Tuesday, June 05, 2007

술을 마시는 거 싫어

I can't hold my drink well. I don't enjoy drinking either. So I guess I won't be able to socialise well with the Koreans. I won't even consider picking up drinking even if it means that I can develop better relationship with them. I may like many things about Korea but not necessary everything. Their drinking culture is one of those that I will not want to be immersed in. Perhaps I should never find myself a job in a Korean company.

Since drinking is considered a culture in Korea it has its set of etiquette or "Ju-do" (주도-酒道) to observe. For example, a younger person should always turn his face away from an older person when drinking. The wine glass must be emptied before it can be filled. Also, a younger person should always use two hands to pour or receive drink from an older person. I learnt about this culture not in one of those pubs in Seoul but in classroom. Learning language always go with learning the culture, our teacher frequently reminds us about that.

I was warned by my teacher that if you don't drink and you found yourself stuck in a "Suljip" (술집-Korean wine bar) don't just concentrate on eating the "Anju" (안주-按酒) or the tidbits that are meant to go with the drink. Koreans call this kind of people the "Anju Killer" (안주킬러) and they dislike them because Anju is more expensive than the drink.

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