Today is 12/12/12. Is
there any significance there? Nope, not for me at least. I just
felt like writing the date because I won't get that chance again for
another 100 years. I do love the symmetry of the day, month, and
year though.
Speaking of dates on the
calender, let me segue into the importance of age here in Korea.
First, I'll preface this by saying Korean age can be a year or two
older than age in America. When you are born in Korea, you are one
year old, not zero. Secondly, you age one year not on the day you
were born, but on the Lunar New Year which is on the full moon in
January. So lets say that Lunar New Years is on January 28th and a
child was born on January 27th. On the 27th, they are one year old
and the next day, they turn two years old. That's right, a two day
old baby is two years old by Korean standards. That's why asking
someone's age is very misleading out here. It's better to ask what
year they were born in.
So onto the importance of
age. Koreans believe that there is some universal bond between those
born during the same lunar year. If I meet a guy who was born in
1983 then we're immediately great friends. If I meet a girl born in
1983, we're instantly compatible and they'll usually want to go on a
date. If you are older than someone, even by one year, then you are
a respected elder and there are numerous social graces to show this
respect (like accepting and giving objects to the elder with two
hands, never just one or pouring their drinks and giving them their
chopsticks at the dinner table). If you are younger, even by a year,
and talking to a girl, chances are she'll consider you too young and
immature to even contemplate dating. Curious enough, all of my
closest Korean friends are 18 – 24 years old (Korean age that is.
Who knows how old they actually are, I can't keep up with the odd
aging system here). I guess I'm just breaking the mold and bucking
tradition.
Now, what I like about
Korea. It's no secret that I'm the number one fan of Korean food.
I'd actually love to move back home and open an authentic Korean
restaurant in New Orleans (C with a circle around it*). I can see it now...all the hipsters who
shop at Urban Outfitters and keep Rock-N-Sake open would pack my
place every night! The similarities between both Cajun and Korean
cuisine (i.e. spicy, garlic, onion, seafood) would allow for a
smooth transition for all the naysayers. I'd invent a new genre of
food...Casian!
Here's the kicker. Korean
restaurants have incredible service thanks to a brilliant
invention called 저기요
or the "jeo-gi-yo" button. Simply by
pressing the button found on the table, your specific table number
is flashed on a screen in the restaurant and you're greeted by a
chorus of "Nays?" (which means "Yes?") as every
available waitress comes to your aide. Want to order? Need more
water? How about a beer or some soju? Just press the button. On
the off chance that you're in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that
doesn't have these magnificent buttons, just say "jeo-gi-yo"and
you'll get the same response. It's a beautiful thing and just goes
back to the ideals that Korea places the utmost importance on –
efficiency and effectiveness.
*That's the official symbol for Copyright. Now you can't steal my idea before I come home and implement it.
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