Earlier tonight we had a staff dinner for all of the teachers and staff at our school. Work dinners are nothing new, of course. We've all been taken out to dinner by our bosses at one time or another. The point is to improve morale among the troops and to show appreciation for their hard work.
Our staff dinner took place at a very nice little place on the outskirts of town. Their main course on the menu was a duck bulgogi, which is like a thick stir fry of duck, vegetables, and a spicy brown sauce. We sat on the floor Korean style and each table had a burner with a large bowl of sizzling duck bulgogi to share. Each burner was surrounded by several side dishes like Kimchi, garlic cloves, soybean paste, onions, peppers, and lettuce leaves.
Our supervisor picked us up at our apartment and drove us out to the restaurant and we were the first to arrive. We sat on the floor and shared a bottle of Fanta soda as all of the other teachers and staff began to slowly trickle in the door. We were all seated together in a huge dining room. I was eager to start eating the sizzling meal in front of me, but I looked around and realized that none of the other 30 teachers were eating. Everyone was waiting to eat until the owner of the school, our big boss, had taken her first bite. I snuck a few bites of marinated bean sprouts with my chopsticks, on the sly. Finally we all dove in.
The room was filled with conversation and teachers enjoying some social time. I was the only guy in a room full of 30 Korean women. All were under 35-ish, except the owner, and very pretty. I can't say it was a very bad experience...
Soon the eating slowed and the owner began speaking. It was strange that she hardly even raised her voice at all but 30 women were instantly silent as they let her have the floor immediately. I looked around the room as she spoke and saw that all eye gazes were either directly on the boss or just slightly lowered to an unspecific point on the table. All of the teacher's faces were emotionless and all was quiet as the school's owner spoke. It was all in Korean, obvicously, so Nikki and I had no idea what was being said. After several minutes of speaking, Nikki leaned over to me and whispered, "Is this a bad talk?" I shrugged. I couldn't gauge whether we were getting berated or celebrated.
After some more talking the owner seemed to come to a conclusion and the teachers let out a controlled laugh (as we all often do when the boss tells a joke) and everyone clapped. I whispered to Nikki, "I guess it wasn't bad." A few minutes later our supervisor translated. The school's owner basically said that we were all a team and we should remember that we all work together and we should respect each other. She said that she organized and paid for this dinner so that we could socialize and build relationships with each other to make working together easier. Work dinners are the same around the world.
I was sitting on the floor, blissfully tearing through the duck stir-fry with my chopsticks- taking some duck and sauce, putting it on a thin slice of sweet radish, topping it off with some bean sprouts and garlicy soybean paste, folding it up, and eating. I was washing it down with some pineapple Fanta and mostly ignoring all the Korean lady teacher talk when I saw that beer and soju (The Korean liquor of choice) were being poured into small glasses and passed around to everyone. A toast was coming.
After much deliberation and giggling from the teachers about who should give the toast (all of which I didn't understand and mostly ignored), everyone in the room seemed to be looking at me and smiling. My supervisor took a few words from the big boss and leaned over to me, smiling. "She wants Steve Teacher to say a few words. So, um, yes, stand up please." So I obliged. What else was I to do? The only man in the room, you gotta step up when the boss calls your name.
So I stood up and looked upon a dining room full of Korean women. I've never given an official toast, but I've participated in my fair share. So I said whatever came to mind, knowing that 90% of it wouldn't be understood by the staff. I'm unable to recall the exact words, but it was something along the lines of, "Thank you all for being here. Thank you _____ for this very nice dinner. It is nice to see all of the teachers of our school all here having a good time together. So, enjoy your food and drinks and...(I raised my glass) bottoms up!"
From the tittering laughter and the need to translate the term "Bottoms up" over and over again I took it that my toast was a success. After this the hostess came in to our room to make fried rice at our tables. We enjoyed some more conversation and then walked outside where there was a small campfire and some benches. The teachers milled around and talked and took pictures. Everyone seemed to be in a delightful mood. The host and hostess offered cups of coffee and some sweet potatoes that had been roasted under the fire's coals. Everyone's mood was happy and the staff dinner was a success.
Our staff dinner took place at a very nice little place on the outskirts of town. Their main course on the menu was a duck bulgogi, which is like a thick stir fry of duck, vegetables, and a spicy brown sauce. We sat on the floor Korean style and each table had a burner with a large bowl of sizzling duck bulgogi to share. Each burner was surrounded by several side dishes like Kimchi, garlic cloves, soybean paste, onions, peppers, and lettuce leaves.
Our supervisor picked us up at our apartment and drove us out to the restaurant and we were the first to arrive. We sat on the floor and shared a bottle of Fanta soda as all of the other teachers and staff began to slowly trickle in the door. We were all seated together in a huge dining room. I was eager to start eating the sizzling meal in front of me, but I looked around and realized that none of the other 30 teachers were eating. Everyone was waiting to eat until the owner of the school, our big boss, had taken her first bite. I snuck a few bites of marinated bean sprouts with my chopsticks, on the sly. Finally we all dove in.
The room was filled with conversation and teachers enjoying some social time. I was the only guy in a room full of 30 Korean women. All were under 35-ish, except the owner, and very pretty. I can't say it was a very bad experience...
Soon the eating slowed and the owner began speaking. It was strange that she hardly even raised her voice at all but 30 women were instantly silent as they let her have the floor immediately. I looked around the room as she spoke and saw that all eye gazes were either directly on the boss or just slightly lowered to an unspecific point on the table. All of the teacher's faces were emotionless and all was quiet as the school's owner spoke. It was all in Korean, obvicously, so Nikki and I had no idea what was being said. After several minutes of speaking, Nikki leaned over to me and whispered, "Is this a bad talk?" I shrugged. I couldn't gauge whether we were getting berated or celebrated.
After some more talking the owner seemed to come to a conclusion and the teachers let out a controlled laugh (as we all often do when the boss tells a joke) and everyone clapped. I whispered to Nikki, "I guess it wasn't bad." A few minutes later our supervisor translated. The school's owner basically said that we were all a team and we should remember that we all work together and we should respect each other. She said that she organized and paid for this dinner so that we could socialize and build relationships with each other to make working together easier. Work dinners are the same around the world.
I was sitting on the floor, blissfully tearing through the duck stir-fry with my chopsticks- taking some duck and sauce, putting it on a thin slice of sweet radish, topping it off with some bean sprouts and garlicy soybean paste, folding it up, and eating. I was washing it down with some pineapple Fanta and mostly ignoring all the Korean lady teacher talk when I saw that beer and soju (The Korean liquor of choice) were being poured into small glasses and passed around to everyone. A toast was coming.
After much deliberation and giggling from the teachers about who should give the toast (all of which I didn't understand and mostly ignored), everyone in the room seemed to be looking at me and smiling. My supervisor took a few words from the big boss and leaned over to me, smiling. "She wants Steve Teacher to say a few words. So, um, yes, stand up please." So I obliged. What else was I to do? The only man in the room, you gotta step up when the boss calls your name.
So I stood up and looked upon a dining room full of Korean women. I've never given an official toast, but I've participated in my fair share. So I said whatever came to mind, knowing that 90% of it wouldn't be understood by the staff. I'm unable to recall the exact words, but it was something along the lines of, "Thank you all for being here. Thank you _____ for this very nice dinner. It is nice to see all of the teachers of our school all here having a good time together. So, enjoy your food and drinks and...(I raised my glass) bottoms up!"
From the tittering laughter and the need to translate the term "Bottoms up" over and over again I took it that my toast was a success. After this the hostess came in to our room to make fried rice at our tables. We enjoyed some more conversation and then walked outside where there was a small campfire and some benches. The teachers milled around and talked and took pictures. Everyone seemed to be in a delightful mood. The host and hostess offered cups of coffee and some sweet potatoes that had been roasted under the fire's coals. Everyone's mood was happy and the staff dinner was a success.
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