The Been Briefing

Galbi (Korean BBQ) & Karaoke


After work tonight a bunch of us went out to eat and then for an experience of Korean karaoke. It was a great night, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
For dinner we had pork cooked on grills right in the table... and did you know? They don't use knives as much as scissors to cut the meat and any other food that isn't manageable for chopsticks! I'll never forget my surprise initially when I saw a server cutting food with a pair of scissors.

And unlike American dining, Koreans do not serve meals in courses; they bring out all the food at once and it's a communal eating experience.  
Clockwise: Cindy, Hannah, Miss Che (our secretary, who will be moving to the Yeongtong branch with Lauren), Mrs. Kim, Esther. 


And here is a picture of the men. On the far left is a guy who is moving to work at our campus. I forget his name, but I feel sorry for him - the sole male amidst all the females! The man behind him is the one who does our advertising, and the two men on the right are the ERC shuttle bus drivers. I see them ever so often as they come into ERC for some water or to discuss the pickup schedule with Mrs. Kim.


Here I am at the karaoke place, standing next to a famous older Korean singer. I don't know who he is, but Esther seemed to get a kick out of seeing him there. 

For karaoke, we reserved a room that was complete with a table, an L-shaped sofa, two microphones, 2 thick songbooks full of Korean and English songs (many of which I didn't know, but some that I faintly recognized). I confess I was ashamed of my lack of knowledge of English music, though the Korean I could not help. There was also a disco ball and a TV showing the lyrics and music videos that definitely did not correspond to the songs we were singing to. Esther and I sang "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. That was definitely my favorite. Overall, I was reminded of elementary school days at the roller skating rink, singing and skating to well-known songs, and I truly enjoyed myself... once I got over the fact that about 7 or 8 of us were making complete fools of ourselves in a small little room. And we were staring at the screen to make sure we got the words right... LOL. I'm telling you - these demure Koreans can really let loose sometimes! After seeing how much fun they have, I can see why karaoke is a popular pastime among Korean youth....