Korean Table Manners
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I thought you may find following thread to your interest. It's a
rather long list, so it's the best that you start with the third
reply, which includes everyone' response including mine.
I am including a copy of the latest thread below just in case you are
like me... I find email more convenient. :)
................................................
Zeanie Elaine H. Yoon
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On Nov 21, 6:26 am, Jongseon SHIN <pi...@garbg.hanmail.net> wrote:
> ??? ? ?:
> > In Korea, we have culture to obey and respect the elders. So that we have
> > many manners that should be kept during the eating. I'll show examples of
> > them.
> I don't think the list below is not of every Koreans.
Not all of them are of every Koreans as a couple of them are region-
specific. But I must say most of them are of every Koreans.
> > - When eating with grown-ups, the younger people pick up the spoon and
> > chopsticks after the elders.
> This is popular one. But do you really abide by this rule when you eat
> with your parents? How about with your friends (including your SeonBaes
> and HuBaes)?
I observe Korean table manners, and so are my siblings and cousins. I
have been fortunate to be surrounded by those who were educated in
this area. I lament that I see more Koreans now who do not seem to
even know of this beautiful every-day tradition and manners.
> It's now kind of joke at the eating table, don't you think?
> > - Don't hold the spoon and chopsticks at the same time on one hand, always
> > put one thing on the table while using the other one.
> > And never put them on the rice bowl.
> I never heard of this one.
Regarding not holding the spoon and chopsticks at the same time in one
hand, it's popular. But this is one of many I do not observe. It is
partly my Chinese cultural background; I picked it up when I grew up
with Chinese. I really shouldn't be doing this.
Regarding not putting utensils on the rice bowl, it's age -specific.
One may not do so in front of elders. Naturally, only the eldest of
those sitting at the table could put utensils on the rice bowl.
On the other hand, I personally was brought up learning exactly
what ??
? wrote; one shall not place utensils on the rice bowl. In fact, you
shall not place your utensils on any food on the table. You shall not
leave your spoon in your soup. You shall not stick your spoon or
chopsticks in the food. Period. Such are only for the dead. For
instance, you will see spoons and chopsticks stuck into or placed on
the food at the ancestor memorial rites (??, ??, etc.)
> > - Don't eat with the bowl on your hand.
> This is popular one.
Once again, something I forget not to do because of my Chinese
cultural upbringing with Japanese influence. Having multi-cultural
influence in one family was confusing to me when I was growing up.
Agh.
> > - Always eat your meal after eating your soup. Eat rice, kimchi, soup with
> > your spoon and eat other side dishes with your chopsticks.
> Kimchi with spoon? Are you sure?
Ha ha! I think this was more for Northern Korea (as in North Korea
now). Their Kimchis had more juice and whatnot, so I heard. But then
what do I know.
I learned of these exactly the opposite. You shall have a sip of soup
first to wet your spoon. It prevents from rice grains sticking to your
spoon. You dip your chopstick in the soup as well. Most of times we
always had a bowl of shallow clean water. We would dip our utensils in
these bowls of water to wet them. We also had an option to sip this
water using our spoon.
You shall eat rice, soup and stews with a spoon. You shall use
chopsticks for other dishes accordingly.
> > - Don't make a noise while eating. For example, noise that occurs when spoon
> > or chopsticks hits the bowl.
> > - It's not appropriate rummaging your meal, alse don't pick out things that
> > you don't like, and don't shake off the sauce on your meal.
> > - Make sure that spoons are not allowed to be covered with food, And clean
> > out the bowl with the rice water after you are done.
Slightly different for traditional noble Seoulians. I was told to
leave a bit of rice water in bowls. If cleaned out rice water, then
pour a bit of regular water in. I don't know the purpose of this, but
I learned that it makes dish washers job whole a lot easier. Perhaps
it is the gesture begun with such thoughtfulness.
> > - When sharing one big plate with lots of people, it's better to put in the
> > right amount of the food on your own dish.
> It's actually new one
I think this is mutual in any culture. Actually, I was told to put a
bit less than you need because it is polite to go back for the second
serving.
Related to this table manner, you shall clean out your dishes and
leave no leftovers. So it only makes sense to put the right amount on
your own dishes to begin with.
> > - While eating, don't throw the fish bones on the table, instead wrap with
> > the paper. Always keep the table clean.
Only if napkins are provided. Ha ha! This is region-specific, I
think.
I speak for Seoulians only: especially if any food that leaves such
rubbish is served, such as fish bones, shrimp shells, clam shells,
etc. there should be a shallow bowl to collect such. You shall use the
receptacle to place fish bones, etc. not the napkin.
Napkins are meant to prevent damages on your clothing due to food
spillage or to clean flakes around your mouth. I wish not to clean my
mouth with the napkin wrapping fish bones. Yuck.
> > - When coughing during the meal, turn your head on the side and cover your
> > mouth with your hands of handkerchiefs.
> This should be universal.
> > - Try to keep the same pace with the person you are eating with.
This also should be universal.
> No. We eat like F1 racers.
> > - When eating with the elders, make sure that the younger person puts down
> > the spoon and chopsticks after the elders.
> I never heard of this one.
I have. You shall not start or finish before elders.
> > - After your meal, put down the spoon and chopsticks in order, fold and put
> > the napkin on the table.
> I'm sure Napkin is rarely used in Korean traditional table. Or are you
> from the royal family?
It's a general misconception and the wars and the modern media is
partly responsible for it . Napkins were used by "living" people. Only
at the ancestral memorial rites you won't see napkins.
Also, the lower class people used no napkins as their sleeves did the
job. How disgusting is that.
I also was told that in certain regions napkins were not placed on the
lap. Instead, it was placed on the table where utensils were put down.
By keeping this napkin clean even though you keep putting down your
utensils on top of it, you were politely demonstrating how much you
enjoyed the meal.
Ha. I don't know. I guess if you enjoyed the food enough to lick off
all the residue on your spoons and chopsticks, you could keep the
napkin clean. That makes me think of hunger more than appetizing food.
> > - Cover your mouth with your hand while using the toothpicks.
> This also can be universal.
Oh, please! Make it universal. I hate to see this anywhere!
> > Not like other country, Korea especially have a lot of table manners we
> > could see above. I want to know what kind of culture that other countries
> > have.
> You are exaggerating. There's not that much table manner in Korean
> culture. Please don't mystify "oriental culture". It's only misleading.
I disagree. There are many, many table manners in Korean culture. If
you feel that there is not that much table manner in Korean culture,
in my humble opinion, it is either you already know it because it is
already a part of the culture, or it is because you were never
educated in other table manners.
> For foreigners, one big difference would be about "blowing nose" at the
> table. Koreans are not accustomed to it. On the other hand, belching is
> rather acceptable.
Both of which I find disgusting.
> --
> SHIN
Regarding tables manners in foreign countries, I speak for myself and
my own experiences only:
I believe I was in Northern part of China in the city I do not
remember. I was provided with snacks that included peanuts and
chestnuts. I was supposed to make a big mess out of it. In fact, I was
supposed to make a big mess out of anything nut family (no pun
intended). I learnt later that making a mess is a polite way to say "I
really enjoyed the meal."
In Hong Kong, you shall place your rice bowl in your hand.
In China, you shall always cover your soups with the cover that comes
with the bowl. You shall not (or at least try not to) let the steam
run out.
You shall not call the waitperson out loud if you need something.
Instead, you shall half-open the cover of your teapot. A trained
waitperson will always ask you if you are in need of something. But
these days, this means that you need either more tea or you are done
with the meal. So it doesn't seem to work universally any more.
You shall make slurping sounds when you drink the soup. (Personally -
yuck!)
Yoon
Zeanie Yoon, Translation/Localization // Notary Public // Web Sites
however impossible it is for us to prove it by reason, this inability
demonstrates only the weakness of our reason, but not, as they affirm, the
uncertainty of all our knowledge. For the knowledge of first principles, as
space, time, motion, number, is as sure as any of those which we get from
reasoning. And reason must trust these intuitions of the heart, and must
base them on every argument. (We have intuitive knowledge of the
tri-dimensional nature of space and of the infinity of number, and reason
then shows that there are no two square numbers one of which is double of
the other. Principles are intuited, propositions are inferred, all with
certainty, though in different ways.) And it is as useless and absurd for
reason to demand from the heart proofs of her first principles, before
admitting them, as it would be for the heart to demand from reason an
intuition of all demonstrated propositions before accepting them.
This inability ought, then, to serve only to humble reason, which would
judge all, but not to impugn our certainty, as if only reason were capable
of instructing us. Would to God, on the contrary, that we had never need of
it, and that we knew everything by instinct and intuition! But nature has
refused us this boon. On the contrary, she has given us but very little
knowledge of this kind; and all the rest can be acquired only by reasoning.
Therefore, those to whom God has imparted religion by intuition are very
fortunate and justly convinced. But to those who do not have it, we can give
it only by reasoning, waiting for God to give them spirit
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dispute. Reason can do no better, for civil war is the greatest of evils.
321. Children are astonished to see their comrades respected.
322. To be of noble birth is a great advantage. In eighteen years it places
a man within the select circle, known and respected, as another have merited
in fifty years. It is a gain of thirty years without trouble.
323. What is the Ego?
Suppose a man puts himself at a window to see those who pass by. If I pass
by, can I say that he placed himself there to see me? No; for he does not
think of me in particular. But does he who loves someone on account of
beauty really love that person? No; for the small-pox, which will kill
beauty without killing the person, will cause him to love her no more.
And if one loves me for my judgement, memory, he does not love me, for I can
lose these qualities without losing myself. Where, then, is this Ego, if it
be neither in the body nor in the soul? And how love
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strong when he grows older? We only change our fancies. All that is made
perfect by progress perishes also by progress. All that has been weak can
never become absolutely strong. We say in vain, "He has grown, he has
changed"; he is also the same.
89. Custom is our nature. He who is accustomed to the faith believes in it,
can no longer fear hell, and believes in nothing else. He who is accustomed
to believe that the king is terrible... etc. Who doubts, then, that our
soul, being accustomed to see number, space, motion, believes that and
nothing else?
90. Quod crebro videt non miratur, etiamsi cur fiat nescit; quod ante non
viderit, id si evenerit, ostentum esse censet.17
91. Spongia solis.--When we see the same effect always recur, we infer a
natural necessity in it, as that there will be a tomorrow, etc. But Nature
often deceives us, and does not subject herself to her own rules.
92. What are our natural principles but principles of custom? In children
they are those which they have received from the habits of their fathers, as
hunting in animals. A different custom will cause different natural
principles. This is se
Zeanie Yoon, Translation/Localization // Notary Public // Web Sites
education that tended to enthusiasm, but rather to the contrary extreme.
It is in no-wise the temper of the family to be ostentatious of
experiences, and it was far from being her temper. She was, before her
conversion, to the observation of her neighbors, of a sober and
inoffensive conversation; and was a still, quiet, reserved person. She
had long been infirm of body, but her infirmity had never been observed
at all to incline her to be notional or fanciful, or to occasion any
thing of religious melancholy. She was under awakenings scarcely a week,
before there seemed to be plain evidence of her being savingly
converted.
She was first awakened in the winter season, on Monday, by something she
heard her brother say of the necessity of being in good earnest in
seeking regenerating grace, together with the news of the conversion of
the young woman before mentioned, whose conversion so generally affected
most of the young people here. This news wrought much upon her, and
stirred up a spirit of envy in her towards this young woman, whom she
thought very unworthy of being distinguished from others by such a
mercy; but withal it engaged her in a firm resolution to do her utmost
to obtain the same blessing. Considering with herself what course she
should take, she thought that she had not a sufficient knowledge of the
principles of religion to render her capable of conversion; whereupon
she
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still in these others the same thing without end and without cessation. Let
him lose himself in wonders as amazing in their littleness as the others in
their vastness. For who will not be astounded at the fact that our body,
which a little while ago was imperceptible in the universe, itself
imperceptible in the bosom of the whole, is now a colossus, a world, or
rather a whole, in respect of the nothingness which we cannot reach? He who
regards himself in this light will be afraid of himself, and observing
himself sustained in the body given him by nature between those two abysses
of the Infinite and Nothing, will tremble at the sight of these marvels; and
I think that, as his curiosity changes into admiration, he will be more
disposed to contemplate them in silence than to examine them with
presumption.
For, in fact, what is man in nature? A Nothing in comparison with the
Infinite, an All in comparison with the Nothing, a mean between nothing and
everything. Since he is infinitely removed from comprehending the extremes,
the end of things and their beginning are hopelessly hidden from him in an
impenetrable secret; he is equally incapable of seeing the Nothing from
which he was made, and the Infinite in which he is swallowed up.
What will he do then, but perceive the appearance of the middle of things,
in an eternal despair of knowing either their beginning or their end. All
things proceed from the Nothing, and are borne towards the Infinite. Who
will follow these marvellous processes? The Author of these wonders
understands them. None other can do so.
Through failure to contemplate these Infinites, men have rashly rushed into
the examination of nature, as though they bore some proportion to her. It is
strange that they have wished to understand the beginnings of things, and
thence to arrive at the knowledge of the whole, with a presumption as
infinite as their object. For surely this