Stone House on Jeju Island by Brenda Paik Sunoo

Author:Brenda Paik Sunoo
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781624120053
Publisher: Seoul Selection
Published: 2018-10-26T00:00:00+00:00

Neighbors Bearing Gifts

Most of the time I’ve given flowers, wine, linen, or candles as a housewarming gift. In Jeju, one can skip the frills. When visiting a new home for the first time, Koreans are much more practical. Several years ago, I was invited to a friend’s new home in Gimnyeong Village. My taxi driver suggested we stop by the local market. I gave him money and entrusted him to pick out something appropriate, like a box of crisp Asian pears, plum wine, or canola flower honey. But no. He returned to the car with a super-sized package of thirty rolls of white toilet paper and a box of powdered detergent.

“What’s that for?”

“It’s the gift!”

“Really? Toilet paper?”

He explained that when a Korean family moves into a new house, the guests should express their wish for fine health, luck, and prosperity. The toilet paper, he said, represents the long life and good health. And if lucky and prosperous in the bathroom, the more toilet paper the better! Detergent, on the other hand, represents cleanliness and a fresh start.

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