The A-Z of Korea

A
Dawna: Ajummas and Ajushis = Ajummas are basically married women and ajushi's are married men. Just picture the smallest, fiercest women and men in hiking gear, with their hand on your back, literally pushing you out of the way in every instance of life.
Gilad: Yes, this is true. But there's so much more. Like being the only male, the only one under 50 and the only one without a perm at the gym. Being this guy, I constantly have to workout in the presence of ajummas who don't hesitate to take my towel off the bench I'm using while I get up to take a breather so they can sit down on it and watch TV for 30 minutes. On the only bench in the gym when there's chairs everywhere. But a simple one that comes to mind which is Ahhhhhhh. When a Korean finally grasps what it is you're trying to say, they let out that sound. Sometimes, it can be the most satisfying sound ever - especially after you've been trying to explain what "inside out" means for the last 45 minutes.

B
Gilad: Busan, the second largest city in South Korea, home to the famous beach and seafood restaurants. We used to live forty five minutes from here when we first taught English. On some days, I still prefer it to being in Seoul.
Dawna: Busan will always hold a very special place in our hearts. A true escape from our farm town city (yes cities of 400,000 here are considered farm towns), Busan is where we lived our youth to the fullest, partying all night at the Underground Nightclub, drinking makguli in a former war tunnel, and dining at one of the best sea food buffets ever. Busan, you were the dream bay we longed for.
Other: Bosintang (Dog meat soup). Business suits (Worn by everybody, everywhere, all the time.)

C
Dawna: Cass Beer = The rival to Hite Beer.  Both are cheap and terrible tasting.  Which is the lesser of two evils is still to be determined.  
Gilad: Dawna nailed it here. They could market these beers as the only ones that make you consider chilling your own urine for consumption. However, these beers do have their place in the world and thats alongside Korean BBQ. To me though, Customs is another more prominent word that jumps out at me. As in, Koreans have customs for everything. Being a culture deep in respect for older people, teachers, bosses, etc, you find that there's certain things you have to do that you wouldn't need to do back home in Toronto. You hand over money with two hands (or with one hand holding the money, and the other holding the wrist of the arm holding the cash). Same principle when pouring someone drinks, serving someone food, etc.
Other: Coffee Shops (extravagant and plentiful), Chopsticks (made out of silverware material, unique to Korea)


D
Gilad: Democracy. 100+ years ago, the separate Koreas were just Korea, as in one nation. Around that time, the Japanese took over and somewhat made attempts to colonize Korea. End of World War 2, the Japanese lose and hand over control of Korea to the Russians (who took the northern half) and the Americans (who took the southern half). I spent a day in North Korea in 2008 and after coming back to South Korea right after, it seemed like (in comparison) I was in the most democratic, open-society on Earth. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the North.
Dawna: For me, I think of Dunkin Donuts (most likely because I am called donut instead of Dawna most days) = What is considered a truck stop in Canada is a popular/trendy hangout spot in Korea. The other is Dogs which in Seoul are models, and the sidewalks are their runways.  Seeing a dog without an outfit or its hair dyed or braided is a rare occurrence indeed.
Gilad:  Dogs everywhere outside of Seoul? Dinner. Joking. 
Other: Ddukbokki (rice-cake sticks smothered in red chill paste)

E
Gilad: E-mart. Need clothes? Go to E-mart. Need groceries? Go to E-mart. Need a haircut? Or a prescription? A veterinarian? Sporting goods? The meaning to life? Go to E-mart.
Dawna: Gilad you forgot the most important thing that E-mart has to offer! Free dinner! Grab a toothpick, sample, and run! This is our motto.


F
Dawna: Fried Chicken = The equivalent to our pizza and hamburgers.  When people here say the chicken is spicy, they mean it!  
Gilad: Flashing lights. Every building seems to be protected by an armour of flashing lights and signs. Everywhere! I once heard that my apartment here won't have heating in the winter because the bills come to be too expensive so the building shuts the ability to use heating off. But oh, God forbid we turn off any of the bright lights outside in the winter. Priorities, people!

G
Gilad: Have to go with Gimbap on this one. A poor man's sushi, it's basically rice (with tuna, processed cheese or an assortment of fermented/pickled vegetables) wrapped in seaweed and cut into pieces… just like sushi. You can pick them up pre-made at any convenience store (it's their version of hot dogs or taquitos!). For 1000won ($1) you can't go wrong! The ingredients inside are always cooked and never raw because gimbap was originally made to be packed up and eaten later on the go.
Dawna: Well the only time you can go wrong is if you get one of those really fishy tuna gimbaps. My first thought for G is Gochujang = red pepper paste. If kimchi is the staple food for the people then gochujang is the staple ingredient for the food! I love the sight of the big mats on the ground filled with drying red peppers - not only is it beautiful but it makes me think about what I will be eating next! (as it will inevitably include the red pepper paste).

H
Dawna: High heels – Going to work? To school? To the beach? To hike a mountain? Don’t forget to wear your heels! Also, Hiking – no Korean is a true Korean unless they LOVE to hike mountains. The only country where hiking a mountain will bring you less peace and quiet.
Gilad: Great ones. Just want to add that hiking is done here solely for the purposes for getting to the top and getting drunk. Honestly, people who hike here have special utility belts made just for carrying alcohol. One that comes to mind is Hagwon or private school in English. Whereas in Canada most kids go to school, come home and hang out with their friends, Korean students have it much different. Basically from the time that they're even able to go to school, they go to normal school, followed by a number of Hagwons throughout the day. For example, school, then an English Hagwon, followed by a math Hagwon, followed by some Tae Kwon Do, then a piano hagwon before finishing their day at 10pm. You then go home, do your homework, go to bed and repeat. Schooling is crazy in Korea which leads to a number of pressures which I can blog about on another day.

I
Gilad: Internet. South Korea brags that it has the fastest Internet in the world. And I can admit to this. Even though I'm stealing wifi off someone else, downloading 33GB (oops) of all Sopranos seasons in a few hours is something worth bragging about.
Dawna: Itaewon is the place where foreigners go to be foreign. Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure the area was founded by American soldiers stationed here. So when you go there, you come across a lot of American soldiers. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But what does feel wrong is that you can get anything you want there, you somehow end up losing your soul in the process.
 
J
Dawna: Jim Jil Bangs (public bath houses) – basically the greatest creation in history.  Started long ago when houses weren’t equipped with bathing facilities, men and women (separately) would gather in an area and wash themselves (and each other).  This became a time to socialize and relax.  Today you have an area to soak in different mineral pools and saunas, and then another area to relax, watch tv, eat, lay in heated or cooled mineral rooms, workout etc.
Gilad: Always a pleasure to go to one of these where I'm usually the only foreigner there. Also not sure where it happens, but my face seems to trade places with my crotch at some point before I take all my clothes off. Awkward when they're always looking at me in the eye. In any case, I got over that and it's awesome.

K
Dawna: Kimchi = the Korean staple food. Fermented cabbage smothered in gochujang, garlic and other spices. Imagine it as the Korean version of a pickle. Smelly but delicious. You can eat it with anything and most Koreans do. Rice. Seafood. Cake. You name it.
Gilad: Kimchi is obviously the #1. I'd have to say that the #2 is the Kims (i.e. the ones of the North). Kim Il-Sung, the Eternal President of North Korea (has been dead for over 15 years and is still the President!) is revered like a God in the North (or so it seems). Largely responsible for steering his country into its current famine and hunger crisis. His son, Kim Jong-Il (the current de-facto leader), as if in a contest with his father to see who could bring upon even more suffering and shit to the people of the North seems to be winning. If North Korea was a mess before, it's even worse off now. But I digress.

L
Dawna: Love Motels = These motels are ALL OVER Korea and are basically designed for short term visits (if you get our drift).  You can rent the rooms by the night, but only after the morning/lunch/evening rush has died down.  Rooms are equipped with EVERYTHING you need for a successful visit (do we need to spell it out for you?!)
Gilad: Yes, we do need to spell it out for them. Each room comes equipped with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, towels, etc. Okay, normal. But they're not called Love Motels for nothing. They also come with condoms. Some replace walls with mirrors, and I mean every inch of wall (including the ceiling). Others have vibrating beds because heck, if you're feeling lazy, it doesn't mean you shouldn't procreate. A staple for young couples wanting to hide from their parents or cheating spouses wanting to hide from the rest of the world, some love motels have private parking garages for EACH ROOM (so there's no lobby where you can get spotted in) and a machine that accepts cash/credit built into your door (so you don't actually have to pay a real human being). Apparently there's a sensor when you leave to let the cleaners know it's time to get things in order before the next couple comes in. Of course, we've heard about this from others and not from personal experience.

M
Dawna: Matching Outfits = Who doesn’t want to wear THE EXACT same outfit as their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, mother, father, pets, etc.  Korea essentially does the “I’m with him/her t-shirt,” but for real.
Gilad: With matching outfits, couples match everything from head to toe. Baseball caps, sunglasses, shirt, jacket, pants, belt, shoes, laces. A personal favourite of mine, though, is Makgulli. A fermented rice wine (looks like milk), it tastes like a combination of beer and milk, but for some reason, I love it. Makes for the worst hangovers of your life though.
Other: Mountains (everywhere in Korea), Mekju (Korean for beer)

N
Dawna: Noraebang (singing/karaoke room) = A place to sing your heart out in a private room.  I have yet to hear a Korean NOT sing in the most perfect voice of life.
Gilad: Nakji, or small octopus, is a delicacy in South Korea. The way I've seen it eaten is called sannakji which consists of taking a live nakji, cutting into pieces and seasoning it with sesame oil and sesame. Even though it's cut up and dead, a lot of people still refer to the dish as "live octopus" as the little pieces still wiggle around for several minutes. Even the tentacles still work and stick to your chopsticks.

O
Gilad: Omija Cha is a tea often served in one of Korea's traditional tea houses. In Korean it basically translates to Five Flavour Tea and it gets that name because the tea has five distinct flavours: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent. You can get this tea served hot or cold and it's the best. thing. ever.
Dawna: Old Boy - The first Korean and probably best (all around) film I have ever seen. Watch it as soon as you can. You don't know what you are missing.


P
Dawna: People. They are everywhere! Like literally. Name a place in Korea. Right now, do it! I bet you there is someone there! No but literally, this country is 70% mountains, has a population of 48,875,000 and can fit into Canada 99.66 times! In the biggest city, Seoul, there seems never to be a silent coffee shop, restaurant or street. It really is an adjustment coming from a country that just has so much space.
Gilad: There are a lot of people here. And they're all beautiful. So you stop and ask yourself, "why?" Well, that's because Korea has the highest rate of cosmetic plastic surgery in the world. Digging around on Google tells me that half of the female population has had some work done. Everything from getting their eyelids and noses to, well, you know. A crazy fact (after more Googling) is that 76% (!) of Korean women in their 20s and 30s have undergone plastic surgery (most of them were epicanthoplasty or the "double-eyelid surgery")

Q
Gilad: I'll start off by saying there aren't a lot of words that start with Q that I can think of off the top of my head. So, let's go with Quizzes. I would estimate that the average Korean has to write over 500 trillion quizzes or tests in their lifetime. For more information, refer to Hagwon up above.
Dawna: Ya, this one has me stumped. Quiet? No. Quirky? Perhaps, but no more than any other people. Let's stick to quizzes here.

R
Gilad: This one is much easier than Q. For example, you can wake up rate one afternoon and get inside your Rexus and drive to the ribrary where you can rook at some books. You can really rearn about anything from those books. For example, you can rearn about rramas, rions, or even rizards. If you get bored, you can call your friends and organize a game of raser tag, which is in the building to the reft of the porice station. It's rearry, rearry fun.
Dawna: And as one of Gilad's favourite jokes go, as a working democracy, Koreans, in 2012 will have a big erection to vote in a President.

S
Dawna: Samgyeopsal = thin slices of meat grilled on a bbq with an array of delicious side dishes, shared in a group, often accompanied by Soju.  Pretty much is the BEST THING EVER.
Gilad: So Soju = Korean alcohol.  Imagine a Korean version of Japanese sake that tastes like a sweeter, watered down vodka. For $1, you really can't go wrong. Especially if you're a businessman in his 50s-60s, on a Wednesday, passed out (literally) on the road after six of these at 7:30pm.

T
Dawna: Teacha teach! While I love love love Korea, often I wake up, panicked and sweaty from a recurring nightmare where I am running away from thousands of young, screaming, snotty nosed children. Suddenly I come to a cliff. Do I jump, or do I teach? I jump.
Gilad: …. anyway. Couldn't find more recent statistics but there were 17,000+ teachers teaching in South Korea on legal work permits. I'd bump that number higher as I think teaching has grown more popular since 2007 as well as all the people here teaching illegally (i.e. without work permits). From what I've heard, foreign teachers make more money than the average Korean, usually don't have to pay rent in their apartments, get free return flights and usually get paid 13 months worth of salary for 12 months of work. It's a great way to make money, pay off your debts and have fun. Interestingly, I heard recently that when foreigners first started working here as teachers, Koreans viewed the foreigners as intelligent and well-mannered people. As the number of teachers have grown (and as a majority of those teachers are fresh out of University party mode and ready to enter Korean party mode), Koreans are starting to catch on that some of the foreigners aren't necessarily here for their smarts. But I digress…
Other: Trains (more specifically, the Korea Train eXpress or KTX which can reach speeds of 350km/hr… very convenient for getting around).

U
Dawna: Umbrellas. In Korea, umbrellas aren't meant just for a rainy day, but for sunny days too (to protect from the sun). While we are desperately trying to be tanned and beautiful (at the risk of cancer), Koreans are desperately trying to be white and beautiful (by bleaching their face!). Pressures to be beautiful exist all around the world, in many different forms, and they all seem just as demented if you ask me. Wow I think I just went off topic there. Anyways, on a rainy day or a sunny day, umbrellas are used, in full force. It can really be a game of life and death while walking past an army of umbrellas with sharp spikes in a contained space.
Gilad: I would say that for me, it's unbelievable how South Korea is in the state that is is in today. In the 60s, South Korea had a lower GDP than Ghana and today ranks as one of the richest countries in the world. All within a working generation. And it is not easing up. When I compare today's Korea against the one I lived in three years ago, I can see so much more development. I'm not going to do a lot of research on it right now but I think that for the first time in my life, I may be returning to Canada from a place more developed and economically sound.

V
Gilad: "Asians can't handle their drink" - stereotype or fact? Not really sure. In a culture where drinking can (or must?) be part of everyday life (i.e. to cope with working impossible hours or to show respect to your boss who keeps pouring you booze), I've seen Koreans put away a lot of alcohol. But the vomit I come across outside, in the park, in the elevator, in the hallways or washrooms makes me wonder whether that stereotype has some semblance of truth to it.
Dawna: V is a hard one. I could be reaching here, but I guess I would say vain? I am by no means saying that Koreans are generally vain, but the constant need to stare into a mirror, fix their hair and makeup, I think could give the impression to an outsider that Korean women (and men!) appear to be vain.

W
Gilad: Waiters and Waitresses in Korea are the best. First off, you don't ever, ever have to tip them. Secondly, you don't need to try and make eye contact with them to get their attention that you want more water or one of your many side dishes refilled for the 7th time. You just have to press a button on the table and they're there, ready to serve you within seconds. And from my experience, if your table doesn't have a button, it's perfectly normal to yell at them across the restaurant to get their attention. Seriously the best.
Dawna: Winter Butterfly - Not only is this one of the best Korean movies (in addition to Old Boy) that I have seen, but it is a POWERFUL representation of the situation in North Korea. I can't talk about it too much without emotion, even now, as it has deeply affected me, but please, read the description, and if you can track this movie down, WATCH IT.

X
Gilad: Is Korea xenophobic? Well, for a long time they were considered the "Hermit Kingdom" as they refused to deal with the rest of the outside world. However, I think they're getting better with time although there still seems to be a certain fear or dislike of people from other countries. You see, Korean culture is rich. The history is deep and old. The traditions and customs have been followed for thousands of years. The Korean bloodline is pure and in many places you still hear about people refusing to marry non-Koreans for fear of tainting the bloodline. I can understand that. But at the same time, Koreans throughout history, have been pretty good at adapting to other cultures. It's believed that they inherited their confucian traditions from the Chinese. After the Japanese occupation, the North adapted to the Soviet, communist way while the South adapted seamlessly to the Western, democratic way. At the same time, Korean traditions (in both the North and South) continue to thrive through those adaptations and I think part of ensuring it continues to do so is by maintaining a sense of xenophobia.
Dawna: Xenophopic? Really? I for sure would have thought you would say xylophone. Koreans love xylophones! Ok you caught me. I have got nothing. Xenophobia is hard to beat.

Y
Gilad: Years, as in how many of them you've lived for, is a big deal in Korea. If someone is even a year younger than you, it may be taboo to hang out with them. You respect everyone who's older than you and refer to them as older brother (hyoungnim) or older sister. Age determines everything here. Four cars are stopped at the exact same time at a four way stop without a traffic light? Look around, figure out who's the oldest and let them go first. Also, in Korea, you're born at the age of 1 (not 0 like in most of the world). You automatically become another year older on New Years. So the reality is if you're born on December 31st, 2010, you'll already be 2 on the second day of your life.

Z
Gilad and Dawna: Zero as in how many words we can come up with that relate to Korea and the letter Z.