Metal Chopsticks. It's not exactly a Korean meal without the deliciousness touching a little stainless steel. The evolution of the chopstick is here and now. Gone are the wasteful wooden or flimsy plastic sticks. We're talking streamlined cutlery goodness: Chopsticks 2.0 for the masses. For sure, it's a curious conversation topic for some time now. But, truly, the history behind such a common eating utensil is actually pretty interesting. Enough to make a great lesson plan with some great facts at the end (take note of page three). In fact, it's been rumored that former President 박정희 (Park Chung-Hee) is credited with introducing metal chopsticks to Korea. I would venture to guess that many Westerners would never think twice... Show more

Business relationships. You know the whole "It's nothing personal - it's just business" saying that we have in English? Yeah, not true in Korea. Cold calling? Door-to-door? Directory assistance? Are you kidding me? This is the land of social networks and personal relationships. Korea is a never-ending web of social connections. And you're just trying to close a sale? Move along. Korea's looking for a long-term business relationship. One that requires someone to navigate the and nurture the relationship from within Korea. A lifer. Korea is a place of great economic clout. The little country that could is carrying a big stick and should not be overlooked or doubted. Like Taiwan and Singapore, Korea is one of the few Asian... Show more

Saying hello. Okay okay, everyone knows it by now. I'm about as country as they come. I open doors for women, I tip my hat to old people, and I say "howdy" to everyone I meet. Laugh it up and move on, city boy. Where I come from, saying "hello" to everyone is considered normal, if not polite. If I'm in line at the grocery store and I see my friend and his family, it's normal for him to say hello to me and then perhaps introduce my relationship to his family. "Hey Matthew. Good to see you. Dad, you remember Matthew? We went to junior high together. Don't you remember? He was the one who cried in his sleep...you remember taking him back home during that sleepover in sixth grade? The one who was apologizing the whole way home?" Yeah.... Show more

Woah. Did I just go there? It's true. I know it's a sensitive subject. I may not be able to do this delicate matter complete justice but I do want to resume dialogue about this matter. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. However, like always, I pledge to be open-minded and sensitive. But, I will have to at least recognize some differences between American and Korean ideas of healthy body types. Please take this entry as my own opinion sprinkled with a generous serving of sarcasm. Eat up. It's good for you. It's safe to conclude that neither country has a single, uniform opinion about what a healthy body looks like. For some, it's being dangerous skinny enough to shop for summertime bikinis in the toddler section. For... Show more

Tipping and VAT (부가세). In America, it's what we do. We tip. It's a short discussion at the end of a meal, but just like the credits at the end of movie, who really sticks around and pays attention? Leave the tip and be on your way. Who cares? Answer: anyone who's waited tables before. The tip makes or breaks a server's day. A generous tip will make your shift 20x more tolerable and a dinky tip will leave you wondering why you even try to be nice let alone flirt with that girl who was clearly not your type. What was I talking about? Oh yeah the analogy. So, if we follow the movie theater comparison, then Koreans hit the road as soon as the guy gets the girl and doesn't so much as stick around to see who directed the flick. In short,... Show more