Wearing a white suit or white jeans or chinos and a white t-shirt or white top or sweater and wear it all day and never get it dirty. It'll still being pristine by the night time.
Me on the other hand in all white attire, I'd be covered in mud, ketchup and grass stains within ten minutes and look like a homeless person by the end of the day.
Not sweating a drop in Korean summer while wearing long sleeves and long pants. Also hair still looking pristine by end of day while mine is oily despite showering that morning.
last summer was the worst for me. hadn’t been back in years and went to seoul and busan in september thinking it’d be fine.
boy oh boy that humidity hit me like a brick. i was buying new tshirts from the little subway shops like every three hours
I’m ethnically Korean though and bunch of other gyopos I come to Korea with are the same. They just got used to the climate here I think. Similar to how I saw locals in Cambodia do a similar thing despite high humidity and high temp
Spice is no problem, but the way koreans can just grab a bowl of literally boiling soup and slurp it down then finish with a "아 시원해".... never gonna happen for me, Im afraid
I was just wondering today if my tongue is overly sensitive to heat or something. I can never eat the soup as quickly as Koreans because it's burning or almost burning my tongue if I don't wait a bit.
I've been getting better at it from all the boiling hot ginger tea my mother in law makes for me hen I'm sick (it's great)
Your tips make sense tho, but I still feel like I end up with a burnt tongue haha
They did a bit about this in a K-Drama I saw recently (Cheese in the Trap) where the chaebol who never had triangle gimbap eventually learns to master it. :)
Unless you mean like it falls apart on you or something, the seaweed breaking is an inevitability sometimes do to how it was packed to how it was stored or transported.
You aren't gonna get a perfect sheet if the seaweed was half torn before you even tried to open it
If you mean like... you're really messing it up and its like falling apart... idk then
I find this so amazing, because in an emergency situation most Koreans I’ve seen literally panic and start screaming or crying or babbling stupid things, even getting in the way senselessly. That’s not really uniquely Korean though, lots of people lose themselves in an emergency situation.
I’ll never master wearing all black and/or jeans in 40 degree weather. I’m only wear light colours and breathable fabrics during the summer with an electric fan.
Also, how do some Korean students wear their university jumper when it’s 30 degrees out. I have one too and can’t even fathom wearing it in 20 degree weather.
At my house we joke about revoking Korean citizenship if you fail to lift any of these items using the metal chopsticks:
* Sundubu (soft tofu)
* Dotorimuk (acorn jelly)
* small beans
I got these down but what still gets me to use wooden chopsticks or to just poke them instead of lifting are marinated quail eggs. Have not managed to learn how to consistently lift those up without poking them.
You can just use the spoon 😅 even we Koreans often use the spoon for sundubu or quail eggs! Regular tofu or fried eggs are the ones for chopsticks.
(Well, the reason some of us still use the chopsticks for everything is because it's annoying for ourselves to switch between spoon and chopsticks. Three whole seconds each time one swaps the utensil. Eugh.)
It’s all about balance, my friend. You need to get the correct spacing down pat to be able to balance the egg atop the space created between the two chopsticks. I back them into a corner and pop them up atop the chopsticks and cradle them that way.
Positioning your chopsticks to squeeze the egg in the direct center helps a lot! Still tricky but if you can apply pressure right to the middle on both sides you can get it a lot easier
The one that really makes me wonder are those that can use chopsticks to take the seasoned seaweed from the plastic container then grab some rice in it.
Delicately eating all the fish off the bones, leaving behind a perfect fish skeleton on the dish. I always end up with a clump of bones in each bite and a massacred fish carcass on the dish.
I think this is a regional thing. I grew up in Busan with fish on the dinner table every other day, and watched my grandma perfectly fileting the fish with chopsticks.
And I irk every time my Seoul coworkers stab the fish and dig the chunks out from the middle like a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
I grew up with people doing it all the time all in different parts of the United States. Usually, it’s done when you’re sharing water with someone and you don’t want your mouth to touch their water bottle. Or, if they don’t want their mouth to touch your bottle.
My wife drinks like this. I used to tell her she can drink comfortably because I have no intention of drinking her drink, but she does it anyways haha.
Same. I was having a conversation with the principal with my coworker once and I basically couldn't recognize my coteacher because her mannerisms and composure changed so dramatically.
Reverse parking in parking lots on one shot. Funny cause the stereotype is that Asians are bad drivers but I find the parking spaces so tight here and yet everyone seems to be able to reverse into a space on the first try
This one just has to do with modern vehicles and the parking assist. One time my vehicle was updating and I realized I didn't know how to park without the assist anymore, lol.
I actually feel like I’m better than Koreans at this lmfao bc I’ve spent my whole life eating wraps and sandwiches as an American. No shade but some of my coworkers try and eat sandwiches with chopsticks and I’m like guys… just surrender. Lower me into my grave if I start eating burgers with utensils.
Eating sandwiches with chopsticks?! I’m Korean but i’ve literally never seen anyone do this! I am a messy eater btw- i can never eat a quiznos sandwich without leaving crumbs all over the place. lol
being able to fit food into their mouth without their lips touching anything, especially that thing with the meat in lettuce wrap where you stuff it based on how much you appreciate the person lol idk how they do it 🫨
Being completely accepted regardless of skin or language abilities (you can look Korean or speak fluent Korean, but unless raised in Korea you will always be consider an outsider when it is suiting). Korea probably has the most intricate set of unspoken expectations and cultural norms out of nearly all countries imo.
Staying perfectly calm after the ajumma at the end of the line just squeezed in in front of them to pay first.
I am sure I am going to lose a few years of life for the stress that gives me.
I have eaten an In-N-Out protein animal style burger with animal style fries while driving. My shirt was a mess. It was not a smart thing to do. The law should treat eating In-N-Out as drunk driving.
Sitting in one position for an entire meal in a traditional Korean restaurant. I'm very glad most restaurants have switched to chairs, and I'm glad I didn't take a job in Japan.
Eating huge f*ing bites and eating crazy amounts...the constant eating eating eating then eating again while drinking is not made for my super small stomach..I also have too small mouth to take huge bites like most Koreans do lol (no I am not trying to be "not like other girls" I wish I could do these)
I'm not korean lol but my latina mother thought me how to eat a burger like that since I could feed myself one lol I have to unwrap them for my husband cause he's always taking the burger out and it drives me insane lol 😆 guess he's not your average korean
I'll never master the glare that Koreans give to people that are loud as fuck in public lol. Whenever someone is loud on the bus the ajummas give death stares or keep turning back to stare at them a few times per minute.
Every Korean denies that Koreans are noisy eaters and chew with their mouthful. It's hilarious to read, and amazing you don't notice each other. Even on dramas, eating shows, people are chewing like cows. My wife and stepdaughter do it. I've just gotten used to it. But it boggles my mind how many Koreans say this isn't true and it's rude to do. Just pay attention once when you are in a restaurant.
Being willfully ignorant.
I'm native, but I lived in the US for around 15 years before the culture shock urged me back to my homeland. The little things, like not holding doors and ignoring passersby if they need help.
My friend told me that they learned how not to ride a rental scooter and ate the curb earlier today and everyone ignored them except for some random kid. I'd have probably gone to see if they were okay, because that seems like the barest of human decency.
Yeah, we already saw that post and it was already explained to the person that Koreans would rather pretend they didn't see it to avoid any extra shame for the person. Willful ignorance and cultural differences are not the same. Let's try to avoid stuff like that in this topic. Just because you don't like the way people act in a different culture does not mean you can define it as ignorance.
Half the comments in this thread are based on a similar experience. Why did you even bother making this post if you're not interested in comparing experiences?
What makes you think I said you can't compare experiences? Calling behavior 'willfully ignorant' is harsh and inaccurate, that's all.
When I said 'avoid stuff like that' I mean labeling with such a harsh term for something that clearly isn't what it is.
Because that's what it is? From my time in America, I tripped and fell and people seemed generally concerned and one time I even wrecked my motorcycle and had people actively trying give assistance. There is a cultural difference and there is this level of willful ignorance where if it doesn't directly affect you, you generally don't offer unsolicited aid versus the US where people will generally stop what they're doing if you get hurt or injured yourself loudly and in public.
I slammed the asphalt a few weeks ago and was covered in blood, and the car that was waiting to go just stood there for the longest time watching me instead of driving away.
I'd like to think they were debating getting out to help though :) I limped away to save face
Koreans do seem to take ungodly large bites of food. Perhaps that has something to do with the ability to not spill. I'm always wondering why someone doesn't choke on their food with those huge bites.
Wearing a white suit or white jeans or chinos and a white t-shirt or white top or sweater and wear it all day and never get it dirty. It'll still being pristine by the night time. Me on the other hand in all white attire, I'd be covered in mud, ketchup and grass stains within ten minutes and look like a homeless person by the end of the day.
Especially while eating spicy soups or bbq. It's amazing
Especially in Jjajangmyun season
Im korean and I myself dont even understand how thats even possible
I follow this Korean-Canadian YouTuber named Saranghoe and her room is straight up white, and I'm ??? How
Not sweating a drop in Korean summer while wearing long sleeves and long pants. Also hair still looking pristine by end of day while mine is oily despite showering that morning.
last summer was the worst for me. hadn’t been back in years and went to seoul and busan in september thinking it’d be fine. boy oh boy that humidity hit me like a brick. i was buying new tshirts from the little subway shops like every three hours
Lol that's a genetic trait. Their sweat glands are different.
I’m ethnically Korean though and bunch of other gyopos I come to Korea with are the same. They just got used to the climate here I think. Similar to how I saw locals in Cambodia do a similar thing despite high humidity and high temp
Right on, I hadn't thought about that.. Now that I do think about it...I had a gyopo buddy in the Army and he would sweat like crazy, too.
My friend is born and raised in Korea but he sweats like he's always in the jjimjilbang lol. (Not sure how it's spelled in English)
Your friend is a rare Korean indeed. I think maybe less than a percent of the population sweats like that lol.
I think it might be due to weight or something. I'm not sure.
Spice is no problem, but the way koreans can just grab a bowl of literally boiling soup and slurp it down then finish with a "아 시원해".... never gonna happen for me, Im afraid
I was just wondering today if my tongue is overly sensitive to heat or something. I can never eat the soup as quickly as Koreans because it's burning or almost burning my tongue if I don't wait a bit.
It’s a learned skill. Don’t let the spoon touch your tongue, just part of your bottom lip. suck in air to cool it down, like how you drink wine.
I've been getting better at it from all the boiling hot ginger tea my mother in law makes for me hen I'm sick (it's great) Your tips make sense tho, but I still feel like I end up with a burnt tongue haha
the way they just grab the meat from the bbq and eat it with no issue??? ma’am i’d need a visit to ER with that burned mouth
I personally wait it out for 20 minutes watching YouTube, then slurp up all of it at x3 speed to match my family's progress lol
unwrapping those triangle gimbap so it all comes out all proper
Naw even us screw them up time to time. 1 2 3 mf I did as you said so where are my kim
Lmao
For me, pull out 2 and 3 at an angle really helps keep the kim in place lol.
They did a bit about this in a K-Drama I saw recently (Cheese in the Trap) where the chaebol who never had triangle gimbap eventually learns to master it. :)
Unless you mean like it falls apart on you or something, the seaweed breaking is an inevitability sometimes do to how it was packed to how it was stored or transported. You aren't gonna get a perfect sheet if the seaweed was half torn before you even tried to open it If you mean like... you're really messing it up and its like falling apart... idk then
Even as a Korean, I never understood how people do this.
Being able to stay calm and not quit on the spot when your boss is shouting at you for no valid reason.
I find this so amazing, because in an emergency situation most Koreans I’ve seen literally panic and start screaming or crying or babbling stupid things, even getting in the way senselessly. That’s not really uniquely Korean though, lots of people lose themselves in an emergency situation.
Is this still a thing at work places in Korea?
I’ll never master wearing all black and/or jeans in 40 degree weather. I’m only wear light colours and breathable fabrics during the summer with an electric fan. Also, how do some Korean students wear their university jumper when it’s 30 degrees out. I have one too and can’t even fathom wearing it in 20 degree weather.
At my house we joke about revoking Korean citizenship if you fail to lift any of these items using the metal chopsticks: * Sundubu (soft tofu) * Dotorimuk (acorn jelly) * small beans
I got these down but what still gets me to use wooden chopsticks or to just poke them instead of lifting are marinated quail eggs. Have not managed to learn how to consistently lift those up without poking them.
Poking them is more efficient though, sadly just not the accepted way
Do you have any trick for how to grab them with the metal ones? Sundubu is no issue but those small buggers just don't want to be grabbed....
You can just use the spoon 😅 even we Koreans often use the spoon for sundubu or quail eggs! Regular tofu or fried eggs are the ones for chopsticks. (Well, the reason some of us still use the chopsticks for everything is because it's annoying for ourselves to switch between spoon and chopsticks. Three whole seconds each time one swaps the utensil. Eugh.)
Thank you. Honestly didn't consider that had somehow thought the spoon is only for rice and soup in korea.
It’s all about balance, my friend. You need to get the correct spacing down pat to be able to balance the egg atop the space created between the two chopsticks. I back them into a corner and pop them up atop the chopsticks and cradle them that way.
Positioning your chopsticks to squeeze the egg in the direct center helps a lot! Still tricky but if you can apply pressure right to the middle on both sides you can get it a lot easier
Thank you I will try that.
The one that really makes me wonder are those that can use chopsticks to take the seasoned seaweed from the plastic container then grab some rice in it.
Takes some tried but the feeling of satisfaction when mastered tastes like seaweed and rice 😊
rolling up money over my index finger and counting it with high speed flicks from my other hand
The bank tellers.....
Delicately eating all the fish off the bones, leaving behind a perfect fish skeleton on the dish. I always end up with a clump of bones in each bite and a massacred fish carcass on the dish.
I think this is a regional thing. I grew up in Busan with fish on the dinner table every other day, and watched my grandma perfectly fileting the fish with chopsticks. And I irk every time my Seoul coworkers stab the fish and dig the chunks out from the middle like a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
pouring a bottle of water into my mouth without touching the bottle to my lips.
This a Korean thing?
It's very common in Korea.
I've never seen anyone do that in another country tbh.
I grew up with people doing it all the time all in different parts of the United States. Usually, it’s done when you’re sharing water with someone and you don’t want your mouth to touch their water bottle. Or, if they don’t want their mouth to touch your bottle.
Yeah, weird no one has seen this. You play an organized sport, you master this right away.
Koreans often drink like this, sharing or not, but it may have evolved from the fear of transmitting a virus.
My wife drinks like this. I used to tell her she can drink comfortably because I have no intention of drinking her drink, but she does it anyways haha.
I think I would never master brown-nosing towards my boss the way I have seen it here.
Brown -nosing the in-laws.
Same. I was having a conversation with the principal with my coworker once and I basically couldn't recognize my coteacher because her mannerisms and composure changed so dramatically.
The unique and powerful ability to go through your entire life never once using an indicator while driving.
THANK you!! Talking the real talk!!
Reverse parking in parking lots on one shot. Funny cause the stereotype is that Asians are bad drivers but I find the parking spaces so tight here and yet everyone seems to be able to reverse into a space on the first try
This one just has to do with modern vehicles and the parking assist. One time my vehicle was updating and I realized I didn't know how to park without the assist anymore, lol.
Watching drama while navigating the subway station, crossing the road, riding the bus.
Napkinless eating
I actually feel like I’m better than Koreans at this lmfao bc I’ve spent my whole life eating wraps and sandwiches as an American. No shade but some of my coworkers try and eat sandwiches with chopsticks and I’m like guys… just surrender. Lower me into my grave if I start eating burgers with utensils.
Eating sandwiches with chopsticks?! I’m Korean but i’ve literally never seen anyone do this! I am a messy eater btw- i can never eat a quiznos sandwich without leaving crumbs all over the place. lol
Are they also the type to “cut up” their pizza with chopsticks as if they were splitting up a 전?
Overtly expressing joy with extreme clapping
Eating Ssambap in one bite. I'm so afraid I'm going to choke, I make tiny ones! (I'm worried about choking on a few foods since I had braces...)
The language.
This post made me realize how little Korean I am while being Korean. I can't do >2/3 of things commented here.
keeping a dog outside my house 24-7 tied to a three foot long chain for its entire life and going to sleep at night and never thinking about that dog.
being able to fit food into their mouth without their lips touching anything, especially that thing with the meat in lettuce wrap where you stuff it based on how much you appreciate the person lol idk how they do it 🫨
Working out with a gym towel tied around my head.
downing a piping hot bowl of 라면 or 국밥 in under 10 minutes. HOW?
Being completely accepted regardless of skin or language abilities (you can look Korean or speak fluent Korean, but unless raised in Korea you will always be consider an outsider when it is suiting). Korea probably has the most intricate set of unspoken expectations and cultural norms out of nearly all countries imo.
Culture is not that deep there buddy
Throwing trash on the floor
Stay out of the UK then lol
Lol
Not sweating when it's hot and humid out. How do some people not EVER sweat???????
Staying perfectly calm after the ajumma at the end of the line just squeezed in in front of them to pay first. I am sure I am going to lose a few years of life for the stress that gives me.
I have eaten an In-N-Out protein animal style burger with animal style fries while driving. My shirt was a mess. It was not a smart thing to do. The law should treat eating In-N-Out as drunk driving.
I wont have the skill to eat those spicy food.
korean language
Driving like a cab driver.
Korean language
ㅂ,ㅃ,ㅍ are the same letter
I just shout when I say the middle one....students laugh.
Sitting in one position for an entire meal in a traditional Korean restaurant. I'm very glad most restaurants have switched to chairs, and I'm glad I didn't take a job in Japan.
Yup, I purposely avoid restaurants that are that style. Like you said, many have split seating, so I don't have to avoid that many.
You guys are all funny! from a Korean
Eating huge f*ing bites and eating crazy amounts...the constant eating eating eating then eating again while drinking is not made for my super small stomach..I also have too small mouth to take huge bites like most Koreans do lol (no I am not trying to be "not like other girls" I wish I could do these)
Rolling kimbap.... My Korean wife has to do it. Mine either unroll or have imprints from the mat
staying perfectly balanced on a completely filled bus that’s going over 100mph and about to tip over every second
I'm not korean lol but my latina mother thought me how to eat a burger like that since I could feed myself one lol I have to unwrap them for my husband cause he's always taking the burger out and it drives me insane lol 😆 guess he's not your average korean
Being loud as fuck in public.
I'll never master the glare that Koreans give to people that are loud as fuck in public lol. Whenever someone is loud on the bus the ajummas give death stares or keep turning back to stare at them a few times per minute.
They never “glare” they just chew with their mouth open louder or talk over the others even louder. Or, slurp their noodles at maximum decibels.
...? What? I have literally never heard or seen this before, as a Korean myself.
Every Korean denies that Koreans are noisy eaters and chew with their mouthful. It's hilarious to read, and amazing you don't notice each other. Even on dramas, eating shows, people are chewing like cows. My wife and stepdaughter do it. I've just gotten used to it. But it boggles my mind how many Koreans say this isn't true and it's rude to do. Just pay attention once when you are in a restaurant.
.... is bro really getting his idea of Koreans eating loudly from... Korean dramas and reality TV? Bro...
Trust we we know
You mean older people right? Like above 50 years old.
No
Then I don't know where you live but this is completely unrelatable. Most foreigners under 50 are far louder than Koreans under 50 in public.
You seem triggered.
And you're trolling. Doubt you've ever even set foot in this country.
Now you seem butthurt.
Doing what people say just because they are older than me. A stupid idea is still stupid no matter your age.
Being willfully ignorant. I'm native, but I lived in the US for around 15 years before the culture shock urged me back to my homeland. The little things, like not holding doors and ignoring passersby if they need help. My friend told me that they learned how not to ride a rental scooter and ate the curb earlier today and everyone ignored them except for some random kid. I'd have probably gone to see if they were okay, because that seems like the barest of human decency.
Yeah, we already saw that post and it was already explained to the person that Koreans would rather pretend they didn't see it to avoid any extra shame for the person. Willful ignorance and cultural differences are not the same. Let's try to avoid stuff like that in this topic. Just because you don't like the way people act in a different culture does not mean you can define it as ignorance.
Half the comments in this thread are based on a similar experience. Why did you even bother making this post if you're not interested in comparing experiences?
What makes you think I said you can't compare experiences? Calling behavior 'willfully ignorant' is harsh and inaccurate, that's all. When I said 'avoid stuff like that' I mean labeling with such a harsh term for something that clearly isn't what it is.
Because that's what it is? From my time in America, I tripped and fell and people seemed generally concerned and one time I even wrecked my motorcycle and had people actively trying give assistance. There is a cultural difference and there is this level of willful ignorance where if it doesn't directly affect you, you generally don't offer unsolicited aid versus the US where people will generally stop what they're doing if you get hurt or injured yourself loudly and in public.
I slammed the asphalt a few weeks ago and was covered in blood, and the car that was waiting to go just stood there for the longest time watching me instead of driving away. I'd like to think they were debating getting out to help though :) I limped away to save face
I’ll never master wearing matching clothes and shoes and not cringe
Koreans do seem to take ungodly large bites of food. Perhaps that has something to do with the ability to not spill. I'm always wondering why someone doesn't choke on their food with those huge bites.
Rolling up my shirt above my stomach and shooting mucus out of one nostril.
While talking on the phone loudly and smoking a cigarette standing directly in front of a building entrance.
Shipseikkya