Judaism and Jell-O
Elderly people in Korea are especially mobile. They aren’t only out in droves, but they don’t seem to need as much help as the ones back home. I saw a woman last week—and I’m not even being funny—but she was a perfect right angle, maybe even acute, she was that hunched over. If it wouldn’t have been rude to take a picture, I would have, because the sight was so unbelievable. Regardless, she was walking along the sidewalk, heading to take care of errands or whatever people do whose bodies support geometrical formulas, completely uncaring about her posture. I sorta felt proud of her, because I imagine it’s a lot more work for her to get around than it is most.
I am confused about my T-Money card. This is the piece of plastic that allows me to ride the subway a little cheaper than buying a ticket for each trip. I put money on, scan it as I enter the turnstile, and before it lets me through it deducts a few cents. I spend about $2/day going to and from my Korean language class. For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like mine has removed the appropriate amount because at the end of the week, I have more left over than I ought. But it will not let you walk through if you haven’t paid. Unless the subway fairies are adding more money to my card while I sleep, I am glad for the malfunction. Since I’ve been in this class for eight days, I’m just taking it as a transportation Hanukkah.
So I’ve mentioned how I work with a guy from Utah (who supports USC). He is always full of Utah facts, and gleefully interjects them into any conversation you’re having, no matter how irrelevant. The other day we were discussing how certain brand names have become synonymous with their product (like BandAid, Vaseline, Thermos, etc.) and when you think of things like “carbonated drink” the first thing most people think of is “Coca-cola.” Well, insert useless Utah fact here. They not only have more Mormons than anywhere else, but they have more Jell-O consumption than any other state. (Yes, “gelatin” is tantamount to Jell-O, but who cares? And because he supports USC, he deserves mockery). Can I get a round of applause? No, I didn’t think so.
While I’m making fun of my co-worker, I should also note the political status he boasts. He claims to be socialist. For those of you unfamiliar with the affiliation, it’s defined as a mix of capitalism and communism. Basically, they want the government to run everything and control the economy so that everyone is equal. Higher taxes, more government control. People who are of this belief generally drive very run of the mill cars, live in normal houses, wear non-name brand clothes, etc. Just sort of a middle of the road, non-flashy lifestyle to promote equality across the board. They claim to practice what they preach, and perhaps this guy is one of the reasons they are not a large, successful party in the US. We shared a clothes iron before payday arrived, and if I had it when he needed it, he would just ask if I’d iron his shirt along with the things I had. I said sure because I didn’t mind. In doing so, I noticed Banana Republic, Nordstrom, and other “ordinary” labels that every bum on the street wears. Any story he has begins with, “My friend/uncle ___(insert name here)___ is SOOOOOO loaded. Like, you don’t even know how much money these people have.” And then this “Average Joe” proceeds to describe homes, jobs, nifty car features, and the like. Sounds pretty commonplace to me, don’t you agree?
In learning the Korean alphabet, I’ve noted several facts. There are no letters “f”, “v” (my name is oh-lee-bee-yah), “x” or “z.” There are different letters for each of the following sounds: the “ue” in blue, the “oo” in good, the “o” in dog, the “wa” in water and the “wa” in wall. There are two different letters for the pronunciation of “eh” and “yeh/yeah.” “R” and “L” are the same letter, as are “t” and “d”, “g” and “k”—but that one I can understand more. Just an interesting differentiation. I don’t know if it’s preferable to have an alphabet that absolutely covers every single possible noise your mouth can make, just to distinguish pronunciations, or one that’s more vague so that you are left to interpret it all yourself.
No more “good game” bottom pats from my co-worker, just for the record. She did tell me I have a “high nose.” I asked her what she meant and she explained that Asians have noses that are almost flat against their faces. A “high nose” is one raised off of the face. She said she wants a high nose like mine. She said Korean men like high noses. I said, “No they don’t. Korean men don’t like American women.” She explained that they don’t like American women, but they want a Korean woman who looks like an American woman, as indicated in many of the advertisements I’ve seen. Go figure.
Copyright 2005 Olivia R. Reed
I am confused about my T-Money card. This is the piece of plastic that allows me to ride the subway a little cheaper than buying a ticket for each trip. I put money on, scan it as I enter the turnstile, and before it lets me through it deducts a few cents. I spend about $2/day going to and from my Korean language class. For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like mine has removed the appropriate amount because at the end of the week, I have more left over than I ought. But it will not let you walk through if you haven’t paid. Unless the subway fairies are adding more money to my card while I sleep, I am glad for the malfunction. Since I’ve been in this class for eight days, I’m just taking it as a transportation Hanukkah.
So I’ve mentioned how I work with a guy from Utah (who supports USC). He is always full of Utah facts, and gleefully interjects them into any conversation you’re having, no matter how irrelevant. The other day we were discussing how certain brand names have become synonymous with their product (like BandAid, Vaseline, Thermos, etc.) and when you think of things like “carbonated drink” the first thing most people think of is “Coca-cola.” Well, insert useless Utah fact here. They not only have more Mormons than anywhere else, but they have more Jell-O consumption than any other state. (Yes, “gelatin” is tantamount to Jell-O, but who cares? And because he supports USC, he deserves mockery). Can I get a round of applause? No, I didn’t think so.
While I’m making fun of my co-worker, I should also note the political status he boasts. He claims to be socialist. For those of you unfamiliar with the affiliation, it’s defined as a mix of capitalism and communism. Basically, they want the government to run everything and control the economy so that everyone is equal. Higher taxes, more government control. People who are of this belief generally drive very run of the mill cars, live in normal houses, wear non-name brand clothes, etc. Just sort of a middle of the road, non-flashy lifestyle to promote equality across the board. They claim to practice what they preach, and perhaps this guy is one of the reasons they are not a large, successful party in the US. We shared a clothes iron before payday arrived, and if I had it when he needed it, he would just ask if I’d iron his shirt along with the things I had. I said sure because I didn’t mind. In doing so, I noticed Banana Republic, Nordstrom, and other “ordinary” labels that every bum on the street wears. Any story he has begins with, “My friend/uncle ___(insert name here)___ is SOOOOOO loaded. Like, you don’t even know how much money these people have.” And then this “Average Joe” proceeds to describe homes, jobs, nifty car features, and the like. Sounds pretty commonplace to me, don’t you agree?
In learning the Korean alphabet, I’ve noted several facts. There are no letters “f”, “v” (my name is oh-lee-bee-yah), “x” or “z.” There are different letters for each of the following sounds: the “ue” in blue, the “oo” in good, the “o” in dog, the “wa” in water and the “wa” in wall. There are two different letters for the pronunciation of “eh” and “yeh/yeah.” “R” and “L” are the same letter, as are “t” and “d”, “g” and “k”—but that one I can understand more. Just an interesting differentiation. I don’t know if it’s preferable to have an alphabet that absolutely covers every single possible noise your mouth can make, just to distinguish pronunciations, or one that’s more vague so that you are left to interpret it all yourself.
No more “good game” bottom pats from my co-worker, just for the record. She did tell me I have a “high nose.” I asked her what she meant and she explained that Asians have noses that are almost flat against their faces. A “high nose” is one raised off of the face. She said she wants a high nose like mine. She said Korean men like high noses. I said, “No they don’t. Korean men don’t like American women.” She explained that they don’t like American women, but they want a Korean woman who looks like an American woman, as indicated in many of the advertisements I’ve seen. Go figure.
Copyright 2005 Olivia R. Reed
posted by LSULiv | 6:26 PM
3 Comments:
Please do not ever again compare capitalism and socialism. No socialist wants any part of capitalism. They are, in the purest sense of the term, mutually exclusive. The full lecture will commence upon your return to the US of A, and Jefferson Woods.
=\ I was trying to find a good definition and that's what dictionary.com said. See for yourself: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=socialism
Not even close to true. The first definition is significantly more accurate. Only Marx, and then Lenin, would try to compare it to capitalism. when in fact they mean "state-owned capital."
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