Korean Job Discussion Forums

dgl · Joined: 10 Jul 2009

I�m interested in teaching at a public school in Korea. The research I�ve done suggests that Korean food tends to be very spicy and that alcohol consumption is quite high. For health reasons I have trouble eating spicy food and drinking alcohol. Is it possible for people to live and work in Korea with these problems? Or is it simply wiser for someone with such problems to stay at home/teach somewhere else where food is less spicy and/or alcohol consumption less?

I�d imagine that the potential problem spicy food and high alcohol consumption would pose for someone with these problems would vary depending on whether they taught in a hagwon or public school: am I right in thinking that someone working in a public school, due to eating school lunches and socialising with other teachers after work, would �have to� eat more Korean food and drink more alcohol? I�d also imagine it would be easier for someone with such health problems to live and work in a large city, where other types of cuisine are more available?

Is there anyone with such health problems living and working in Korea quite comfortably now?

andrewchon · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:09 am Post subject:

You can decline to drink at social events if you want.
You can cook at home and bring lunches/dinners if you want.
Drinking/eating are for those who wants to get into the culture/society.

cruisemonkey · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:14 am Post subject:

OP,

If you're going to be a sock, at least make your post somewhat believable. Rolling Eyes

dgl · Joined: 10 Jul 2009

dgl · Joined: 10 Jul 2009

andrewchon · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:46 pm Post subject:

Drinking: When somebody offers you an empty-glass , you accept it with both hands. Let the person pour you a drink. Then you half-turn away from the person (this is a sign of respect for the elder) and make a motion of drinking, but you don't have to drink any of it. If they ask why you don't drink, then apologize and make some excuse about bad stomach or something. It isn't rude to not drink. It is rude to not accept a drink.

Food: Even in small towns you will find 'super' or 'Mart' where they sell sandwich bread. (sik-bbang)
Dishes that are not spicy: Jja-Jang-Myun, Kal-guk-soo, Tang-soo-yook, oo-dong, etc. Hwe is sliced raw sea food, you can eat it without the spice.

proustme · Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Location: Nowon-gu

I thought only women were supposed to turn away to drink it down after being served by, of course, a man. I don't think it matters if the man is older or younger. I've never seen a man turn away to drink. Only women.

halfmanhalfbiscuit · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Location: Seoul

Koreans make a big hullabaloo about spicy food and drinking. It's all pishposh. The food isn't spicy and I find the bulk of them are wowsers.

As for how to drink, what rot. Frankly, I find that kind of drinking fascism not something I would EVER hear from Koreans but Kyopos. No one cares, just drink your drink. No one gives a stuff what the foreign chick/guy is doing and it looks silly when they appempt to be uber-formal in an informal setting. They just end up looking like trained pets and it causes confusion and disdain. Using 2 hands with the post office chick? Touching the right elbow when lighting someones ciggie? etc

Get real.

Old Gil · Joined: 26 Sep 2009 Location: Got out! olleh!

Just come out at the beginning saying you have a health problem, and make a big show of taking pepto every so often in front of your co workers. No worries.

thoreau · Joined: 21 Jun 2009

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littlelisa · Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Location: Seoul

andrewchon · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:17 pm Post subject:

OK, further explanation of drinking rituals.
Paramount thing is how old you are, next is your job, then how well you know the person, then what sort of event it is, and so on.
Obviously, the Principal is higher than teachers. Teachers higher than Admin staff. Men higher than women.
Insider higher than outsider. More inside you're, sit closer to the head honcho. If you are a guest or new, wait for someone to tell you where to sit.
e.g.
If Principal (elderly man) offers a young man, the young man would turn and drink.
If the Principal is offered by an older cleaning lady, he doesn't turn but would show some modesty (drink with two hands).
If a middle age man is offered by a young office girl, he'd not turn.
If you want a drink, offer someone first. If he's had enough, he'll decline but will pour you one.

You've all heard it before, it's about knowing where your place is in the group.
It's a lot of kow-towing and gets in the way of the important thing: getting plastered.
If you wanna play the game, you do that.
If you don't wanna play, then who cares? You're a guest foreign worker who isn't going to stay for long.
Nobody's going to pull you up and give you a long term survival lesson, because they have better things to do i.e. where's Norebang?

blackjack · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Location: anyang

dgl · Joined: 10 Jul 2009

Cheers for the replies. Seems like it won't be a problem.

redaxe · Joined: 01 Dec 2008

There are lots of non-spicy food options in Korea, and even the things they THINK are really spicy are not that bad.

With the drinking, it's all or nothing. You have to tell them you absolutely DO NOT drink any alcohol at all. You can't just have a little, they will force you to drink more than you planned to. "Moderation" is not really a Korean value when it comes to drinking.