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HighTreason
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
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 Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:00 pm Post subject: How do you not blow your nose while eating??! |
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Hello,
Ok, so apparently it's the rudest thing ever in Korea to blow your nose at the table; or at least so I've heard since I'm not in Korea yet. I went to an authentic Korean Restaurant (The kind where no one speaks English and that includes customers) for the first time today so was concerned about following Korean manners. Plus, it's good practice for when I get to Korea. But this not blowing your nose while eating thing is impossible!
Sure, snot is not the most pleasant thing in the world and one should always try to refrain from loud messy nose blowing at the table, but not blowing it at all? Is it more polite to have a globule of snot running from your nose right onto your food then??
I tried everything in the world. Pretending to wipe my mouth with the napkin and secretly squeezing out what snot I could without blowing into it, sniffling as non-chalantly as possible, and one time I gave up and went to the bathroom to blow my nose. There was literally one point during the meal that I noticed a big trail of snot running from my nose right onto the table! Blowing one's nose has got to be the most ridiculous thing to get that upset about ever.
How does one handle this in Korea? What's the secret trick I'm missing? Is it acceptable to wipe off snot or even to squeeze your nose to get some of it into the tissue as long as you don't blow? Is there something I'm not doing? Or do you really have to go to the bathroom every five to ten minutes during a meal to blow your nose??
Please help. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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| I've found that simply turning away from the table to blow your nose is sufficient. |
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xCustomx
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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Don't stress out about this. Just politely turn your head and lightly blow your nose. I think most people, in Korea or anywhere, find it disgusting when you're blowing your nose and it makes a vibrating sound.
My friends don't care about blowing their nose at all, and it's impossible for me to not get a runny nose when I'm eating really spicy food. |
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kat2
Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Location: Busan, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Blowing your nose anywhere but the bathroom is gross in my book. Is your nose running so much that you can't discreetly wipe it and really must blow? In that case, you should go to the bathroom. Koreans really hate when you do it at the table. Now, if you want to spit out partically chewed fish bones and leave them in afull view of hte entire table, by all means, GO FOR IT! |
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mrsquirrel
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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Would you blow your nose at the table back home?
A big ripsnorting tissue ripper of a blow is not really appropriate for the dining table |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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| kat2 wrote: |
| Blowing your nose anywhere but the bathroom is gross in my book. |
Absolutely.
I've never heard of nose blowing at the table being acceptable manners. It's right down there with tromping through the house with shoes on and eating rare steak in barbarism. |
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eddie1983man
Joined: 31 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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| what could possibly make your nose drip snot all day? allergies maybe? |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Blowing your nose isn't offensive at all. Just make sure you don't slurp your noodles when you eat them, because that's the rudest thing ever, at least according to this board. |
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mrsquirrel
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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| I seriously don't think that in my whole life, I have ever had to blow my nose while eating. I also find it equally disgusting as most Koreans do. Nothing makes your meal more appetizing than hearing someone blow wet snot out their nose while you are trying to eat. |
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bgreenster
Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Location: too far from the beach
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Qinella wrote: |
| kat2 wrote: |
| Blowing your nose anywhere but the bathroom is gross in my book. |
Absolutely.
I've never heard of nose blowing at the table being acceptable manners. It's right down there with tromping through the house with shoes on and eating rare steak in barbarism. |
Haha. Too bad those are both things that are done regularly at home. While "tromping" is a bit much, I'm not the hugest stickler for taking off my shoes in my own place... and rare steak? Nothing beats a barely cooked, high-quality filet.
But I think there's a distinction between "blowing" and "wiping"- while I certainly would leave the table to blow my nose, I find that it is acceptable to turn your head away and wipe your nose, especially when eating spicy food. I don't think the OP's issue is that strange- a LOT of people have problems with runny noses while eating... and the chili pepper paste certainly adds to this dilemma.
OP, I say don't worry, just be aware of the situation and leave the table if you really have to "blow" beyond a discreet wipe. I personally go with the "sound rule"- if it will make a noise, leave. If not, you're a-ok. |
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HighTreason
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| mrsquirrel wrote: |
Would you blow your nose at the table back home?
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Yes.
| mrsquirrel wrote: |
A big ripsnorting tissue ripper of a blow is not really appropriate for the dining table |
I already mentioned in the original post that "one should always try to refrain from loud messy nose blowing at the table" so your comment is redundant.
| Qinella wrote: |
I've never heard of nose blowing at the table being acceptable manners. It's right down there with tromping through the house with shoes on and eating rare steak in barbarism. |
I've never heard of snot running down your face being acceptable manners. And as for shoes in the house and eating rare steak being barbarism, huh?? I suppose, unbeknownst to me, I live in Barbary then. I rarely ever see anyone who doesn't wear shoes in the house, and I generally find it amusing when I happen across them. And I happen to love rare steak!! Let me guess, you like to cook all the flavor out of yours right? And then eat the big hunk of charcoal that's left? Yeah, so does my wife. |
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billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm just kinda mystified as to why your nose is running so much. If it's a cold, then getting up to the bathroom isn't so arduous, is it? And if it normally runs like that, maybe you should get it checked out. |
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mrsquirrel
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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Ah don't you love people who ask questions and hate the replies they get.
Make posting here worthwhile. |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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| bgreenster wrote: |
| Qinella wrote: |
| kat2 wrote: |
| Blowing your nose anywhere but the bathroom is gross in my book. |
Absolutely.
I've never heard of nose blowing at the table being acceptable manners. It's right down there with tromping through the house with shoes on and eating rare steak in barbarism. |
Haha. Too bad those are both things that are done regularly at home. |
Not in my home bro, nor any of my (direct) family's. The shoes thing, I mean. It was always a big deal when I was growing up. Who the hell wants a floor covered with all the foul, putrid, disease-infested muck from the streets, especially if you have carpet? Gross..
The steak was obviously a joke, jeeeeeeeeeez.
| HighTreason wrote: |
| I've never heard of snot running down your face being acceptable manners. And as for shoes in the house and eating rare steak being barbarism, huh?? I suppose, unbeknownst to me, I live in Barbary then. I rarely ever see anyone who doesn't wear shoes in the house, and I generally find it amusing when I happen across them. And I happen to love rare steak!! Let me guess, you like to cook all the flavor out of yours right? And then eat the big hunk of charcoal that's left? Yeah, so does my wife. |
Sounds like you're better suited to being a garbage scavenger living adjacent to a dump site in the Philippines rather than a teacher living in a sophisticated, first class country like Korea. How do you even call yourself a human without laughing? |
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