Practical behavior = habit

(It's Judy.... you know this because my words are in black; Pat's words are in red....) There are many cultural habits that are shown in Kdramas that were new to me, others I was aware of.

The act of sitting on the floor is new to me.... well it's not really new to me but the EXTENT to which Koreans sit on the floor is new to me. Apparently it came into vogue in the 17th century when under floor heating become commonplace in Korea. This system (called ‘ondol’) facilitated people sitting on the floor to keep warm (we all know Korea was a cold country before climate change and global warming).

Although modern Korean homes may not use the ondol system any longer, Koreans have continued to sit on the floor. Yes, Americans will sit on the floor but it's only occasionally. And I don't think any Americans ever prep food or enjoy dinner while sitting on the floor! I've noticed this in several Kdramas; the cook will have a modern kitchen but will sit on the floor to cook and serve the dish!

Americans just don’t sit on the floor, especially at my age. I need some back support! If you read this blog, you know about my brush with owning a Korean table platform called a pyeongsang. It lasted one year and was repurposed into a container to grow vegetables. I wonder if the ondol system was invented for the poorer population who may not have owned chairs. When we lived in Taiwan, we learned about the Chinese heating system that was on a raised platform where people both cooked and slept. Imagine that, never having to leave your bed!

Koreans, like most Asians, will remove their shoes when indoors. Again, this is seen in many homes around the globe. Honestly I don't do this. I don't want the hassle of having slippers at all the doors plus I apparently have more shoes than the typical Korean woman.

This has become the norm in my family. I even keep a pair of house slippers in my daughter’s home so I don’t have to go barefoot. We’ve instituted it in our house as well, but we’re not too strict about it for company. I’m hoping it will save having to replace our carpet.

A couple of things I was not aware of include such little niceties as you're not supposed to hold your spoon & chopstick in the same hand. Since I can barely manage to wield a chopstick this isn't a problem for me... Plus, when not using their chopsticks they're invariably placed directly on the table; not on the edge of the bowl or plate. I believe if you place your chopsticks on the edge of your bowl it's assumed you are finished eating. Here we try to keep the table clean and use the edge of our plates to 'rest' our utensils.

It always amazes me that Koreans can eat with both hands. As Judy says they use their dominant hand for the chopsticks, the spoon for the non dominate one. No can do! And believe me, I want to get the food to my mouth as much as the next person!

The communal style meals shown in Kdramas are different than 'family style' meals here. In the US we typically use serving dishes and move food from the 'main' bowl to our own personal plate or bowl with a separate serving utensil. In Kdramas the eaters will usually use their personal chopsticks to serve food from the 'main' bowl to their own personal bowl but it's also not unusual for them to eat directly out of the 'main' bowl. This would be a definite no-no in America.

Au contraire, Judy! Having eaten Chinese food for more than half my life, it’s customary-and not bad manners-to pluck morsels from the serving dish and put them on your individual plate or in your rice bowl. However, since THE PANDEMIC, I’m wondering if this is the most hygienic and safe way to eat. Guess what? I’m hungry! This is cheating Pat. I mean if you're eating an Asian meal you probably adapt to Asian customs. I stand by my statement that Americans eating American food do not use their personal utensils to grab food from the serving dishes.

But, I think what I find most interesting about all this is the fact that I actually notice this stuff. I can't decide if I'm 'super observant' or have some sort of 'cognitive problem'... Wonder if Pat will tell me? ~ Judy

Wonder what I will tell you? I’ll tell you we’re all about minutiae!