Stuff You May Have Been Wondering About

A few thoughts have been going through my head (and while I had a 3-hour nap today...I think these pills the doc gave me have brought back my jetlag). One is from Korea: you know everything is a little different there--including your age. Ya, for Koreans age is not just your birthday, they got a whole other system. For instance, when you're conceived you're age 0. Then, you're in the womb for 10 months (not 9) because, well, each month has 4 weeks in it and full term is 40 weeks so that means 10 months, right? Well, they didn't factor in non-February (non-leap, that is) months, so I guess it is 40 lunar months. But to try to explain to most Koreans that it is 9 months usually reeks of heresy to them: 40 / 4 is 10...that's it! Ok, so when you're born you're age 1 because you've been alive for about a year, I guess (40 is closer to 52 than is is to zero). Then on every New Years you get a year added on. Now, take my but Mike....he was born December 31st...according to Korean way he was 2 years old after just a few hours! Some Koreans also have a Solar (our/normal) and Lunar birthday and may count the rollover of the years on the lunar calendar (which may mean a 'birthday' in January or February, not January 1st. This, of course, confuses things even more! So, don't both asking a Korean their age, just ask what year they were born.

Korean clothing sizes are another thing. They have a different system from other places (from what I've seen). In Canada I'm a 16-16.5 neck (which is a large) but in Korea I need to get XXL, which shows as a 17-17.5 inch neck sometimes and the locals call it 110 (which is 42.9 centimeters, likely the chest size, not neck!). I go to a guy at Namdaemoon and clean out his 110/XXLs every once in a while. New foreigners tell me I should get a large, but I know the tricks to this system (of course they seem to laugh to themselves as they think I have no idea what I'm doing...and get a large for themselves). Pants are also odd. I buy 38 inch waist ones in Seoul even though I fit a 35 here (yes, even inches are different in Korea). Best bet, try things on (even on the street!) and make sure it fits before you walk away (some merchants may not be there the next day).

Here's one that I'm often asked by guys who come to Korea and then get a girlfriend (or two): why don't Korean girls manicure their...um...lawn? Well, a knowledgeable source tells me it's (like many things) for looks. The story is that if a guy looks there and sees A LOT of...grass...then the girl must be wealthy. If not much then she will not be a good wife (maybe rich women never shaved in the old days, but I wonder why the peasant girls would....strange). Well, it's not for me to ask why (at least not too many times); that's the story. So if you run across a Korean gal and the hedges need pruning it's because her Dad is loaded.

And on that note I bid you a fond goodnight (at least it's night where I am).