Culture Tips: The culture of exclamation

Here's another gem from the 6th grade teachers' guide (Chapter 4).

Western people show exclamation even over trifles.  This phenomenon isn't found an oriental culture that appreciates peopel who control their feeling and taciturn.  We can usually see Americans who are moved so easily by things that Koreans aren't effected by.  This means they are accustomed to expressing feeling freely and frankly. 
In Western culture, they start a conversation about the weather when they meet someone for the first time: "It's a lovely day, isn't it?"  This is referencd to the inclement weather in England.
The people who live in an area with nice weather like Korea aren't touched by this kind of thing but Englishmen can be impressed.

LOL

I was surprised not to see a kimchi bit in there... here's one to add some flavour.

The kimchi maker is an artist, much like a chemist adding and subtracting what she wishes. My mother has never and never will use a teaspoon or cup to measure the ingredients. To her, ingredients are measured by how she feels at the time she is making kimchi. A handful here, a pinch here. This lack of preciseness parallels the very nature of Koreans themselves, being rough, yet spicy and offensive.

One of the most interesting aspects of kimchi is its versatility. There is no such thing as kimchi that has gone bad -- the only "bad" kimchi is having an empty jar. Even when kimchi is past its prime in a jar, it can always be used for kimchi stew (kimchi chigae), which is made by cooking it with a little water, a dash of salt, and some pork (or Spam for college students). Kimchi can easily be transformed into virtually any type of meal by mixing it up with other leftovers, which used to be done during the cold winter months in Korea when little food was available. This practice, too, is being adapted by college students during cold finals week.

One enduring characteristic of kimchi is its fragility in transport but its ruggedness in consistency. Kimchi is not a highly exportable item from Korea because of its short shelf life, although there is constant research going on to make it last longer. Of the twenty-two books published in 1995 on the subject of kimchi and its ingredients, over half concentrated on how to make kimchi last longer or how to efficiently produce it for mass consumption.

Contradiction = KIMCHI ! = Parallels the nature of Koreans ?

Taken from: Kudos to Kimchi: How Kimchi Will Save Koreans in Los Angeles By Michael B. Chung

No offense implied with what I said, I actually love the kimchi! I used to dislike it when I first tried it, but it grows on you.

Off topic?!

Do you not know that everything revolves around kimchi!!!   

I liked that last article.  I wonder if critical thinking skills are inversely proportional to kimchi(!) consumption?

There was an interview in Time about stem cell research in Korea. One researcher said that Koreans became successful in stem cell research because among Asian countries only Korea used metal chopsticks. Metal chopsticks take more dexterity than wooden ones. The Time interviewer thought the researcher was joking, but he wasn't.
Also, don't forget how Koreans believe that Kimchi saved Korea from SARS.

I just bought a bucket load of kimchi from the superstore.

That is a lot of Kimchi. You must like the stuff. I used to have a grandma shovel out half a litre of the stuff to me every week as I past her convenience store. I just nodded, took it home, and passed it to my neighbour. I did not want to hurt her feelings. I don't eat rice at home anymore, and kimchi once a day at school is enough streptococcus for my colon.

Ha ha. Bleach the fridge? Powerful stuff. It reminds me of sitting in a theatre and some Korean starts gnawing on a pouch of freshly fried squid in peanut butter sauce. Nowhere to run, given the seating arrangement in Korean theatres.