Eight girls in a kitchen in the basement of a dorm.Veggies and meat frying on the back two burners of a small stove, because the front two don’t work. Everyone chopping, slicing, dicing, stirring, frying, or washing something. They chatter, and the work that they’re doing is a labor of love. And the best part, it feels like home.
That was my afternoon, and it was a wonderful experience. But let me give you some more background on this story. Those eight girls? They were all Koreans. They were cooking a meal for about 50 other people. No one forced them or even asked them to do it. Those girls organized it themselves. None of them have cars, yet they went out to the store and bought all the ingredients for the food. None of them live in apartments, yet their random assortment of pots, pans, and utensils were enough to cook a large meal. You want to know the best part? They did this to welcome the Koreans in the new freshmen class at our school.
Admiration for them is probably the best way I can describe what I’ve been feeling. Because really, I don’t think that any of my American (not to be racist or anything, it’s just the truth) friends 1) would have been able to cook for that many people 2) would have wanted to cook for that many people.
And that’s one of the things that I love about Korean culture. As a halfie (half-Korean, half-American) I have had the joy and honor of being included in Korean get-togethers, that Americans wouldn’t be invited to. The Korean culture is very communal and very welcoming. I mean, cooking dinner for about 30 people that you’ve never met before, simply for them to feel welcome is a pretty big deal. Especially, if you’re paying for it (on a college student’s budget no less).
One thing that I have observed about a lot of cultures, is that food is one of the primary venues for building relationships. Which I think is wonderful 🙂
Also, do you know what is so cool? After the soiree was over, EVERYONE stayed and helped clean up! Without being asked to.
So now you probably think that all Koreans are great cooks, super responsible, eat a lot, and are very clean. That wasn’t my intent. I just wanted to share what I love about one of the cultures that makes me who I am. And hopefully you’ve learned something new~~
Delectable 