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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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 Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 7:36 pm Post subject: Would it be crass...? |
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I think some Korean food is great. There are few things better than sitting on the floor and eating grilled, marinated meat with a bottle of soju. But I don't really like very much of the rest of it. It just doesn't suit me.
I'm working in a public high school and the menu for the day is never ever posted, so I don't ever eat in the school cafeteria. Never.
I bring a thermos of hot soup every day (which was a big obstacle because I had to try two thermoses before I found one that would keep anything half hot). Two and a half months in and I'm tiring of my restricted diet.
The trouble is, the school does not have a microwave.
Would it be crass if I went to a used appliance store and bought a microwave and just showed up with it here one morning, stuck it on top of the refrigerator, plugged it in and just acted as if that was a normal thing to do? (If I ask if it's OK, there is the danger of being refused permission.) With winter coming on, hot meat pies and casseroles would lend a bit of variety to my diet of soup.
How would you handle this situation? |
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Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, I would go ahead and do it. At my last school I brought in my water heater since I never used it, and everybody in our office used it to make tea, coffee, hot chocolate, ramen, etc. We had way nicer amenities than the big office, but until then only they had piping hot water. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Does your school have a womens teachers' lounge? Have you checked there? That's where ours is. If you get one that might be a good place to keep it - bring it along as a gift. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 10:14 pm Post subject: Re: Would it be crass...? |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
I think some Korean food is great. There are few things better than sitting on the floor and eating grilled, marinated meat with a bottle of soju. But I don't really like very much of the rest of it. It just doesn't suit me.
I'm working in a public high school and the menu for the day is never ever posted, so I don't ever eat in the school cafeteria. Never.
I bring a thermos of hot soup every day (which was a big obstacle because I had to try two thermoses before I found one that would keep anything half hot). Two and a half months in and I'm tiring of my restricted diet.
The trouble is, the school does not have a microwave.
Would it be crass if I went to a used appliance store and bought a microwave and just showed up with it here one morning, stuck it on top of the refrigerator, plugged it in and just acted as if that was a normal thing to do? (If I ask if it's OK, there is the danger of being refused permission.) With winter coming on, hot meat pies and casseroles would lend a bit of variety to my diet of soup.
How would you handle this situation? |
Crass? In what way? Crass in the "Me Big-Nose Teacher. Big-Nose Teacher no eat spicy-hot fishy-head lawn-clipping slop you natives call 'food'!" sort of way? Or crass in the "See how unthoughtful you are! I have to bring my OWN microwave oven because YOU didn't think to provide me one!  " sort of way? Or, do you mean crass in the "Permission, schmermission! My office, my MWO, me, me, ME!! Ugh! Grrr! *belch!*" sort of way? Or all of the above?
I'd have to know more about your situation -- and even the physical layout of the office -- to offer any useful suggestions. But why should that stop me from trying?
First, how did you handle lunchtime at the other places you've worked?
And how about now? Do you have your soup in your own separate office, doors closed? Or in a shared office, but when everyone is out to lunch so you have the place to yourself?
If it's going to be in your own office, I'd say just buy it and set it up. My only concerns then would be that someone might "borrow"/steal it, or that they might want to use it, which would mean disturbing you or mucking about in your office when you're not there. (Got a key to that doorlock?)
I did essentially the same thing at one office years ago, where I brought in a mini-fridge under the cover of darkness and the service elevator because I knew the building guards would have stopped me. Once it was in there, squirreled away in a corner of my office beneath a VERY large potted plant... well, it was too late for anyone to do anything. And yes, I locked my door when I left for home each night. But every office had to be locked when no-one was inside, that was the rule.
If it's going in a communal office area, then you should tell them it's for everyone to use. I would. And why would/how could they complain? Because 10 minutes (maximum) daily use will send their electric bills through the roof? 
[rant] Yeah, that whole "asking for permission is asking for refusal" thing is the oldest, most noisome can of bundegi going. Not saying it isn't true; I'm saying it's depressingly true. One of the sweetest joys of not working for the locals is no longer being "handled" by them in silly-assed ways like this... ways I never experienced before coming to Korea.
It's one thing to have your work-related proposals or recommendations rejected by higher-ups in the course of business. That's normal, that's expected. But it's the really petty and meaningless *beep* that can wear you down and do bad things to your whole outlook on Korea and life in general. Like having some little peanut with ZERO authority tell you that you're _not allowed_ to use your own coffeemaker, that your sofa is too big and who said you could have it?, or "don't tell anyone I said this, but everyone's complaining that your office is too nice"  (when it wasn't me who chose the damned office in the first place). [/rant]
Get the MWO and get with the re-heating! 
I wouldn't agonise too much over trying to guess their reactions to small things like this. And even if you do, march ahead with an air of steely confiidence and determination anyway. Remember that authority comes with age in Korea (something we should both be using to our fullest advantage  ), and that seems to transcend race. Beyond that, Korean rules of etiquette and propriety don't always extend to us.
Last edited by JongnoGuru on Sun Nov 13, 2005 10:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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manlyboy
Joined: 01 Aug 2004
Location: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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Hell. Next winter camp when I've got 5 hours to kill each day, I'm bringing in a sleeping bag.
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| With winter coming on, hot meat pies and casseroles would lend a bit of variety to my diet of soup. |
Where, pray tell, could one purchase these meat pies you speak of? |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2005 1:17 am Post subject: |
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Go ahead.
I donated a microwave to the lounge of my general office & everyone seemed quite appreciative. |
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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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| Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2005 6:33 am Post subject: |
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| My greatest worry would be that they wouldn't let me take it back at the end of the year. Make sure you keep the receipt AND write your name on the bottom or side with a permanent marker. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2005 6:35 am Post subject: |
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| Crass? In what way? |
I was thinking of crass more in terms of "There goes the wacky way-gookin, doing things on his own" kind of thing. Although I kind of liked the Guru's ideas of crass.
We are all in one big office. At one end there is another room with the beer/soju-filled refrigerator, the sink, the cup and spoon sterilizer and some chairs for the guys to play paduk.
At my last job I was near an American base and I ate there every day with my handy dandy base pass. They had absolutely killer mushroom soup, made by Mr. Jung and every Tuesday was Mexican food day. In my jobs before that, I didn't work at lunch time. I ate at home.
Right now, I eat at my desk. Just me and my little thermos bottle. The rest of the staff goes to the school cafeteria.
| Quote: |
| Remember that authority comes with age in Korea (something we should both be using to our fullest advantage ), and that seems to transcend race. Beyond that, Korean rules of etiquette and propriety don't always extend to us. |
As luck would have it, Young-Duck is one month older than me. Otherwise, I outrank everyone else. (Outrank sounds so much better than "I'm older than everyone else".)
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| Where, pray tell, could one purchase these meat pies you speak of? |
Well, I purchase the meat (beef or chicken) at Oori Mart; the veggies from the old ladies on the street; the broth and crust I make myself. I whip 'em up in my kitchen and bake 'em in my oven. It's really not hard. A little time-consuming, but what else do I have to do? I make several at a time, in those little aluminum plate thingies and freeze 'em. |
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jlb
Joined: 18 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2005 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Would eating at the cafeteria be such a horrible thing? |
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tzechuk
Joined: 20 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2005 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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| manlyboy wrote: |
Hell. Next winter camp when I've got 5 hours to kill each day, I'm bringing in a sleeping bag.
| Quote: |
| With winter coming on, hot meat pies and casseroles would lend a bit of variety to my diet of soup. |
Where, pray tell, could one purchase these meat pies you speak of? |
I think he makes his own. |
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Pak Yu Man
Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Location: The Ida galaxy
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| Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2005 8:02 pm Post subject: |
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| manlyboy wrote: |
Hell. Next winter camp when I've got 5 hours to kill each day, I'm bringing in a sleeping bag.
| Quote: |
| With winter coming on, hot meat pies and casseroles would lend a bit of variety to my diet of soup. |
Where, pray tell, could one purchase these meat pies you speak of? |
lol. sounds like the summer camp we had.
We had a three hour lunch break. So I decided to renovate my office by stealing a sofa thingy (it had no back) from the hallway and stuck it into my office.
It was kinda funnny. The guy in the office next to me (you know who you are.....I hope you're reading this dumbass  ) was tired...so I gave him a blanket and told him to sleep on the nice concrete floor.
Right after that I got the idea to stealone of those babies in the hallway.
After his nap....he comes in and returns the blanket, sees the sofa-thingy and yells "WTF?"
If it's your space....do what you want to it. I'm thinking of adding a TV and a PS2 (or even a PS3) to the office next year. |
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