Apgujeong, the Beverly Hills of Korea

My sister teaches English overseas at a public elementary school rather than at an Hagwon, a private school afterschool program. When she isn't lesson-planning she explores Korean culture.

Where did she travel this week? She uses Norbert Paxton's The Rough Guide to Korea for some of her travel plans. This guide called Apgujeong the Beverly Hills of Korea. Why? Because everywhere you look you find advertisements for plastic surgery and valet parking.

Photo Credit: Flickr CesarFotos Pasta

Did she go anywhere where Korean dramas were filmed? She traveled to Gangnam too but fans of "Pasta" can recognize landmarks in Apgujeong.

Did you notice anything different about Korean versus American dating customs? My sister observed that guys in Korea that she exchanged numbers with texted her within 3 hours to ask her out. This is different from in America where she usually expected a 3-day waiting period. She explains that in Korea, the custom is for Korean men to be very persistent. The ritual is that they obtain the girl's phone number and text the same day. The girl can ignore the text, not reply and the guy knows he has no chance with her.

Can you give me an example of how guys in Korea make their approach? My sister toured the city of Seoul with three of her co-teacher girlfriends: a Scot, a Chinese-Canadian, and a Londoner. Korean men would subtly hover around the group, then invite themselves into the conversation. The men would express interest through the best Korean speaker in the group. This means my sister heard a "date-me" pitch from a Korean guy who claimed he worked for Hyundai of the American South (i.e. Alabama), through her "interpreter" girlfriend. My sister nodded politely said she wasn't interested and told him to leave but have a nice day. He stayed. "Korean men persist," says my sister. Only after the third "goodbye", did he give up.

 

Photo Credit: Flickr Foodistablog Sweet Potato Pie

Photo Credit: Flicker  TubeDogg Cheddar Cheese

How did you use your Korean-speaking skills this week? My sister is very proud of herself that she ordered delivery in Korean this week. She ordered a noodle dinner on one night. On another day, she ordered a pizza. No, not the blueberry one I mentioned in a previous post. This pizza had shrimp, cheddar cheese, sausage, bacon and sweet potato mousse. She said it took her several days to finish the leftovers for that one pizza, mostly because the mousse was so filling. She won't order that pizza again. If you want to try a Korean-style pizza like this one in the States, Los Angeles has a Mr. Pizza that serves up a pie with this mousse.