• People’s names should not be written in red ink. In fact, extensive use of red ink should be avoided in general. • Whistling at night is not encouraged, as it may attract ghosts. • When you are visiting somebody’s home, it is not considered particularly polite to turn up empty-handed. A simple gift, such as fruit or cake, is always welcome. • When entering somebody’s home, always remove your shoes. This also applies to some restaurants. The shoes and the change in floor level at the entrance should usually indicate what to do. • It is considered rude to smoke in front of elders or seniors—unless they initiate it. • When giving or receiving objects of any kind, you should use two hands. The left hand, in particular, should never be used alone to give or receive something. • Don’t ask your girlfriend or boyfriend to eat chicken wings. If you do, they will fly away. Same with shoes: if you gift your lover with shoes, they will put them on and run away. • Pregnant women are not encouraged to eat chicken. If they do, it is believed they will give birth to babies with chicken skin.
At the Table . . . • When sitting down for a meal, younger diners should not take up their chopsticks or begin eating before their elders have done so. • Chopsticks should not be planted upright in a bowl of rice or other food. They should always be laid down next to the bowl or plate. • When pouring or receiving glasses of an alcoholic beverage, you should always use two hands in front of somebody of senior status. When drinking from a glass poured by somebody senior, you should
Ask a Korean Dude-내지 최종.indd 260
2012-06-04 오전 10:40:28