RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

The woman in the office is like it's lunch time let's go. I should be happy, i know, but I'm not 73 years old and I don't eat lunch at 11:45 on weekdays.

I don’t get it.

What does age have to do with it?

The woman in the office is like it's lunch time let's go. I should be happy, i know, but I'm not 73 years old and I don't eat lunch at 11:45 on weekdays.

I don’t get it.

What does age have to do with it?

Everything.

Is it just me or is there a "giving up" culture here? It seems like everyone is quicker to give up than to try anything they either deem difficult or don't quite understand.

Easiest example is obviously students with English (Especially in the countryside schools). But in other situations it seems to be the case as well. When I was with several friends in Seoul, one restaurant almost didn't allow us in (despite having seats available) because they didn't want to deal with the "struggle" of serving English-speaking foreigners (that, or they were racist).

I think people in general have a tendency to give up when there are no negative consequences for doing so. Unfortunately for English teachers here, English class is one situation where there are no real consequences for not trying. I've been trying for years to impress it upon my students that I'd much rather they try and get the answer wrong than not try at all, but it just isn't sticking. Even for textbook exercises that are multiple choice, I can walk around the classroom and find several students who didn't even bother to circle random answers just to make it even look like they tried. It's...   frustrating.

I wonder if it isn't more or less the same thing for cases like denial of service for foreigners. If a restaurant denied service to foreigners in the US, the ACLU would be breathing down their neck faster than you could say "DAS RACISS." In Korea, not so much. That does seem to be improving here, though, for what it's worth.

You two are too old to realise that old people eat lunch at 11am and dinner before 5pm.   

The woman in the office is like it's lunch time let's go. I should be happy, i know, but I'm not 73 years old and I don't eat lunch at 11:45 on weekdays.

I don’t get it.

What does age have to do with it?

Neither do I.  If I have no fourth period class then I'll have my lunch at 11:30, probably because I'm a little bored.  I kind of like to eat lunch early, and I usually always have dinner about 5pm.  During the holidays, we had a family gathering and my sister was against booking the restaurant for 5pm because 'it was too early for dinner'.  I equally don't understand my wife or Koreans on their dinner eating/midnight snack policy.  My wife will have dinner anytime from 6pm-1am, and my students regularly eat chicken or other delivery food before bed.

Growing up in Canada, supper was when Dad got home... so 6ish.  I suspect Korean dads get home later.

Lunch? Whenever the company lunch break is.

OP: Still not seeing a tie to age, but my wife (Canadian) asks “Bingo night?” if I suggest an early supper, as homage to her late grandmother.

Is it just me or is there a "giving up" culture here? It seems like everyone is quicker to give up than to try anything they either deem difficult or don't quite understand.

Easiest example is obviously students with English (Especially in the countryside schools). But in other situations it seems to be the case as well. When I was with several friends in Seoul, one restaurant almost didn't allow us in (despite having seats available) because they didn't want to deal with the "struggle" of serving English-speaking foreigners (that, or they were racist).

I've noticed this too, it's no coincidence that China has the same issue. Since Korea pretty much owes 90% of it's culture to China and shares the same philosophy (Confucianism), they probably inherited it. Anyways, the Chinese call it "Mei Ban Fa", which literally translates to 'no solution', it's kind of the western equivalent of 'c'est la vie' or 'sh*t happens'.

'Mei Ban Fa" has become abused in recent times as a socially acceptable way to simply not be arsed to solve a problem. Remember, out the box thinking is still something many Chinese and Korean people struggle with as it's not encouraged as a Confucianist virtue so, some Chinese and Korean folks will simply give up if the obvious method/approach they've been taught fails to work. Furthermore combining the Confucianism thought of not challenging authority and the hardships during the cultural revolution, 'Mei Ban Fa' is a big reason of why authority is never undermined and people are content with accepting their hardships instead of rising above it.

Finally, liability is absolutely comical and ridiculous here. Rightly so, establishments and institutions in Korea will put ridiculous rules in place. The reason is to avoid liability.

- You get in an accident while walking down the road on Monday at 4:28PM... schools fault.
- Want to go for a swim at the beach. 1ft waves are too dangerous and lifeguards will call you out.

To westerners, this seems absolutely ludicrous, but personal responsibility is still a western cultural import for the most part.
While things are changing, the laws are the most archaic and stubborn to change, probably not enough pressure from civil society... Mei Ban Fa?

This makes me angry. And now you are angry, too.

I'd love to eat lunch at around 11 - 12 PM because I'm usually hungry as hell by then. I'm practically gnawing on my desk. If I didn't have my little snacks in between, I'd probably ****** riot.

No one should have to go through this.

The woman in the office is like it's lunch time let's go. I should be happy, i know, but I'm not 73 years old and I don't eat lunch at 11:45 on weekdays.

I don’t get it.

What does age have to do with it?

Neither do I.  If I have no fourth period class then I'll have my lunch at 11:30, probably because I'm a little bored.  I kind of like to eat lunch early, and I usually always have dinner about 5pm.  During the holidays, we had a family gathering and my sister was against booking the restaurant for 5pm because 'it was too early for dinner'.  I equally don't understand my wife or Koreans on their dinner eating/midnight snack policy.  My wife will have dinner anytime from 6pm-1am, and my students regularly eat chicken or other delivery food before bed.

Yeah, our lunch break at school is at 11:35. I'm not a huge fan of that early because I'm not as hungry then, but it is what it is.

I'd love to eat lunch at around 11 - 12 PM because I'm usually hungry as hell by then. I'm practically gnawing on my desk. If I didn't have my little snacks in between, I'd probably ****** riot.

No one should have to go through this.

I use to eat at 11:30 sometimes if I didn't have a class during that period when I was in Middle School?  Elementary, the classes get crammed into the mornings and I never get to eat like that early.  Today had 5 in a row and ate after 1 pm.  I do not like doing all my classes in a block.  I wish they'd spread them out like they do in middle school. 

lunchtime is 1230pm here. But teachers who don't work the before lunch period, have lunch from 12pm.

I don't understand. Students seemed to get punished for the weirdest things here. Some girls at my second school were crying in the halls, and were ACTUALLY BEING PUNISHED for calling a delivery to the school auditorium. That actually makes sense but I didn't expect such a harsh reaction. And today, one student put his feet on the desk and my co-teacher was livid to the point of stopping my class.

But ya know, ignoring the English teacher and talking during the lesson are just fine. 

I don't understand. Students seemed to get punished for the weirdest things here. Some girls at my second school were crying in the halls, and were ACTUALLY BEING PUNISHED for calling a delivery to the school auditorium. That actually makes sense but I didn't expect such a harsh reaction. And today, one student put his feet on the desk and my co-teacher was livid to the point of stopping my class.

But ya know, ignoring the English teacher and talking during the lesson are just fine. 

That does seem a little bit harsh 

I don't understand. Students seemed to get punished for the weirdest things here. Some girls at my second school were crying in the halls, and were ACTUALLY BEING PUNISHED for calling a delivery to the school auditorium. That actually makes sense but I didn't expect such a harsh reaction. And today, one student put his feet on the desk and my co-teacher was livid to the point of stopping my class.

But ya know, ignoring the English teacher and talking during the lesson are just fine. 

I've noticed that. Things in my class are just responded to with "hahah yeah kids will be kids!!" but they screw up elsewhere and it's like "you must scrub the classroom on your knees for your insolence."

I don't understand. Students seemed to get punished for the weirdest things here. Some girls at my second school were crying in the halls, and were ACTUALLY BEING PUNISHED for calling a delivery to the school auditorium. That actually makes sense but I didn't expect such a harsh reaction. And today, one student put his feet on the desk and my co-teacher was livid to the point of stopping my class.

But ya know, ignoring the English teacher and talking during the lesson are just fine. 

I've noticed that. Things in my class are just responded to with "hahah yeah kids will be kids!!" but they screw up elsewhere and it's like "you must scrub the classroom on your knees for your insolence."

Do they actually make their students do that? I've only seen such cases in movies 

I am annoyed by eujunseo!!!!!!

Chill the **** out

Chill the **** out

Are you replying to you?

eujunseo..you are the definition of a twerp! One of my students asked me about that word just recently.....

I don't know how to respond to people...on this site...C02, buddy..