By Bernard Rowan
I'm not feeling sad, a la the Julie Andrew's song from "The Sound of Music." I'd like to tell you about some of my favorite Korean keepsakes. I don't have a treasure trove or anything monetarily valuable to speak of. However, my favorite things are icons of humanity. They keep me thinking about Korea around the year!
I bought several lacquerware jewelry boxes in Insadong for my mother, wife, daughter, and sisters. They're beautiful with the mother-of-pearl pearl inlays. They make me think of Korean refinement and intimacy in family relations. Korean handicrafts remain staples of tourist shops, but each one represents more than the artisan or art form. Each opens a window to Korea.
My best friend's wife gave me a grain or rice scoop. Made of beautiful wood, it hasn't lost its luster in twenty years. I heard boys who wet their pants had to wear the scoop upside down! More generally, it reflects Korea's agrarian and agricultural roots. If in Seoul, visit the National Folk Museum of Korea. Its many artifacts and displays well portray Korean agricultural life.
A beautiful ceramic pot stands in my living room. My wife uses it for flowers or other arrangements several times each year. My mentor, or hyung as he eventually told me, and his wife gave it to me on a visit to Korea. Its simple coloring and generous space represent the outlines of Korea's generous and receptive spirit.
I own a cutlery set given by some close friends as a wedding present. While they aren't valuable, I use them. The Korean spoon is longer than the European variety and preferable for various uses. It reminds me of Korea when I prepare my daughter's breakfast each day.
I have a simple artwork of a wife, husband, and daughter that I bought in Insadong. It represents for me the integrity of family and its foundational meaning for all societies, including Korea.
I also have a beautiful wall hanging of several Korean mountains. I own a collection of films by Im Kwon-taek on DVD. I also have several CDs of mungmyo jeryeak and pansori singing. I enjoy viewing and listening to these present-day renditions of traditional Korean music and poetry and life. I'd like to spend more time in the beautiful mountains of Korea for reflection and exercise.
I own a deck of hwatu cards. Although I've heard it's a game for naughty boys, that likely reflects a bias against wagering. I've never played for money. I've had fun and taught others to play too. The cards also open a window to many parts of Korean culture.
In my office is a picture of Hwangudan. That's a place now located between the Westin and President Hotels in Seoul. Behind it is my friend's picture, taken during my first visit in 1998. Hwangudan was an altar where the last king of Korea made sacrifices to bring heaven to earth. Korea has been a place where through friendship and learning, heaven has come to earth for many people ― including me.
I've seen the collections of grand people in the distant past who'd visit exotic countries as a rite of passage before assuming their adult lives in the family lineage. I'm not aspiring to be a colonizer's poor mimic. These possessions are talismans of meaning, friendship, and learning. They record my life as a student and friend of Korea. They preserve memories that shall be with me until the day I die ― and beyond. They help me share what I know about Korea with family, friends, and acquaintances. They encourage me in my lifelong search to be a friend of Korea. Do you have favorite Korean things?
Bernard Rowan (browan10@yahoo.com) is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University.
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I bought several lacquerware jewelry boxes in Insadong for my mother, wife, daughter, and sisters. They're beautiful with the mother-of-pearl pearl inlays. They make me think of Korean refinement and intimacy in family relations. Korean handicrafts remain staples of tourist shops, but each one represents more than the artisan or art form. Each opens a window to Korea.
My best friend's wife gave me a grain or rice scoop. Made of beautiful wood, it hasn't lost its luster in twenty years. I heard boys who wet their pants had to wear the scoop upside down! More generally, it reflects Korea's agrarian and agricultural roots. If in Seoul, visit the National Folk Museum of Korea. Its many artifacts and displays well portray Korean agricultural life.
A beautiful ceramic pot stands in my living room. My wife uses it for flowers or other arrangements several times each year. My mentor, or hyung as he eventually told me, and his wife gave it to me on a visit to Korea. Its simple coloring and generous space represent the outlines of Korea's generous and receptive spirit.
I own a cutlery set given by some close friends as a wedding present. While they aren't valuable, I use them. The Korean spoon is longer than the European variety and preferable for various uses. It reminds me of Korea when I prepare my daughter's breakfast each day.
I have a simple artwork of a wife, husband, and daughter that I bought in Insadong. It represents for me the integrity of family and its foundational meaning for all societies, including Korea.
I also have a beautiful wall hanging of several Korean mountains. I own a collection of films by Im Kwon-taek on DVD. I also have several CDs of mungmyo jeryeak and pansori singing. I enjoy viewing and listening to these present-day renditions of traditional Korean music and poetry and life. I'd like to spend more time in the beautiful mountains of Korea for reflection and exercise.
I own a deck of hwatu cards. Although I've heard it's a game for naughty boys, that likely reflects a bias against wagering. I've never played for money. I've had fun and taught others to play too. The cards also open a window to many parts of Korean culture.
In my office is a picture of Hwangudan. That's a place now located between the Westin and President Hotels in Seoul. Behind it is my friend's picture, taken during my first visit in 1998. Hwangudan was an altar where the last king of Korea made sacrifices to bring heaven to earth. Korea has been a place where through friendship and learning, heaven has come to earth for many people ― including me.
I've seen the collections of grand people in the distant past who'd visit exotic countries as a rite of passage before assuming their adult lives in the family lineage. I'm not aspiring to be a colonizer's poor mimic. These possessions are talismans of meaning, friendship, and learning. They record my life as a student and friend of Korea. They preserve memories that shall be with me until the day I die ― and beyond. They help me share what I know about Korea with family, friends, and acquaintances. They encourage me in my lifelong search to be a friend of Korea. Do you have favorite Korean things?
Bernard Rowan (browan10@yahoo.com) is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University.
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