A few reasons why Korea is A-W-E-S-O-M-E

Courtesy of the always entertaining Simon and Martina of eatyourkimchi.com! This video rocks. Virtual high five!

The toilet doesn't like toilet paper

Sure, it took a little time to get used to, but I eventually came to accept the wipe but don't flush concept in Korea. But in Los Angeles, California, USA? Are the pipes smaller in K-town? A result of habit? Attempts to conserve water?

Have you bought your box of Pepero?

Tuesday, November 11th marks Veterans Day here in the States...


...and Pepero Day back in Korea.


According to Wikipedia...

Pepero Day is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine's Day or Sweetest Day. It is named after the Korean snack Pepero and held on November 11, since the date "11/11" resembles five sticks of Pepero. The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies, and romantic gifts.

According to one story, Pepero Day was started in 1994 by students at a girls' middle school in Busan, where they exchanged Pepero sticks as gifts to wish one another to grow "as tall and slender as a Pepero"^{[citation needed]} (Pepero means "thin like a stick"). However, it is more likely it was initiated by Lotte, the company which produces Pepero.

Have you bought your box of Pepero today?

Fun Engrish finds

Truth be told, it's a little disappointing going into your local Artbox, only to find that the greeting cards actually make sense these days. On a recent trip to Ahyeon's (아현) Wedding Street - more on that later! - Anna and I were thoroughly pleased to come across a sample wedding album that offered some good old fashioned Engrish amusement. ^^

A light in the dark shinning your love into my life.



Love slowly comessnow inquiring through frozen water through nightlike stars each flake steady reaching through.



Marriage doesn't pay a salary, but it dowe come with some terrific benefits. Take time to notice, again, the great smile your spouse has. (My favorite.)



ALL love is sweer, Given or returned.

Good reads: Korean criticism

Ask A Korean posts yet another stimulating blog, this time on Korean criticism.

With analogies to Hitler, Tupac, and a Pebble Beach minefield, he ought to be writing for an editorial magazine, no?

Now you can imagine the proper difficulty of being a non-Korean, constructive critic. Could you imagine yourself walking up to Tupac (bless his soul) and his crew saying:

“How are you Mr. Shakur? You know, I think you really should stop rapping about shooting the police. I understand where you are coming from, but really, times have changed, and the police now protect all of us. I mean, just look at the number of African-American police officers we have around the country now. It’s really a terrible influence for children, so I really think it’s time for you to move on.”

Read on...

The Korean fish game!

And since I'm on a fishy roll, I present to you: THE KOREAN FISH GAME!

The object of this $3 game is to throw a dizzy fish into the water, and see where it ends up swimming to, which determines your prize. See how the contestant shakes the fish in an effort to confuse it (you know he's aiming for that gigantic Hello Kitty pillow), but the fish are trained like ninjas!

Why do expats complain? A good read

There's an interesting joint post by Ask A Korean and Roboseyo on the following topic:

Why do expats complain?

Ask A Korean brings up a good point - as my family have noted many times before - most of us foreigners (myself included, minus time spent with family) tend to gravitate towards comparatively well-off, 20-somethings who speak nearly fluent English, which can lead to a very skewed view of Korean society.

On one hand you have your Koreans in their 60s who grew up in constant danger of death from war and starvation, and on the other hand you have your Koreans in their teens who are self-absorbed, battling obesity problem.

Few people (including younger Koreans themselves) understand this point, no matter how many times the Korean screams about it: only 50 years ago, Korea was DIRT FUCKING POOR. It was one of the poorest countries in the world. Here is an example: when the Korean War happened, Ethiopia was one of the countries that sent a contingent to aid South Korea. Ethiopia!

Roboseyo does a wonderful job of categorizing "complainers" by type -

• The Snark Olympians: Harsher! Meaner! Ruder!
• The Misdirected Culture-Shockers and Disappointed Orientalists: Next rung up on the ladder are the expats who complain not so much for the sport, but because they don't know any other way to articulate the culture-shock they're experiencing.
• The Off-Duty Diplomats: The next level goes especially for people who complain online, or expats who always run Korea down when they're around other expats.
• Alternate View Pointer-Outers like to divide complainers into the cathartic complainers and the social critics.
• The Kimcheerleading Counterbalances: Closely related to the off-duty diplomats.
• The (Maybe You Didn't Notice It Was) Affectionately Sarcastic: Some readers and listeners don't notice, can't notice, or intentionally ignore, the fact that some of us comment on this stuff because it amuses us, and we're not trying to be negative at all.
• The Social Critic
• The Constructive Social Critic
  

I'd like to think of myself as the "affectionately sarcastic" type, at least in my online world, where the "heavy" stuff is rarely discussed (I conveniently talk about elementary journal-esque topics such as "What I Ate for Dinner") simply because I originally intended for this blog to serve as a life-updater for my family and friends, in lieu of mass emails and Facebook/MySpace album uploads and what not, rather than a destination for essays on society. It's also a simple way for me to document some of my adventures, as well as a means to keeping my sanity when bored or restless. Personally, writing is cathartic, and for that, I have many other outlets (other blogs, joint blogs, email, snail mail, a "real" journal, etc.) that I'd rather keep to myself, or within a smaller circle, at times.

The majority of my complaining typically gets dished out to good ol' Mom (who is from Korea, I might add). Her reactions - sometimes based on her mood, whether or not Dad vacuumed the house, and the level of agitation in my voice - vary from, "Korea needs to work on changing that" to "I know how you feel, but just try to understand" to "Well, then come home already!"

I dare not "complain" to family members in Korea... rather, we discuss "how things differ in other parts of the world." For the most part, my family does a pretty good of understanding how I, the American, can often have an alternative perspective on culture, and like my mom, their reactions also vary from time to time. One thing, however, will never change - the constant requests to "Please learn how to eat ____ (i.e. goelbaengi or samgyeopsal) since you're in Korea," fully aware that what they say won't really make a difference - I will not give into eating snails or pork, people, no matter who you are or how nicely you ask me!

Anyway, I digress.

I suggest you all take 10 minutes out of your day for this read!

Roboseyo
Ask A Korean

Happy cabbing

Four Cabs in One Day and...

Two asked about my life history, but also included:

• Are you Korean?
  
• Why are you going to the Hilton?
  
• Wow, your English pronunciation is good! Can you say "Porsche" for me?
  
• If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?
  
• What's your favorite Korean food?
  
• You look like you can drink (handle) your alcohol very well.

For the most part, it's quite fun when they're friendly, and I don't mind a good chat. But if you're not one of those "I want to talk to the taxi driver" types, here are a couple notes to increase your chances of a quiet ride to your destination:

• Do not answer telephone calls from English speaking acquaintances in cabs.
  
• If you must, fake the best Korean-English accent as possible. 
  
• Note this isn't as effective if you don't look Korean.
  
• Do not pronounce English words such as "Hilton Hotel" with an American accent. Korean-ify it to the best of your ability.

Heard in Korea

I love it when friends value honesty. : ) 

"Hey, you know what one cab driver said to me today? He called me 'healthy looking.' But we were talking about food and in that specific context, I think it was more like 'You're chubby.' I am!" 

"Yeah. You are!"

Yes folks - I know I'm due for a trip to the gym!

Only in Korea (Pt 1 of many, I'm sure)

#1) The Burberry branded bike.

Ahem, I mean, "Burberrys." I expected the knockoff Louis bags on the street corner, and wasn't surprised by the fake Gucci shoes in the subway station, but I have to admit the first time I walked past an established retail store and saw "Balenciaga" bags in the window display, I had to do a double take. However, nothing seems to be more blatantly imitated than the classic Burberry Check in this country.

#2) Toilet paper does not belong in the toilet.

Almost every public restroom in Korea has a dedicated waste bin for used tissues, apparently to save water (and flushing power is not quite as strong as I've seen in Western countries). More on Korean bathrooms later for the curious at heart.