A Tipsy Girl

There is a variety of alcohol all over the world. Each country and society has not only its own unique alcohol but also its inimitable drinking culture based on accumulated patterns. I have lived in South Korea for twenty-three years, and my participation in the Korean drinking tradition started about 10 years ago. Even though there are uncountable alcohol and drinking custom around the globe, I believe that the Korean culture of drinking has the most unique and powerful fellowship compared to others. Thus, I have nostalgia for the drinking culture of Korea since I have had to give up my Korean life style.

Basically, all my nostalgia is caused by my longing for So-ju, which has a distinctive and astringent taste. Because a few liquor stores in Chicago sell it, only three restaurants in Chicago serve it, and it costs three to ten times more than in Korea, I need to make a great effort to obtain So-ju. Sometimes, when I am tired of drinking beer or vodka, my only choice is to go a Korean market to buy So-ju, yet it takes almost two hours to get to those stores due to their distance. If I had not come to the United States, I would have never realized the importance of my previous routine -drinking So-ju daily. When I hung out with my friends as a teen, we always admired so-called American-style drinking or Western alcohol. Frankly speaking, my friends and I wanted to be seen as cool, so we drank vodka, tequila, or cognac. However, those types of alcohol in Korea are more expensive than So-ju. Now, I do not want to be 'cool', but rather back in my regular routine.

Despite the importance of So-ju, the atmosphere of the specific drinking environment can help So-ju through my nostalsia. Unlike the United States, there are two things make me think about Korea; cozy and family spirits. First, a comfortable seat is a noticeable difference between a Korean bar and an American bar. In Korea, most bars afford customers comfortable sofas or chairs. On the contrary, the chairs in American bars usually are too high to sit comfortably for me, so it makes me feel like I am sitting on a McDonalds' chair. It means that I am drinking at a fast-food restaurant, eating as fast as I can, and being in a hurry to leave. Next, most Korean waitresses are middle aged and called 'A-Joom-Ma' or 'Ee-Mo'. In fact, ‘A-Joom-Ma’ is a typical and versatile character which behaves as a friend, a mother, a grandmother, or a mentor. Consequently, even if people go to a restaurant with non-family members, they are able to feel like they are at home.

The above two main aspects of the Korean drinking custom are possible to experience in Chicago at a few places, but there are no such 24 hour Korean restaurants selling So-ju with the soup, ‘Hae-Jang-Cook’ for a hangover. For instance, most Koreans who would like to drink and have fun with their acquaintances usually drink from 7-9 p.m. to 5-6 a.m. twice a week. There is a popular procedure followed by drinkers that they drink So-ju with dinner, drink beer at another place, move to a third place to drink So-ju again and sing Karaoke. Then, the time is around four or five o'clock in the morning, so it is the time to become sober. The soup, which has a significant meaning for me, is one of the crucial determinants why I miss the Korean culture of drinking. From the result of the accumulated social behavior, ‘Hae-Jang-Cook’ is the ending signal of the drinking party. Only if drinkers complete this ceremony can they start a fresh day.

Hence, what is lost in translation for me is that I wish I could hang out with my friends at a 24 hour restaurant served by ‘A-Joom-Ma’ for So-ju and ‘Hae-Jang-Cook’. Literally, I have been trying to acquire this combination by myself, but I always fail to do so because there are no ‘A-Joom-Ma’ and no ‘Hae-Jang-Cook’. That is why I have recently been trying to adjust to the American culture of drinking instead of simply missing the Korean version. Someday, I am going to be able to either be a part of American drinking culture or the leader of Korean drinking culture in Chicago.