Assalamualaikum
wbt
During my Korean language class, my
teacher told me that when Korean people meet each other, they always ask this question to start a
conversation, “밥 먹었어요? (Read: Bab meogeosseoyo? Meaning: have
you eaten?)” So, she said it is kind of weird to ask someone whether he/she has already eaten or not. Even Japanese people did not ask that question because
eating is considered as someone’s private matter (my Korean language teacher is
a Japanese). So, she asked me what Malaysians always ask when they meet each
other? I answered, “tengah buat apa tu? (English: what are you doing right now?)”.
Even though some people in Malaysia considered this question as not common
sense because you obviously saw that person is doing something, yet you still
ask this question. But somehow it becomes a habit or so-called culture to ask
someone about what he/she is doing right now, am I right?
Then, she said that there is actually a
story behind why Korean people always ask whether you have eaten or not. If we
look back in Korea history, the Korean War of 1950–1953 devastated the country
and the economy was ruined. In 1950s during the springtime, after the autumn
harvest had been eaten and before new crops could be gathered, poor people will
would scour the hills for edible herbs and plants. Food was difficult to come
by in Korea that many school children depended on foreign food donations like
powdered milk for their lunch. So, instead of “how are you?” these people
started to ask each other “have you eaten?” during conversation to know about
each other’s well-being.
In the 1960s, South Korea under
President Park Chung-hee launched economic and social development plans, and
soon the economy began to grow. The Korean economic miracle finally achieved
and has made a dazzling national transformation from poverty to wealth. The
capstone of this achievement was the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where Koreans
displayed their ability to host successfully a world-class event. Korean dishes
such as kimchi are widely appreciated all over the world. And now in Korea, even
food is much more abundant than before, this question “have you eaten?” has
maintained relevance as a way to ask about someone’s well-being.
So,
have you eaten today?
