SOUTH KOREA

Korea Food Kimchi

By Hae Mi Kim

Kimchi is a very important food in Korea. Koreans have been eating Kimchi for a long time. The original meaning of Kimchi originated from salted vegetables. There are 336 kids of Kimchi. People make different kinds of Kimchi in different seasons. Making Kimchi is not easy and also requires a lot of ingredients and a lot of patience. Koreans made a lot of food with Kimchi, for example, Kimchi stew, Kimchi pancakes, Kimchi stir, Kimchi fired rice and Kimchi with Ramen. My favorite kinds of Kimchi are perilla leaf Kimchi, cabbage Kimchi and young radish Kimchi. Cabbage Kimchi is the most common Kimchi. Fresh cabbage Kimchi made lightly with napa cabbage is called Baechu Geotjeori and I make this often. Young radish Kimchi is made before radish grows big. And Yeolmu Kimchi is the most popular Kimchi in summer. I make Yeolmu Kimchi every summer. I made Perilla leaves Kimchi. I grow perilla leaves in my garden every spring. It grows really well. I am satisfied whit it. The scent of perilla leaves is unique like cilantro, so it could be different for people from other counties. And there is a Kimchi refrigerator in Korea that keeps Kimchi delicious for a long time. Also, I have it. My mom has two Kimchi refrigerators in Korea. They sell Kimchi in many markets and many people eat it. I hope you know that Kimchi is a traditional Korean food.

Small Talk In America

By Sammi Kim

What I like about American culture is 'Small Talk' rooted in kindness. The first feature of Small Talk is that it usually starts with "How are you! ". When I first came to America, I wondered why my neighbors asked me the same question every time. We meet every day, and my neighbors often come to my place. They already know that there are no special things happening to me. However, I'm asked each time, "How are you?". Why?, is it because of awkward? At first, I thought that it seemed unnecessary chit-chat. I felt uncomfortable because my English was not as good as it is now, and I could only say boring answers "good", "same old, same old", "nothing special" each time. However, After I realized that we could start with "How are you?" as a repeated question, we talked about a lot of other topics such as weather, gardening and our kids. It's better than each us just looking down at our phones. It turns out that every time I heard "How are you?", it was from their kindness.

The second feature of Small Talk is that even though we don't know each other but talk to me. When I go through the grocery store or I sit on the bench in the park, someone often says to me, "I love your shirt", "I love your hat". At first I turned around several times, because I misunderstood and thought they were talking to someone else who was behind me. Moreover, I genuinely believed that my shirt was good. I'm Korean, but I lived in Tokyo, Japan for over 10years. In Japan, it is rare for people who don't know each other to create conversations with someone else, compared to Korea. If someone talks to you, it would be for money or to force religious beliefs. However, I know now that if someone you don't know starts talking to you in America, it usually means to welcome conversation with you. The third feature of Small Talk is that common topics are always light. Someone might observe me and commend it such as my shirt, my hat. Of course, as an English learner, I'm not currently comfortable with 'Small Talk' either. It's not a "small", it's a "big" burden to me because it always comes suddenly when I'm not ready to listen in English. However, we can create conversations with someone we don't know each other with a smile by 'Small Talk' which is a wonderful American culture.

My Life Story

By Suji Lee

My father is Korean and my mother is Indonesian. I haven’t been to Korea for 8 months. I want to see my dad and friends in Korea. It is my first time immigrating to the United States. I am studying English and learning about the environment. I waited 10 years for my green card and immigrated to the United States. My mom invited me because of my pronunciation in English. I want to learn English properly because it is different from native English pronunciation.

Cultural Differences In Food

By Son Par k

The difference between Korean food and American food is that Korean food generally requires a lot of ingredients while American food is made in a simpler way with less ingredients. For example, hamburgers and fries is a common meal that only takes a few steps to make. Kimchi soup however, requires a dozen ingredients while making. Living in America, I have come to enjoy the taste of both cultures.

T Rkiye Transportation In T Rkiye And The Us

By Muharrem Yasar

How many people use public transportation in one day? Transportation is a way to move a person from one spot to another one. People use transportation to go to work, school or different countries. Different countries have different transportation. The United States and Türkiye are of course no exception to this. Differences in transportation between these two countries include traffic rules, using the bus, and plane travel. Having flexible traffic rules is the primary difference between the two countries. Türkiye has many flexible rules in traffic. Many roads have unlimited speed. That’s the reason a for more than a hundred thousand traffic accidents with death and injury. In contrast, in the US rules are very strict. Almost all people are careful about traffic rules. As a result, rules save people’s lives. Flexible rules are very common in Türkiye but drivers can die easily in traffic. The two countries have many differences in rules.

Another difference is using the bus. In Türkiye, life is very quick and moves fast. Many cars are very expensive after the pandemic. However, in the US people can buy a car easily. Young people can get driver’s license at 16 years old. In contrast, in Türkiye millions of people use the bus. For example, workers must use the bus to go work and many teenagers must use the bus to go to school or university. In US almost everyone has a personal car. In some households, people have one car each. Turkish people must use the bus but in the U.S. life is slow and drivers can go anywhere with a personal car.

A third difference is plane travel. Taking a plane is very expensive in Türkiye. Many cities are really close to each other. Taking a bus or car is a very easy way to go to another city. The US is a really big country. People cannot easily go by car to some states. On the other hand, at the entrance to the airport, it is necessary to pass a 3stage mandatory security check in Türkiye. So, plane travel is very easy in the US but it’s really hard to fly sometimes in Türkiye.

To sum up, there are three obvious differences in terms of transportation in Türkiye and the U.S. Each country has pros and cons regarding traffic rules, using the bus, and plane travel.