I need your help here my friends! You see naturally there are different table manners, and rules – when it comes to different countries…so what should I teach my Korean kids? The Western ways…or…do I try and get on board with the Korean etiquette? Help me out, please!
John Lee Taggart 
HAHAHA OMG! You’re just the coolest person ever and I love your Youtube videos, that’s so my humor, I could not stop laughing especially with the bamboo stick part! Hm…it’s difficult when it comes to table manners in other cultures, here in Sweden we also follow the proper manners like no elbows on the table, not eating with open mouth etc. Oh I wish I had some good advice , I’m too sleepy :p
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haha! I’m glad you’re enjoying them, they’re something new – and actually very fun to do for me! Not so fun to edit, haha! 😀 I’ll tell them about Swedish rules then, another one to add to their list 😉
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Haha that sounds great, can’t wait to read your next post! Happy Friday ;D
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Hmmm. Maybe have an English tea party. Ok, maybe not with actual tea (scolding issues with little kids) but dainty sandwiches and cakes and teach them Britsh manners like you and the Queen have. So it’d be straight backs, elbows off the table, pinkies out.
Then, the rest of the time, I’ll just send my husband round to take over from you at snack time. He eats like a rabid dog. Actually, I say ‘eats’, it should probably be best described as ‘inhales’. I swear, on occasion, there’s actual growling. And he wonders why I have to move away. I think he’d fit right in with your kindergarteners.
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hahahaha! Well we only have three in the class, he’s more than welcome to join us 😉
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I’m sure you could teach him a lot. (I’ll leave the poo needle thing for him as a surprise though.)
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It wouldn’t be fair if he got advanced warning, and I didn’t! haha!
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A blend of thier culture and British should work. For God’s Sake stay away from the American methods…unless they are eating Buffalo wings and pizza.
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hahaha! Thank you, noted! 😀
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You are so funny, I love all the faces and sounds you are making…hehehe…
I come from a different culture too although most of our practices were influenced by the Western style…
What I would suggest so you don’t end up sort of mocking their practices or ignoring their culture is to teach them of different practices in different cultures so it makes them culturally-aware and know how to practice “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”.
Diversity will always be a fact of life so it might be a good way to start your lesson that way? Just my two cents… 😉
By the way, I think you should make your own Gang Nam Style music video! Would be nice to see you dance, you seem like you have the moves! 😉
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Glad you enjoyed it! haha! I had a lot of fun with this one! But yeah…the dancing, perhaps not my strongest point 😉
You’re totally right in what you say about manners, and different cultures – it is great to teach them at such a young age, as they aren’t so set in their ways, or their views about other people! And are in general, a lot more open!
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Maybe we can initiate a signature campaign asking you to dance? I have a feeling a lot of people will sign up! Who else out there wants to see John dance? I DO!!! 🙂
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I say… just teach them respect. The rest will fall into place 😊 Very funny btw.
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Absolutely 🙂 glad yo enjoyed it too!
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Made me laugh! Thank you! Like someone else mentioned, I think the best way to go about it is teaching them to be culturally aware of different table manners.
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I’m glad 😀 and yeah, I do think that’s the best way forward – when I had a more advanced class I used to say that if they want to visit me in England, and have dinner with my family – they’d have to use English manners, haha! But with the low level of my class it’s a little more difficult. They’re starting to get it though 🙂
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They’ll have a better understanding as they age but they’ll come around 🙂
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I’m sure 🙂
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I know what you mean!! My parents always used to tell me off for bad table manners even though my aunty said it shows I was enjoying the meal… hahahaha
Even so, I think its best to just make them more knowledgeable about different cultures!! But they’re kindergarteners so I’m not sure it really matters at that age?? They’re like wild animals hahaha 😛
I think you should tell them that (no matter how they eat), they should always express their gratitude for the food, because that’s the main thing. Politeness goes a long way!!! 🙂
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Yes Emma, that is key! There at the stage where I’m trying to teach them please, and thank you – just general politeness really! I’m like you, haha! I was constantly drilled over table manners, haha! 😀
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Hahahaha that’s so cute!! I know a little kid who, whenever he was told to do something he didn’t want to (like go to his room), would say “no thankyou” hahaha!!
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I think the idea of the “pretend afternoon tea” is great. Have fun!
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haha! I’ll give it a whirl! 🙂
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I understand your problem. You are a teacher and you are supposed to widen your studen’ts horizon. I’d say that you should not teach them either or but both and. They should learn that in Korea the culture says eat with noises to show they like it but also that if they are together with people of other cultures they need to behave differently. And they can practice it in school 😉
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hahahaha love this video! 😀 So funny. You amazing facial expressions! As for the kids, I say let them do whatever & maybe someone in high school (or junior/middle) school will do the table manner teaching eventually before they are off to college abroad.
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Love the post! I was taught to discreetly watch the host and copy them. My ancient god mother was “very nice” and she was adamant that one should never be the first to finish. “It looks so greedy” she would say. If you are reaching the end of your meal she advised that you “toy with a pea” until the others are finished. 🙂
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haha, glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 I was taught the same actually, I used to “wolf down my food” or so people used to say – like a hunger switch went off and there was no controlling it!
I’ll try, and tell the kids about toying with the last pea 😉 that’s a good one!
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Ok American here..please oh please if you teach them anything…teach them to close their mouths when they chew.. I don’t care where you originate..no one wants to hear…or see your foody bits all over hahah..I just grossed myself out
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haha, I do for my own sake – I don’t want to see that either 😀
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Hilarious video! I do love your actions, I also got locked in the dungeon and got hit with a stick until I got my table manners right! I also like the idea of an English tea party. Tell them that some cultures are a bit weird, and oppressed! They have to eat like this…and then show them how we have to do it in the West!
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haha, good! 😀 It’s funny really, that traditions are so different from country, to country – they seem obsessed with Africa recently (not sure why – maybe because they’ve just learnt the word 🙂 ), maybe I’ll find out about their eating culture, and add that in the mix too, haha!
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Now you be careful, you might just be ‘biting off more than you can chew’ John!!!! 🙂
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Why change the habit of a lifetime though? hahaha 😀
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What I think? I think you should consider a career in stand up comedy. You are hilarious!
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Thank you, that’s very kind 🙂 just glad you enjoy the videos!
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After having watched a few of your other videos I fear my bladder strength wouldn’t be strong enough to watch this one. HAHA
I enjoy your humor (humour*) 😛
From a Yankee: Elbows off the table, chew with closed mouths/no talking while chewing, napkins not sleeves/clothes/hands. I also like the idea mentioned about an English tea party–How cool that would be!!
With that said I must tell about the time my mom was visiting an English friend of hers who was living in the US–married to a military serviceman.
While visiting, they had tea together. My mom’s friend asked her how took her tea. “Black.” (My mom rarely, if ever, puts anything in her tea). Her friend looked at her in surprise and said, “You’d be called Barbaric in England.” HAHA!!
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Glad you enjoy my humour (humor) 😉
I think your Yankee manners, are just about in keeping with my own – so good job, haha! And regarding tea…I am a drop of milk kind of fella, I know some who say that adding sugar is “common” – pfft, but not in my eyes! Anyway, tea is a hotly debated issue in England as I’m sure you can work out! haha!
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I’m engaged to marry an American (on Tuesday as it happens) and her six year old daughter who only came to England with her three months ago is already concentrating on “eating in English” like her friends do at school. It’s amazing what differences there are that we don’t realise until submerging ourselves in another culture.
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Oh! Congratulations first and foremost! 🙂 but you’re so right! The differences often only come to light until we are right there in the thick of it!!!
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You point theses things out in such a manner that they can laugh at themselves about it, and then developing good manners becomes something they’ll want to do. This will take some tact. But you’ve got what it takes. 🙂
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Yeah, that’s what I went with Melinda – I made a big scene out of any “bad” manners, and we all laughed together at it. Of course they’ll be back to it the next week – but we’ll get there eventually 😉
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