Of Ramyeon and Dating: How it All Began

(This article of mine first appeared on PinoySeoul.com.) 

"Want to go inside for some coffee or tea?" 

This is the much-awaited open invitation uttered by a man or a woman in a Western romantic film or series. But in South Korea, it's not coffee or tea. It's ramyeon, everyone's favorite all-day any-day hot snack or meal. 

We've seen this in many K-drama scenes. Maybe, some have adapted this pick-up line in their dating life already, even though they are not Koreans. Haha! What does it really mean? 

In the book Life in Lockdown: I Caught the K-Fever (The First Wave), Seoul-based English teacher Kate Chang explained that the expression is just a simple invitation with no strings attached: "In One Fine Spring Day (봄날은 간다), the heroine Lee Young-ae tells the man who drove her to the front of her house: 'Do you want some ramen?’ (‘라면 먹을래요?’) After that, their love begins. Because of this scene, the sentence seems to have begun to imply otherwise. 'Do you want some ramen?’ (‘라면 먹을래요?’) simply indirectly expresses permission to come into one’s house. 

The movie in reference is a 2001 film with a character named Eun-soo, portrayed by Lee Young-ae. The phrase "Do you want to eat ramyeon?" was credited to her and become loosely translated in real life to mean: "Do you want to sleep with me?" 

This lovers' love affair with ramyeon had been seen in famous romantic comedies. Try watching What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?, Fight for My Way, Don't Dare to Dream, and lately Mr. Queen. Ramyeon became a centerpiece in some of the sweet scenes where the lovers shared intimate romantic moments, but not "that" moment. The characters were shown to be surprised every time an invitation involving the ramyeon would pop up. It's as if one of them meant something truly malicious. This makes the scene undoubtedly funny. 

Whether this line would taint the image of the innocent ramyeon or not would depend on how we use or abuse that expression. Slurping the ramyeon with gusto with a loved one looks (and tastes) much better, right?  

Having said this, what's your favorite ramyeon dish? Comment below and share your quick recipes. 

BTS, Dynamite Dance Culture, and Asians in America

(This article was first published on PinoySeoul.com by yours truly. Even though I do not live in the U.S., I'm moved by both: BTS's hit song and Asians in America being killed because of their race.)

It was at a convenience shop when I first heard Dynamite. On reflex, my foot began to lightly tap the floor while it plays as I checked the product label I was holding. I got distracted. I realized that it was the much-talked-about Dynamite song everyone was raving about worldwide. Back then I came to know why. It was catchy that I got into its net!

After that, I saw BTS’s appearances on my favorite program, The Tonight Show Starring JimmyFallon. I am not yet a K-pop fan. I’m only a big K-drama follower. But I must admit that Dynamite is a possible gateway towards that direction. I keep playing Dynamite every day. If only Alexa could complain, it would hate me for asking to play the song many times a day. Dynamite has become a staple in my dance workouts, too. I’ve discovered there are too many YouTube instructional videos of Dynamite choreography; not to mention TikTok’s overwhelming content about Dynamite created by different users.

With the group’s meteoric rise, assets in billion dollars, international accolades, and achievements, BTS has truly paved the way for an overhauled dance culture in an otherwise Western-dominated industry. (I’m not even speaking of Blackpink yet.) Google BTS and you will be led to tons of information on the success attached to their name.

But with this uplifting progress for Asian talents, we’ve seen and heard racist commentaries connecting BTS and blaming other Asians in general for the emergence and rise of COVID-19 cases. Worst of all, an incident, too serious to be ignored, happened when a group of Asians was killed in an outrageous attack recently in Georgia. Not all Asians are Chinese. And even if every Asian in the U.S. is Chinese, nobody deserved that.

It was not long ago that black people were the target. Now it is Asians. What is happening in the world? Is hate truly more empowering than kindness? I am not even saying “love” because you can be kind without love. Kindness is basic. I will not go to etymologies and euphemisms. Let’s admit that prejudice is everywhere. Even your people can be biased. Apart from skin color, others gauge us by money, accent, profession, and many other standards. But our biases should not lead us to hate that would eventually lead us to kill. Our biases should be overpowered by our humanness the basic components of which are logic, and civility, if not respect. Now I can honestly say that it’s not just black lives, but Asian lives matter as well, most especially in America.

On a positive note, proving that not all whites are biased against Asians, some personalities and influencers in the U.S. expressed support for the anti-Asian sentiments and love for BTS. I strongly agree that the majority of white Americans have not become insecure that the music scene has been overtaken, temporarily or otherwise, by extraordinary talented Asians from the East. I pity those whose worldview has been poisoned by their self-centered supremacist ideals. It’s just sad that BTS had to be that icon to bear the brunt. They’re supposed to only entertain the world through their excellent musicology. But they’ve become the dartboard of this anti-Asian virus that’s plaguing the U.S. Apart from redefining dance culture, if disentangling from this hate culture means singing, dancing, and speaking with Asian pride, then so be it, BTS. Continue to mobilize your ARMY!

#StopAsianHate #StopTheHate #AsianLivesMatter

(My article is quite serious. So here's a light video to add to your YouTube "likes": The Roots and BTS performing Dynamite. Tell me what you think of the issue by commenting below.)

Into the Light

One of the great things in walking with God is the enlightenment that goes with it. It opens one's eyes to the truths and shuns all the foolish ways one is accustomed to. 

I like this video of our pastor talking about how the transformation took place. Blinded by an occultic practice, he does not pattern his life after the ways of the world anymore. He lives by the power of a sound mind and heart through a life found in the Lord.

This is a funny but truthful video that is worth watching.

Click to watch.