Things Koreans Are Really Good At

1. Sleeping on the Subway
   

   Apparently Koreans didn't get the memo from Petula Clark. Catch the subway at the right time (9, 10 at night, or the 5 am "zombie line" leaving Hongdae) and you'll see at least a few passengers out like a light. Some internal clock never fails to wake them before their stop, though; typically they'll suddenly shake themselves out of it a stop or two before they have to get off. While I, on the other hand, oversleep by at least two or three stops whenever I try this—granted, I haven't had to do this all that often.



2. Controlling Dogs With the Power of Their Minds
   

   There's no such thing as leash laws here. And while you will see a fair amount of dog owners with their dogs tethered, you see just as many who let their four-legged companion roam free during their daily walk. Even alongside busy streets at rush hour!



3. Doing Really Dangerous Shit Without Dying
   

   For example, riding side saddle or even standing on the back of a bicycle while their buddy bike-chaffeurs them to wherever they need to go. Without helmets. Unattended four-year olds are another favorite of mine—parenting is really hands-off in this country, at least in some ways. Drinking themselves into oblivion on a weeknight is also really popular, and I have to wonder what the rate of liver cirrhosis is in this country. A friend of mine I saw on Saturday told me, almost as if he didn't believe it himself, "I drank every night this week. I don't know how that happened."



4. Staying Really Skinny Despite Huge Serving Sizes of Calorie-Rich Food And A Drinking Culture That Rivals Ireland
   

   Even more mind-boggling when you consider that Koreans often work late hours and weekends. When do they find the time to burn all the calories they consume?