I had lunch out this week - one day with the gang that meets at noon and walks to a nearby restaurant and then my usual lunch with Professor Kim with another professor coming along, Professor Nam. He has joined us one other time.
The COB total faculty are probably 30+ or so. At noon anyone who wants to go out for lunch meets at one of the doors. Typically 10 or 12 people go - depends on teaching schedules, etc. We went to their regular nearby place for the daily special - no shoes, sitting on floor. The dean (another Professor Kim) talked to me quite a bit on the walk, and I sat by him. I had met him in 2010. He is Univ. of Iowa graduate, and his English is excellent (he paid for my lunch). At lunch some others were asking me questions, and I asked a few too (I know a guy whose wife is pregnant, for example, and the guy next to him has a baby). I think I was eating fairly quickly (like normal), but I was still eating when everyone else was finished. I thought, "I better just go." They were teasing me maybe I would have to have another lunch at 2:00. I was back to my office in under an hour.
The next day I had a plan to meet Prof. Kim, and Prof. Nam stopped by, so the three of us set out by car. Well, it ended up being a three hour lunch! It was a lot of fun. It was a 10 minute drive or so and out in the country. There is a main building and then small separate structures that seat up to 6 or so (on floor). So we had our own little house. They know the owner fairly well, and she and Prof. Nam have in common that they are marathoners. They chose this place for the duck. It was cut up and with vegs. on a grill. Once cooked, it is wrapped in a lettuce or sesame leaf. This is one of my favorite styles of food. There were good side dishes too. Due to a relaxing Friday lunch, they also ordered the (in)famous Korean alcoholic drink, soju. The glasses are shot glasses, and they showed me how to accept a drink politely. Prof. Nam was the host (he bought our lunch) and handed me a glass. Then I am supposed to hold it with two hands while he pours. I took a couple sips to be polite, but it is strong and not too tasty. With the Korean way of eating out of the same bowls, etc., it was perfectly acceptable for them to finish it after the bottle was empty. I know there will always be rice, so I was not surprised when the owner brought out some rice and other vegs. and put them with the left over meat and duck oil on the skillet. Then Prof. Nam came back from the main building with small coffees. They are made from single serving packaging with coffee, sugar, and dried cream. The package is long and narrow - about 4 inches and easy to pour into a cup. All the water coolers in buildings on campus and at restaurants also have hot water. Then the owner brought some persimmons. I definitely did not need a second lunch. I didn't even eat dinner .... just some samples at Lotte Mart.
I was supposed to get my hair cut at 2:00 (which would have worked just fine for a one hour lunch), so Prof. Kim called for me and said I would be there at 3:30. I planned to take a taxi from campus (and it would have been cutting it close), but Prof. Nam drove me downtown - probably 30 minutes out of their way back to campus. I told him he could take me to a taxi stand. But he (kind of joking with us) said it was his pleasure and he had plenty of time. We were also joking that we ended up spending the whole afternoon together.
I feel sincere hospitality from so many of the other faculty. And even though I am the only woman and obviously non-Korean, it seems like it is not an issue. I will probably go for lunch with the big group a few times a month.
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