중앙데일리

Sending a gift in time

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs: Q: I want to send some clothes and books to family members in the United States and Switzerland. I tried FedEx and DHL before, but they were too expensive and inconvenient. What are some reasonably fast and reliable services available in Korean post offices? A: There are a few options available for international shipment at Korean post offices (www.koreapost.go.kr, English availa…

Dec 26,2004
Wasted food in Korean restaurants

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs: Q: My family and I have enjoyed many lavish Korean-style full course meals since our arrival earlier this year. Because there are so many dishes served and thus a lot of leftovers on the table, we asked a number of times if we could take them home with us in a doggy bag, but it seems that such a practice is not common in Korea. Every time we go out to Korean restaurants, we feel that…

Dec 12,2004
Kimchi’s age

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs: Q: I’ve seen Korean restaurants serve various kinds of kimchi that are aged differently. Some cabbage kimchi is served very fresh, while other versions taste extremely sour and smell so pungent that, unless one was advised not to, one would throw them out. We foreigners have no way of knowing such varieties. A: Kimchi is fermented for varying periods of time, depending on the seas…

Dec 05,2004
The numbers on Korean clothes

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs: Q: Unless I shop in Itaewon or duty-free stores where merchants know about American or European sizes, it is very difficult for non-Koreans like myself to buy clothes in Korea, mainly because Koreans use different sizes. What are the basics I need to know in buying clothes for men and women? A: For most women’s garments, four numbers ― 44, 55, 66 and 77 ―are used to signify ext…

Nov 21,2004
A budget hanbok

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs: Q: My husband and I love the hanbok, the Korean national costume, and we’re thinking of getting one each for ourselves while staying in Korea. But there are too many out there, from the very cheap-looking souvenir kind sold in market streets to very expensive boutique varieties. Is there any way we can get reasonably well-made hanbok for under $200 each? What are the simple things to …

Nov 14,2004
Withering fancy flowers

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs: Q: Every time I’m invited to attend formal functions ― weddings, funerals, concerts, anniversaries and opening events at various places, the entrances or hallways are lavishly decorated with rows of tall flower wreaths and live potted plants. I was informed that these were gifts, so each plant bore the name of the sender and a message on a ribbon attached to it. A few companies insid…

Nov 07,2004
Wanted: Missing Child’s Parent

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs: Q: I went to a ballet performance last week. There I found on the back of the tickets black-and-white photographs of missing children, which actually reminded me of the same kind of photographs I saw on milk cartons. My wife and I thought, “what a strange place to see pictures of missing children” and wondered how these children got to be missing in Korea. A: The organized effort…

Oct 31,2004
Water in ashtrays

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs: Q: When I ask for an ashtray in restaurants or bars, I expect to get a dry, clean one. In Korea, though, people are used to wet ashtrays. At first, I thought it was a kind of mistake, but I saw waiters carefully place wet tissues or used coffee beans in the ashtray, and if there happens to be a dry ashtray to be used on the table, then someone will pour water in to make sure it stays w…

Oct 24,2004
Time goes on, but toilets stay the same

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs: Q: Last week, I went to one of the local motor vehicle offices in Gangnam. Although the building was quite old, it looked as if the bathroom has been recently renovated. The women’s bathroom was very clean and was painted in pink and decorated with artificial flowers. Each closet door had a small picture frame hanging on it. What shocked me were the toilets ― they were squatters. …

Oct 03,2004
Lighting up for safer roads

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs. Glenn Lawrie of Taean, South Chungcheong province, wrote: Q: In the interest of public safety, why do Korean police refuse to address the issue of vehicular lighting? Too many drivers refuse to turn on their lights or refuse to replace burned-out bulbs. Another not insignificant group of drivers opts to replace their amber turn-signal lights with fashionable blues or greens. Al…

Sept 19,2004

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