It was time for dinner, but where were the chairs? And why was the table only two feet off the ground? It was my first time being a guest in a very traditional Korean household. I was cause by surprise when everyone sat on his or her legs on a cushion on the floor. As I sat down, I noticed right away that a Korean dinner is far more different than a Chinese dinner. I first noticed the air; it smelled savory and spicy, which I assumed to be coming from the kimchi that was sitting in a big bowl on the table. Then I noticed the way the rest of the meal was prepared. Each dish on the table was portioned much smaller compared to what I was used to. As if to make up for the amount of each dish, there were many options ranging from the Korean-styled stir fried noodles, spicy rice cakes, to marinated beef. The piquant flavor and burning of all the spices made the food even more appetizing and made me crave for more.
Thinking back to my experience that night, there were so many things that I haven’t done at my dinner table at home before. Back at home, it was always expected to be sitting properly at the dining table, with both my feet flat on the floor. Instead of having so many small dishes, my parents prepared two or three larger dishes for the family. The flavors of the food, needless to say, was far from similar.
Although we are of the same ethnicity, the two cultures have very different traditions and I thought it was a really nice and refreshing experience.
