It’s rare, if not impossible, that you will find yourself having a bad Korean meal in Korea. It just doesn’t happen. But every so often, usually when it’s least expected, you will experience culinary nirvana. It will be a meal that proves to be unique from any other you’ve had in the past, one that …
The excitement is palpable, as it always is just before any dance competition. Upbeat Latin tunes echo through a hall of dressing rooms that buzz with giddy conversations in a number of languages. Inside, flamboyantly dressed men ensure that every tassel of their costumes is in place while their female partners apply thick eyeliner and …
Before the days of discount supermarkets and department stores, markets were the primary locales for shopping, trading, and gossiping in Korea’s major cities. Sadly, due to rapid modernization and an increase in more convenient shopping facilities over the past few decades, traditional markets have continuously lost patronage and are quickly diminishing in size and number. …
When I graduated from high school, I thought my days of field trips were long gone. So, when I was told at the beginning of the semester that my Sogang University classmates and I would be participating in an off-campus “cultural experience” this past week, I got a little bit excited, mostly because it would …
South Korea: a nation of kaleidoscopic vibrancy with a prowess to hypnotize any unsuspecting visitor with its technicolor features. While many might associate the Asian country with the colors of grey concrete, black smog, and neon, there’s much more to the palette that illustrates the colorful attributes that make up Korea. Wanting to prove this, …
On a warm spring afternoon, Jin Park, a 32 year old Korean citizen, guides me to our destination on Nodeul-seom, a seemingly unremarkable island smack dab in the middle of Seoul’s Han River. Park looks like any other guy his age, donned in cargo pants and a navy hoodie. Those passing him probably suspect he …
As an expat living abroad, I am often exposed to many unique cultural experiences. While most of them are positive and happy (weddings, holiday celebrations, and special birthdays) others can be crushing and tragic. Although I never imagined I would attend a Korean funeral, expat life is still “real life” and as such, a dear …
In the latest segment of “Not-So-Normal Norms”, I talk about letterman jackets, MTs, condiments, the excessive wearing of high heels, and the lack of gray hair in Korea. As usual, I must note that this post has been written to point out Korean cultural norms that are different from those in my home country, …
There’s no doubt that cartoons are loved all around the world. Comic books and animated television shows conjure up images of childhood, Saturday mornings, and spent allowances. Yet, there are few places where cartoon culture is as prevalent as Eastern Asia. In Korea, comics are taken to a whole new extreme. Manhwa literally means “comics” …
Thanks to Psy and the constant replay of Gangnam Style (which was recently just declared the second most watched video on YouTube EVER), the world now knows that there’s much more to Korea than kimchi and electronics companies. Finally, westerners are seeing this other, hipper side of the country that Korea’s neighbors discovered long ago. …