Cultural differences affect the palate, too

Cultural differences affect the palate, too

To the editor:
    English is a bizarre language. In skillful hands it is beautiful and fluid; easy to understand how it has become the world’s primary language. In less than skillful hands (and ears) it can lead to disaster; or at the very least one of those uproarious stories of things that happened and did not happen. Such was the case I found myself in this afternoon at lunch. 

    Korean schools have lunch programs for students and staff. Teachers eat at the same table as the students, though the teachers sit in one area and the staff sit in another area. We have the same foods as the students do. Our cooks are phenomenal wizards with squeezing one fish into three meals. The cooks are a fun-loving group and care about the food they serve. It may be simple but its the best simple food you can get. I have learned to never make the cooks mad.
    Our lunch today was no exception. We had rice with a few black beans in it. There was the ubiquitous Kim Chee. Our vegetables were Daikon, a white radish, some carrots, slices of red peppers and green, clam and mugwort soup, and the meat was duck with onions and carrots. Red peppers in the meat dish and the Kim Chee added the spice. It looked terrific. Smelled even better. And, on an empty stomach, a soothing antidote.
    I was sitting with my fellow English teachers and enjoying the meal. In trying to learn Korean, one anomaly has shown its head several times. It is the sound of the letters G and K. In Korean these two letters are pretty interchangeable. Thus you will see the city of Gwang Ju spelled with a G and on older maps it is spelled with a K as in Kwang Ju. English speakers make a stronger distinction between the two sounds. After you have been here in the country for a while it becomes a little easier to hear the subtle difference but for the most part the two sounds are the same. For the Koreans one character in their written language works for the two sounds.
    There I was, in our brand new cafeteria. Chopsticks clicking away and my stomach getting filled. My colleague, Mr. Kwon asked me how I liked the meat dish. It had the appearance of a decent Sloppy Joe. The red sauce was red pepper based but the idea was similar to the tomato sauce we use back home. It was good. Lots of meat. Kwon asked me how I liked the meat.
    Now, I am having to work with my students and colleagues on their vocal projection. Most of my students speak very softly and at times it is like being at a lip synching contest when the tape breaks. Plenty of movement but no sound. I could have sworn I heard my dear friend and colleague say that the meat was dog. That is dog as in Pooch, Bowser, or Fido. It is moment’s like these that your encyclopedic knowledge of Emily Post’s Etiquette concepts flood the synapses in the brain. The wrong move and sound and you upset your host. Were I a few years younger it would have been ok to have heaved my tray into the air and run screaming away. I continued to eat, trying really hard not to imagine the worst. Was I really eating D.O.G.?
    Kwon realized that I had misunderstood him. My face had gone white. Not hard to do, but frightening nonetheless. He rushed to assure me that he had meant duck. I still was not hearing him clearly, absorbed in thoughts about how to politely extricate myself from this bit of social disaster without tossing my cookies. Finally, with a tip of the hat to Marcel Marceau, flapping his arms, he managed to convince me that it was duck that I was eating. D.U.C.K.! My boss, sensing that I was perplexed made it quite clear, dog is not on the menu and never will be! No professional restaurant will serve canine in Korea. All of this because I had misheard my colleague pronounce a k-word as a g-word. Wing flapping is a useful skill. I was eating some of the finest duck that is sold in Korea.
    My face regained its equilibrium. I explained why it had changed color based on a misperception. We had a good laugh at my expense and my host’s. Later, Kwon and I told the story to our students as a lesson in making clear what it is that one is trying to say. Our students were impressed. After much laughter and a few questions our students had a clearer understanding of how important clearly spoken language is. The duck was delicious!