Korean Job Discussion Forums

[MacLean]

I'm guessing that, in each of these cases, the bar owner is a Westerner. I just cannot conceive of a Korean running a 'non-smoking' bar. The owner of Nashville's is from the States. How about the other bars mentioned? If any of them is Korean, then maybe there is hope for this place.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

My friend's Korean and she had a non-smoking bar/cafe. She refused to budge on the smoking issue. The local foreigners (even the smokers) loved it and we went all the time. There were chairs and ashtrays set up in the stairwell, so that smokers wouldn't have to stand outside. Unfortunately, the space was too large for what they needed, and the Korean population (that would have been bread and butter) was required to really pay the bills. A few dozen foreigners weren't going to keep it afloat.

It's a shame. They even made burritos when we said we'd gone all the way to Seoul for them.

[gypsymaria]

[Steelrails]

Another smoky night at the bar is starting to push me and my filthy habit towards non-smoking bars. Again, not by law, but by choice. The lingering smoke is literally and figuratively killing me. I really think lingering smoke multiplies the 'bad' of smoking by 2.5

[Xuanzang]

Between tried a non-smoking policy before and recently went back to the old ways.

[Zyzyfer]

I smoke but thankfully don't go to Nashville's so it doesn't bother me.

However, Jacoby's over in HBC has this indiscernable smoking "policy" which is so convoluted that I just went ahead and deemed the place non-smoking because the time to smoke was always when I wasn't there - which gets old really fast. I'll still go there if I'm with someone who doesn't smoke or at least doesn't smoke a lot, as I like the wings, but there's no point with other smokers because we'll be constantly outside.

Just throwing that out there for the non-smokers.

[northway]

[Zyzyfer]

I've had problems since late last spring I guess. At first they had the two sections (admittedly pointless), then after a month or two they started talking about smoking only allowed on weekends. Then it was weekdays. Then I could never figure it out.

Last couple of times I went, I just went outside to smoke and didn't bother inquiring.

[northway]

That joint is small and food oriented enough that they probably shouldn't allow smoking anyway, as much as it likely means that I'm not going to hang there after I eat my burger.

[Kuros]

[MacLean]

No idea. Never been to Beijing. But I'd guess that the bar was named Nashvilles to appeal to American soldiers, a disproportionate number of which (it seems to me) are from the South.

[MacLean]

[Zyzyfer]

The Aussie Shop is on that road parallel but above the road that goes from the Itaewon strip to Noksapyeong. It's on the same street as Petra but closer to Itaewon.

Craftworks...*sigh* already packed anyway...on the main road between Noksapyeong and Namsan Tunnel 3. You go past the roads going to HBC and Gyeongnidan and keep straight. On the right side of the road. You'll see a couple of meat restaurants and a kitchen supply store place, and then there should be a small alley with a sign for the bar on the wall. If you see IBK or reach the overpass you went too far. It's not technically no-smoking but the smoking areas are barred off from the central bar area.

[Livewire]

I used to love Nashville. It was the bar me and one of my good friends in Korea would go to when we wanted a good rough and ready lad's evening of; decent(ish) cheap beer (at 2,500 for Ob on tap), free popcorn, good bar food and good rotation on the pool table and music requests if you ask. Plus you could smoke of course.

Went there 3 weeks ago to play some pool and was informed I had to smoke outside. Promptly left and....

Will NEVER go back. My friend who now lives in China couldn;t believe the news.

I very much hope this gentrification and import of Western Anglo Saxon p.c. b.s. does not ever fully infiltrate my beloved Itwaewon too fully.

[MacLean]