SaturdayThe girlfriend and I were headed out to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and she stopped to ask something of my landlady, who lives above me. This landlady invited us to have breakfast with her and her husband the next morning - Sunday being Chuseok, the most important Korean holiday.
I could probably count on my fingers the number of times I've been able to have breakfast with my girl, so given the chance, I'm not keen on sharing her with anyone else. And beyond that, I felt like Landlady was insinuating something - an unseemly something at that - about our relationship. I say this because there's an underlying assumption in Korea that girls who date foreign men are on the cusp of prostitution, and I wanted to run back upstairs and defend my girl's honor, mention driven snow, etc.
"What do you mean by that? Inviting us to breakfast."
* * *
I was laying in bed the next morning, peacefully reading a book, and someone started banging on my door. Ignore it, I figured, they'll go away when I don't answer.
Not in Korea.
The idea here is to knock until A) someone answers or, B) the person you're looking for comes home and finds you knocking or, C) you find that the door's unlocked and you just walk in and find them sitting on the crapper.
I heard my landlady outside - "Hello? Hello?" - trying to open the door. Thank god it was locked. Next thing I know she's at the window at the head of my bed.
"Hello? Hello?"
Christ, answer the damn door.
It's customary in Korea to refuse an offer three times before accepting (which to me seems an unnecessary waste of time if you're eventually going to accept anyway). The landlady was still on the breakfast trip and I must've declined at least six times before feigning sickness - actually, the throat was sore - and sending her upstairs. I know she was trying to be generous and hospitable, and I don't expect her to know that I don't enjoy socializing or accepting things from people I don't know. But isn't there a point where pushing one's kindness crosses into rudeness?
With all that in mind, I'm going to print up a sign - in Korean - for my door:
I could probably count on my fingers the number of times I've been able to have breakfast with my girl, so given the chance, I'm not keen on sharing her with anyone else. And beyond that, I felt like Landlady was insinuating something - an unseemly something at that - about our relationship. I say this because there's an underlying assumption in Korea that girls who date foreign men are on the cusp of prostitution, and I wanted to run back upstairs and defend my girl's honor, mention driven snow, etc.
"What do you mean by that? Inviting us to breakfast."
* * *
I was laying in bed the next morning, peacefully reading a book, and someone started banging on my door. Ignore it, I figured, they'll go away when I don't answer.
Not in Korea.
The idea here is to knock until A) someone answers or, B) the person you're looking for comes home and finds you knocking or, C) you find that the door's unlocked and you just walk in and find them sitting on the crapper.
I heard my landlady outside - "Hello? Hello?" - trying to open the door. Thank god it was locked. Next thing I know she's at the window at the head of my bed.
"Hello? Hello?"
Christ, answer the damn door.
It's customary in Korea to refuse an offer three times before accepting (which to me seems an unnecessary waste of time if you're eventually going to accept anyway). The landlady was still on the breakfast trip and I must've declined at least six times before feigning sickness - actually, the throat was sore - and sending her upstairs. I know she was trying to be generous and hospitable, and I don't expect her to know that I don't enjoy socializing or accepting things from people I don't know. But isn't there a point where pushing one's kindness crosses into rudeness?
With all that in mind, I'm going to print up a sign - in Korean - for my door:
IF I DON'T ANSWER WITHIN THREE KNOCKS, PLEASE GO THE HELL AWAY.
