Lately, all I want to watch is Korean dramas on Hulu; I simply cannot get enough of them! I have not yet figured out why I like them so much but they are definitely overly sappy at times, and everyone knows I am the biggest sap. They may be romantic dramas, or romantic comic-dramas (I do not know if it is supposed to be so funny), but they are always about love.
The common template is very strongly an opposites-attract Cinderella-story, and only slightly more subtle. There is always a man or boy who is way, way, way out of the female protagonist's league in some way. He may be the richest, the smartest, the highest rank, or even, as in one of my favorites, she may think he is gay. The girl in all these dramas is on the other end of extreme; she is the dry cleaner's daughter with the scholarship to the good school, the bottom-ranked student who is temporarily homeless, the lowest ranked chef in the kitchen, the overweight foul-mouthed patissier, or the unemployed furniture designer. Fate always brings these two complete opposites together in a colossal bang!
Unlike Cinderella, it is not love at first sight; it is inevitably conflict at first crash. You know how this story goes, Hollywood does it all the time too. The two would-be lovers always hate each other and fight all the time. I have never had this happen to me in real life, even with my opposites! This makes for great entertainment.
I am not interested in the cliche-ed plot lines, but in the cultural differences in dating habits that are portrayed in these shows. The social rules of etiquette are very different from ours in most circles it appears. Let me offer some examples.
* Being roommates with a man, as a single woman is frowned upon (unless he is gay)
* Many parents insist on approving of the match and often try to arrange marriages as good business sense
* One kiss typically means you are dating, but does not happen first all the time
* Hand holding is perceived as a very strong sign of interest
* Professing interest in someone seems very straightforward and commonplace: "hey, I like you"
* Giving chocolates on Valentine's day is a very strong sign you like someone and you only give it to one person
Dating can mean spending time together, but rarely kissing, holding hands and most likely never being alone in an apartment for very long. Everyone around the couple seem to be sensitive to shows of affection. I find it almost like how I think of adolescent dating (the good adolescents, not the beer-swigging party animals that have sex really young)...it is sweet, and cute and almost without sexual tension. The kiss becomes the focus, not getting into anyone's pants!
I do not know if I would like dating to be that way or the way it is for me here in Minnesota. I can decide later, and get back to watching my latest Korean drama!
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