The River of Drinks
Korean's drink a ton. More accurately, many drink a ton's worth of alcohol each year. A report came out a few years ago showing how South Koreans drink the largest amounts of liquor per capita. Take that Russia!
Source: Quartz
We don't drink as much beer or wine as worldly counterparts but there is no contesting the whopping 13.7 shots per week on average for each adult. In terms of soju, the mainstay schnapp, that's a few bottles per person. Now consider that it's an average with some juggernauts downing almost a dozen bottle a week while others only take a few gulps.
While the average city-dwelling American or European may only go out for drinks once or twice a week max, it isn't surprising for Korean adults to eat out and drink socially a few weekdays minimum. Coworkers M-F and friends/family on the weekend. Anyone who has roamed the streets of Seoul or Busan know how easy it is to squeeze a bit inebriation into your schedule.
There are a number of motivations that exist in Korean society that effectually coerce most to heavily partake in drinking culture. It can be to relieve work or school stress, ease tensions on a date, show reverence to a boss, catch up with old friends, and destroy all your inhibitions for the night. Drinks sneak themselves into many unlikely scenarios and I'll probably explore this in a future post.
Drinking culture isn't without its drawbacks of course. Besides the longterm depreciation of health, elevated liver and heart-related issues, and an overall red-faced issue, hangovers are just about the God-dang worst, especially if weekday drinking leads to workday hangovers. The ubiquity of this mind-numbing issue has laid the foundation for industries created just to minimize this man-made problem.
Just the Right Brew
7/11-type corner stores are everywhere in Korea. They stock refreshments, snacks, alcoholic drinks, household items, and cigarettes – anything and everything you might need at all points in a day. Although many variants of these stores exist – 7/11, GS25, CU, Minimart – they all have stock supply of essential. In other words, items held in these corner stores are the bread and butter of Korean daily consumption.
Source: ATK Magazine
If you look closely in the fridges near the alcohol section, you'll see these smaller bottles -
Source: Vice
These little beauties are herbal hangover cures. The taste is pretty bitter like long-form medicine. This particular can is popular with the older crowd of bingers and other, more tummy-friendly options are available as well for the approximate 60% of Koreans who reach for a drinkable cure the morning after. Warm honey water, natural ginger root beverages, and a swath of other mysterious liquids that promise to relieve you. Koreans know by now that you can't go to a bar without a plan and these drinks are only the beginning.
One Shot!
A few days ago, I had to visit a clinic in Seoul for a quick checkup for a slight injury and whilst I was in the lobby, I came across this sign -
Try to focus on the taped-over portion...
I don't know how noteworthy this is for a Korean national but as a Korean American, this middle position was mind-blowing. “$22 for a hangover shot, 40-50 minutes.” While a severe morning-after might ruin one's typical day, this little dose promises to wipe that all away.
I soon learned that morning-after hospital treatment isn't the most uncommon thing. Some even seek out IV drips to regain one's senses and push out the previous night's crooked consumption. It seems counterintuitive to visit a hospital rather than reducing the harmful activity. But again, there are a myriad of reasons why heavy drinking is so common, encouraged, and to this day, still a mainstay component of daily Korean life. When you can't stop drinking, stop the hangover.
Steem on! Cheers!
NIcely Blog...
Good Post 👍👍👍
Thanks for reading!
한국 문화라고 하면 '술'을 빼고는 이야기를 할 수 없을 정도로 대표적이라 ^^;; 한국인으로서 쬐금 민망한 웃음이 나지 않을 수가 없네요. :)
If you say Korean culture, you can not talk except 'sake'. As a Korean, I can not help but smile a little bit.
(I do not know whether it was written in English using translator.)
그래도 숙취해소제 하나만큼은 효과가 확실하지않나요? ^^
Is it still so effective as the first one? ^^
good posting!
Sentya님! 읽어주셔서 감사합니다. 맞습니다. 좀 웃이고 좀 민망?하기도하고... 그 숙취 문화도 술처럼 독함니다 ㅎㅎ 다른 문화에서도 숙취가 있지만 그것을 actively 해결 하는 것은 현명하다 생각합니다.
Love the post, that is hilarious!
Thanks for reading!
I knew about the hangover cure drinks in Korea, but going to the hospital the next day!? This is next level 😆👌🏻
I've said this once before and I'll say it again, Korea needs to seriously consider legalizing weed in order to reign in its alcohol consumption 😉
I've actually never heard that argument before @howardblott!! That's an excellent idea. You can still be prisoned for several years just for having weed residue.
Weed would help with the problems of domestic abuse, aggressive alcoholism, the myriad of health problems, and offer a great new strategy for Koreans of all ages to bond over =)
@hansikhouse is there any movement for weed legalisation in Korea? I've always been curious because most Koreans I meet outside of Korea always want to try weed when they're visiting places in Europe like Amsterdam, but whenever I go to Korea and mention weed people don't really seem to care.