Case: People go further out of their way to eat in groups. For me, this has led to a lot of instances of meeting what we refer to as "randoms." Randoms are people you have never met before, but still hang out with for a meal or an evening. This could lead to a friendship or a one day deal.
These have turned out positively and negatively, and in Korea... there's always a third option somewhere in between: "Awkward." It goes without saying that I have a few stories about awkward randoms. Here goes the most requested: The BHC Ajusshis.
So one night on a mission to find food, I go downstairs to 7Eleven and look around. Unhappy with my options, I leave the establishment and head back toward my room. Before I could touch the key to get back in the building, a middle aged man stops me and invites me to come to BHC Chicken (next door) to have some chicken, and talk to his American friend, and have a beer, "if you like beer."
For the record, the "stranger danger" alarm went off in my head for a little while. But sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between normal and odd in Korea; there often is no line (just as there is no sense of personal spaces, you would quickly learn on the subway). Seeing that I had nothing better to do, and the chance of actual danger in a widely supervised and familiar area right outside the apartments was pretty low, it couldn't hurt to pop by and say hello (yeah, I'm not making this sound too great, but work with me here. crime is rare. the end).
I go out and follow the man into BHC, where there was a bigger crowd than normal. The table was full of middle aged Korean men. At this point, I wondered where the American was. Oh, and by the way, I was wearing pjs. I insa the men (and one woman). I find that these men all graduated from the same class except for one older man. He appeared to be in his 70s. They were meeting together at DMC to welcome back a classmate who has been staying in the US.
Chicken and beers are brought out and they all insist that I have some. I decline at first and only take it after the second offer (Korean custom). And we begin to talk about who I am, what I do, how I like it here, and finally what they do. Get this guys:
The old man is the son of a famous architect in Korea who built Ewha Univ. He has since been in the US, and has retired about a decade ago.
One man is a franchise designer.
Another is a travel agency CEO.
Television chef.
Corporate President.
There were many more men, but I have since forgotten their professions. I believe one of them was a famous singer's father. It was hard to tell from their broken English. I got a business card from the man that invited me in. They also gave me a Korean name. In class, I just put my name into Korean characters: Teh-Sa. It's not a real Korean name. The one they gave me was believably Korean (too real for me to feel comfortable using): Lim Tae-Hee. If I ever need a pen name, this would be it.
So that's the story of the ajusshis: free dinner and a few corporate connections all from being at the right place at the right time. I've been told to call them up and talk to them, but the guy that gave me the card was a bit strange and overly friendly (who asks a stranger to join them for dinner when there's already a big group? eh... they just wanted to see English in action). However, the other men were all adorable. It'd be nice to hang out with them again. I saw the one who came from the US not too long ago down at 7Eleven. He will be here for a while. Perhaps I will get to see them all again. Who knows? Korea is all about spontaneity.
