Korea Life Blog - Subway Scenes (1)


Here we have two well dressed grandmothers engaged in a conversation during their commute. At this precise moment the grandmother to the right is gabbing away and the one on the left is thinking about something. Unfortunately I can't understand Korean, and even more unfortunately I can't read minds. However, it's sometimes fun to pretend I have those abilities. Here are a few examples of what I came up with.


1.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
In order to get a seat on the subway you have to be very quick. If you see an open spot but someone is beating you to it, quickly throw your purse on the seat (or at the person). If there is no seat, however, find a young man and scold him until he gets up.


The grandmother to the left is thinking:
Personally I think light green goes better with purple, but maybe I won't tell her.



2.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
I'm thinking about opening a deokboki and o-daeng stand. There's only 3 of them on my street. I know my deokboki is better than theirs.

The grandmother to the left is thinking:
She really needs to do something about her hair. That style went out years ago.


3.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
Young people nowadays have no morals. Just today I saw a man and a woman holding hands outside.

The grandmother to the left is thinking:
I'm in love with you and you don't even know it.


4.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
Foreigners are ruining this country. There's one over there with a camera. I bet he's trying to take a picture of young girls.

The grandmother to the left is thinking:
Where am I and how did I get here?


5.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
Young people these days have no style. Look at their plain clothes. Honestly, I don't know what they're thinking.


The grandmother to the left is thinking:
Say it again, sister.


6.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
Wait, is it me or does that guy with the camera look a little different? I'd better see the doctor.


The grandmother to the left is thinking:
I smell garlic.


7.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
In the old days we used to put the kimchi in jars and bury them in the ground until it fermented. Do you remember that time? That was when kimchi was really kimchi. A few years ago my son-in-law bought me a kimchi refrigerator, can you believe it? It's a refrigerator that's supposed to speed up fermentation. I don't want to hurt his feelings, but the kimchi is, well, a little bland, and...

The grandmother to the left is thinking:
Oh no, not this story again...


8.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
(panting) I told you we'd get a seat.

The grandmother to the left is thinking:
(panting) I told her we'd get a seat.


9.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
I don't care how much an apartment costs in Gangnam. My grandchildren deserve the best education. My son-in-law...


The grandmother to the left is thinking:
She dyed her hair again. Who does she think she's fooling?


10.
The grandmother to the right is saying:
When I went to Los Angeles to visit my sister, I went to McDonald's a few times. They have this hamburger called the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Just looking at it made me full. It came with enough french fries for 6 people. And I needed two hands to drink the cola. And they have a breakfast menu. I got this sandwich with sausage, egg and cheese. It was delicious. So I asked myself, why don't we have this at McDonald's in Korea? And milk - let me tell you. They sell it in gigantic plastic jugs. How much milk does a person...


The grandmother to the left is thinking:
She forgot to take her pills again. She's delirious.



Now it's your turn. Click on the comments link and give your versions of the scene. It's a lot of fun and readers all over the world will laugh along with you.