RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

"There's no variety in France, all they have is French food."

French wa nkers

I did a world cuisine speaking lesson with an an adult class yesterday afternoon.
One of the ladies had done a few of those 10 day/10 country Euro package tours and so she was the self professed expert.

A few of her assertions:
-Most Europeans hate rice and refuse to eat it.
-Seafood is unavailable continent wide.
-Korean bread is more delicious than anything she ate over there(i guess that's a personal feeling)
-Overall Europe is a deeply unhealthy place food wise.
-She felt disappointed, as in Gwangju she can eat so much variety, such as Sundae, Kimchi Jiggae, Samgyopsal, etc
But in Europe she could only eat European food. With most of what she said i just let her talk, but i asked her what she expected to be eating. She just rambled about variety, so I'm not exactly sure what she was expecting.

I stopped arguing or countering in situations like this years ago. But all her classmates just nodded and gave lots of oohhhs and ahhhs to her claims.
It's weird. Koreans travel so much now days. Look at vistor stats for any country and they are usually high up on the list. Yet i still hear things like the above relatively regularly. They aren't all going on package tours either. Plenty travel independently.

Remember spotting one of my HR teachers in Lotte Mart a while ago, was right before the holidays. We exchanged pleasantries and she said she was shopping for her trip to Europe. I noticed she'd basically filled her entire trolley with instant noodles. She confirmed that she bought it for her trip as European food was "too salty".

Plenty of Korean and Chinese tourists simply travel to gain status, hence the 10 countries and 10 days tour. Bragging that you've been to 10 countries sounds more impressive than 1.

Plenty of Korean and Chinese tourists simply travel to gain status, hence the 10 countries and 10 days tour. Bragging that you've been to 10 countries sounds more impressive than 1.

What an incredibly vain waste of money.

You'd be travelling half the time anyway. I'd rather experience London and Paris than say I've been to ten countries.

I can't wait until someone tells me that they've been to ten countries in ten days so I can tell them what a waste of money that seems like.

While I agree that 10 countries in 10 days and traveling simply for status or 'likes' or attention is pretty dumb. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Chinese or Korean tourists.

While I agree that 10 countries in 10 days and traveling simply for status or 'likes' or attention is pretty dumb. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Chinese or Korean tourists.

Nobody said it was

She confirmed that she bought it for her trip as European food was "too salty".

korean food is, without a doubt, the saltiest tasting cuisine i've had

She confirmed that she bought it for her trip as European food was "too salty".

korean food is, without a doubt, the saltiest tasting cuisine i've had

There's been a few occasions while I've been enjoying 'deonjangjjigay' and being told that I shouldn't eat too much of it as it's not good for you to eat too much as it's too much salt.  I also remember I was doing an 'interesting health/food facts' with my students and one group told that eating one bowl of a Korean soup (can't remember which soup) exceeded your recommended daily intake of salt.

Plenty of Korean and Chinese tourists simply travel to gain status, hence the 10 countries and 10 days tour. Bragging that you've been to 10 countries sounds more impressive than 1.

What an incredibly vain waste of money.

You'd be travelling half the time anyway. I'd rather experience London and Paris than say I've been to ten countries.

I can't wait until someone tells me that they've been to ten countries in ten days so I can tell them what a waste of money that seems like.

1000% with you there. I've been to Japan twice in a row simply because I felt like I didn't do ENOUGH with my first trip.

Rather do a deep dive and experience almost everything than get a shallow idea of what it's like in a new country.

Plenty of Korean and Chinese tourists simply travel to gain status, hence the 10 countries and 10 days tour. Bragging that you've been to 10 countries sounds more impressive than 1.

I can't wait until someone tells me that they've been to ten countries in ten days so I can tell them what a waste of money that seems like.

heehee i did one of thos korean package tours!
6 countries in 10 days for 2,300,000 won (includes lodging, ticket, terrible food hehe).
it was pretty packed schedule-wise (traveling in btwn wasn't as bad as you think :))  and im glad every penny was put to use.

i don't like frequently traveling so this was perfect for me!
we hit up 239842938823 tourist spots all at once and if i wana go back, i know where exactly! plus, the next time around, i can be more free about it instead of feeling like "uh..should i see the leaning tower of pisa..." (btw skip it...not that cool....LOL  )

i don't like frequently traveling so this was perfect for me!
we hit up 239842938823 tourist spots all at once and if i wana go back, i know where exactly! plus, the next time around, i can be more free about it instead of feeling like "uh..should i see the leaning tower of pisa..." (btw skip it...not that cool....LOL  )

In this regard I can see it being a good thing. Being indecisive or unsure what to do in certain countries, it can help give you an idea of what you want/don't want to do in each place.

heehee i did one of thos korean package tours!
6 countries in 10 days for 2,300,000 won (includes lodging, ticket, terrible food hehe).

I feel like you wasted a lot of money.

heehee i did one of thos korean package tours!
6 countries in 10 days for 2,300,000 won (includes lodging, ticket, terrible food hehe).

I feel like you wasted a lot of money.

Now i know what how those ppl who make a wish come true in those “make a wish foundations” feels like~~!! ^^

Now i know what how those ppl who make a wish come true in those “make a wish foundations” feels like~~!! ^^

I said I would say it so I'm a man of my word. hahaha

Just got a message saying there's going to be an hour or so long power cut next week Tuesday morning while an electrical safety test is carried out but it's no big deal because it's summer vacation time and teachers at school that day should just make a note of it.

My English camp is next week.

on korean tv, it literally doesn't matter what the show is about, but it will always, always devolve into just watching people eat

My students told me that youtube videos of people eating are popular here because many Koreans are on diets and watching someone eat is the next best thing to actually eating. Seems weird to me, more like torture if you're hungry

My students told me that youtube videos of people eating are popular here because many Koreans are on diets and watching someone eat is the next best thing to actually eating. Seems weird to me, more like torture if you're hungry

Right? Even if you're not getting laid on the reg and you watch porn.............. you can still.............. .. you know.

When I'm on a diet, which I have been for the last 18 months, the last thing I want to do is watch or even read about food I like. I actively avoid it.

Maybe i havent reached the existential plane of vicarious sensual enjoyment yet.

Yeah, imagine watching porn and not busting a nut

When I'm on a diet, which I have been for the last 18 months, the last thing I want to do is watch or even read about food I like. I actively avoid it.

Maybe i havent reached the existential plane of vicarious sensual enjoyment yet.

Yeah, imagine watching porn and not busting a nut

..not sure what to say to that, other than, you can always go for the "runner's high".

..good luck, though...really:)

I can't even make a fun, meaningful goodbye class without the ol' CT trying to change everything about the lesson.

If I tell you that the entire purpose of the activity revolves around a specific premise, would it make sense to try to change most important part?? The lack of faith in students and lack of want to even TRY new things really pisses me right off.

My current CTs are way better than my old ones, but good lord the hand-holding is 10x worse.