By Barry White

There have been a lot of interesting explorations of culture and stereotypes in the pages of The Korea Times lately. I thought I'd share my views on the topic. I recently had occasion to travel back and forth from Korea to Canada and there were so many Koreans on board the flights. I think my observations make for some delicious food for thought.

Speaking of food, it seems like food is extremely important for Korean people. I read that sharing food is a major part of the culture here. Perhaps this is why all these visitors to Canada were toting ramyeon and other snacks with them. I wanted to let my fellow travelers know they could find such items in Canada but perhaps the Shin Ramyeon is not quite as spicy when it's purchased in Canada.

Thinking about Korean people bringing their own food with them makes me think they are not risk takers but like to have items they are familiar with. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but when I travel to a new country I like to be sure to try out the local delicacies. I fear Korean travelers are missing out on this type of experience.

Another marked difference between the Korean and Western traveler is in the noise they make. Koreans are silent on planes and buses while we Westerners can be quite the opposite. A Korean friend once told me the policy is "no talking in transit" in Korean culture, and this matches with what I saw on the airplane and what I have seen on Korea's shiny high speed railways.

Passengers simply do not make noise (aside from the occasional uncle who snores after dosing off). It is remarkable how quiet Koreans are while traveling. This is contrasted by their decibel level in the airport. It is startling to consider the peaceful people from the plane are the same exact people found drinking and shouting at the airport .

On many occasions I have had to extricate myself from a pack of Koreans threatening to ruin my peaceful vibe with their assaults on my ears at the airport. I realize in Korea the Chinese and Americans have reputations for being too loud, but I'd like to encourage my Korean friends to consider their own volume when hanging out in airports and bus stations and when talking on cell phones in public.

Hearing a significant minority of people ignore all sense of decency in public places might make someone think that Koreans are rude or uncaring about others. I don't think this is the case. I just think Korean people have different rules for public behavior than we do back in North America.

An example that shows the kindness of Koreans is the elderly woman who was in the seat in front of me on the plane. This grandmother made sure it was completely with me if she moved her seat back and triple checked that it was still okay with me after about 20 minutes. I thought this behavior was very kind and sweet. It also contrasted with my own behavior on the same flight because I moved my seat back with no care or concern for the passenger behind me. I was impressed with the care of this elderly woman who also offered me snacks.

A famous truism about Korean passengers is how they rush off the plane at the first moment and this was true in my experience. It was comical to hear the flight attendants calmly explain that people cannot get up until the seatbelt sign is off. Perhaps this is an example of the "ppalli ppalli" culture we have heard so much about, or perhaps it is about a disrespect for authority or about something else. Another theory is that in the past people who flew internationally were the rich so this bourgeoisie "above the law" mentality, as exemplified by Heather Cho persists. All I know is that I have not seen such a rush from people from other countries. I think it is actually more cute and endearing than annoying or bad, especially because we all get off the plane at the same time anyway.

As more and more Koreans travel internationally I hope Western people will become more acquainted with the unique and special traveling style of the Korean traveler. I am sure Koreans will become more and more popular as tourists. I hope they can share their joy of traveling as well as some snacks with their hosts and fellow travelers.