Speak&Share Metablog

Wanna Chat with Korean Buddies? How not to make an Ass of Yourself: Part 1

Roboseyo — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 02:26:00 +0800

Ooh, dear expat readers:

You thought I was going to let you off the hook, didn't you? You thought I was going to put all of the onus on the Koreans who approach us, to defer to our cultural uniqueness, to be the one who comes to us, to adapt to our special situation.

No flippin' way!

Halfway through preparing this series, I realized just how high-handed, and totally unbalanced, the series was coming out to be... due to the fact I can really only present one expat's point of view, and generalize from there, it's not surprising the viewpoint was one-sided, really...

but I wasn't going to be satisfied with that: maybe you remember this post, where I requested some of my Korea born-and-raised readers to contact me... the reason I did was for this series, so that I could ask some of my Korean readers and friends: "What are the things that foreigners do, that annoy or frustrate you?" and present the opposite side of the equation when a Korean and an expat meet, and unintentionally annoy each other.

So interspersed between posts with tips for Koreans trying to be friends with foreigners, are posts with tips for westerners to avoid being "that foreigner" to your Korean friends.

A lot of common complaints were connected to that awkward and (let's admit it) needy situation where one is asking one's Korean friend to speak Korean on his/her behalf.

[Update: Kimchi Ice Cream has a great post that basically takes this exact theme, and applies it to the school situation. If you want to endear yourself to your coteachers, read Jason's rundown of the 14 behaviors that will quickly have the exact OPPOSITE effect.]

Tip 1: Be Appreciative

See, good expat, you're lucky to have a Korea friend who has the forbearance to do this for you, and you really should be appreciative and grateful to the friend who's helping you out. Seriously.

Yeah, I know it's frustrating living in a country where suddenly I can't pay my phone bills on my own anymore... but if you have a Korean friend who is HELPING you pay those phone bills, it's the barest of good manners to take a break from resenting Korea for not being an English speaking nation, and to show some gratitude toward the people who are helping you navigate the ins and outs.

If your Korean friend has agreed to help you out by speaking Korean on your behalf, that's great, and you're lucky... but it's also helpful to be a bit thoughtful about what you're asking them to translate.

If you give them a speech like this one to translate:

recognize that you're being a bit of a douche, and very definitely a high-maintenance person, and don't be too surprised if that well runs dry kind of fast. If you really must order that way, learn how to explain what you want yourself... but also recognize that that's usually not how folks roll in Korealand, and you might find yourself butting your head against a wall, not because of the language, but because NOBODY orders takeaway food... but also an extra serving divided in half and packed evenly, with one of the halves not spicy, but the other half spicy but vegetarian, and with extra side dishes double-wrapped in saran wrap (for the smell) and can you deliver the spicy half to a different address than the plain half, and do you have a frequent customer card? Seriously, keep it simple, you clown!

If you do have complex things to cover, make sure everybody's clear before heading into the electronics shop or whatever: draw a picture, make a checklist, talk about it beforehand, and get your ducks in a row.

Tip 2: Make an Effort: If it's your first month in Korea, and you don't speak a lick of Korean, your generous-hearted Korean friend will probably let it slide, yah? But if you've been here for six or ten or twenty months, and you're still looking to your Korean buddy to help you order a tuna kimbap ("Sorry: I always forget the word for tuna!") then you're being a bit helpless now, aren't you?

Learn to read hangul before the end of your second month in Korea. It's not hard. Learn the names of your favorite foods, and if you have predilections for or against certain things, learn how to explain it yourself. Learn the word for "vegetarian" or "milk allergy" or "I die if I eat peanuts" or "I don't like tomatoes" and know how to talk to the cabby.

Even better: instead of looking to your Korea friend to speak for you, ask him/her to teach you the phrases you keep not knowing how to use. Seriously: make at least the effort to pick up survival Korean as quickly as you can, if only so people don't keep looking at your Korean friend and wondering why she/he is hangs out with mentally challenged foreigners.

So that's step one. Stay tuned for part 2 of "Not making on ass of yourself to your new Korean friend"

Yellow Dust Storms Plague China & Korean Peninsula

GI Korea — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:35:06 +0800

While billions get wasted on global warming a real man made environmental disaster continues unabated:

China’s capital woke up to orange-tinted skies Saturday as the strongest sandstorm so far this year hit the country’s north, delaying some flights at Beijing’s airport and prompting a dust warning for Seoul.

The sky glowed and a thin dusting of sand covered Beijing, causing workers to muffle their faces in vast Tiananmen Square. The city’s weather bureau gave air quality a rare hazardous ranking.

Air quality is “very bad for the health,” China’s national weather bureau warned. It said people should cover their mouths when outside and keep doors and windows closed.

China’s expanding deserts now cover one-third of the country because of overgrazing, deforestation, urban sprawl and drought. The shifting sands have led to a sharp increase in sandstorms — the grit from which can travel as far as the western United States.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has estimated that the number of sandstorms has jumped six-fold in the past 50 years to two dozen a year.

The latest sandstorm has also affected the regions of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia and the provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hebei.

As the latest sandstorm moved southeast, South Korea’s national weather agency issued a yellow dust advisory for Seoul and other parts of the country.

Chun Youngsin, a researcher at the Korea Meteorological Administration, said the yellow dust was expected to hit the Korean peninsula beginning Saturday afternoon and it would be “the worst yellow dust” this year. [Associated Press]

April 22nd at the Brooklyn Kitchen Labs

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:03:45 +0800

My next class has been announced, this time it’s at the Brooklyn Kitchen in their cool new facility, The Labs.

April 22 6:30PM
Brooklyn Kitchen Labs
100 Frost St.
Brooklyn, New York 11211
Price: $60
Register here

100 Frost St., Brooklyn, NY 11211

See you there!

타임스스퀘어 100320

AA-CHAN — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:34:23 +0800

Another day out in Times Square, spending all my money. This time it was with 아람 and we dropped some cash. Buying stuff for the new apartment will happen tomorrow, but BIG BANG and ARASHI featured...

Follow AA-CHAN as he teaches English in Korea and experiences his Korean music fandoms up close!

Busan Weekend: Jagalchi Market

Roboseyo — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:12:00 +0800

It's all Hwangsa-ey out there today - the Yellow Dust is as bad as I've ever seen it. This photo has not been altered in any way.

K. 'Nuff about that.

Went down to Busan with Girlfriendoseyo and my mother-in-law-to-be. We had a great old time, bopping around Busan for a weekend, and at the end of it, eating heap good food. I took about a bazillion pictures, and visited three main spots; here are the best photos from the first of the three: Jagalchi Fish Market, one of the best and most famous seafood markets in Korea. It was great, the fish never looked healthier, richer, and more colorful, and gosh, I like traveling around with Girlfriendoseyo... and her mom's a great travel partner, too, because, in typical ajumma style, she sees to it that we get nothing but the best of the food and service the restaurant has to offer.

The Market
Outdoor

Beautifully silver fish. Never saw them so bright at the fish-markets in Seoul.

sea penises.

Other stuff:

You could pick your food out front, and then have it prepared and eat it in the back.

I liked this guy.

Indoors: there was a whole other market indoors, but the weather outdoors was so nice we didn't really look around in there.

This guy was manually sharpening knives. An interesting effect of Korea's super-fast development is that the older generation still partakes in many "developing country/poor population" money-saving acts, like sharpening knives, re-soling shoes, and so forth, while the younger generation just buys new shoes and knives. When the older generation dies away, the nifty knife-sharpeners and solitary shoe-re-solers will disappear... but then, they'll be dying away at the same time, and nobody'll miss them, really, because everybody'll be buying new shoes and knives, anyway.

This is what we ate at Jalgalchi market

Future Mom-in-law-oseyo found this restaurant by reputation. Love the back-alley experience.

It Was White Day Last Week

Foreign/er Joy — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:18:00 +0800

You know what? I may never be able to blend in and disappear at the workplace but at least I have an understanding and caring boyfriend and well...my life!

Last week was Korea's White Day, which is a knock off of Valentine's Day. The ritual is that the man buys the lady chocolates or a gift...makes a plan.

My boyfriend is turning out to treat these holidays as kid stuff and that at his age he shouldn't do it anymore. In the morning we went to Homeplus to do my weekly shopping. As we passed by the chocolate and gift section, I told him to pick something out while I went over to the fruit section.

Later on I convinced him to take me to a cafe street near Jukjeon station. And so we spent the afternoon at a cafe and had dinner later on. Really to me I just wanted to be out of the house and enjoying our time together.

It was a rainy late-winter and hopeful-spring kind of weather. We checked in at a cute cafe and talked about our futures together. (Not going to share the details)

We ordered "Buttered Toast" off the menu and this is what we got 20 minutes later. Kind of a before dinner killer if you ask me.

Then it was time to move on and find some dinner. I wanted to go to this posh Italian place across from the cafe but it already filled up. So we moved onto another Italian place.

Compared to my first White Day in Korea this one was more memorable and superb. Three Cheers for Romance!

Random Seoul Pics

Tiffany R Cagle — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:06:00 +0800

Sweat? Who wants to drink that?? GROSS!!

The Demi Soda is good though!!

First Starbucks to be spelled in Korean!!

(Well, the first that I've seen.)

There are like a zillion people who ride the subway everyday!

I don't think there are enough masks here!!

Gas masks....should I be scared?

A little seat for the little people when the big people go potty!!

I think the tooth is telling you NOT to smoke!!

Markets of Korea | Jagalchi Fish Market

Gregory Curley — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:03:25 +0800

I dug up a few favorites this morning from a trip I took to Busan’s Jagalchi Market (자갈치시장) last year. As some of you I’m sure already know, I’m a huge fan of traditional markets. And Korea’s got plenty to choose from. As for Busan, it’s a great city packed with amazing temples and loads of great restaurants.

Filed under: Images of Korea Tagged: Busan, Korea, Korean Photography, Markets

2PM Nichkhun transformed himself into a chef

hanyuki — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:11:00 +0800

Nichkhun has showed his hidden cooking talent for children of Aeta tribe residing in Mount Pinatubo.

NichKhun and Song Jihyo presented 'Gungjung tteokbokkiง (Royal Court Rice Pasta), a delicious and nutritious menu for those children, on MBC Sunday Night DANBI. It was very popular among them because of its sweet and not-too-spicy flavor.

Nickkhun cooked the food on fireplace according to Aetas' traditional way. He also prepared the ingredients, seasoned the dish and joined the table as if they are one family. He displayed much sincerity. The third episode of Danbi is going to be aired On Mar, 21 at 5.20 PM. (KST)

Source: TV Daily
Kor-Thai Translation by Tik @2pmalways.com, Thai-Eng Translation by Kagetsu Crackerbaby K. 2pmalways.com

No Gun Ri Movie Released In Time to Slime Returning Korean War Veterans

GI Korea — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:52:18 +0800

After a very long wait considering the No Gun Ri movie was filmed in 2006, it is finally being released and as expected the director Lee Sang-woo is doing everything he can to spread the anti-US mythology surrounding the tragedy that happened at No Gun Ri:

The Marmot has the movie trailer posted over at his site for everyone to check out, but here is what I have to wonder if Lee bothered to inform viewers watching the movie of these relevant facts surrounding the No Gun Ri issue:

Out of the original 12 American witnesses quoted in the Pulitzer Prize winning Associated Press article that the only 4 GI’s that fully confirmed the AP’s account of what happened were later proven to not be there, the 4 more were intentionally misquoted by the AP, 1 veteran’s testimony is inconsistent and suspect, and the other 3 said no massacre occurred at No Gun Ri.
The forensic evidence does not support the claims of a massacre of 400 people. What the forensic evidence does support is the presence of enemy weapons at the bridge.
The aerial imagery evidence does not support the claims of a massacre of 400 people.
The historical documents do not even support the claims of a massacre of 400 people at No Gun Ri.
Here is probably the most telling fact, that despite intensive searches of the No Gun Ri area not one bone was ever found despite supposedly 400 people being killed there. To further put this into perspective other areas where far less people were killed during the Korean War extensive skeletal remains were found, but not a No Gun Ri.

There are plenty of more facts that totally debunk the established mythology about what happened at No Gun Ri that I think judging by the movie poster I doubt director Lee Sang-woo informs viewers of any of this. Speaking of the movie poster Extra Korea! makes a very good observation of how the No Gun Ri movie poster is very similar to a North Korea propaganda poster.

Do you see the supposed 400 bodies?

What is most ironic about the No Gun Ri issue is that we already know what happened there that tragic day in July 1950 if people bothered to listen to veterans who were actually there instead of those who were not. What really happened at No Gun Ri is best summarized by the account given by Buddy Wenzel who the AP for some reason did not include in their article. This is what Wenzel had to say about what happened at No Gun Ri that day:

The civilians started coming down the railroad tracks, on paths on both sides of the tracks… The front ones, there were like maybe 15 or 20 of them, and they were getting thicker beyond that. Somebody said, “Fire over their heads for a warning.” … I got out of my hole with about 30 other guys; we all had M-1s. Now, we had one machine gun up on the railroad tracks and another air cooled machine gun on the right. Well when we fired over their heads they panicked. … That’s when some of them started to run towards us. We were firing over them all this time.

Then somebody yelled, “We’re being fired at,” then there was a bunch that started shooting into the refugees … This all happened in a minute, but it all came out when we panicked ‘cause we thought we were getting shot at.

There was a lieutenant that was running down to that group I was with. I saw this little girl that was sort of in front, she was maybe four or five years old and she was coming down the track I shot towards her and she fell. Well, this lieutenant ran out there and picked up this little girl. Why … I can’t tell you. That’s why the lieutenant was yelling, “Cease fire,” and he was running. She was out there in front, by herself, and flailing here arms and throwing her arms down.

After the cease-fire I stayed where I was, maybe 10-15 yards from the track, and maybe six or eight guys went down the tracks from the group that I was with, and a few went down from on top of the tracks. One of the guys went down there and searched a few of the bodies, he … found a body with a burp gun, and he yelled, “Here’s the goddamned gun,” and he held it straight up and slammed it down on the tracks.

It is pretty clear that a tragedy did happen that day at No Gun Ri but it was not the “Korean My Lai” the AP journalists were so eager to create. The fact of the matter is that you had GI’s that were on the retreat and wary of North Korean infiltrators who fired warning shots over the top of the refugees in order to prevent them from advancing toward their frontline. This firing over the refugees was probably interpreted by the gunmen within the column as being directed towards them and they fired back which ended up causing US soldiers to fire directly into the refugee column.

Other veteran witness statements, Soviet shell casings found underneath the bridge, unit supply records showing Soviet weapons turned into the 7th Cavalry supply personnel, and prior documented instances of civilian clothed guerrilla fighters engaging US troops makes for a strong case that there were gunmen within the refugee column. These gunmen were likely South Korean communist guerrillas because before the Korean War began the Yongdong area of South Korea was a known communist guerrilla hide out. US veteran witnesses who were proven to be at No Gun Ri say the gun men they found dead underneath the bridge wore no uniforms. These veterans also say that the number of refugees killed underneath the bridge from the brief firing numbered to about 4-9 killed with more wounded. It is impossible to know, but some of those wounded could have died later on increasing the death toll. Determining the exact death toll is impossible but it is not the 400 or simply “hundreds” as the AP claims. Additionally the inability to find any remains at the site only further confirms the much lower death toll.

Yes it was a tragedy what happened but the circumstances, motivations, and the numbers dead are vastly different from the narrative that Lee Sang-woo wants people to believe with his movie. I mentioned this over at the Marmot’s Hole, but what I find most detestable about this movie was that Lee intentionally waited until the 60th anniversary of the Korean War to release it instead of releasing it 4 years ago when he completed the movie. He had to have known that ceremonies and other commemorative events would be held to honor returning Korean War veterans and he went out of his way to slime them with this movie filled with lies.