Tip for foreigners: say you like Kimchi

Koreans love Korea. And that means EVERYTHING in Korea. So we learned quickly, you are not allowed to speak negatively about anything in Korea. When I mention that I struggle with how people push and shove on the subway, people apologize for the next 20 minutes about Koreans. It is like you are insulting your co-workers behavior! Apparently my co-workers came and apologized to the foreigners because of the Korean who went AWOL in Virgina Tech. So the lesson here? If you are asked if you like Kimchi (the “wonderful” fermented cabbage), say yes, otherwise they will think you don’t like Korea or Koreans.