I don't see why people are so wrapped up claiming the honor for inventing it first. (Japanese or Korean) |
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candyteacher
Joined: 08 Jan 2009
Location: where ever i want
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:30 am Post subject: |
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| How can we be sure Japanese "invented" it? |
I think its actually a japanese varient of a mongolian dish. havent most foods travelled across contenients throughtout the centuries and been adapted to what we know them today? |
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red_devil
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 8:20 am Post subject: Re: hmm, do i smell a double standard? |
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| eIn07912 wrote: |
not in korea. no, never. that never goes on here...
..so the other day, we got a bit off topic in one of my classes, how it got started im not sure, but i asked my class and coteacher if they eat the local food or korean food when they travel. almost all, including the coteacher said they only eat korean food. well, i blasted them all for it. i said u can eat korean food any day of the year, part of traveling is to experience the culture, food, lifestyle, blah blah blah, we all know this speech.
that same evening myself, the same coteacher, and few other teachers were eating shabu-shabu at a local place. one of the older male korean teachers offered me soju. i politely declined saying that i dont like to drink during the week really. which is true, i dont. he kept offering over and over again through the night, so i finally just downed a shot so he'd leave me alone. that same coteacher who told me she only eats korean food when she travels turns to me and says "u r in korea, u should do korean thing.. when in rome..." i just starred at her. "ur kidding right" i asked. "what?" she said
i then proceeded to point out her hypocrisy. im a foreigner in korea, so i should eat and drink as koreans, if thats ur argument fair enough. but if ur korean, u shouldnt have to do the same thing when ur in a foreign country? "but we r korean" was her answer. as well as a number of the other teachers sitting around that understood the conversation. "so when U travel, its not 'when in rome' " i asked. "but we r korean" is all i got back.
so there u have it. stop the presses, its breaking news im sure. but apparently when anyone else comes to their country, we r supposed to do everything their way, but when they go anywhere they have the special privilege to continue to do things the korean way.
its reasons such as this (and that there r korean hotels abroad) that when i travel and see koreans, i avoid them at all cost. |
The obvious difference here of course is that you're comparing traveling for vacation to your living and working in Korea.
kimbap (makizushi)
kim (nori)
sashimi
Other than those two the rest of that list is quite obviously Japanese. Not sure what uneducated Koreans you've been talking to but all of my friends and their friends all know that Shabu-shabu is Japanese. Seaweed, kimbab, and sashimi aren't just Japanese foods. People have been eating slices of raw fish for centuries, as well as putting crap in rice and eating it. Eating dried seaweed has also been around for hella long time. |
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bogey666
Joined: 17 Mar 2008
Location: Korea, the ass free zone
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:48 am Post subject: |
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I never "go after them" for cultural hypocrisy.
I do make light hearted jokes about it at times.
but usually, I don't bother.... what's the point?
I have to say the teachers at my public school are pretty "sharp" about this kind of stuff..
because for e.g.
they'll tell me - gee,, you eat tuna salad for lunch every day... don't you get sick and tired of eating the same thing all the time?
I smile and say -- how many times this week have you eaten rice and kimchi?
generally speaking the light bulb goes one IMMEDIATELY, they just smile and the conversation moves on to other things  |
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vonjunk
Joined: 31 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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The majority of Japanese food came to Korea during their occupation.
So, a large portion of their food, being from China and their domination of Korea or the more recent Japanese occupation of Korea accounts for most of their food. Not surprising. Just don't bother mentioning this to Koreans...they unsurprisingly don't take the whole you got this food during Japan's occupation too lightly.
Koreans are annoyingly Nationalistic because if they weren't they'd be Chinese, Mongolian or Japanese. It's a quite natural reaction when faced with a neighbor who poses a danger to your culture. (Even with friendly neighbors such as the US and Canada their are these strong feelings from the "underdog", or Canada, which work hard to find differences.)
Yes, Koreans lack a Western logic, but that is to be expected. Where do you think you're teaching? Wouldn't it be boring if everyone thought the same way? You might not like Koreans offering you drinks, but they might not feel comfortable offering a handshake. If the person offering the drink or is concerned about you digesting Korean food well take it as a friendly gesture and move on. You'll die early if you let everything in Korea bother you. |
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CA-NA-DA-ABC
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 3:13 pm Post subject: |
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| vonjunk wrote: |
| So, a large portion of their food, being from China and their domination of Korea or the more recent Japanese occupation of Korea accounts for most of their food. |
Source? Your ass doesn't count as one, mind you. |
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PeteJB
Joined: 06 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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| I have the opposite problem. I probably act/eat/do things more Korean than most foreigners, yet if I meet a Korean for the first time they usually will assume I do all the 'foreign' things like munch into burgers, teach English, consume bread instead of rice, can't use chopsticks - etc. |
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Guri Guy
Joined: 07 Sep 2003
Location: Bamboo Island
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ThingsComeAround
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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Bogey- AMEN BROTHA!!
Humor is the way to reach Koreans.
OP & Gillian- the more serious and logical you are, the less seriously and respectful they are to you. Most people here emphasize cuteness and an innocent appearance over a serious 'Moses coming down from the mountain' demeanor
For example:
you are offered soju:
you can say A:
"I can't I must work in the morning" (same as them mind you)
or you can say B:
"When I puke tomorrow I will aim for your desk" (quite harsh, but they wont be so pushy to offer the "sojuice" to you again)
I am a vegetarian and usually my diet is rice and kimchi. 
I keep the jokes rolling on the sh!tty selection |
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