Cultural Differences: a Glimpse of South Korea

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:31:18 +0000

I am a Korean American lady who was adopted by Caucasian-American parents when I was an infant – too young to remember being exposed to any Korean cultural influence. Being curious, I had always wanted to be able to experience it one day. Other Korean Americans often spoke about how they believed I “should” learn more about “my” culture and that I “should” learn to speak the language as well; highly intrusive and presumptuous statements, but statements that became a running theme in my life. Though I felt a continual resentment regarding their inconsiderate statements – after all, I WAS speaking my language (I was an American) the idea of visiting and learning more about my ethnic culture still intrigued me.

Luckily, I was fortunate enough to take a month-long trip to South Korea with a close Korean American girl friend. Because she had family in the country we were able to experience South Korea in a more intimate manner; able to get a taste of what it might be like to actually live there.

Having grown up in Southern California, a place where there were only two other Asians at my entire school I was in for a big time shock. All the built up Asian-stereotypes were challenged and many were eradicated as my eyes took in the population I was born among. I saw overweight, poor, uneducated Asians. Though I searched for the Asians that fit the stereotypes I grew up believing in, they were found few and far between. And it made me realize how very much alike the American population was to the Korean population, the only difference was the superficial features and different choices of food, apparel, etc; but beneath all that, I saw the same personalities garbed in Asian features.

Some parts of South Korea were more modernized as we can find here in the United States. Seoul, Korea – the capital, was a booming large metropolitan city. Buildings shot upward into the sky and cabs screeched back and forth in the streets barely missing pedestrians, almost seeming to aim for others at times. Other cities, however, were still entirely rural, like Pusan. For example, a bathroom in this city was a mere hole in the ground that one was expected to literally squat over. Showers were simple spout-heads that were often perched above the “toilets” – a complete all-in-one bathroom set.

Also of a seemingly less modernized nature, was the notable observation of the cultural food preparing.

From the moment that my friend and I woke in the morning, her female relatives would be busily preparing breakfast. Cooking items were spread out over the wood floor: vegetables, meats, spices, utensils, and other various tools. They sat Indian style in front of their working endeavor, picking and pruning, cutting and mixing away. This was continued until approximately six to seven dishes were satisfactorily completed.

After breakfast was served, they would quickly whisk away dishes and leftovers and begin preparing after-meal fruit plates. When this was pleasantly consumed and cleared away as well, they would not stop and kick up their feet for a well-earned moment’s rest. Instead, to my surprise, they dove back into preparing the next meal. This ritual was repeated for dinner as well. It was a lifestyle that was completely beyond anything I had ever been exposed to before. Their lives seemed to literally revolve around food, with everything else being secondary.

There were many other interesting notable moments from this trip – but, this was, of course – just a glimpse of South Korea.

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Cultural Differences: a Glimpse of South Korea

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