The Benefits of a Staycation

With Covid-19 spreading throughout the world, it’s important for people to stay safe. International travel is much more problematic with many countries either closing their borders or placing restrictions on the number of visitors. Even traveling within other parts of Korea may be inadvisable: even if the number of reported cases in one area of the country is stable, it may be on the rise elsewhere. Some have decided to forgo taking a trip and are opting for a staycation.

Taking a staycation in lieu of going somewhere may seem dull but there are positives. First, while traveling can be fun and rewarding, it is also often stressful and tiring. In particular, package tours usually have rigid schedules that involve getting up early and packing in as many activities as possible with little time for relaxation. (This is especially problematic for Koreans who often take very short trips and wish to see and do as much as possible) But staying at home is all about kicking back.

It can also be nice to enjoy some activities at home. These may involve watching movies and TV, playing games, catching up with some reading, sleeping in, getting back into a hobby you haven’t had the time for or spending time with loved ones.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many to think about personal space in order to avoid getting sick. There’s no better place to practice social distancing than in the comfort of your own home!

Vocabulary:

✓ staycation: to spend one’s holidays or vacation at home

✓ inadvisable: something one shouldn’t do because it is unsafe

✓ forgo: to choose not to do something

✓ in lieu of: instead of

✓ rigid: strict, unchanging

✓ kick back: relax

Questions:

1.  What do you think about taking a staycation? Would you be interested in trying it sometime? Why or why not?
2. Can you think of any other benefits of a staycation? What would be the disadvantages of it?
3.  If you were to try a staycation, what would you do during that time?
4. When and if it becomes safe to travel where would you like to go?

Gentrification in Korea

Once upon a time there was an area of Seoul that had funky coffee shops, unique restaurants and a plethora of shops of all kinds – it even had three record stores for the discerning music lover. Go to the popular public square on a weekend and it would be packed with local university students selling neat items such as handmade jewelry and painted running shoes; at night the same area would be packed with youths busking indie pop songs. One could finish off a delicious dinner of Thai food and then stroll over to hang out at one of the local shisha bars.

But Hongdae has changed since its heyday. Most of the funky cafés have been replaced by ubiquitous chains and the restaurants, too, have become more homogeneous (the excellent Thai restaurant is now a Korean barbecue joint because there clearly aren’t enough of those!). Yes, even that trio of record shops have all since closed their doors. The weekend art market is still kicking but many of the stalls are being operated by Hongik University alumni hawking far more professionally made goods at far higher prices.

Gentrification is an increasing problem and not simply in Hongdae. The popular theatre district of Daehangno has seen large-scale, popular productions such as Nanta thrive while smaller companies have been forced to move out of the area due to higher rents. The renowned Insadong strip in central Seoul has seen similar changes with old school art shops being replaced by popular Korean cosmetics stores and, yes, more café chains. Cities around te world have revamped whole nighborhoods with money and infrastructure but at the cost of a neat districts losing their character – and once that happens there’s no going back.

Vocabulary:

✓ gentrification: the process of renovating an area so that it may be more attractive

✓ funky: cool; unique; unusual

✓ plethora: a large number; an abundance

✓ shisha bars: Middle Eastern bars with special pipes for smoking

✓ heyday: a time of peak popularity; when things were better

✓ ubiquitous: very common; sometimes too common

✓ homogeneous: things that are alike; similar

✓ alumni: former students of a high school or university

✓ old school: old fashioned

✓ infrastructure: facilities and services needed for a community

✓ go downhill: something that isn’t as good as it used to be

Questions:

1. Have you ever been to Hongdae, Daehangno and/or Insadong? Have you noticed them change over the years? Do you think any of them have gone downhill? Do you know of any other Korean communities that have undergone gentrification?
2. What do you think can be done to prevent gentrification from ruining other neighborhoods? Is there a way to make a community more attractive while keeping its unique character
3. In this essay I mention record stores. Did you ever used to visit record shops? Are there any types of stores or other neighbourhood elements that are gone that you miss?
4. Can you think of any benefits of gentrification?

A #1 Priority

There are many unique cultural differences between Korea and many western countries, especially when it comes to answering the call of nature. While people from spacious North America are used to larger restrooms with a closed off area for baths and showers, tiny apartments and hotel rooms in this country make very small WC's a necessity and, as a result, there is no room for dividing up the area (which can make for some very wet bathrooms!). Cleaning ladies think nothing of coming into a men's room to mop the floors, even when they're being used!

Another difference is how restaurants, bars and cafes aren't required to have their own washrooms. Most North American municipalities have bylaws in place mandating men's and ladies' restrooms if food and drinks are served on site but this isn't as common here in Korea. Cafes, in particular, generally don't have their own facilities and, thus, patrons are expected to use bathrooms that are shared in the building to which the business is a tenant.

Shared toilets are a mixed bag in this country. Most are normally kept clean but this isn't always the case. Some shared bathrooms do not have soap made available which is especially problematic when experts are saying that hand washing is an effective way to prevent the spread of Covid-19. It would be nice if more of them had hot running water during the frigid winter months.

More seriously, however, there are increasing worries over security. A young woman was murdered in a shared bathroom by a disturbed man in Seoul a few years ago which made many fearful of using these types of restrooms. There have also been reports of hidden cameras being placed in toilet bowls to in order to spy on females. These types of dangers must be addressed.

Vocabulary:

✓ answer the call of nature: when one needs to go to the bathroom

✓ municipality: a local government

✓ bylaw: a law or rule put in place by a company or local government

✓ mandate: an official order; requirement

✓ mixed bag: a wide variety; some good quality, some poor quality

✓ frigid: very cold

Discussion Questions:

1. Can you think of any more cultural differences between Koreans and westerners when it comes to using the bathroom? How do they differ throughout the world?
2. What would you do to improve the conditions of public and shared restrooms in this country?
3. Is it time to require Korean businesses to have their own bathrooms? Do you think things would be improved if every restaurant, bar and cafe were to have their own facilities?

The Dynamite Kids

BTS have made it. While many other K-pop groups have been just a flash in the pan, the Korean septet have not only managed to sustain their success for longer than most but it has even been growing. There's no telling how far they'll go.

The cherry on top of their dominance was when they reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. This is no small feat: they are the first act from East Asia to have a chart topping single in almost sixty years!

Not only was "Dynamite" a massive success it was also a departure for the members of BTS. Having previously performed mainly in their native tongue, this single was done entirely in English. It remains to be seen if this will prove to be a one off or the beginning of a new internationalist phase for them but this is a major accomplishment that is nothing to sneeze at. Koreans and the passionate BTS Army alike ought to be very proud.

Vocabulary:

✓ flash in the pan: an individual or group whose success if very brief

✓ septet: a group of seven musicians and/or singers

✓ sustain: continue

✓ the cherry on top: the best part of a great period

✓ departure: an artist tries something very different from what they're noted for

✓ native tongue: one's native language

✓ one off: a one time occurrence not to be repeated

✓ nothing to sneeze at: something that isn't unimportant or trivial

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you like BTS? How do you think "Dynamite" compares to their earlier work?
2. What do you think about them doing a song entirely in English?
3. Do you think they could enjoy another US number one with a song sung in Korean? Why or why not?
4. Are there any groups you like more than BTS? Why or why not?
5. What do you think of the K-pop phenomenon in general?
6. What kinds of music do you enjoy? How do you normal consume music?

The Future of Kimchi

Kimchi is one of Korea's most renowned products. Delicious, healthy and unique, it has grown in popularity in other countries recently. It has even begun to be used in fusion dishes such as the Korean taco (or Kimchi taco). It is also an important part of Korean culture.

The tradition of making Kimchi at home, however, seems to be in decline. Older generations of women would carefully prepare the ingredients, allowing for it to ferment for just the right amount of time. Many Koreans will tell you that their grandmother's kimchi was the most delicious they've ever had and perhaps that's partly to do with fewer young people following suit.

One factor may be time. Women are part of the workforce and fixing elaborate dishes is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Being a traditional country, the majority of men aren't picking up the slack by helping their spouses out. Then there's the fact that Chinese kimchi is cheaper and it's readily available from grocery stores and on restaurant tables. It's possible that Korea's national dish may not be homemade for much longer.

Vocabulary:

✓ renowned: well-known; famous

✓ ingredients: foods and other substances used for cooking

✓ follow suit: to follow others

✓ elaborate: something that may be difficult and detailed

✓ pick up the slack: to help out if another individual is struggling

Discussion Questions:

1. How often do you have kimchi? Are there any other foods you eat as often?
2. What is the best kimchi you've ever had? Why do (or did) you like it so much?
3. Have you ever made or helped make a batch of kimchi? If not, would like to try someday?
4. Is there some way to help reverse this trend so that homemade kimchi will become more common again?
5. Do you like to cook? What kinds of dishes are you able to make? Are there any meals that you would like to be able to prepare yourself?