Dear Friends and Family,

One morning I went for a run and as I neared home, I popped into the corner store across from my apartment to pick up water. Having not yet discovered a brand of drinking water that I like, I selected a promising green bottle from the ‘fridge, paid, and took it home. Upon securing the lock behind me, I advanced to the kitchen sink, untwisted the lid, tipped the bottle back for a hefty slug, and immediately spat whatever I had bought back out. It was terrible; I was thirsty. And piqued. Without hesitation, I poured the offending liquid down the drain.

A few days later, a compulsory faculty social lunch was announced and at 12:30 on the dot, the faculty room emptied and we all streamed towards cars. We drove about a half of mile, parked and trooped into the backroom of a restaurant that had been prepared for our arrival. We folded our legs next to low tables and picked tasty bites from bowls with our chopsticks while pork and garlic fried on the gas burners in the center of each table. I was seated with other ladies one table away from the table with the principal, vice principal and other important school officials. I was able to enjoy my lunch while noticing that bottles of traditional soju were brought to the important table and the men were pouring it for each other. As the meal progressed, their smiles grew deeper and their laughter louder.

Towards the end of the meal, the men asked me if I’d like to try soju. I was curious and readily assented. The waitress drew up to the table with a green bottle and a familiar label and it suddenly hit me, I had already tried soju! I laughed and while I very properly supported one wrist with one hand and held out my shot glass the other, I explained. “Hah! Korean water! Soju is Korea’s water!” one of the teachers laughed and I laughed with him.

What is soju, you may ask? Soju is the Korean alcoholic beverage and in Korea, the consumption of soju is nigh inevitable. Soju is a social beverage and has a number of social niceties – minefields – attached to its consumption. I was debriefed before that first faculty lunch. First of all, if a superior hands you a glass, you must accept the soju and at minimum, you must make the pretense of drinking it. Only empty glasses may be filled and if one’s glass is about to be topped up by a social superior, one must hold the glass with two hands, which in actuality means holding the glass in one hand and reinforcing the glass’s support with your other hand, a ritual that apparently originated from dangling hanbok sleeves. You may not fill your own glass – others are expected to do it for you. Not that an empty glass is a concern, there is always someone eager to fill your glass for you. Believe me. And there is also some rule about not looking elders in the face while drinking soju – but I’m doing my best to avoid a situation in which observing this rule becomes necessary.

Anyway, now that I’ve learned to identify “Korean water” (ha ha), I enjoy the stuff although I remain terrified of causing social offense. Happily, my mistakes so far remain laughable… and I’ll drink to that!

--Laura

PS: You may wonder: what does soju taste like? I understand that soju’s main ingredient is rice but that it is apparently combined and distilled with another grain such as wheat or barley. The result is clear-colored, cheap, a tad sweet, and potent. Good soju has been compared to vodka. As a sometimes vodka and sometimes soju drinker, I find this an apt comparison. Some prefer to mix soju with a Fanta soft drink but I find this concoction too sweet. I’ve learned to like soju as it comes, once I realized what I was drinking.

Cheers!