Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pangaea]

My coworker and I are thinking about hosting a Thanksgiving dinner and inviting our Korean coworkers and our boss. There would probably be other people there but it would mainly be people from our school. My question is, would we be violating any rules of etiquette in doing this? We don't want people to feel uncomfortable yet obligated to come and we don't want to do anything that would be considered inappropriate in Korean culture. This might be a simple issue but I don't like to take anything for granted in a culture that I am not that familiar with. Thanks.

[Otus]

As far as I know, you are not violating any etiquette in doing this. A couple of things I found in past experiences:

1. You may get very uncertain responses and you never quite know who is going to turn up until the actual day and time when they do. Often they wait to see who else they know is going and can suddenly change their minds even hours before the actual time. There is no use in being offended by that. It is just the way things happen.

2. Have some kimchi on the table. I don't know why exactly this suddenly becomes so important - but sometimes it does. A friend of mine once cooked a big christmas dinner and invited some company students over. They refused to eat the dinner without kimchi and he had to go down to a local store and come back with some ...

Anyway - no generalizations here - just a couple of things noted from past experiences ...

[Jane]

Yeah, it's true they will decide the day of the event to come or not, after taking a poll to see who is going.

Inviting someone over to a house is still not really done; Koreans go to restaurants and bars, not people's homes.

For these reasons, it's really hard to know what will happen but I suspect you will only get a few people. If you want a better turn out, maybe have it at a restaurant or bring the food to your school and set up a dinner there--I think that would be more 'acceptable' for your Korean co-workers.

[interestedinhanguk]

It might be uncomfortable for some if there are others there as you mentioned. It'd basically be 2 groups, your coworkers/boss and the others (friends, I'm assuming). They would still probably have a good time, but it'd be 2 parties in one room.

[pangaea]

....

[ThingsComeAround]

I've had a successful bday party with workmates, ex-coworkers and friends. Everyone mingled until one ex-coworker (kind of the party crasher) said some unflattering things about Korea. Well- lets just say some friends left.

I'd say go for it! If you know your friends well, bring them along.

And yes, people do invite for in-house dinners/parties. Nothing wrong with it!

I didn't have kimchi on the table, but then again, it was a bday. There was spicy Korean food available. And drinks.

Edit:

@Otus. that was incredibly rude of them to refuse to eat "anything" until kimchi was there. Either they are the biggest jackasses on the planet or your friend needs to grow a pair.