I'd like free smiles please...

Shortly after I arrived in Korea the first time, I was very surprised with the level of service offered in Korean establishments.  Wherever I went, the service provided by most employees was top-notch.

One time at a family restaurant, I was enjoying some pasta with a cup of cola.  I was taking my time with my drink when the waitress lady took my half-full (or half-empty, whatever) cup and started walking away.  I yelled after her telling her that I wasn't done with my drink then she told she was refiling it.  When she returned with a full cup, I asked her why she was refilling it at half-full.  She told me it was because the ice had melted and watered down the drink.  I was actually shocked by the level of consideration which was totally unnecessary, in my opinion.  Some places have servers crouch down next to tables to make sure their eye levels are below yours.

Same level of service quality can be witnessed in hair salons... not even posh hair salons.  Even regular hair salons bring you drinks and wash your hair before and after a simple haircut.  Some places even take some time to massage your scalp for a few minutes as they wash your hair.  All for like half the cost of hair cuts I used to get back in Toronto.

The fact that there is no tipping culture in Korea makes it even more remarkable.

All of this service provided at no tips (most of these part-time jobs pay around 4000 won per hour... about US$3 now) makes you wonder how difficult it is to make a few bucks in Korea.  It IS probably the only way to survive in this competitive environment.

Not only will we  give you a free smile, we'll pamper you so much that you yourself will die from oversmileage.

Cafés

There aren't that many different types of cafés back in Toronto.  Cafés are usually places where you can go sit down and get caffeinated drinks, to put simply.  An internet café might be a variety that is vastly different.

Just this weekend, I saw a Wii Café.  "Really?!", said I.  I went up to the establishment to check it out.  I didn't really go in, but I saw drawings of Mario and Sonic at the door and I was able to see, through the blinds covering a large window, a couple playing the Nintendo Wii sitting on a couch.  This was just one of many different types of themed cafés I've seen here.

I list here a list of different types of "cafés"(pronounced "kah-peh") you can find in Korea.  Most of them involve doing different activities as you enjoy a variety of drinks.

Boardgame Café:  You pay by the hour to play boardgames while having drinks.  Servers need to be versed in all board games in order to explain the rules.

Costume Café:  You try on different types of costumes or make-up and you pay per costume you try on.

Daum/Naver Café:  Daum and Naver are internet portal sites like Yahoo and they offer community sites which people call "Cafés".  Think Yahoo Groups or Google Groups.

Fortune Telling Café:  Very common and popular among young ladies.  These places have in-house fortune tellers going from table-to-table telling peoples' fortunes.

Free Café:  You pay for drinks and they offer side perks for "free" (or "service").  Usually, the things they offer for free are fortune telling, cake, polaroid photo, nail care... 

Princess Café:  The decor basically has a shitload of curtains, flowers, laces and frills... and there are vanities where you can sit down to freshen up.  Ashamed to say that I've been to one on a blind date.

Doll Café:  You play with dolls.  Barbie-type dolls everywhere.  There are also cafés with plush dolls like teddy bears... teddy bears everywhere.  Again... ashamed to admit that I've been to one of these as well.

I'm sure there are more interesting places, but I haven't discovered them yet.  And I'm not sure if there are cafés like the "coffee shops" in Amsterdam.  I've heard there are a lot more "interesting" cafés in Japan.  Maybe I'll go check them out when I visit the country, but I am still quite fascinated with those that exist here.

This gave me an idea for a new café theme:  Play with a baby while enjoying a cup of coffee... rent out babies by the hour.

Konglish Lesson #3

Konglish of the day: service (pronounced "suh-bee-seuh")

In order to an establishment to provide you with some extra service, they give you "service"... something complimentary on the house.  The most common example is an extra menu item at a restaurant...

"These dumplings are service."

"Lady, where's my service?!"

"They have good service here... beef sashimi!"

Note:  Not to be confused with "full service" (pronounced "pool suh-bee-seuh"), which is "the works" at a shady massage parlor.