Barbara TS#15

Before I called Dojun this morning, I read about S. Korean weddings. Everything he has told me about wedding plans became very clear.  In fact, I told him that he could have written the article.  The pronunciation of the words that I did not understand were seu-deu-meh or studio, dress and make-up. He told me that after he spoke to the wedding coordinator, he failed to get the big discount that he wanted but that he did get a wedding package for up to $250.00.  He and his girlfriend went to a wedding this week-end to see how everything worked.  Based on what I understood, it sounded like the officiant was a Christian priest or minister.  There was music and Dojun said that the groom sang to the bride.  When I asked him if he intended to sing, his answer was an emphatic no!  He then told me that they had selected their date because of advice from what sounded like a psychic.  When I asked if this was what the person was called, he didn’t seem to understand and mentioned Tarot cards.  According to Dojun, there is a superstition that weddings should occur on specific or “good” dates.  In talking about plans after the wedding, we discussed getting a house.  He told me that the groom and his family usually provided the house while the bride’s family furnished it.  This process was also mentioned in the article that I read.  In September or October, he plans to start looking for a house.  I asked him about transportation and wondered if he had a car.  He doesn’t but his girlfriend does.  He commutes by subway to the airport which is very convenient to his house.  Somehow food came up and I asked about the Korean tradition and meals.  This question led to what I consider an interesting discussion about food.  We closed our conversation talking about kimchi and the traditions it involved.  He said that there was such a thing as a kimchi refrigerator.  Many years ago, people put kimchi in jars and buried it outside to keep it cold.  Now, they use a special refrigerator.  According to Wikipedia, this tradition is observed in S. Korea and is very important.  I told him that my grandmother used to can food like this but that we don’t follow the tradition anymore although many Americans probably do.