Here, carry my bag.

There are definitely some cultural differences here. Men treat ladies with a degree of respect which is unfamiliar to me. In all cases, the man is superior in this culture, so I'm not talking about Southern chivalry, but I have had men carry my bag for me several times. When I had my medical exam (day #4 here), my manager carried my bag for me. James and I met some Korean guys last night who took us to another restaurant, and one of them insisted on carrying my bag. I was imitating how heavy my bag was, and he thought I was losing my balance, so he walked beside me. (Don't get any ideas. Korean home slice has a girlfriend. He showed us her picture, both before and after telling me I'm beautiful countless times. lol)

When you go out to eat with your boss (re: the guy above the manager who speaks little English), he must pour your drink for you, even if it is only water. He eats first and he will drink a lot. Koreans like their alcohol and they like to say "cheers!" frequently. Men who do not drink are looked down on, though I read somewhere that some Asians really cannot process alcohol and it makes them very sick. I don't think it's fair that they expect men to drink. 

When you eat with Koreans, it's family style (a la Buca di Beppo, if you've ever been there). They will order several main dishes, and your boss with serve you. Being the newcomer, I get served first, but I think this will fade, because after all I am a woman. They also have many side dishes, called "ahnju." I'm still working on kimchi. It's gradually growing on me.

Hey you, cover your mouth at the table! Korean women are supposed to act a certain way. They don't laugh too loud and if they laugh at all, they are supposed to cover their mouths. If you drink in front of your boss, you are also supposed to either look away or cover your mouth, so he doesn't see you drinking (that's for both genders).

My last little tidbit today is about your hands. Whenever you ask for something or offer something to someone, you should use both hands. I have mostly learned this from my students, though I typically forget to do it myself except when I'm holding my cup. I did read it on some other blogs, so I got it confirmed. Using your left hand is considered rude, even if you are left handed. Be careful how you beckon to people (palm down) because you can insult someone without knowing it (palm up like we do is how they call for their dogs).

I lied. I thought of one more tidbit. Koreans are crazy suspicious about death. The word for four sounds like the word for death, so some buildings don't have a 4th floor (think of our obsession with 13). The building where I work has three floors and a roof, but they do not call the roof the 4th floor. I know, they could just call it the roof, but I think here they would typically call it another floor, so it is odd that it's called something else. I learned this a few days ago. Do not write a name in red ink, as this is how people write about someone who has died. I asked my co-workers, and they said some young kids feel this way, but at least here the adults will not take offense. I don't think this is a widespread belief, but still we cautious. Finally, don't leave your chopsticks in your rice. This has something to do with death too, but I don't remember what, so please google it yourself....

Anyway, I have to get ready for work now. Can you please carry my bag?