Hangul

Korean, in its written, not spoken form, is supposed to be a fairly easy language to pick up. If you ask any Korean student to tell you the history of their written language, they will expound at length, telling you of the brilliance of King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty who invented Hangul in the 15th century. Koreans are very proud of their language in all its forms, as well they should be, but they are especially proud of the basic simplicity that provides this country with an overall literacy rate of nearly 100%. I have had many students and more than a few aquaintances, both Korean and Western, tell me that it only takes 30 minutes of study to be able to read basic Korean. Call me gullible, but I believe them.

That being said, one of my more memorable experiences from my first months here was the direct result of my not heeding the advice of those around me by not learning to read. My coworker, Dean and I decided we wanted to go for dinner after a particularly long work day. Craving something new but not wanting to walk far or wait long, we opted to see what we could find on the other side of Hagwon Ga, the street where we work. After wandering for a bit, we walked past a restaurant with couches, a bar, and a poker game going on. Noting that we both liked all of these things, we went in, sat down, ordered a few beers, and took a look at the menu. Dean took a particular interest in learning the language upon his arrival, and knowing that he was more informed than myself, I let him handle the ordering. He approached the proprietor, and pointed at an item from what he thought to be the 'chicken' portion of the menu having learned that I don't eat red meat after the 'oxtail soup incident.' The lady at the counter asked him some questions with an incredulous look on her face. Dean, doing what we all do, nodded out of ignorance. This sort of sums up the rest:

No pictures, just point.

I am eating chicken feet.

Gotta learn to read.