Soy Bean Paste and White Jade

So, back to the original purpose of this blog page, today, I want to talk more about Korean culture! I would say (and I know for a fact) in Korea we have many traditions and foods that a lot of Americans would probably squint at. One of them being soy bean paste. It is known for its funky, a slight ammonia-like smell; but I can promise you it will be the best thing you've ever had. But growing up, I had many of my friends describe my lunch with the soy bean paste as smelly and funky which is kind of disturbing to me because it's just another culture just like how Americans have their own culture. 

Another example of Americans being unsettled by Korean culture is probably our pale-skin beauty standard. I realize beauty standards can be bad and take a toll on many people but, originally, it's purpose and meaning (at least in the Korean society) was for people to be more like a "white jade" which symbolizes purity and an untarnished beauty in Korea. And recently, I saw a TikTok where this white lady was bashing Koreans for having a pale-skin beauty standard, while she had an immense amount of fake tan on her skin (she mentions in her other videos)! I love to tan myself, and I get that the American beauty standard is being more tan and looking "healthy" but I was astonished at how ignorant and dismissive she was about other cultures and their standards. Just like how Americans have their own beauty standards, other cultures have their own.

After reading Body Ritual Among the Nacirema by Horace Miner, I'm realizing Americans often view other cultures as weird, irrational, or inferior but the reality is that we're all the same. Americans are not more "advanced" than other culture. The issue is not necessarily the cultures but the ethnocentric mindset that assumes one way of living as the default. I hope we can grow to appreciate other cultures more in the future.