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Lexie
I live in Korea and came here as a vegetarian. I work in the public school system and we eat the cafeteria food together. At first I would pack my own food and I was always being bombared with questions.
Yes, my Korean co-workers were really concerned about my health. They just thought it was curious of me to intentionally make the choice to avoid eating a whole food group. Everytime I got sick they would imply it was in part due to my poor diet choices!
Also, food sharing is such a big part of Korean culture! In my experience I felt that if everyone was eating from the same dish, it was considered slightly rude to reject it. This made dinner outings quite difficult when I was the only vegetarian at a table! One co-teacher had told me that to reject a meal is to reject an offer of friendship.
Of course there is the Buddhist population and they have some lovely vegetarian restaurants, however they usually serve "temple food" rather than modern vegetarian creations. They also serve vegetarian meals at the temples.
This book takes it to another extreme of course, but I personally did find it kind of comical haha just because of how meat loving Koreans tend to be. :)
Yes, my Korean co-workers were really concerned about my health. They just thought it was curious of me to intentionally make the choice to avoid eating a whole food group. Everytime I got sick they would imply it was in part due to my poor diet choices!
Also, food sharing is such a big part of Korean culture! In my experience I felt that if everyone was eating from the same dish, it was considered slightly rude to reject it. This made dinner outings quite difficult when I was the only vegetarian at a table! One co-teacher had told me that to reject a meal is to reject an offer of friendship.
Of course there is the Buddhist population and they have some lovely vegetarian restaurants, however they usually serve "temple food" rather than modern vegetarian creations. They also serve vegetarian meals at the temples.
This book takes it to another extreme of course, but I personally did find it kind of comical haha just because of how meat loving Koreans tend to be. :)
Jeanne
I think her becoming a vegetarian is more of a symptom of the psychosis induced by the violence she suffered as a child than a dietary choice. She is rejecting meat because meat represents, to her, violence and blood and suffering. The book really has nothing to do with actual vegetarianism. Her parents reaction to her dietary choice was more a symbol of their need to control and their perception that her only role is to be completely submissive to the men in her life. Her husband is concerned because she is starving and she is not cooking meat for him.
Terence
Vegetarianism is still pretty uncommon in Korea, and many people would react as if you were just being "fussy" if you are announced that you were a vegetarian in a social setting. I don't know about individual families, but so much of Korean cooking is meat-based that it would be a problem. Restaurants are catering for this diet more, partly because of the influx of foreigners; but even here many restaurants react in a somewhat incredulous way if you ask that a meat dish not include meat.
Leslie
I don't think you have to go to Korea to experience this. As a vegetarian in northern California I still meet people that can't understand my choices (to eat vegetarian).
Rich Uncle Pennybags
To some extent, but really what's making them upset is the idea that Yeong-hye has any sort of will of her own and is no longer playing the role of a dutiful wife.
Jean Ahn
I am Korean but I do not find it weird or unhealthy to be vegetarian. One's diet is one's choice and call. I prefer vegetarian food to that of overly highly diet leaning on meat. Maybe I think it this way because I lived in Singapore for more than half of my life and seen many people who chose to be vegetarian so it was not something new to me.
Amanda Bredenkamp
There is a big unspoken outcry towards anyone who does not fit the bill or stick to the norm. Koreans like to abide by rules in the public eye. So being set apart from the norm makes you an outcast and no one wants to be an outcast. Likewise no one wants to have a family member who isn't normal because then they themselves lose face. It is so bad that mental health is not an actual thing in Korea. People just drink soju to get rid of stress. Men can be extremely forceful towards women. Especially older men. Korean culture teaches you that you have to obey your elders, no matter what they ask of you. Off course that makes rape and domestic abuse a big thing in Korea but it is simply swept under the carpet. Most households are held together by children. Men all have girlfriends and it's an accepted part of society that people don't speak about in the hopes of it going away. Housewives are often desperate for the affection of a men who aren't their husbands, because they often don't get it at home. People are required to date and marry people of their own age group, which isn't always so easy. So yes, the culture that has been portrayed in this book is quite spot on.
Renan
Hi Jen.
In Brazil, where I am originally from and where I lived until quite recently, the reaction to someone becoming vegetarian is frequently similar to what we saw in this book. The choice is often the target of mockery and seen with suspicion. However, the country is making progress. There are vegetarian and vegan restaurants popping up. One can also find animal rights groups there, and the occasional young adult advocating veganism in a supermarket. I even attended a lecture by Peter Singer there, where he was received with applause of the majority in the audience.
I went to a book club meeting in London where The Vegetarian was being debated. A local made fun of the book, taking the characters' attitude to vegetarianism as unlikely to happen these days. He probably feels like that because the London area is grown up when it comes to dietary choices. I am glad there are places like this, where one can be born and raised thinking that no one would ridicule vegetarianism/veganism.
In Brazil, where I am originally from and where I lived until quite recently, the reaction to someone becoming vegetarian is frequently similar to what we saw in this book. The choice is often the target of mockery and seen with suspicion. However, the country is making progress. There are vegetarian and vegan restaurants popping up. One can also find animal rights groups there, and the occasional young adult advocating veganism in a supermarket. I even attended a lecture by Peter Singer there, where he was received with applause of the majority in the audience.
I went to a book club meeting in London where The Vegetarian was being debated. A local made fun of the book, taking the characters' attitude to vegetarianism as unlikely to happen these days. He probably feels like that because the London area is grown up when it comes to dietary choices. I am glad there are places like this, where one can be born and raised thinking that no one would ridicule vegetarianism/veganism.
Kor Jacob
We, korean, try to respect whatever one's diet is when we're in social relationship. but as a family of one's, in korea, we think mixed diet is healthy thing, we do not think vegetarian diet or meat diet healthy for one's health like that. but not a incredible react like in this book. we just recommend for him or her.
Juniper
Bimibap, the delicious Korean national dish, hardly includes any meat. Asking for it without any never got any raised eyebrows.
Denise
When I was in Korea for a year, I started as vegan, and ended up vegetarian after 9 months (though I'm sure I accidentally had meat a few times). My co-workers were fine with it mostly. One said that sometimes, if she felt like eating vegetarian, she would ask for a Buddhist meal.
I think it's more acceptable for a foreigner among them to be vegetarian.
I think it's more acceptable for a foreigner among them to be vegetarian.
Joe
Unlike monks in Southeast Asia, and like Chinese monks, Korean monks have been vegetarian traditionally. Therefore, vegetarianism has been accepted or at least revered as something noble. In the context of the novel, her family could not accept it because they could not understand why she chose to be vegetarian all of a sudden. Besides, she was not a good vegetarian after all who would be responsible for herself.
H Lee
I am Korean and I am the only "vegetarian" in our family. For that matter, I am the only vegetarian when I am around my Korean friends & family. I am not a die-hard vegetarian, meaning I will eat meat if I need to. In Korean culture, social conformity is very important. You don't want to inconvenience anyone. Between that and gluten-free madness Americans here who ask what is in every food served, I would definitely prefer my culture. I am a silent vegetarian. I don't want to inconvenience anyone because of my diet choice that is based on the ethical issue. I think this is as Korean as it can get.
Amir Talai
I don't know, but remember that this book was released in Korea in 2007. It's safe to assume attitudes on vegetarianism were not as evolved as they are now.
Margarita
I just been to a Korean restaurant and went to Korea last year - had no troubles being a veg, I had the same reaction while reading. There are quite a few Korean dishes which are veg - friendly. But on the other hand Korean chicken and Korean bbq are the most popular types of meals...
Jin
time has changed and it is more accepted now than before.
Now more people are becoming vegetarian for health reasons.
But I think some are still against it.
Now more people are becoming vegetarian for health reasons.
But I think some are still against it.
Lou
Interesting question. When I visited Korea I remember going to a vegetarian restaurant run by Buddhist Monks. Everyone had recommended it and it was a strongly accepted part of the community.
Christi Nash
I knew a guy who lived in Korea for a while with his ex-wife, and they had a friend who was vegan when she moved to Korea, and she was almost forced to occasionally eat something with egg in it, or that had been cooked in fish broth (even if it didn't have actual fish) so she became more of a moderate vegetarian due to pragmatism. I also used to go to Korean spas a lot in LA and there are a few vegan things you can get, but even things that are "vegetarian" - especially in a jimjilbang overnight - probably have half of an egg or some fish sauce in them.
You also need to remember that there are Americans who treat vegans this way, sooo....
You also need to remember that there are Americans who treat vegans this way, sooo....
Soona Song
not as much as any other countries
Minna
I think older people might, but from my experience being Vegetarian/Vegan has become a lot more common and popular recently even in SK. There are tons of restaurants, vegan products, vegan communities and even vegan festivals. You will find a lot of SK Vegans on Instagram. And even my non Vegan Korean friends have been super open about me being Vegan, more so than other ppl I know. No one seemed to think it's weird, and they'd look up Vegan Restaurant options for me and go there together. But like everyone is different Im sure? Same in my homecountry, some are super open, others only make stupid jokes, some seem to think its weird/unhealthy.
عمر فايد
I guess the answer is that it is unhealthy and incredibly weird.
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