The Difference between American Culture and Korean Culture
The topic that I chose for the long research project is cultural differences between Korean culture and American culture. My objectives in this research paper are to demonstrate how foreigners feel isolated and depressed when they move to other places. Furthermore, people have to adapt to a new lifestyle. By this, I make a point that is not worth criticizing a country because it will be the country where you will spend a part of your life; basically you have to get accustomed to new cultures. However, you have to overcome obstacles that you will face while you are living there. Furthermore, I relate this experience with one of mine because when I first moved to the United States I had difficulties in fitting into their society. The differences in society such as customs, culture and values affect foreigners in how we respond to different situations. In this essay I will address how food, family relationships, education and sports differ from American culture.
First, the food is unhealthy. Most of the foods in the United States are salty and high in cholesterol, which is not healthy for your body. For example, in the article “Differences between Korean Food Culture and American Food Culture” the author says, “Most Korean food is seasoned with hot spice. On the contrary, American food flavors are greasy and oily”. (Lee) For example, fast food restaurants like McDonalds, In-N-Out and Subway are extremely salty. In contrast, in Korea, we eat healthy food such as rice and vegetables. For example, in the article “Do You Know the Differences Between American Culture and Korean Culture?” addresses that “Koreans mainly eat rice and side dishes for meals.”(Choi) We normally eat outside once a week because junk food can harm your body. In addition, the quantity of food they give you is ridiculous and it is impossible to eat it all. At the beginning, I liked it because I am person who likes to eat in quantity but I realized that was unhealthy and my body mass was increasing. A friend from LA, James, says, “The amount of food they give you is absurd”. I agree with him because all of that food ends up being a waste. In Korea we cannot leave food because it shows a lack of respect to waste food.
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Finally, this has been the main issue for many foreigners since the food is not the same as in their cultures. For example, in the article “Differences between Korean Food Culture and American Food Culture” the author says, “Korean foods are made based on the health like slow food, such as kimchi; however, most of American foods have high amount of calories. It caused some diseases, such as obesity, and heart disease.” (Lee) Americans might think it is tasty for them but for foreigners is a nightmare to eat unhealthy food which harms your body. In addition, there are many differences between the US and Korean eating customs. First of all, Koreans eat rice and hot soup with five or six side dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On the other hand, Americans usually have simple meals like bread and fast food for breakfast and lunch and eat meat for dinner. Also, another difference is that people in the US use forks and knives to eat their food; however, people in Korea use chopsticks and spoons instead. One of the things that I hated the most is that some Americans blow their nose or sneeze during the meal, which in Korea is considered impolite. What we usually do is leave the table because it is dirty and rude when people are sharing a table with you.
Also, the person with the oldest age at the table always eats first in Korea. It is very impolite to start a meal when the oldest person has not started eating. Second, family relationships are very crucial in the United States. Most of my American friends have problems with their parents. For example, in the article “Family Relations: An International Comparison” the author says, “Americans are twice as likely to have “disharmonious” relationships”. (Span) Most of them are independent and they just want to live away from their parents. In my case, I have a strong relationship with my family because I really care about them and I always want to live with my family. Furthermore, I saw many friends that just want to be alone because they do not want someone to control their lives, even their parents. For example, while living at FIDM Housing I had an American roommate that every time his mom called him, he reacted in a negative way like shouting at her or cursing her. In addition, if I were in the same situation with my parents, I would probably be kicked out of my house. The reason is because I am being disrespectful to an adult, which in Korea is offensive. The Korean ideology is that family is priority no matter what happens.
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When I came here, I realized that Americans are very sensitive and get angry easily. In addition, something that I noticed is that the family relationship is very simple. By that, I mean Americans talk to their parents as if they were their friends, and I think it would be very comfortable to have a relationship like that. But there are certain points where that relationship is not what I expected and situations get worse. It is true that some families treat their children as if they were like friends but sometimes some people take advantage of them, which is not pleasant to see. However, in Korean culture everyone in the family has a role and there is no such as a father and son relationship because we respect adults and a friendship is not possible.
Third, education is a priority for Koreans but some Americans just do not care. For example, in the article “What are the main cultural differences between South Korea and the USA?” the author says, “Most of Koreans consider college degree to be a basic requirement for any endeavor in life. Not so in the US.” (Han) Education has always been number one priority for Korean students since college is expensive. Our purpose of going to college is to study hard and get opportunities to work in America. In addition, we take it very seriously because the money our parents spend for us is a big amount. In the article “Two Sides of International Schools” the author says, “It costs over 20 million won (equivalent to 2 million dollars) for each year, which is more than some college or university tuition fees in America”. (Lee) Furthermore, I agree with Lee in a sense that Korean parents biggest goal is educating their children with the best education because they think if it is an accredited university, the chances of being successful are higher. In Korea, there are some students that would like to study in the United States but unfortunately their parents are unavailable to pay for their studies.
The Term Paper on Blues Music As A Vivid Reflection Of The Black American Life And Culture
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However, those who are in the United States are the fortunate ones because they have the chance to study in a foreign country, which many students in Korea do not have the chance to do. On the other hand, there are some students, especially at FIDM, who do not care about their education and they would rather go to parties. I understand that in college you meet new people and you would like to hang out with them at parties and some special events. Personally, I am not against it, but in my case I try to finish most of my homework to have the rest of the weekend to relax and meet friends. It is very shocking when I see some friends at FIDM procrastinating and doing their projects late. Personally, I feel bad for their parents who have to pay their tuition for them to waste their education. I believe this opportunity does not come to everyone and they should take advantage because there are many people who want to get an education but their economic status does not permit them.
Fourth, sports in college are common in the United States. United States is one of the countries around the globe that has athletic competitions among colleges. One of the famous sports played in the US is football. Football is considered number one Americans’ favorite sport because it displays an imagery of toughness. In the US, football is a very competitive sport and colleges are trying to give scholarship to those talented players. For example, players that are skillful and talented in college, those players might get drafted for the NFL (National Football League).
The Essay on Fashion and Culture among American Women in the 1920s
There are many types of people in the world today. The past has shown how the fashion has changed. Each era has their own different style and fashion. The twenties was a particularly wild decade. After WW1, it was a time for change. “Women became rebellious and shocked everyone by their new style and morals”(Louise brooks Society, 3). Women before the twenties were more conservative and were ...
According to the NFL draft page, approximately “200 players get draft every year”. (NFL) For those talented players in college a big advantage from them is to become a professional player because it basically means their future. Sports are so important in the United States because it enables most of the talented players to get a career and play as a professional. Football is a “sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field 120 yards long by 53.3 yards wide with goalposts at each end”.(Wikipedia) The offense attempts to advance with the ball down the field by running with or passing it. They must advance it at least ten yards in four downs to receive a new set of four downs and continue the drive; if not, they turn over the ball to the opposing team. Points are scored by advancing the ball into the end zone for a touchdown, kicking the ball through the opponent’s goalposts for a field goal or by the defense tackling the ball carrier in the offense’s end zone for a safety. I think football is a rigorous and tough sport but I still think that you have to be physically and mentally fit. In contrast, Koreans are not very interested in sports because education is a priority.
There are some colleges in Korea where they play sports among colleges but they are not as skillful as Americans are. In addition, one of the sports Koreans enjoy to play is baseball. Baseball is one of the most mentally challenging sports because you have to predict the pitches. For example, you would not know in what direction the pitcher would throw the ball. Baseball is a “sport played between two teams of nine players who take turns batting and fielding. Players on the batting team take turns hitting against the pitcher of the fielding team, who tries to prevent runs by getting hitters out in any of several ways”. (Wikipedia) For example, the batting team can advance and stop at any base but after that you can advance to other bases if your teammate hits the ball. The teams switch whenever the fielding team gets three outs. Baseball consists of nine innings a game and the team with the most runs, points in baseball, wins the game. Personally, I think baseball is a challenging sport because of the fact that makes you think and react to the situation instantly. However, I think that Koreans choose sports that have less body contact and are more mental while Americans like sports, where physicality takes a big role. It is certainly true that sports in college in the US are more competitive than in Korea. In the US, sports are a big priority because it demonstrates other valuable attributes of a person. For example, American students that has an average report card and being talented in a sport.
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To conclude, all countries have their own customs and values. They can vary a lot from each other and sometimes we do not even recognize the difference. In this essay, I address that the cultural differences that affect me are food, family relationships, education and sports. Definitely is a big difference because it opposite from Korean Culture. For example, we eat healthy and like to be close with the family. Even though there are cultural differences, I always try to get accustom to American culture and learn about their traditions and beliefs. I never thought that things can be different anywhere else. Since I will be living in the United States, my biggest goal is to understand American culture and other cultures as well. At the end of the article “Do You Know the Differences Between America Culture and Korean Culture”, Choi says, “There are some of the differences between Korean and American cultures. So if we understand other countries’ cultures and customs, we can make a better school, a better society, and a better world”. (Choi) Moreover, I believe that each country will think different about each other. For example, Americans might think that Kim Chi is not delicious or they might think studying too much is ridiculous. Personally, I think that not only foreigners in America feel depressed but also if Americans live in a foreign country, they will probably feel the same like those foreigners in the United States.
Works Cited
Baseball. Web. 10 Sep. 2013 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball>
The Essay on Culture Differences Between Americans And Vietnamese
Why do people from different countries act differently? Some cultural differences are reflected by other cultures. Since I came to live in the United States, I have experienced a lot of differences in lifestyle, language, and celebration between Americans and Vietnamese people. Greeting and eating, the most experiences that I have learned, are two main points of contrast between Americans and ...
Choi, Patrick. “DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICA CULTURE
AND KOREAN CULTURE?” Word Press. 31 Aug. 2012. 10 Sep. 2013
Football. Wikipedia. Web. 10 Sep. 2013 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football>
Lee, Brian. “Two Sides Of International Schools.” Web log post. Korea Times. N.p., n.d. Web.
10 Sep. 2013
Lee, Hae Ri. “CPELI Student Writers Winter 2013 (4A).
“Differences between Korean Food
Culture and American Food Culture.” N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. 10 Sep. 2013
NFL.Web. 10 Sep. 2013 <www.nfl.com/draft>
Span, Paula. “Family Relations: An International Comparison.” The New Old Age Family
Relations An International Comparison Comments. N.p., 30 July 2010. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
“South Korea: What Are the Main Cultural Differences between South Korea and the
USA?” Quora. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sep. 2012. 10 Sep. 2013
