My Korean Husband

Intercultural Life

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Deodorant

Deodorant

Whenever I talk to other Caucasian women married to Korean men often the conversation eventually comes around to ‘What deodorant do you use? Which one is best?’

For those that don’t know, the majority of Korean and Japanese populations have a genetic mutation that means they don’t get the bacteria in their arm pits (because less of a certain sweat gland) that causes BO (body odour) that the rest of the world gets. So they don’t have to wear deodorant and never ever get that smell. That’s why when you do get the (very normal) BO smell and are married to a Korean person you have to be super careful because that smell will be even more offensive to them. Like it sucks in Australia when there are stinky people right? But we are pretty used to that smell even though it’s still gross. Imagine what it’s like for someone that rarely ever has to be around that smell and is suddenly bombarded with it.

Being in Korea means that lately I’ve rarely had to be overwhelmed with that type of body odour because I’m pedantic about not having it myself and I’m just always around Koreans, so when I do come across it in Seoul – wow it’s a shock! I forgot what it’s like. It lingers too. We have got into taxis and there has been a lingering smell and it’s like, “Foreigners have been in this taxi”. It’s something to consider when visiting or living in Korea and Japan – will your body odour cause some problems?

Mr Gwon saying “eww” at me putting deodorant on is just running joke between us. It’s something we always joke about. I am seriously jealous of Koreans not needing deodorant.

Some additional points: I recommend Dove or Rexona Clinical Care deodorants. They are a little bit more expensive but work so much better than normal deodorants. Also, Korean people can still get odours like anyone else- bad breath, feet smell etc, BUT they won’t get that universal BO smell from the armpits that everyone else gets. A few days without showering will produce a milder sour smell rather than the gut-wrenching, kill me now, smell that people can get!

We also joke about whether our kids will inherit the no smell Korean gene or be stuck with the stinky white gene. It’s a lottery and can go either way. I guess we will find out when they hit puberty and we sit them down and be like, “Congratulations!” or “I’m very sorry. You stink. Here’s some deodorant”.

CHRISTMAS IN SEOUL!

Our lovely friends Simon and Martina from Eat Your Kimchi invited us to Seoul for Christmas. We had a Christmas party on Christmas eve. It’s actually pretty hard to get all these types of food in Korea so it was a lot of effort to have a party like this. But it made it extra special. Here is a quick video… mostly of food.

And here is a vlog combining several days. We actually had a lovely relaxing time over Christmas so there wasn’t a whole lot of stuff to film.

Whatever

Whatever

Just a reminder that these comics are an accurate representation of our life. Haha.

I think this is the first time I’ve used a fart joke on the blog, I guess I’m being influenced by the Korean type of humour that I see constantly on dramas and gag concerts etc.

I still don’t know if there is a Korean equivalent of the word ‘whatever’ in English that has the same versatility.

Do Honey Butter Chips taste like bad butter?

This is the latest craze in Korea.

While I’m sure lots of people genuinely like them, we found them to not live up to the hype.

There are always many crazes in Korea, much more than in Australia, which I think relates to them being a small country and the way society is here. Many things that are not actually that good, especially foods, become very popular for a while and then disappear again.

I’ve also heard that the way products come to being popular in Korea can be different to many other countries. For example in another country there may be snacks made by a very small company, a start up company, but their product is so good that word of mouth spreads and they get bigger. The snack or food becomes popular because it’s good and the creators of it believe in their product and are passionate about it. In Korea, there are very big companies that dominate all industries, so when they want to make a good snack they can just throw money at it and create something and sell it whether it’s good or not. Smaller businesses don’t stand a chance against them. So if someone out there has made an actual good version of honey butter chips, it’s too difficult to promote against these huge companies that control everything.

Have you tried these chips? What chips do you think are nice in your own country?

Kimchi Spray and Presents

This week’s Commenting on Comments!

We will be in Seoul for Christmas! We are catching the bus to Seoul tomorrow. I’m really happy to have the chance to have a proper Christmas with friends.

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