Korean Job Discussion Forums

elliemk · Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Location: Sparkling Korea!

I'm curious. I've met several foreigners who are drinking more alcohol now that they are in Korea. Are you? Any particular reason why you're drinking more?

Dome Vans · Guest

A lot less. I really like the social aspect and relaxing benefits of drinking. But in Korea I don't drink between Sunday and Thursday because even a couple in the evening can make me feel a bit slow of thought the next day.

I like to keep on top of the teaching and love to spring out of bed in the morning. What I've found is that I sometimes have to force myself to drink on Fridays and Saturdays. Sad sad!

nomad-ish · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 3:27 am Post subject:

a lot more.

reason? alcohol is quite cheap over here, and when i go out with friends (even for dinner) we have a few drinks. a lot of times we'll go to bars to meet up with people, drink and talk

VanIslander · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 3:51 am Post subject:

In my first 32 years before Korea I could count on my fingers and toes the number of times I had more than one alcoholic drink in a night.

In my first year in Korea I'd many times gotten so drunk that I couldn't count my fingers.

Soju, makkoli, maekju, poktangju, Korean men and their dinner and bar-hopping habits, especially with shipyard workers on Geoje.

lucas_p · Joined: 17 Sep 2007

Personally, I have stayed the same -- having a social drink or two a couple times a month.

To those who are drinking much more (and almost everyone I know here personally matches that trend), is this necessarily a good thing? Hm....

Kenny Kimchee · Joined: 12 May 2003

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Same as always.

Dome Vans · Guest

butlerian · Joined: 04 Sep 2006 Location: Korea

I'm drinking about the same. Before (in England) I was a student and so I had a fairly easy schedule etc and it became easy to drink and still get through the following day. My current job in Korea also allows me too much free time and a lack of morning teaching, which encourages me to drink. I think I need to find a new hobby!

little mixed girl · Joined: 11 Jun 2003 Location: shin hyesung's bed~

not in korea, but since coming to japan i have been drinking more.

but that drinking is, like, when we have department get-togethers. sometimes when i'm out with my friend, or the (rare) gathering of japanese people.

but, that's about 2 times a month...if that.

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

When I first arrived, the same.
Now, I drink less because I don't drink Sun-Wed anymore. Usually.

My friends? They've gone from potheads to boozehounds. I totally approve because drugs like weed and coffee are EVIL and I much prefer the people I love to be stumbling messes spewing puke and getting in fights with sober people instead of chilling out smoking a "joint" or a "doobie" or a "spliff" or a "pinner" or a "bit" or a "nothin diff" or a "Marley 'pop" or a "rastafarian coksuka" or a "greendart" or a "second-hand-spit-coated-paper-encapsulating- some-undesirable-plant-from-the-country"ian.

Down with Drugs! Up with Alcohol!

nomad-ish · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:46 pm Post subject:

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

The top answer you'll get from every Korean I know as to why they drink as much as they do is: "I'm so stress." But they'll often say it with a sly, winking smile. Like it's not the real reason, but rather just the answer that's written on the cultural script they all read from.

So, how come you foreigners, those of you who drink more in Korea than you did before coming here -- why don't you claim it's because of stress?

Stress is also apparently an acceptable excuse for whoring. Not directly, but it goes like this:

1. Stress.
2. Drinking to relieve the stress.
3. Whoring triggered by all the drinking.

Dome Vans · Guest

My co-teacher admitted to me last week that he had four shots of soju that evening because he felt bad about how he had handled a student. The student was playing up a bit so my co-teacher "scolded" him. But as he found out later a little incorrectly. This led to him having his "binge". He's a sweet man, and there's the stress for you.

For my boring bit I've found that I deal better with problems arising by not drinking. Thinking through it, dealing with it and then moving on. Alcohol with all it's delicious, forgetting properties doesn't touch my lips when I've had a bad day.

crusher_of_heads · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:25 pm Post subject:

I've been drinking less-my job isn't stressful, and the winter here is mild, but lack of sunlight plus beer is a bad idea-I'm at the gym. I will have a few beers on a Friday night with a good meal [like Lotteria it's the best food in the whole entire world, next to Kimchi], but that's about it.