Have you ever wondered if your country and South Korea share some customs?
In this post, we will tell you about some etiquette rules that you might want to take into account in one of the most important moments of the day: dining time.
By Like_the_Grand_Canyon on flickr
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been busy or chilling all day, when it’s time to eat you have a chance to take a break from everything and enjoy some food to boost your energy and help you get through the rest of your activities.
Well, in South Korea this time is also used to build rapport with your family, friends, and business partners. This way you can catch up with your lives and make announcements.
First, let’s remember that South Korea takes status and age as two big important pillars that must be respected and kept in mind most of the time. Therefore, their etiquette involves them too. A couple of examples worth mentioning are when every person at the table waits for the person of higher status or the oldest one to start to eat, so they do it too, and the head of the table is the place reserved for these people too.
Even in dramas, you’ll be able to see these behaviors and customs, as well as to notice that several special or important scenes are developed when they’re eating.
Sky Castle | Main Trailer [HD] | Netflix – YouTube
By Netflix Asia on YouTube
Now, let’s talk about some bad practices that you should avoid, prevent being rude or making other people feel uncomfortable while eating together:
- Do not blow your nose at the table. If you need to do it, just excuse yourself and go to the restroom.
- Don’t bring up topics that are sensitive or may create controversy, as this may disturb your company.
- Don’t leave tips.
- Don’t play with your chopsticks.
Also, we suggest you take into account:
- Serve others first before serving you.
- When passing food or pouring a drink, use your right hand to do it and use your left hand to support your right hand.
- It’s normal to go for a drink after going to eat.
By L. W. Yang on Wikimedia Commons
Did you find any similarities with your culture?
If not, it doesn’t matter how different our cultures might be, it’s always good to remember that etiquette rules are a good way for us to understand other cultures while helping us have guidelines to adapt better and learn something new.
Written by: Giselle Hernández
Reviewed by: Angie Salavarria
