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This article will unveil why Korean culture involves hearty eating, flat chopsticks, the significance of fish-shaped ice cream, and why chicken beer is a delight.
Have you ever wondered why Koreans eat so much, use flat chopsticks, the symbolism behind fish-shaped ice cream, or what makes chicken beer so delicious? Let's delve into these fascinating aspects of Korean culture with Pasgo.
Korean Culture 1: Koreans eat heartily and make noise like 'pigs'
From a young age, Koreans are raised by their families to eat heartily, just like that. Their bowls are as large as basins, so they eat a lot.
In Korean culture, Koreans teach their children that 'Feeling hungry is very scary, so when you eat, you must eat.'
Over 60 years ago, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world, and people had nothing to eat. Later, as the country progressed, people's lives improved, so grandparents and parents really wanted their children to eat a lot.
Before meals, Koreans say: 'Eat a lot' instead of being polite like the French: 'Bon appétit'.
During gatherings, Korean parents of sons prefer girls with round and kind faces rather than the V-line trend nowadays. When a Korean invites you for a meal, eat plenty and express your gratitude loudly. They'll be delighted and invite you to eat again.
Korean Culture 2: Why do Koreans use flat chopsticks instead of round ones like other Asian countries?
Korean chopsticks are made of aluminum or stainless steel, flat and long, unlike the round wooden chopsticks used by Vietnamese. For those accustomed to round chopsticks, this flat type can be quite challenging to use for picking up food.
For Vietnamese people, chopsticks are just chopsticks. But in Korea, chopsticks are designed differently to also serve as scissors. These single-eyelid friends cut noodles, cut vermicelli, cut cakes, cut eggs, or remove fish bones with amazing skill. The food looks beautifully cut, without any mess.
Flat chopsticks are like versatile scissors in Korean culture
The dining etiquette in Korean culture is quite similar to Vietnamese, where the youngest person at the table is responsible for arranging chopsticks, spoons, and bowls for the older ones. Truly, Vietnamese and Koreans are siblings.
Korean Culture 3: If you eat chicken, you must drink beer
Do you remember the image of Mrs. Chanh in the movie 'My Sassy Girl' sitting, gnawing on chicken legs and drinking beer? Chicken beer is a culinary tradition in Korea, loved by everyone from the elderly to the young.
Chicken paired with beer in Korea is nothing like the chicken we eat at KFC or Lotteria. Each restaurant in Korea has its own secret recipe for making and frying chicken. No two places are alike, with a wide variety of flavors such as garlic chicken, sweet and sour chicken, sweet potato chicken, crispy boneless chicken with coconut sauce, etc.
Korean culture cannot be without chicken beer
Korean Culture 4: Only important people are given fish-shaped ice cream by Koreans
Fish-shaped ice cream has become quite familiar to Vietnamese youth in recent years, with a soft outer layer and cool ice cream inside.
Fish-shaped ice cream symbolizes affection and genuine care.
Only when they like each other, love each other, do Koreans give fish-shaped ice cream to each other. This is a very quiet and thoughtful way of expressing feelings in Korean culture.
Especially when a boy wants to confess his love, he often breaks the fish-shaped ice cream in half. The girl will eat the head while the boy will eat the tail because the head has the most red bean paste. As mentioned in part 1, Koreans value being full and eating a lot.
How to explore Korean culture most deliciously - economically - affordably
Korean culture has many interesting things for you to discover and explore. And the easiest and cheapest way to do that is to visit Korean restaurants in Vietnam.
If you don't have a significant other, invite your friends to enjoy chicken and beer, and eat gimbap for fun. But if you're already taken, indulge in fish-shaped ice cream and don't forget to explain to your other half why you're eating it.
Korean culture is most vividly expressed through food
I'd like to list some Korean restaurants that I really love and frequently visit, such as: Korean Gimbap - Doi Can, First Grilled Hotpot Buffet, Korean Gimbap - Tay Son, Korean Gimbap - Dao Tan, Korean Gimbap - Xuan Thuy, Korean Gimbap - My Dinh, Korean Gimbap - Ngoc Lam.
On average, each person only needs to prepare from 80k to 200k VND depending on individual appetite. These restaurants currently have big discount programs, so make sure to book in advance to get the discount via the following link:
>>> Check out the Korean restaurants with great discount programs
<<Yummy>>
This article is referenced from: Quynh in Seoul
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