Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Ser-bee-su (service)
There's a thing called "service" in Korea. First of all, let's start off by saying that there's no tipping, which is quite a shock to me. I love to tip. I overtip all the time because I like to. But no tipping here. They'll get pissed at you in some places if you tip.
Anyway, service basically means free stuff for patrons who are regulars or who spend a lot there. I got a free liter bottle of coke yesterday when SeokHyi (my conversation partner here in Korea ... I help her with English and she helps me with Korean) and I went to the same place for lunch that we had gone the other day (when you show up somewhere and you're white, they remember you since there are only 80,000 nonKoreans in Seoul ... a city of 10,000,000). We were eating our Kimchi Cheege (my new favorite meal) and the owner came by and opened a big bottle of coke and poured us each a glass and then left the bottle there. "Ser-bee-su" he said, by way of explanation.
And tonight Patrick and I stopped by our favorite chicken and beer joint and ordered these chicken kabob-type things with this AMAZING sauce. We tried to order 2 orders of them (at 11,000 won each ... about $10), but they didn't believe that we'd eat 2 and so they gave us 1. We ate it in about 2 minutes and ordered the second. People got quiet when we did, because we were basically out-eating entire tablefuls of Koreans (it was fairly spicy, too). When it came, it had an extra couple of kabobs on it ... "serbeesu". We downed them, finished our beers, paid (we got a free beer, I believe ... either that or slightly-larger-than-pint mugs of beer are only 2,000 won), and left.
Last night, Katrina and I went to a Korean place near City Hall. The ajummas (ajumma = "woman old enough to be married") that work there only spoke Korean, and the menu was only in Korean, and we showed up in a party of 6 (all white people). They got mad at us at first, but I smoothed everything over by speaking in Korean to them. Once they got past the shock of a white person speaking Korean, they liked us more. They were really nice to us once everyone cleared out but Katrina and me and they kept saying "you are very pretty girl" to Katrina (in Korean) and "you have very pretty smile" (also in Korean). I told them that it was Katrina's birthday that day (which is the truth) and they nearly fell over themselves trying to ask how old she was and where she was from. Fortunately, I was able to tell them. I would be willing to put $100 down on the fact that if we show up again, they'll remember us and we'll get "serbeesu".
Patrick told me that he and some of his friends went to a fairly new bar in Suncheon, where they used to live. They were relatively nice to the owner and dropped a reasonable amount of coin, so the owner comes out of the back and gives them each a clock.
Service.
Anyway, service basically means free stuff for patrons who are regulars or who spend a lot there. I got a free liter bottle of coke yesterday when SeokHyi (my conversation partner here in Korea ... I help her with English and she helps me with Korean) and I went to the same place for lunch that we had gone the other day (when you show up somewhere and you're white, they remember you since there are only 80,000 nonKoreans in Seoul ... a city of 10,000,000). We were eating our Kimchi Cheege (my new favorite meal) and the owner came by and opened a big bottle of coke and poured us each a glass and then left the bottle there. "Ser-bee-su" he said, by way of explanation.
And tonight Patrick and I stopped by our favorite chicken and beer joint and ordered these chicken kabob-type things with this AMAZING sauce. We tried to order 2 orders of them (at 11,000 won each ... about $10), but they didn't believe that we'd eat 2 and so they gave us 1. We ate it in about 2 minutes and ordered the second. People got quiet when we did, because we were basically out-eating entire tablefuls of Koreans (it was fairly spicy, too). When it came, it had an extra couple of kabobs on it ... "serbeesu". We downed them, finished our beers, paid (we got a free beer, I believe ... either that or slightly-larger-than-pint mugs of beer are only 2,000 won), and left.
Last night, Katrina and I went to a Korean place near City Hall. The ajummas (ajumma = "woman old enough to be married") that work there only spoke Korean, and the menu was only in Korean, and we showed up in a party of 6 (all white people). They got mad at us at first, but I smoothed everything over by speaking in Korean to them. Once they got past the shock of a white person speaking Korean, they liked us more. They were really nice to us once everyone cleared out but Katrina and me and they kept saying "you are very pretty girl" to Katrina (in Korean) and "you have very pretty smile" (also in Korean). I told them that it was Katrina's birthday that day (which is the truth) and they nearly fell over themselves trying to ask how old she was and where she was from. Fortunately, I was able to tell them. I would be willing to put $100 down on the fact that if we show up again, they'll remember us and we'll get "serbeesu".
Patrick told me that he and some of his friends went to a fairly new bar in Suncheon, where they used to live. They were relatively nice to the owner and dropped a reasonable amount of coin, so the owner comes out of the back and gives them each a clock.
Service.
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Serbeesu What is the correct response other than a questioning look when it first happens to you? Should you bring a small gift the next time? It's nice not to get a cold shoulder when you're a round eye.
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