Balancing Act

Tomorrow marks the American, English, and Irish tradition of St. Patrick ’s Day. As this day comes to pass in the states I know many of my friends will be wearing green, drinking green beer, and eating corned beef and cabbage. What I love about this frivolous day in the states is everyone, regardless of age, seems to get into it. Whether it is my mother putting on a green sweater and shamrock pin or my friends going out for a night on the town, I know this day will not go unmarked.

However, here in the East, on the other side of the world, March 17th will come and pass without any recognition. At the risk of sounding like that American, this surprises me. Korea is walking a fine line between East and West. While many of the familial traditions, national celebrations, and reverence for the past are rooted in the East, the modernization of technology and pop culture are tugging this small country towards the West. In an effort to Westernize, Korea has attempted to adopt Western habits such as fancy, espresso infused coffee and Western ‘holidays’ such as Valentine’s Day. Despite these attempts to assimilate, the Eastern half of this country cannot help but give these new-found habits an Eastern twist.

The demand and desire for espresso infused coffee is great in Korea. However, one problem preventing supply from meeting the demand is coffee beans are not grown here. Korea heavily taxes all imported goods, making imported goods extremely expensive. So while Koreans want that Starbucks café latte, they would have to pay the equivalent of $5 USD for a small; that’s a lot of money for one cup of coffee. What’s the solution? Instant lattes. Here, one goes to the store and buys a bundle of small, individual packets containing a mixture of instant coffee, non-dairy powdered creamer, and sugar—just add water! The result can be more watery than foamy, but still sweet all the same. At least it is incredibly efficient, in regards to both time and money.

Valentine’s Day here is very similar to what we have in the West with one exception—it consists of two days here: 1. Valentine’s Day and 2. White Day. As mentioned previously, Korea is very relationship centered. In Korea it is very important that both individuals feel they are receiving the amount of respect they deserve, as previously determined through the establishing of boundaries. Thus enters the two different days. Valentine’s Day is on February 14th and on this day it is the woman’s job to get something for the man. Not unlike America, sweets and flowers are usually involved. White Day falls on March 14th and it is the man’s job to get something for the woman. This ensures that both parties receive something and the gifts exchanged are of similar value (unless the relationship boundaries permit this to be different).

Korea is walking a tightrope. To ensure she does not tip too heavily towards East or West, Korea makes adjustments—achieving the perfect ying and yang.