korean hospitality

i feel blessed to have spent a significant amount of time in my life with people from many different cultures, and i am always taken back at the overwhelming hospitality they show me. surprisingly, i have very few asian friends. so, as i embarked on my journey east, i was expecting to encounter the politeness that pervades the stereotypes of asian cultures. we are all familiar with these stereotypes: formal, well-mannered, lots of bows, etc. (please see figure below).


however, i did not anticipate the grace, style and sincerity of korean hospitality. world take notice: koreans know how to do it, and it is impresivo.

i give you...Exhibit A: the plane ride over on asiana air.

my plane. (ok, not really, but i flew on one just like it.)

for a minute, i thought i was in "catch me if you can" with these uber-classy flight attendants who, by the way, were also the nicest flight attendants i've ever encountered.

first class (i wish) where the seats recline completely flat into nearly full-size beds.

complimentary toothbrushes and toothpaste in the plane bathrooms that were cleaned repetitively on our red-eye flight from LA to Seoul.

Exhibit B: service.
it's cold in korea. really cold. it's not even cold yet, and i'm already cold. i'm freezing. i think it has something to do with the wind and the concrete walls that take hold of the fall chill and turn my school into a (very environmentally-friendly) freezer. of course, it could be that i am from the desert and meant to exist only in temperatures ranging from 80-115 degrees. i am becoming slightly concerned that i might not survive winter.

fueled by this fear, and by my ever-present desire to be warm, i walked myself down to shinae (old downtown mokpo) and bought a north face puffy coat. really, i have been looking for an excuse to buy a puffy, as i lost one a few years back, and life has never been quite the same without it.

upon paying for my puffy coat, the lady behind the counter put up her hand and said, "wait. service." she ran to the back and returned with a plaid fleece blanket wrapped in plastic. she placed it in my bag, and i left, elated. this is a common thing in korea. from free coke at restaurants to free facial products at the beauty store, when you spend money at an establishment in korea, you are rewarded with "service." i realize that this is all an attempt to obtain my loyalty as a shopper, but i don't care. frankly, it works; it works a lot better, i think, than an ever-present sales associate haunting me through the store and stalking me in the dressing room.

service? yes please.


Exhibit C: "sharing makes us happy"--for this title, i give credit to nanette r. grant, who probably said this 100 times a day when we were kids. see mom, it stuck.
koreans are all about sharing, particularly when it comes to food. many of you will be familiar with this concept if you've eaten at a korean restaurant. but, this goes far beyond sharing dishes at a restaurant. the teachers in my office will often bring in food for everyone to share: fruit, drinks, pastries, traditional korean cakes and other delicious snacks. also, they spontaneously offer me half of an orange or a handful of candy. while this is dangerous for my waistline, i find the gesture endearing and quite impressive.

mom, you'd be proud of korea. they're all about sharing, and i think it does make them happy. because, contrary to the stereotype, koreans are perhaps the least formal people i know; they are quick to laughter, kind-hearted, and warm. i feel lucky to spend a year enjoying and learning from their extraordinary hospitality.