Korean Job Discussion Forums

MA_TESOL · Joined: 11 Nov 2007 Location: Seoul

Ever go alone to a local bar that is almost only frequented by Korean customers. How has that been for you?

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

It's tough because Korean bars don't usually have a...oh what do you call it...a bar. It's just a bunch of booths like a damn TGIFriday's. Nonetheless with a little friendliness you can almost surely find some group of drunks to hang out with you. It's usually a rather pathetic scene though.

Them: So you're from America?

You: Right.

Them: So were you drunk and lonely in America too?

You: Right.

Css · Joined: 27 Sep 2004 Location: South of the river

I used to go to bars often..had good times...sitting at the bar, talking with the bar staff....always got bought drinks by random korean dudes...if i was alone, often got invited to join someone for a drink..

Ronald · Joined: 14 Feb 2007

Bars here suck in general except Tin Pan and and few others. Say what you want, they're the best in town for fun.

NOthing like college bars back in the states though, where the beer's cheap, bands are awesome, girls are drop dead gorgeous. Hell, we ever had a boxing ring in one bar.

By the way, Can someone define "partying" in Korean culture?

semphoon · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Location: Where Nowon is

R-Seoul · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Location: your place

I once went to a local all Korean bar with a k-girl near my apartment. The bar was decked out in a wild west theme and full of pissed up adjuma�s and adjoshi�s wearing suits and I was thinking that I'd better watch my step and not be too conspicuous. However as soon as I set foot in the damn place the entire bar staff came over to say �herro� to me. We sat at the bar, and there was some piss poor juggling of bottles being done by the cocktail waiters and being MC�d by some tool with dyed blonde hair. As soon as he saw me he announced there was a �Waygook� in the house and came over to shake my hand, he then ensured I won a prize despite not understanding a word that was being said.

In short it was crap and I never went back.

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

Poemer · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Location: Mullae

My favorite experience in a "local" bar was a place in Bundang. It actually had a bar, two actually, which is impressive. What was hilarious was the way that every time I came in and sat down at the bar the owner would frown at the bartender, who would then disappear momentarily before reappearing with this huge unabridged dictionary. He would then page through it in an attempt to find some words to strike up a conversation with. The look on his face was tragic as he paged pitifully through his tome. I still feel for the poor guy. His boss was a nice guy, but it's a bit much to expect even the best of barkeeps to entertain your only patron with a dictionary.

Imrahil

bobranger · Joined: 10 Jun 2008 Location: masan

I go to a little watering hole on my way home from work. It�s your typical hof and soju place. It has a small bar where they serve moderately priced Jack Daniels shots. I usually stay for forty minutes. Give a couple of hello�s to the owner and her family. They let me run a tab which I pay on Friday. Listen to Howard Stern on my MP3 and head home. Nothing exciting, same as I usually do at home. Not much to say on either end.

sojourner1 · Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 5:03 am Post subject:

Those boring beer hofs are like over priced restaurants, but will be places you go out with Korean acquantances or to do privates. They might have a stage with all the audio and visual equipment, but never have music or entertainment of any sort. Many will not serve you, but it helps a great deal if you're with Korean people as it's necessary to be a couple or in a group to go out like a Korean which happens when you're invited.

I took a couple Korean friends to a real bar; a foreigner bar. They found it strange that it was not required on thier part to buy food and that everyone sat in a circle around the bartender instead of in private booths, but they liked how it was less constrained kind of social/drinking situation. I explained that this is a real bar you go out to drink and mingle with people.

Css · Joined: 27 Sep 2004 Location: South of the river

kiknkorea · Joined: 16 May 2008

sojourner1 · Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 9:39 am Post subject:

Yea, this was in a smaller city with 2 foreigner bars and there was one Korean bar that is western style with a real bar though it was still required to buy fried food so it is still a beer hof.

One would think Changwon, a city of 500,000 is a large city, but it's just a small town, culturally speaking. To illustrate this fact, my 30 year Korean friend going to university in Changwon never before ate Big Macs and pizza and drank in a real bar until I introduced this to him by inviting him along for my choice of places to go out. I took him out to an American Thanksgiving meal at the Seamans club in Busan last year and the only thing he could eat where the deserts as the food is too bland and strange for him. Korea is westernizing, but only technologically; not culturally.

It is true that the rest of Korea outside of Seoul is surprisingly inward thinking regardless of how large of a city you can find outside of Seoul. It can look modern, but still not be culturally developed enough to have real western style things going on where traditionalism still lives on.