DIFFERENCES…NOT GOOD, NOT BAD…JUST DIFFERENT
I’m watching We’re All Trying Here on Netflix. It’s about a group of writers, producers, and directors who are all trying to be successful in their careers.
At least that’s what I think it’s about. When I read the synopsis on Wikipedia, it says it’s about people who are struggling with envy and jealousy while trying to find their own peace. Both Netflix and My Drama List say the same. I take issue with that. Those emotions are by-products of their individual situations. I like my definition better!
This is an ensemble cast with two standouts. The male lead is Koo Kyo-hwan, and he is either completely wacko or unbelievably gifted. His portrayal of Hwang Dong-man is so spot on, he seems completely authentic in this role. The female lead is Go Youn-jung as Byeon Eun-ah. I think she’s great but not as compelling as Koo Kyo-hwan. (OH OH, I’M STARTING TO SOUND LIKE MY GUY CRAZY BLOG PARTNER…). (Well, duh.... she's a woman and couldn't possibly be as compelling as the men. ~ Judy)
But this isn’t what I wanted to write about today.
This is:
In one scene Hwang has his buddies over to hang out. As they settle around that little table that no Americans could comfortably sit at, he hands each of them a towel as a gift. They say thank you and continue with their merriment. This is something new to me. Is this a Korean custom we know nothing about? I’m hoping Song Lee can help out here and explain the significance of towels as gifts.
Another conundrum is what they are eating while they sit. Hwang dumps out a bunch of snacks to share. One of them is a bag of potato chips. He apologizes for not having enough catsup for the potato chips. Again, Song Lee is going to have to weigh in. This seems very odd to me because we don’t eat potato chips with catsup. It’s even odder to me that we don’t when I realize we eat French fries with catsup. I wonder why we slather our chips with sour cream and onion dip but not catsup.
These are the things that keep me up at night…sigh… ~ Pat
Yes, these little differences in cultures are what the Gmamas notice & love! I just finished a road trip to Colorado and lamented the fact that we could not find dried squid for the trip. (Not! It's Red Vines for me on long trips.... only Koreans eat dried squid on road trips.). And I'm wondering why Pat spells it catsup and I spell it ketchup! ~Judy
I do spell it ketchup. I don’t know what go into me. ~Pat
Song, you’re the best! Thank you for rewatching Episode 10 so you could comment on the towels. Now that I remember it, the Japanese do the same. Very interesting. Here in the USA, we tend to give flowers and wine.
About the potato chips...
French fries with ketchup are a very normal combination in Korea too.
Years ago, we even had a potato stick snack called "Postick" that came with a small ketchup packet.
But eating thin potato chips with ketchup is probably just personal taste. I don't eat them that way, but if someone asked for ketchup, it wouldn't seem strange to me. ㅋㅋ
Pat, because of your post, I watched Episode 10. 😊
Koo says, "Since you came to my home, here's a towel for each of you," and gives one to every friend.
In Korea, towels have been a very common gift for many years.
People often gave them to guests after special family celebrations, such as weddings or a parent's 70th or 80th birthday party.
These days people give many different kinds of gifts, but towels are still very common.
The funny part is that the towels were actually souvenirs from someone's 80th birthday celebration. ㅎㅎ
He jokingly gave them to his friends as "souvenirs" for visiting his home.
We don't give towels to friends just because they visit our home,…
Will definitely watch--thanx for the tip!