Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

I like being told that 1000 Island Dressing is Korean. Cracks me up (It's actually named after the 1000 or so islands in between Ontario / U.S.) but I think it is of European origin.

Another one is Dungass. The pork cutlets they eat are found nowhere but Korea. LOL

[mathmatica]

tongasu is japanese, isn't it? japanese western food at least...

I gotta admit that that whole "can you use chopsticks? can you handle the AWESOME POWER THAT IS KIMCHI!!??" bugs me a bit, but I hardly ever hear it anymore. Last person who asked me got a cold "can you use a steak knife? can you eat cheese?" in return. Which was probably a bit harsh.

I don't think this whole "misconceptions" issue is particularly Korean. In the west there's a sizeable portion of the population who sees Asia as consisting of Japan (robots, samurai, and SAMURAI ROBOTS), China (poor people, great walls, and KUNG FU) and the Rest (the countries with the wars and the paedophiles). I got really sick of explaining last time I was back that, no, I didn't get to see a single ping pong ball show in Korea, and that no, it wasn't wild and that, no, I wasn't worried about landmines.

People everywhere do that kind of thing. A large amount of people always think that latin America is mexico and everyone eats tacos, Africa is Ethiopia and everyone is either about to die of HIV or starvation, that Canada is always cold, eh, and that everyone in the US has a firearms fetish.

And so what, Koreans think that 1000 islands is Korean. Kiwis say that they invented not only flight and nuclear theory, but that they are single handedly responsible for saving Hollywood.

I mean, come on.

[Brian B]

Koreans are constantly amazed that I can use chopsticks so well.

Someday I'm going to compliment a Korean on how well they use a fork just to see what happens.

Brian

[Circus Monkey]

[waygooksaram]

That is pretty hilarious that the combination of ketchup, relish and mayonaise is a traditional korean food; it is truly the worst dressing on earth. The japanese have it going on with their delicious soy-based dressings. I love it when korean owners and waitresses come to the table and demonstrate the correct way to eat food. One waitess hand fed my boyfriend with a spoon!
A korean teacher at my school informed me that the theme song from Beverly Hills Cop, which they play at the basketball games here, is an original korean sports anthem. She was quite upset when I told her came from an 80's American movie.

[Howard Roark]

every korean i know believes sleeping with a window open (or closed, i could be mixed up) with a fan going could kill you. most of the doctors believe this as well. when i told them how ridiculous this was they told me that sometimes they read in the paper about people who have died doing this.

if i only knew korean. there's probably a warning on the box: DANGER DO NOT OPERATE NEAR OPEN WINDOW. ha!!!

one person told me it was because you could freeze to death. another told me it had something to do with the fan depriving you of oxygen, suffocating you!

i onced had a list of statments for my middle school class. they had to agree or disagree with each one. for example: french is the most romantic language, brazilian women are the most beautiful, italian food is the best, etc. their answer to every statement was: "no, korea". maybe it isn't french, but korean is definitely not the most beautiful language in the world and korean food is not even in the top 50 foods in the world.

i also like the one about how generous and kind korean people are. my old boss tried to feed me that one when i refused to have the other foreign teacher and her boyfriend come and live with me when they got booted from their flat. she then told me that westerners are greedy and selfish and have big noses.

the "kreens", as i call them, are a funny lot.

[sillyboy]

Why is it bad to say, "Wow, you can use a fork/spoon/eat cheese" etc....?

I've done this numerous times and it gets the point across in a hurry. The thing about Korea vs. those other countries, is that Koreans think so much more highly of themsleves. I remember a cab driver in Panama telling me:"No hay un pais mas loco in el mundo que Panama!!!" (There's not a country in the world that's crazier than Panama!!) That was the theme of our conversation that day.

Can you imagine a Korean stranger being that, what open/down-to-earth/realistic/normal? Granted I've met a few Koreans who break the mold, and they are the reason a lot of us are still here (7 yrs. & counting!).

Some of you may gasp, but down in Pusan for the Asian Paralympics, a waitress gave me the ole' 'you have big nose' routine. So I shot right back with 'you've got big hooters,' which she did. The look on her face was priceless. It wasn't humiliation like we in the west are programmed to think would happen. It was more shock and enlightenment.

I've also done the slant eyed gesture when stangers give me the big nose gesture. What's the difference????

They're all survival techniques/coping mechanisms.

I'd love to see a forum for all the Koreans who've been on the other end of our humorous encounters. Imagine....

Sillyboy of Oksu

[dogbert]

Well, you know what it means if you have a big nose....

One of my favorites is being told that Korean cuisine is the spiciest on earth and that no one else can handle it. I'm going to feed an habanero to the next person that tells me that.

[Dan]

sleeping with the fan on and the window closed. yup, heard that one numerous times.

beyond the whole problem of ethnocentrism, koreans really really easily believe in heresay. that is to say, if they hear that the first car was made of bambo sticks in incheon. they will firmly believe this to be the truth based on nothing more than someone told them so.

[beebee]

Yes I can read Korean
Yes I can use chopsticks too

Ooohhh and you can read English and use a knife and fork - WOW!!!!!!

[Derrek]

Koreans are jumping into bed more often and quicker than girls in the West -- at least a segment of them are!

After being here a mere 8 months, seeing all of the adult motels on every other corner (in Seoul anyway), room salons, barber shops, etc., I have to say that they need to look inward a bit. In much of the USA, Hollywood-type sex is just Hollywood, and in Korea it's reality.

[The Lemon]

One of my students told me recently that in the US, if a driver runs over a pet dog or cat the driver automatically goes to jail.

This piece of information seems to have been picked up during the 2-girls-died bruhaha, and passed around the Korean media: "See, they value the lives of their pet cats more than Koreans..."

[PootyTang]

I lost my 2 year old Aussie shepherd last Christmas. The driver stopped and even though he was speeding 25 mph over the limit, did not go to jail. Tell your students they are misinformed.

[Dan]

and BTW, pro wrestling somehow seems to have found its way into Korea, and now that has become very popular :/

i was like, no its all fake. but my stubborn ass relative is like wait, that has to be real, look theres blood.

[Tiger Beer]