Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Big Mac]

Does anybody else have a problem with the dirty, stinky dishes that sometimes sit for days outside your apartment door?

When I first came here, I thought it was kind of cool that when you order out they give you dishes and then come around later to pick them up.

But then I saw the moldy and stinky results and tripped on a few dirty dishes sitting on the stairwell and I didn't like the idea so much anymore.

Would it be rude to put up a sign, kind of like a no-smoking sign, but with dishes on it instead?

[VanIslander]

As long as the sign is in Korean, why not? Go for it.

But if not successful, don't expect to change Koreans though. It's what they do.

Imagine if someone goes to work in your home country and puts up a sign not to make noise after 11 on Friday night. Regardless of the laws or general courtesy, the habits of the locals are pretty set: Parties on Friday night back home and dishes in the hallway here.

[Barking Mad Lord Snapcase]

[VanIslander]

[denverdeath]

Subtlety, schmudtlety. Get a couple of cans of powerful roach spray and go up and down your hallway with the stuff spraying everywhere, centering your attentions on the dish areas. Maybe your neighbours will come out and take the hint to call the offending restaurant? If you don't already have a roach problem there, you may get one...maybe a big one. If that doesn't work, after one day of the dishes sitting there, drag 'em downstairs yourself and place them all in one big pile out on the sidewalk and let the restaurant people figure out whose is whose themselves. Or, maybe the local kids can play with 'em? Not saying that you should have to do that, but I think it's better than the stuff hanging about for a damn week. Maybe your wonderful neighbours will even hand you a cool nickname like "The Dirty Dish Man" or give you the "Good Tenant Award" or something.

[Big Mac]

[Privateer]

The ones at fault are the restaurants for not picking up the dishes quick enough, so you need to go and bitch them out. That's the Korean way: yell loudly enough and you'll kick start them into action. You need to find out which restaurants are the main culprits though, and for preference be able to yell at them in Korean.

If that seems like too much hassle then you might just have to grin and bear it because if I was your neighbour and you came asking me not to leave take-out dishes in the hallway I'd definitely ignore you. What, everyone in the building has to stink up the inside of their own places or stop ordering take out just because you say so? Get out of here.