Culture and the little things
Friday, 3. July 2009, 02:50:46
Just working and living in an 'international city' like Auckland can be study in itself, as far as sociology goes. With such a wealth of ethnicity and language surrounding you, you can really get a free ticket to a higher understanding of the impact and implications of culture.
Why talk about culture? Well, as I may have talked about before (or definitely should), culture and language are and intertwined interlocked; there's no separating them. The language of a group (nation, community, family) will reflect their beliefs, values and morals.
Anyway, back on track. It's the little differences that can really surprise you. One that I use as a prime example is what I call 'Korean Restaurant Culture.'
If you've ever been to a Korean restaurant (you know the ones, BBQ Pork, cheap, relatively tasty) you'll probably notice the difference between the service there and say the service at a Western restaurant. Auckland's main street must have about 20 Korean restaurants, and I've been to a few of them and the trends are there.
One thing I've noticed is rarely do the staff wear uniforms, save perhaps an apron, and most of the time you can forget the excessive politeness that you would usually get at a Western restaurant. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining, just pointing out a few observations. Is this what restaurants are like in Korea? I really should go some time.
Working in a restaurant myself I'd have to say there are three types of customers that annoy me: Old, rich, pompous customers, the noisy young customers, and rude Koreans. Perhaps rude is not a word I should use when trying to talk about differences in culture. What I perceive as rude may be commonplace in Korean culture.
Oftentimes Korean (though of course not limited to Korean people, the majority are) customers will slide the door open, and head straight on in, ignoring the staff who wait at the entrance to greet, as about reservations etc. and go and sit down at the biggest, best positioned table. It's a lot of fun to see these customers bewildered when surrounded by 'RESERVED' signs on every table, and even more pleasurable to tell them that there is nowhere for them to sit. Evil delights.
But yes, that is just one example of how cultures can conflict when one side does something seemingly harmless. Another interesting little example is a regional culture difference that I first heard in a lecture at university. Although in my hometown (and to varying degrees, Auckland), it is normal to thank a bus driver, in the nation's capital apparently this isn't common practice. Yes, even a little thing like this can come down to a cultural question - is it necessary to thank a bus driver in your city?
Why talk about culture? Well, as I may have talked about before (or definitely should), culture and language are and intertwined interlocked; there's no separating them. The language of a group (nation, community, family) will reflect their beliefs, values and morals.
Anyway, back on track. It's the little differences that can really surprise you. One that I use as a prime example is what I call 'Korean Restaurant Culture.'
If you've ever been to a Korean restaurant (you know the ones, BBQ Pork, cheap, relatively tasty) you'll probably notice the difference between the service there and say the service at a Western restaurant. Auckland's main street must have about 20 Korean restaurants, and I've been to a few of them and the trends are there.
One thing I've noticed is rarely do the staff wear uniforms, save perhaps an apron, and most of the time you can forget the excessive politeness that you would usually get at a Western restaurant. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining, just pointing out a few observations. Is this what restaurants are like in Korea? I really should go some time.
Working in a restaurant myself I'd have to say there are three types of customers that annoy me: Old, rich, pompous customers, the noisy young customers, and rude Koreans. Perhaps rude is not a word I should use when trying to talk about differences in culture. What I perceive as rude may be commonplace in Korean culture.
Oftentimes Korean (though of course not limited to Korean people, the majority are) customers will slide the door open, and head straight on in, ignoring the staff who wait at the entrance to greet, as about reservations etc. and go and sit down at the biggest, best positioned table. It's a lot of fun to see these customers bewildered when surrounded by 'RESERVED' signs on every table, and even more pleasurable to tell them that there is nowhere for them to sit. Evil delights.
But yes, that is just one example of how cultures can conflict when one side does something seemingly harmless. Another interesting little example is a regional culture difference that I first heard in a lecture at university. Although in my hometown (and to varying degrees, Auckland), it is normal to thank a bus driver, in the nation's capital apparently this isn't common practice. Yes, even a little thing like this can come down to a cultural question - is it necessary to thank a bus driver in your city?
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