Being an instructor at Winter Camp allowed me to really get to know and understand a lot more about Korean culture, lifestyle, attitude, philosophy, etc. It was really rather funny and amusing to learn about some of their traditions, customs, beliefs, etc. For example, do you know that Koreans believe there are 2 rabbits pounding on a Chulgu (big bowl for making rice cakes) on the moon. It's apparently an old legend/story that the Koreans tell their children when they are young. My group actually got to "act out" this story as a skit on stage about this story. The story tells a tale of two powerful "farters" that decided to have a Fart Competition to see who's farts are the strongest. (I swear this is really a true Korean folk story) I know, I know, I could hardly believe it myself, but it's true. So one day the one Fart Woman comes over and farts on the other Farter's child (played by me). My mom gets mad and decides to aim this huge Chulgu (big bowl) at the other Fart Woman....then the other woman takes aim & shoots (farts) it back toward me & my mom, back & forth they go until finally they let out one final last SUPER FART at the same time and with that blast, the Chulgu shoots up to the moon where the 2 rabbits start to play (pound) on it. Please don't ask me how/why or what the 2 rabbits got on the moon in the first place.....that make be another story in itself.
OK, that is just one of many silly myths (urban legends) that they believe. Some others are as follows:
- They believe in "Fan Death" which says that if you fall asleep in a room with the windows and door shut and you have an electric fan running, you will choke (b/c of lack of oxygen) and die. This is a ridiculous fallacy that some Koreans really believe is true because they "saw it on the news" Come on please. You can even do a search for "Fan Death" on Google or You Tube to see more info. on this. It's really silly.
- They believe that you should never clip your toe/finger nails at night because if you do, mice will come out when you are sleeping and will eat your nail clippings and they will eventually turn into a clone (copy) of you. And no one will be able to tell the difference between the real you and the clone. What a serious predicament to be in huh??? So do you know how these clever Koreans solve this unique dilemma??? Yup, you guessed they get a cat to see which person it chases, and the one it chases is "obviously" the copy b/c cats love to chase mice!!! I'm serious folks, these were grown adults that were (proudly) telling me these stories of their people's folk tales
- Another story says that if you find/bite into a stone while eating your rice, you should keep it and put it in the shoe of someone you like. This will eventually cause them to think of (be attracted to) you, and allow you to marry them. OK, now I can see the sweetness, the cuteness, and the innocence of the mythical legend. I'm sure we have plenty of silly, ridiculous, off-the-wall myths, legends, and superstitions that we believe in back home.
- They also believe in the strict need to rest for at least 21 days after giving birth to help their bodies and their bones heal & repair. They are advised not take a shower (only a sponge bath) b/c the cold air will weaken their bones; They are so radical that they believe you should not leave the house for the first 7 days. All kinds of weird notions like this.
- Some other things that Koreans believe in (swear by) is the potency of their rare, exotic, unique and different types of food and delicacies. For example they like to eat "Bo shin Tang" which translates into "healthy body soup" This soup is actually made with dog meat!!!!!! Yes, that's right it is supposed to be very good for your throat and is cooling in summer time. But keep in mind that the types of dogs they eat are completely different from the domesticated types of dogs we raise as pets. They breed a certain kind of "field dog" that they raise like sheep, cows, or any another livestock. Because they were such a poor country and never really had access to much meat.... they decided to copy the Chinese and raise dog for food. It just cracked me up to hear that they call dog soup "healthy body soup" Who knows, I just may need to try it this summer!!
There is another rumor (fact?) that Raspberry Wine gives a man stamina b/c of the story of a man who drank lots of it in the winter time & went to pee in the pot (metal or ceramic) which was outside and his pee was so strong, that it actually shattered to pot!!!! Come on now people!!! I guess if it was really cold, and his pee was really hot, this could happen, right? So no matter what type of Korean foods you eat or drink, most will undoubtedly say: "Oh yea, ...... that's "good for your health" or in case of man: "good for stamina".
Just too funny. These are just some of the preliminary incidents I can recall from Winter Camp. I will be back next time with some more anecdotes.
Until Next Time,
LIVE with PASSION!
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