In Korea, you might be surprised when an acquaintance see you and ask you if you have eaten, or in Korean, "밥 먹었어요?" What i failed to understand in the beginning of my journey here is that these questions were not meant to be given a literal answer.
In other countries, it's very common to ask people “How have you been?” or “What's up?” without really expecting a detailed rundown of your day. In the same way, in Korea, asking about whether you've eaten or not is a cultural expression of care. At first, I would pause awkwardly and try to remember if I actually had eaten or not. But over time, I began to realize that the question wasn’t about the food at all but instead about connection. The equivalent of that in Indonesia, if I must guess, would be "Mau Kemana?" or where are you going. It's a common question to ask someone when you pass them on the street accidentally.
Just like “Mau kemana?” in Indonesia isn’t really meant to demand a real answer about your destination, “밥 먹었어요?” in Korea isn’t a strict inquiry about your mealtime schedule. Both are small yet meaningful ways of acknowledging someone’s presence. In certain cases and depending on your answers of course, it might actually lead to an opportunity to spend a bit of time together with the person asking the question.
These simple cultural gestures signify warmth and the desire to connect with others through simple questions. Learning to recognize and appreciate these small expressions has helped me feel more connected to the people around me. So whenever someone asks you if you have eaten, don't overthink it and just think of it as way of them saying they're glad to see you!
Photo Credits: Felicity Tai via Pexels
In Korea, you might be surprised when an acquaintance see you and ask you if you have eaten, or in Korean, "밥 먹었어요?" What i failed to understand in the beginning of my journey here is that these questions were not meant to be given a literal answer.
In other countries, it's very common to ask people “How have you been?” or “What's up?” without really expecting a detailed rundown of your day. In the same way, in Korea, asking about whether you've eaten or not is a cultural expression of care. At first, I would pause awkwardly and try to remember if I actually had eaten or not. But over time, I began to realize that the question wasn’t about the food at all but instead about connection. The equivalent of that in Indonesia, if I must guess, would be "Mau Kemana?" or where are you going. It's a common question to ask someone when you pass them on the street accidentally.
Just like “Mau kemana?” in Indonesia isn’t really meant to demand a real answer about your destination, “밥 먹었어요?” in Korea isn’t a strict inquiry about your mealtime schedule. Both are small yet meaningful ways of acknowledging someone’s presence. In certain cases and depending on your answers of course, it might actually lead to an opportunity to spend a bit of time together with the person asking the question.
These simple cultural gestures signify warmth and the desire to connect with others through simple questions. Learning to recognize and appreciate these small expressions has helped me feel more connected to the people around me. So whenever someone asks you if you have eaten, don't overthink it and just think of it as way of them saying they're glad to see you!
Photo Credits: Felicity Tai via Pexels