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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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 Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| bekinseki wrote: |
| I don't mind when westerners abide by Korean drinking etiquette. What annoys me is when Korean-Americans go overboard with it. |
Abiding is fine. Insisting on it is dumb. I'm a little more forgiving with soju since the ritual is part of the fun of it. But if your beer mug is empty, you don't hold it up to me and insist that I grab the pitcher and fill it up for you. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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A BIG one I like is the way they party.
Dinner at 5:30
Sloshed by 6:30, off to Noraebang
Round Two 8:00
Round Three (optional) 9:30
Bed 11:00 if you do all three rounds. 9:30 if you just do round two.
8 hours later its 7:00 and you've had a full nights sleep.
Contrast this with foreigner friends...
7:00 Wait to eat because someone insists on not eating with their teachers and eats at 3:00, complains that 5:00-6:00 is too early. People always 20 minutes late
7:30- 30 minutes standing around trying to settle where to eat. Well so and so is a vegan and whats his face can't eat anything spicy and blah blah only wants to spend 5,000 won.
8:00-Finally compromise and either eat processed kimbap, pizza or bar food.
10:00- Get to the bar
12:00- Let's go to the Noraebang!
1:00- Late Night Munchies/ Chicken-hof (darn vegans are finally gone)
2:00- Go to bed
Wake up 5-6 hours later still hung over. Swear to never drink again and act confused as to why townsfolk consider us drunkards. Make 2AM drunk choices (Way different than 9PM drunk choices).
| Quote: |
| I'm a little more forgiving with soju since the ritual is part of the fun of it. But if your beer mug is empty, you don't hold it up to me and insist that I grab the pitcher and fill it up for you. |
Agreed. It just feels "right" to do it with soju and it just feels "wrong" to do it with beer. |
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bekinseki
Joined: 31 Aug 2011
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Zyzyfer wrote: |
| bekinseki wrote: |
| I don't mind when westerners abide by Korean drinking etiquette. What annoys me is when Korean-Americans go overboard with it. |
Abiding is fine. Insisting on it is dumb. I'm a little more forgiving with soju since the ritual is part of the fun of it. But if your beer mug is empty, you don't hold it up to me and insist that I grab the pitcher and fill it up for you. |
Yeah, the classier thing to do is wait for someone else's glass to empty and offer them a refill.
I can't stand drinking with groups of Korean-Americans, who insist that you can only drink 소맥, and only when they say so. I drink because I enjoy beer, not as some sort of competitive ritual. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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lol at the Westerner night out. Having lots of picky Western friends and being picky myself, I know exactly how that goes.
And I guess I'm lucky I don't have many Korean-American friends. The few I have/have had were all quite sensible. |
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HeavyTZM
Joined: 25 Aug 2011
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:24 am Post subject: |
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I haven't been to Korea yet, but I look forward to seeing the way the citizen's carry themselves. Foreigners at my university were all so timid and friendly, I really liked them.
In general I don't like traditions or customs from any culture if it doesn't serve a purpose. I hate how people get so offended, yet they don't even know why they carry on their own traditions. |
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mollayo
Joined: 11 Oct 2010
Location: At the my house
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 3:57 am Post subject: |
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| I SOMETIMES don't mind that picking your nose in public isn't frowned upon. |
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sublunari
Joined: 11 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 5:54 am Post subject: |
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It is fairly amusing when an old man belches loudly in public and, like, nobody notices.
Not tipping. And it's strange how much better the service is here.
Two hands. A pretty decent way of showing respect. It's such a habit with me that I do it back in America sometimes... |
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incapacitated
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
ssuprnova, you think too much like a sterilized everything-should-be-in-its-own-packaging type of person. from the beginning of time people have shared food and utensils. as long as you wash them between uses and don't keep them sitting around in piles of poo where the cleanliness is obviously suspect, then the sharing of bacteria is actually GOOD for people. is there a correlation between people being so exceedingly germaphobic in the usa compared to the fact that it's one of the most medicated countries in the world? well, you can ponder that one for yourself.
long story short, your type of thinking is why chemical companies make a ton of money off selling you scented alcohol in a bottle as "hand sanitizer" when it actually doesn't help at all in most typical situations and in fact helps to create super virus strains.
also, i've never seen a single korean with cold sores. granted this doesn't mean they don't have them, but your example is pretty ass-poor.
use your heads people. |
Dude you need to get your facts straight... hand sanitizer doesn't create super-bacteria. The alcohol dries up so the bacteria don't get resistant to it... and cleaning your hands (especially around disgusting kids) is one of the top ways to prevent getting sick.
Use your own head next time. |
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incapacitated
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
ssuprnova, you think too much like a sterilized everything-should-be-in-its-own-packaging type of person. from the beginning of time people have shared food and utensils. as long as you wash them between uses and don't keep them sitting around in piles of poo where the cleanliness is obviously suspect, then the sharing of bacteria is actually GOOD for people. is there a correlation between people being so exceedingly germaphobic in the usa compared to the fact that it's one of the most medicated countries in the world? well, you can ponder that one for yourself.
long story short, your type of thinking is why chemical companies make a ton of money off selling you scented alcohol in a bottle as "hand sanitizer" when it actually doesn't help at all in most typical situations and in fact helps to create super virus strains.
also, i've never seen a single korean with cold sores. granted this doesn't mean they don't have them, but your example is pretty ass-poor.
use your heads people. |
Dude you need to get your facts straight... hand sanitizer doesn't create super-bacteria. The alcohol dries up so the bacteria don't get resistant to it... and cleaning your hands (especially around disgusting kids) is one of the top ways to prevent getting sick.
Use your own head next time. |
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18thchildofmymother
Joined: 19 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:39 am Post subject: |
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| cfile2 wrote: |
| Wildbore wrote: |
| ssuprnova wrote: |
| Also, sharing food. I actually like this custom a lot. |
Sharing food/cups is one of the dumbest customs I can think of in modern times.
It is horrible hygeine. No surprise Koreans always have cold sores around their mouths. Mouth herpres = AMAZING. |
Ummmm first of all no. I don't see the majority of Koreans walking around with throbbing cold sores.
Secondly, you probably have herpes yourself. Fact: most people do. And you probably got it from your mom or something (and that isn't me making a mom joke).
Herpes aside, I also love the sharing food custom. I think its cute when my girlfriend makes a 쌈 for me over BBQ. I like the table manners in general here. |
I hate the sharing food custom for a very simple reason. My taste buds aren't aligned with the taste buds of most Koreans and I hate seafood. When the food served is one of the few things that I like, then I don't mind it one bit, but generally speaking I don't like being asked out to dinner because it means I'll probably be miserable.
Let's face it, the western approach of going to a restaurant and letting everyone eat what makes them happy is vastly superior on every level. You can always share dishes with others if you like but you have the option of getting something you actually want to eat.
The spitting is disgusting and I'll never get used to it. It would bother me less if people did it discretely, but it's never done that way.
I don't mind bowing, sometimes even prefer it, and I like not having to say bless you for every sneeze. However, if someone lets out a really powerful ah- choo, then I like saying bless you. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 1:56 pm Post subject: |
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Just by the way, most restaurants in Korea have menus with individual dishes...what is shared typically are the sidedishes...
Some places are based on shared meals (large soups or broths, bbq places (but thats not seasfood).
Its not like you cannot go and eat out with people and order what you want...seriously now. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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| 18thchildofmymother wrote: |
Let's face it, the western approach of going to a restaurant and letting everyone eat what makes them happy is vastly superior on every level. You can always share dishes with others if you like but you have the option of getting something you actually want to eat.
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Uhh Korea has individual restaurants- They're called KimBap and they are ubiquitous
Western shared food is called "Pizza" and "Fried Chicken" or nachos at the bar...Not to mention when you eat at home you share food too....
The reason many things are served together is practicability time wise and cost wise. |
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Mr. BlackCat
Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Location: Insert witty remark HERE
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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I like how staff say hello to you and give a nod/bow when you enter a store, even a 7/11. I carry that habit over to my home country, but most clerks just look at me like I'm an idiot. God forbid we be civil to each other. People make fun of the Walmart greeter, but I actually think it's a good idea.
On the flip side, I hate the screaming into microphones at the end of each aisle at the bigger stores. Yes, hello, I am aware that you sell meat. That's why I'm risking my long-term hearing to look through your selection. I went to buy shaving cream from Emart and there were 6 different young ladies screaming at me while I looked at their one shelf display. It's a good idea taken to an absurd extreme. |
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Mr. BlackCat
Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Location: Insert witty remark HERE
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
For those of us out in the sticks when walking by a newly fertilized field and getting a god ol whiff that you can taste, spitting is mandatory to avoid gagging and hurling.
Remember, smell is based off of microscopic particles hitting your nose. That means if you can smell and taste cow patties, you've got cow patty in your mouth.
Slurping noodles is fine, noodles are hot so slurping cools them. If you wait to long, the noodles lose their texture. I don't like it though. I just don't mind it. Kinda like the spitting, an unfortunate necessity.
The biggest one I like is group conversations and discussions. While they can stray into old ajosshi droning on and on to the youngsters, with a heavy dose of group think, territory, amongst peers its quite nice that typical conversations over issues don't dissolve into shouting matches between two attention-seeking people with competing viewpoints as everyone else just kinda zones off or talks about something else. People actually listen instead of just waiting for their turn to speak. |
Two things.
1) Spitting. Yes, that's why in most cultures it's acceptable to spit in the country side. In the city it's considered rude not because of the act itself but because people then have to walk through it. I have a 7 minute walk to work and have to dodge about a dozen huge gobs in the middle of the sidewalk each morning/evening. When I feel the need to spit I do so over a sewer or into a napkin. I think that's what most people have a problem with.
2) I disagree with your comments about Korean group conversations. But I think language differences might skew what I want to say. All I can say is very rarely do one or two people shout at each other and try to dominate the conversation when I'm out with other foreigners, here or at home. It's an extreme example to prove your point. Just like your description of a Western drinking night compared to a Korean drinking night. I think the Koreans drinking outside my building until 3am almost every night would disagree with that generalization as well. |
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flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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I don't mind being pushed lightly by someone who needs to get past me. Most of the pushing on the subway is not an attempt to move me, but a non-verbal way of saying "excuse me, I need to get by you." I think it's more practical than saying "excuse me" a dozen times to several people wearing headphones who can't hear you anyway.
I've never objected to seeing young ladies holding hands in public, either. |
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