Eating at Someone’s Home
Traditional Korean cuisine is served on transportable tables that are brought in from the kitchen and fully set up. People eat on the floor, waiting for the oldest diner to pick up his spoon or chopsticks before they begin. Nobody leaves the table before the oldest person has completed their meal. You should use two hands to present an object with respect to someone who is older than you, such as a plate, dish, glass, or bottle.
Katarzyna J. “Most Korean households use Western-style tables with chairs on a daily basis (the table is usually placed in the kitchen), but when guests are entertained, they share meals at a low table with short legs, seated on cushions laid on the floor,” Cwiertka wrote in the “Encyclopaedia of Food and Culture.” [Source: Katarzyna J. Cwiertka, Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, The Gale Group Inc. , 2003].
The classic dining arrangement consists of a small table that seats one or two people. There was no common dining room in upper-class homes; instead, family members ate at separate tables placed in the kitchen and moved around the house based on their position, age, and gender. Such dining arrangements reflected the hierarchical ideology of premodern Korea. Early in the 20th century, the shared dining table with short legs gained popularity. By the 1960s, it had spread across the nation and had largely replaced the individual table that was used by everyone. The 1980s saw the spread of tables and chairs in the Western style as the next transition. However, some restaurants, student residences, and typical Korean homes still use the traditional one-person tables today. ”.
Most Korean restaurants have two separate dining areas: one with Western-style tables and chairs and another with an elevated floor where patrons sit at low tables with cushions. Some have only tables and chairs. Due in part to people’s cramped living quarters and tendency to entertain and mingle outside of their homes, South Korea boasts an abundance of restaurants. There are numerous small restaurants, which is another factor. Some restaurants have menus written English but most dont. If so, you can draw attention to what other people are consuming.
South Korea has lots of good cheap restaurants. In general, there are four types of restaurants in Korea: Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Western (there are also occasionally pizza or hamburger joints and establishments that specialize in Korean chicken fried steak). A lot of Koreans grab lunch at one of the many snack bars or noodle restaurants that can be found all over South Korea.
In South Korea, a lot of restaurants are specialty eateries that only offer one type of food or perhaps just one dish. Restaurants that serve comparable cuisines are frequently grouped together in big cities. There are many restaurants that specialize in pulgogi or stews. Here, diners use chopsticks to select what they want to eat as they prepare their own food in front of them over an open fire, in a communal pot, or in their own pot.
Table Manners, Slurping, and Finger Licking in Korea
In Korea, it’s considered impolite to blow your nose or lick your fingers, especially while eating. When using a toothpick, keep your mouth closed. Additionally, keep in mind that an empty rice bowl usually indicates that you have completed your meal.
In Korea, it’s highly offensive to blow your nose in public. It is best to excuse yourself and blow your nose in a restroom if you are stuffy or have the sniffles. Loud yawns and public gun chewing are also regarded as impolite behaviors. In Korea, eating, smoking, or lifting rice bowls in front of the elderly is frowned upon—a practice common among Chinese people.
Koreans often make loud slurping noises when eating noodles. Making noise is regarded as a compliment and a sign that you are enjoying the food rather than being rude. A very loud slurp in some circumstances indicates that you’ve finished eating. Some lunchtime restaurants get very busy and there’s a lot of slurping going on while people eat. After ten or fifteen minutes, everyone gets up and leaves, and the place is nearly empty.
Traditionally, Koreans wait to begin eating until the oldest person at the table picks up his spoon or chopsticks. Nobody leaves the table before the oldest person has completed their meal. You should use two hands to present an object with respect to someone who is older than you, such as a plate, dish, glass, or bottle. Korean culture has long valued the tradition of deference to elders. For instance, it is expected of young boys and girls to treat their elders with respect; smoking and drinking are prohibited in front of elders unless absolutely necessary. Seniors should always receive rice and other dishes first when dining, and one should never drink in front of them. When guests arrive, senior guests’ tables and banquets should be set up separately. Delicacies should be put in front of the elders. It is not appropriate for juniors to eat their treats before seniors move their chopsticks. Whether or not they are acquainted, a younger person is expected to greet a senior with respect whenever they come across them. [Source: Science of China, Liu Jun, Museum of Nationalities, Central University for Nationalities, kepu] net. cn ~].
When a Korean table is properly set, the chopsticks, soup, and bowl of rice are on the left, and the soup is on the right. A spoon should never be placed down on the table until the meal is completely consumed, according to traditional Korean etiquette. The spoon should be placed inside or leaned up against the edge of the rice or soup bowl prior to that time.
The Korean table setting differs greatly from the American table setting, according to the “Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Foods and Recipes of the World.” The tables are only ten inches high, with a glossy red or black lacquer finish. Around the table, diners are seated on cushions that have been laid on the ground. Beautiful patterns in mother-of-pearl decorate the tables. The table is hung on the wall like a picture when it is not in use. [Source: The Gale Group, Inc.’s Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Foods and Recipes of the World , 2002].
Katarzyna J. With a few notable exceptions, every dish is placed on the table at the same moment, according to Cwiertka’s entry in the “Encyclopaedia of Food and Culture.” When eating, a set of metal chopsticks and a spoon are used. With the former, side dishes are consumed, and rice, soup, and other liquids with the latter. Individual bowls are served for rice and soup, but multiple diners frequently share side dishes. These days, bowls are typically composed of steel, plastic, or stoneware; however, white porcelain tableware is used on special occasions. [Source: Katarzyna J. Cwiertka, Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, The Gale Group Inc. , 2003].
The wealthy used to eat from brass bowls in the winter and porcelain ones in the sweltering summer. The most elegant thing was thought to be a spoon and a set of silver chopsticks. The majority of the less wealthy people ate with earthenware and wooden spoons and chopsticks. It is considered impolite in Korean etiquette to remove bowls from the table. Unlike the rest of East Asia, where it is customary to lift bowls up to the mouth while eating, they remain on the table throughout the entire meal. ”.
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