It was snacks like geem (seasoned, roasted seaweed), shrimp chips... I mean we weren't eating kimchi jiggae, which can be distasteful to people not used to it. (For me, the mere aroma of it makes me salivate...)
I haven’t had a similar experience, but it’s a common warning among Filipinos to not bring bagoong (shrimp paste we use for dipping, say, green mangoes in) in plane cabins for fear of “causing a scene”, as it was. I assume the same applies to the durian fruit, which is notoriously stinky but tastes quite good.
And yes, I can actually say I watched Just Eat (not finished it—I was in a staycation and that was the only interesting thing on TV) for the food shots alone as well. It has been sitting on my Netflix list for years but haven’t bothered restarting... I wonder why, haha.
I once flew on a plane with homemade kimchi that my mother wanted me to bring to my brother and his family. I had that in the overhead. During the flight, some of it leaked a bit (I cleaned it all up so the flight attendants didn't have to deal with it. Even then I traveled with wet wipes!), but the smell was definitely there. I felt bad, because we were all trapped on a plane.
I watched the sequels to Let's Eat... well, not really watched. I skipped to all the food parts! ㅋㅋ
I am sorry of your Mum’s early American experiences. Still as of a couple of years ago, my boyfriend was eating Chinese food in his cubicle, and he was still accused of eating smelly food - it was not pungent or anything. It was too bad everyone likes to complain about everything, big or small. People can be so petty to accuse him of not washing his mug, not even his!!
Anyway, I will take up watching Dr Cha.Have been a Korean drama fan for years and now mainland Chinese ones!
I’m sorry this happened. A similar thing happened to my daughter when I packed her Kimbap for a holiday club here in the UK, she got picked on at lunch for her ‘weird’ food. She asked for a ham sandwich the next day.
Uggggh, I'm sorry that your family had to experience such rudeness. Wow. The fact that they smashed the other food and they were adults.
Thank you for sharing this truth with us. I hear (I've even watched some YouTubers) talk about this phenomenon about bringing lunches to school from their cultures.
This reminds me of the image that went viral of the young woman who took a photo of her friend at a chinese restaurant...the mirror behind the person captured a mother and child pulling their eyes and smiling at each other. At a CHINESE restaurant! This happened just last year.
It's so frustrating reading about the disrespect your family got from a family—and with adults at that! They could have turned it into a learning moment for the kids, but they chose to trash another person's culture instead.
I realise one of the things we can teach the next generation is that just because it's not what they're used to doesn't mean it's something "wrong". This applies to food, traditions, customs, practices, etc. Unfortunately, it's easier said than done, and not many people would be willing to do this.
If they were curious about the food, they should have waited until we returned and asked my mother if they could have a sample. My mother would've been thrilled to share with them. And honestly, she expected that Westerners wouldn't like our food so she wouldn't have even been hurt if they didn't like it. It was their sheer disrespect that stunned her. And knowing that this is how they were raising their children -- to take what they wanted without asking and then trashing if it they didn't like it.
To offer a bit of a different note on this...I'm a German living in Germany and loving Korean food. I make it often myself (including Kimchi which has been approved by a Korean ;o), and husband (also German) and I are regulars at a Korean restaurant near us. What strikes me the most, though, is that there is often a familiar taste in that so-called "foreign" food. Take for instance Jokbal, that could be described as a German Schweinebraten (pork roast) with different spices. We tried it and it was different from what we know, but still the familiar taste of pork roast. I believe this is the case with most food; you can always find something that ties it back to something you know. So there's basically no reason to condemn something just because you don't know it, and at the very least no reason to destroy other people's food. I can't get over that. That is just horrible.
One day we took my 87-year old aunt to that Korean restaurant (per her request) and ordered Samgyopsal. She was absolutely thrilled and wants to go there again. So, if you were near me with your dosirak or picnic, I'd have grilled you about that food...
Wow, I love your take on foreign food tasting familiar... A lot of my German friends were eager to try kimchi because they love fermented veggies like sauerkraut. Also, it made me smile to think of your elderly aunt trying Korean food and loving it. Thank you for sharing a part of your family's anecdotes with me!
I think some people are just hateful.
It was snacks like geem (seasoned, roasted seaweed), shrimp chips... I mean we weren't eating kimchi jiggae, which can be distasteful to people not used to it. (For me, the mere aroma of it makes me salivate...)
Good heavens. Just... good freaking heavens.
I haven’t had a similar experience, but it’s a common warning among Filipinos to not bring bagoong (shrimp paste we use for dipping, say, green mangoes in) in plane cabins for fear of “causing a scene”, as it was. I assume the same applies to the durian fruit, which is notoriously stinky but tastes quite good.
And yes, I can actually say I watched Just Eat (not finished it—I was in a staycation and that was the only interesting thing on TV) for the food shots alone as well. It has been sitting on my Netflix list for years but haven’t bothered restarting... I wonder why, haha.
I once flew on a plane with homemade kimchi that my mother wanted me to bring to my brother and his family. I had that in the overhead. During the flight, some of it leaked a bit (I cleaned it all up so the flight attendants didn't have to deal with it. Even then I traveled with wet wipes!), but the smell was definitely there. I felt bad, because we were all trapped on a plane.
I watched the sequels to Let's Eat... well, not really watched. I skipped to all the food parts! ㅋㅋ
I am sorry of your Mum’s early American experiences. Still as of a couple of years ago, my boyfriend was eating Chinese food in his cubicle, and he was still accused of eating smelly food - it was not pungent or anything. It was too bad everyone likes to complain about everything, big or small. People can be so petty to accuse him of not washing his mug, not even his!!
Anyway, I will take up watching Dr Cha.Have been a Korean drama fan for years and now mainland Chinese ones!
Wow, that's petty. But I believe it. People can be so entitled.
I’m sorry this happened. A similar thing happened to my daughter when I packed her Kimbap for a holiday club here in the UK, she got picked on at lunch for her ‘weird’ food. She asked for a ham sandwich the next day.
I'm so sorry that happened to her. Little kids can be brutal. 🥹
Uggggh, I'm sorry that your family had to experience such rudeness. Wow. The fact that they smashed the other food and they were adults.
Thank you for sharing this truth with us. I hear (I've even watched some YouTubers) talk about this phenomenon about bringing lunches to school from their cultures.
Thank you, Cierra. Yes, my mother was shocked that anyone would waste food like that. It hurt her heart. 💜
I was shocked reading it! I'm so sorry. And to know they were adults too... Honestly dispicable.
This reminds me of the image that went viral of the young woman who took a photo of her friend at a chinese restaurant...the mirror behind the person captured a mother and child pulling their eyes and smiling at each other. At a CHINESE restaurant! This happened just last year.
Your kimbap looks so yummy though!!!😍
Ugh, I remember that. People can be so awful. 🥹
It's so frustrating reading about the disrespect your family got from a family—and with adults at that! They could have turned it into a learning moment for the kids, but they chose to trash another person's culture instead.
I realise one of the things we can teach the next generation is that just because it's not what they're used to doesn't mean it's something "wrong". This applies to food, traditions, customs, practices, etc. Unfortunately, it's easier said than done, and not many people would be willing to do this.
If they were curious about the food, they should have waited until we returned and asked my mother if they could have a sample. My mother would've been thrilled to share with them. And honestly, she expected that Westerners wouldn't like our food so she wouldn't have even been hurt if they didn't like it. It was their sheer disrespect that stunned her. And knowing that this is how they were raising their children -- to take what they wanted without asking and then trashing if it they didn't like it.
Wow, how disgusting can people be?!
To offer a bit of a different note on this...I'm a German living in Germany and loving Korean food. I make it often myself (including Kimchi which has been approved by a Korean ;o), and husband (also German) and I are regulars at a Korean restaurant near us. What strikes me the most, though, is that there is often a familiar taste in that so-called "foreign" food. Take for instance Jokbal, that could be described as a German Schweinebraten (pork roast) with different spices. We tried it and it was different from what we know, but still the familiar taste of pork roast. I believe this is the case with most food; you can always find something that ties it back to something you know. So there's basically no reason to condemn something just because you don't know it, and at the very least no reason to destroy other people's food. I can't get over that. That is just horrible.
One day we took my 87-year old aunt to that Korean restaurant (per her request) and ordered Samgyopsal. She was absolutely thrilled and wants to go there again. So, if you were near me with your dosirak or picnic, I'd have grilled you about that food...
Wow, I love your take on foreign food tasting familiar... A lot of my German friends were eager to try kimchi because they love fermented veggies like sauerkraut. Also, it made me smile to think of your elderly aunt trying Korean food and loving it. Thank you for sharing a part of your family's anecdotes with me!