Keun-Jeol

In Korea, there is a long tradition of bowing. For example, children typically wish their elders (grandparents, aunts and uncles, parents) a happy new year by performing one deep traditional bow, the “keun-jeol” (deep bow). Other bows take place during other major life events like a marriage or at ancestral rites. Here's a quick tutorial from a fun website I discovered while preparing for my trip: http://seoulistic.com/korean-culture/when-and-how-to-bow-in-korea/

We walked in the door of my cousin's home and after the initial hellos, they insisted on honoring my mother with a traditional bow:

What a welcome!

 

We were joining four of my cousins, their spouses, and most of their children for the welcome party. My mother has one older brother here in Korea and one younger brother. Her older brother has four children that all live here in Seoul and it was their families we met with on Saturday evening. I met all my first cousins in 1985. The eldest, Hye-Jeong, her husband, "Mr. Park", and her children, visited us in the US on separate occasions. (We are staying with Hye-Jeong and Mr. Park.) Her brother, "Oogie" has visited as well. But it has been 30-years since I'd seen her two younger sisters. And now the family has grown and there are seven second cousins! Two live in Toronto and one was unable to join us, but what a joy to meet four more of my second cousins on Saturday night.

 

Mr. Shim, Cousin Amy, and Daughters (Our hosts for dinner)

 

And what a party it was! Enough with the formalities, on to the food! We dined together Korean-style, which means low tables and seating on the floor. And, it also means lots and lots of tasty small dishes (pan chan) with rice, seaweed soup, kimchi, and other delicacies from beef stew to fresh seafood (crab, squid, and grilled eel). Dessert included an "American-style" cake and sliced fresh fruit.

 

R2L: Mom, Amy, Mr. Shim, Mr. Kim, Oogie, Hye-Jeong, Hye-Joo

 

 

And drink! My choice of beverage was makgeolli, a Korean rice-based alcohol.

 

 

And, of course, gifts were exchanged! Apparently, not only are selfies just as popular here, but gift recipients like to show off their new goods with a "proof photo". So, here are some "proof photos" for you:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The festivities went on until midnight, with a lot of good food, laughter, catching-up. I certainly didn't understand everything, but it was definitely family.

 

PS: Note to my DC colleagues...if you thought trying to explain to your families what you do for a living wasn't always easy, just imagine trying to explain it to family members in another country!

Note to followers in Liberty: Did you know the Golden Swan in Swan Lake specializes in Korean-style grilled eel and that it is a destination restaurant for many NYC-area Korean Americans?

 

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