Posts from February 2009

Starcraft

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Feb 5 2009

For all you gamers out there, this will be your favorite post!  Today I’m going to talk about Starcraft, or sutakureputu (스타크래프트), which is the way Koreans pronounce it.  I’m a little scared writing about Starcraft. The die hard fans of Starcraft might all rush to hunt me down if I fail to be accurate about the game.  So before I write any further, please forgive me for any discrepancies!  I’ve never played Starcraft (gasp!) but I do know about the important legacy it has created in South Korea and abroad.  (Which is what this post is about).

For those of you who are normal, (just kidding) and don’t know anything about Starcraft, it’s a video game played by multiple players.  From what my friends tell me, Starcraft is a strategy game where players try to battle a different race of aliens on various levels of difficulty.  If I understood this correctly, it means that you have to ‘think’ really hard, with the possibility that you might be killed on a virtual setting.  This is not my idea of fun!  My ideal computer game is where I try to line up as many gems in a row before the timer runs out.

Not including myself, it seems that many people are addicted to Starcraft.  I know of people who have failed a semester because of Starcraft.  I’ve even heard of a man who lost his home because he couldn’t put the game down to go to work!  A friend described to me that the desire to “level up” or pass to the next level makes it difficult to stop playing the game.  I’ve always considered drugs and alcohol to be something we need to be careful towards, but maybe we should be on the lookout for Starcraft as well!

The positive thing about Starcraft is that it has made some people very rich.  Of course, the creators of the game are rich, but I’m not talking about the inventors of the game.  I’m talking about the players who have competed in Starcraft competitions and are now celebrities in South Korea.  For example, Im Yo Hwan (임요환) is a multi-millionaire.  He gets commercial endorsements in addition to the money that he earns by winning competitions.  On top of that, he’s barely in his twenties!  (I’m so kicking myself for not playing more video games when I was younger!)

Here’s a video on Starcraft and what goes on in the competition.  Hope I’m not creating any monsters here by showing this video: YouTube Preview Image

Politeness Levels

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Feb 4 2009

A lot of people ask me, what is the difference between the standard polite form and the deferential polite form in Korean?  The answer to that is that the deferential polite form uses a higher level of politeness than the standard polite form.  While both the standard and the deferential forms are polite, you would use them in slightly different situations.

For example, you’d use the standard polite form with a co-worker you’ve known for a long time.  Co-workers who have worked with each other ten years or longer still use the polite form at work, because it’s more professional that way.  Outside of work people tend to drop the standard polite form and replace it with the casual form.

You’d probably use the deferential polite form with your boss.  Since Korean society is run on showing respect to those in authority, you want to use the utmost polite speech, which happens to be the deferential polite form.  Out of politeness the boss would probably use the standard polite form to his subordinates, but it really depends on the boss.  Some bosses may drop the polite forms altogether and use the casual form instead.  However, that doesn’t mean you can use the casual form with your boss.

Usually the ending for the standard polite form ends in yo (요).  For example the verb ‘to go’ in the standard polite form would be kayo (가요).  The deferential polite form endings end in minda (ㅂ니다).  So the verb ‘to go’ in the deferential form would be (갑니다).

The general rule of thumb is that the more intimately you know someone, the more appropriate it is to use the standard polite form.  Sometimes a stranger may say to you, malsum jom nachuseyo (말씀 좀 낮추세요).  This means, ‘lower your speech level.’  It’s just another way of someone giving you permission to use the standard polite form.  If you’re still confused about when to use the polite forms, just practice on a case by case basis and see how it goes!

Proverb of the Day

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Feb 3 2009

It’s that time again!  The awaited Korean Proverb of the Day!  Today’s proverb is kkamagwinun komodo salun huida (까마귀는 검어도 살은 희다).  Let’s break this proverb down to understand its core meaning.  Kkamagwi (까마귀) is a black bird, while the word kom (검) means black.  Sal (살) means flesh while hui (희)means white.  Altogether this means, “a black bird may be black but it’s flesh is white.”  So in other words, a black bird may have black feathers but its flesh may be white underneath its feathers. 

If I were to use an English proverb equivalent to this proverb it would be, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  In order to understand this Korean proverb about black birds, you’ll have to understand some interesting aspects of the Korean culture. 

First of all, a black bird is a type of crow.  According to Korean superstition, it’s considered bad luck to hear a black bird cackling at the crack of dawn.  In some cases a cackling bird can mean that someone close to you is dead or dying.  One other thing to note is that the physical features of someone’s face is considered an accurate judgement of that person’s personality.  When you send in a resume for a job in Korea, you will be required to hand in a picture of yourself.  Employers will often use the physical features of a face to determine whether the person is fit for the job.  I’m not saying that it’s the sole determinant of whether you’ll get the job, but it may be a major factor if you’re a borderline candidate for the job.

If you were to tie the cultural tidbits with the proverb you get the saying: “Just because someone gives off an unpleaseant face (hence the black bird) doesn’t mean the person is a bad person (the white flesh = purity).”  This proverb can extend to other areas of life as well.  For example I would say that you shouldn’t judge a culture just by what you read about it.  There may be some underlining reason for how a society behaves, and before anyone makes a quick judgment, it’s wise to study the culture in depth first. 

Ok, thank for your time today.  Hope this proverb was helpful!

Namul (나물)

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Feb 2 2009

Today’s post is going to be about food!  I recently had a craving for namul (나물) and decided to write a post about the different kinds of namul (나물) out there.  At this point you might be wondering what namul (나물) is.  Namul (나물) is a generic term for a marinated vegetable or plant dish.  Namuls (나물) are usually served as banchan (반찬) or side dishes.  A Korean meal can consist of several namul (나물) consumed with a bowl of rice. 

My favorite namul (나물) so far is miyok muchim (미역 무침).  Miyok muchim (미역 무침) is a dish of seaweed with vinegar, salt, and some processed crab fish.  Miyok (미역) means seaweed while muchim (무침) means marinated mixture.  You can also add some cucumber and shrimp to the mix as well.

 

Chiwi namul (취나물) is a type of namul that has been stir-fried and seasoned with seasame seeds, garlic and soy sauce.  Chiwi namul (취나물) is a type of Korean spinach.  Eating spinach isn’t really my thing, but somehow chiwi namul (취나물) tastes so good that I can overlook the fact that it’s spinach.

 

Lastly, there’s doraji namul (도라지 나물).  Doraji namul (도라지 나물) is a type of root from a flower that has been boiled until the roots turn soft.  Sometimes red pepper paste is added to make it spicy.  The best thing about doraji namul (도라지 나물) is that it’s really healthy.  Other than food, doraji (도라지 ) is used in many eastern medicines.

 

There are many other types of namul (나물).  However these three are my favorite!  Maybe somewhere down the line I’ll write another post on namul (나물).  Until then.  Take care everyone!

Musumnal (머슴날)

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Feb 1 2009

Musumnal (머슴날) is a quaint, rural festival celebrated the first of every February.  Musum (머슴) means servant or farm hand, while nal (날) means day.  Altogether musumnal (머슴날) means the ‘festival of servants.’  This festival is celebrated on Jeju Island (제주).  On this day a shamanistic rite called yungdunggui (영등구이) is performed.  The rite is named after a fairy tale sea goddess named Yungdungsin (영등신).  A shaman will perform a dance in an effort to ensure an abundance of fish and to pray for the safe return of the fisherman at sea.

Sometimes, on the same day, a rite called muhongut (무혼굿) is performed.  Not to creep anyone out, muhongut (무혼굿) is a rite to guide the spirits of the dead safely to the afterlife.  This rite is specifically held for those who have drowned at sea.  Countless people have died on the shores of Jeju Island (제주도).  Sometimes the bodies are retrievable and sometimes they are lost at sea.  In order to appease the anguished souls who have died without a proper burial, the shamans pray for the deceased person’s spirit to go to the afterlife in peace. 

On this day, people will also dress in traditional Korean clothes.  The clothes are white and made of cotton.  In the old days, only the nobles could wear brightly colored clothes.  Servants and people of the lower class were required to wear plain white clothes.  You’ll see a parade of people walking in white clothes to commemorate the people of the lower classes; who were often laborers, farmers and fishermen.  Many of the people of Jeju Island (제주도) have ancestors who were of the working classes, and so musumnal (머슴날) is a day to pay respect to all the toil and hard work of the working class.

On that note, I just want to thank everyone for reading my posts and keeping up with this blog despite all the busy things you have to do!

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