tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29198014.post116244515673262875..comments2023-07-08T22:11:40.256+09:00Comments on Between pee and kimchee: MannersJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07937360291620022135noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29198014.post-1163303203440237832006-11-12T12:46:00.000+09:002006-11-12T12:46:00.000+09:00Hi Jennifer,I found your blog through Expatriate G...Hi Jennifer,<BR/>I found your blog through Expatriate Games and just wanted to let you know I'm reading.<BR/>I agree that manners are at a deficit in the U.S. <BR/>Another polite practice in Korea is asking about one's family. I didn't realize this while first living in Korea but when I started to use it with a supervisor (asking about his wife and children), he seemed really pleased. I didn't even know his wife or kids. I don't think I ever fully picked up on manners in Korea (probably due to my lack of Korean skills) and I'm impressed at your knowledge of them.<BR/>In response to kate's post above, it reminds me of when my husband and I were first dating and I would use "please" and "thank you" routinely. He told me that Koreans believe if you love someone you don't have to say those things; they're understood. It was too hard for me to change this part of my culture though (and he told me he actually liked it), so he now uses and sometimes overuses those expressions.Belovedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01249852526655365590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29198014.post-1162889474040121592006-11-07T17:51:00.000+09:002006-11-07T17:51:00.000+09:00Hi Jennifer! I found you through your article (gr...Hi Jennifer! I found you through your article (great!) in Multilingual Living. (I did the one about the fiestas in Spain.) I hope you don't mind that I've added you to my Blogroll. <BR/><BR/>I thought this post was very interesting, too. Here in Spain too, there is more ritual involved in social interactions than in the States, though perhaps not as strictly followed as in Korea. And as far as language of effort, one thing I've noticed here is kind of the opposite. When I'm with my (Spanish) mother-in-law, she protests when I thank her for something like passing the salt. As if thanking someone for something so minor introduces a level of formality into the relationship that creates distance (like using the formal "usted" instead of "tĂș.") And especially when she does something that actually does take some effort, like cleaning out my silverware drawer or cooking an elaborate meal or something. In that case it's almost an insult, like "I'm doing this out of love in the context of a family relationship, and by thanking me, you're treating me as if I were a stranger or someone whose goodwill you question, someone for whom it seems highly unusual to be helping out." Yet if I don't say anything, I feel like a heel, and I think she does like to feel acknowledged, even if politeness dictates that she fell "insulted" at a thank you. So sometimes I try to come at it backhandedly, like "Oh, how wonderful to come home to a nice tortilla de patatas after such a hard day!" <BR/><BR/>Anyway, I will go read your article now. So nice to have found you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29198014.post-1162554627121013682006-11-03T20:50:00.000+09:002006-11-03T20:50:00.000+09:00Thanks, Melanie! Motherhood... makes me feel like ...Thanks, Melanie! Motherhood... makes me feel like I'm "on crazy pills" (I love that line from Zoolander). But in a good way, most of the time. <BR/><BR/>I'll try to write something about ddokboki and mandu sometime!Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07937360291620022135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29198014.post-1162475522271521742006-11-02T22:52:00.000+09:002006-11-02T22:52:00.000+09:00I really enjoy your writing. You say some really ...I really enjoy your writing. You say some really interesting things about Korea and I appreciate the way you're able to articulate some of the things that I feel, but am unable to express. <BR/><BR/>Most of all though, you make motherhood sound really appealing. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for the insight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com