November 11th: In many countries, a solemn day of remembrance. In Korea, an unofficial holiday observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange stick cookies. Why, you ask? Well, apparently when you look at November 11th written as 11.11, it resembles matchsticks (I can see the furrow in your brow deepening in trying to understand this). The cookies that are exchanged are long and thin, often dipped or filled with a variety of tasty flavors like chocolate, mocha and green tea, and are known as Pepero. A handful of them grasped together look like matchsticks, and thus the numbers 11.11.
So, how was this day developed you ask? I couldn't get an answer from my Korean teachers when I asked them this, but they don't remember doing it themselves as teenagers, so I can only conclude the following: One day, during a Lotte (the company that makes Pepero) marketing meeting, the statistics on sales were announced, and due to a decrease in stock values, lay-offs were threatened unless a creative company-saving campaign was presented. Enter the shy (yet crafty) young intern who slowly voices his idea. Company executives applaud the idea, the intern is promoted, Pepero day is introduced, and the company saved! Hooray!
Right.
It'll always be Remembrance Day to me.
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I came across a humbling article the other day while catching up on the news. Did you know that there is only one surviving Canadian World War 1 veteran? John Babcock (non-combat) celebrated his 107th birthday recently. The last surviving combat veteran, Clare Laking, passed away in 2005.
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The "real" story behind Pepero Day, as Googled online: Pepero Day was started in 1994 by students at a girls' middle school in Busan, where they exchanged Pepero sticks as gifts to wish one another to grow "as tall and slender as a Pepero".
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In Korea, fish is frequently served for lunch. In the three months that I have been in Seoul, I can honestly say that I have eaten more fish than in my 18 months in China (you wouldn't want to eat the fish either if you saw the water it came out of) combined with the 10 years previous to that back home. I am adverse to technological change. I will be the first to admit it. I was adamant about keeping our Commodore 64 15+ years ago, I procrastinated learning about the internet 10+ years ago, I nearly cried while learning how to download music 5+ years ago, I stood my ground against getting a cell-phone 2+ years ago, and until now had sworn I would never be a "blogger". Give me time though, and I eventually wear down and give in to the pressure. |
Recently Updated...03.25 - Two posts! About Me...Out and about in the world, teaching others and educating myself. Stuff I Like...Traveling. Cuddling a cat. New toothbrushes. Friends. Socks of the Joanne Younes variety. The smell of sun-dried laundry. Baking. Archives
March 2008
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