Etiquette Lessons (North Korea)

[quietthread]

It was Saturday, shortly before four PM, and Amira’s preparations for her friend had been long underway. For those such as Pakistan, or India, who she had over far more, it would be simple to get ready, but since North Korea and her seemed to mostly discuss business and nuclear power once they got together, except for fairly recently, she had to make sure that she was doubly prepared, ready to show off Iranian hospitality. She did hope that he was at least somewhat knowledgeable of her culture and customs, unlike that moronic America, but was not expecting him to be an expert on it. Hopefully he knew a little, correct?

Mixing together the sugar and the finely ground coffee beans in the water, which she had used a Turkish hand grinder on before, and setting them on a moderate heat, Iran ran through her snack list. Her plate of hummus was in the fridge, ready to be unwrapped and set out, the Turkish coffee was currently being prepared, the figs had been arranged on a plate, with a knife, in case North Korea wished to cut them in half, and the pita bread… Ah, she had yet to get that out. Slipping over to her cupboards, and keeping an eye on the coffee so it did not come to boil without her knowing, Amira pulled out her bag of small pitas out of her cupboard, taking them and arranging them on a small plate. There.

Before she could put the remained pitas away, however, she realized that the coffee was boiling, and quickly took it off the heat, setting it on one of the burners that was not in usage. Returning to putting away the bread, Iran mentally counted, prepared to put the coffee back on once it had been off long enough. And there, it was enough time. Setting the pot back on the burner, the nation collected the pitas and the dried figs, stepping away with her bare feet and setting them on the coffee table. With that, she surveyed her home, seeing if there was anything to adjust.

The brown tiled floors had been swept, and all of her handmade throw rugs had been shaken out thoroughly and straighten. Over in her living room, where they would be sitting, her deep red chairs and couch were in perfect working order, as well as her dark mahogany coffee table. Glancing down, Amira confirmed that yes, her shoes were off and she was not tracking dirt everywhere. Yes, she was all set. Returning to the stove and taking the coffee off of the burner for the second time, she glanced at the clock. Oh, he should be here any minute now. Taking the hummus out of the fridge and unwrapping it, she set it on the coffee table as well, before frowning slightly as she thought. Should she put more food out? It did not seem like much, but… North Korea was probably not used to coming and getting hospitality food, so she would leave it with this. If he did not like it, then she could take out more of the foodstuffs from the fridge, or simply add them when they had eaten all of one thing. Yes, that would work.

Going back once more to the stove, and putting the coffee on to boil for the last time, Amira got out two glasses, adding ice and water to them. They needed them to drink with the Turkish coffee, of course. Glancing at the clock again, the nation sighed. Had she arranged North Korea’s transportation, he would have likely been there already, but he was so paranoid… Even though it was not paranoia if someone was truly out to get you, it irritated her slightly that he could not feel safe in her country. As if she would let anything happen to a guest! That would be one of the highest insults upon herself, if she did!

Pushing away her thoughts, Iran returned to the now boiling coffee, taking it off the stove for the last time, and retrieving two ceramic mugs, carefully pouring in the coffee while trying to achieve the highest level of foam possible. Ah, North Korea would get the green mug, as it had the most foam. Good. Now all she had to do was wait for the other nation to arrive.

[Etiquette Notes:

• Many people throughout the Middle East, especially Arabs, take great pride in shows of hospitality, never failing to at least serve coffee and a snack such as figs but preferring to present guests with a lavish choice of expensive delicacies in abundance. To refuse such hospitality can cause offense.
  
• Hospitality is held in high regard throughout the Middle East. Some hosts take pride in the laborious preparation of what is known in Europe as “Turkish coffee”, grinding fresh-roasted coffee beans to a fine powder, dissolving sugar and carefully regulating the heat to produce a result that meets exacting standards.
  
• One must not stay with a ghayr mahram in seclusion where none of their mahrams is present. (One cannot stay with someone not related to you when none of your family is present… A rule which they are totally breaking.)
  
• Among Muslims, the left hand is reserved for bodily hygiene and considered unclean. Thus, the right hand should be used for eating. Shaking hands or handing over an item with one's left hand is considered an insult.
  
• Shoes should be removed before entering a living room.]

[North Korea]

It was about 45 minutes 'til 4 PM on a Saturday afternoon. North had just arrived at the airport, shadowed by a single North Korean guard who was to act as his driver today. He actually wasn't overly concerned about security for once considering he was in Iran, one of the countries he was closest with. He was on friendly ground here--or mostly friendly anyway. Sang Kyu wasn't overly familiar with the Middle East, but he was aware of how quickly things could change there. Either way, he felt more comfortable having at least one other person there. There were limited things that could seriously harm a nation, but on unfamiliar ground, he hated being alone.

He was actually looking forward to spending a little time in Iran. He didn’t leave his own country much—both because of his Dear Leader’s orders and his own loathing of most places outside his own little corner of the world. Iran, however, he knew would be a bit different from most other places. Sang Kyu had been there once or twice before, usually for meetings between the diplomats of the two countries, and though it was still rather different from his own home, there will still some things he enjoyed about the place.

His favorite thing about the country was that it was warm. For days on end he would be holed up in his personal residence in his own country wrapped in blankets in the winter, while when he came to Iran, he often wondered if the country even had a winter. Most of his clothing was completely unsuitable for the environment here—long sleeved or otherwise thick—and he’d nearly torn his house apart looking for something he wouldn’t have a heat stroke wearing.

What he’d eventually found wasn’t even short sleeved, but it was thin enough that he wouldn’t get too hot and not so formal he looked like he was going to a meeting or anything. This was just supposed to be a casual get-together, after all.

They’d arranged to rent a car in advance, so Sang Kyu and his companion went down to the parking lot to pick up the keys and locate the car. Soon enough they were in the car and on the road to Amira’s residence.

Iran seemed very lively compared to his own home. The streets were full of people going home from work or to dinner on foot, and, dare he say, the place almost seemed crowded to him. Even through the closed doors of the car he could hear the buzz of the people outside—street vendors and pedestrians alike holding conversations or calling out to those on the sidewalk ahead of them and generally just being noisy.

He stared out in fascination at the colorful signs that hung from some of the buildings, messages written in a script he would never hope to be able to decipher. The Arabic script was very elegant and beautiful in his opinion (though not quite as beautiful as Chosongul, of course). Still, he thought it would be a very interesting thing to learn how to write. In a way, it reminded him of China’s calligraphy.

Within about a half hour, they’d arrived at the address that Sang Kyu had been given by Amira. The driver pulled up outside the residence and glanced at Sang Kyu for further instruction.

“This is good,” North said simply, taking the single bag he’d brought from the seat beside him and pulling it onto his lap as he prepared to step out of the car. “You don’t need to stay here, so go explore the town or something,” he said, deciding to give the man considerably more freedom than he probably would’ve gotten on a normal day.

“You are sure?” the man asked him in Korean.

Sang Kyu nodded. “I will call you if I need you, though I don’t expect to.”

The man seemed to smile slightly. “I wish you the best then. Annyeonghi gaseyo, Im-ssi.”

“Annyeonghi geseyo,” Sang Kyu replied, stepping out of the car. He shut the door and watched in silence as the car drove away. He didn’t want the guard hanging around today anyway. Once it was out of sight, he turned and made his way to the door of Iran’s residence. What time was it? It may’ve been a little after 4, so maybe he was a touch late, but at least he was here. He knocked on the door casually and waited for an answer.

Notes:
-I don't have many notes yet djfksld.
-Annyeonghi gaseyo / Annyeonghi geseyo: Both mean goodbye, but the first means goodbye when the person saying it is staying, and the other means goodbye when the person saying it is leaving.
-ssi / Im-ssi: "Mr." title / Mr. Im

[quietthread]

Amira was surprised when the knock sounded, setting the glasses of water down on the coffee table, before quickly glancing at the clock to gauge the time. Oh, it was just a few minutes after four. He was very on time. The nation had been prepared to warm up the coffee later, after he had arrived, as was the fate of many an Iranian host/hostess, warming up food and drink for their terminally late guest. She had assumed, seeing as North Korea was not from her country (of course), that he would be only a few minutes late, rather than the half hour to an hour her and some of her citizens could be, but he had surprised her with his punctuality, just a few minutes past the dot. How very nice of him.

Adjusting her headscarf as she stepped lightly over the tiled floors, Amira opened the door, smile on her face as she greeted her friend. ”Sang Kyu. I am glad you made it,” She told him, leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. ”It is a pleasure to see you once more.” And it truly was, as she enjoyed seeing her friends. And North Korea must be at least slightly knowledgeable on her customs, as well, seeing as he was dressed with long-sleeves, covering most of his body. Honestly, she had expected him, even if he was aware of it, to forgo that part of her culture, seeing as most did, but it was a pleasant surprise to see him covered.

Stepping aside from the door, Amira gestured him inside, flipping her hand upside down and beckoning with her four fingers, bending them several times. ”Please, come in. I have snacks awaiting us.” Ah, the snacks. Should she get out the rest of them? Before, she had thought that perhaps she should wait, but with his thin clothing, the nation felt like the other was too thin… No, no, she did not want to overwhelm him with Iranian hospitality, seeing as she remembered doing that to others in the past, but she would do her best to get him to eat food. That cold country of his… Honestly, her friend needed to take care of himself. Sang Kyu looked so tired, and thin, and… she was beginning to feel her age, worrying over him like that. Amira was in her 5000s, though, and she did have the right to fret over people, but she wouldn’t do it out loud.

Shutting the door behind him, Iran smiled slightly up at the other nation, gesturing in the direction of the couch, and hoping that he would see the fact that she wore no shoes, hers being by the door, and would drop off his, as well. ”Would you like to sit down? I will be with you momentarily.” The only thing she had not set out there for them was the Turkish Coffee, having been worried that she would have to warm it up. Amira did not want to have to make more than one trip if she had too, especially considering the fact that the two mugs were filled up to the top, the very nice amount of foam she had managed to keep peeking over the rim. Of course, she was quite experienced at both making and transporting Turkish Coffee, but she never wanted to risk it more than she had to, hating to drop the drink and have to go through the lengthy process of making it once more. The drink was still most likely burning hot, though, which was perfect temperature. ”You may help yourself to the food, if you wish,” she told him, hoping that he would choose to, and she would get the opportunity to make him eat more. After all, she had plenty of food, both on the coffee table and stored away in her fridge, ready to be taken out at the slightest chance.

[Notes:

• If they are not religious and are in a family or friendly atmosphere they shake hands or kiss on the cheek when they meet members of the opposite sex but in the working or public areas they would act more conservative and do not kiss or shake hands.
  
• It’s common to beckon with four fingers- excluding thumb- of the right hand bending downward several times. Beckoning with the fingers in a upward direction is not considered polite.
  
• Time does not tend to be viewed with too much of a fuss. People tend to be more relaxed about time. For example, if members of a family arrive an hour late for a meal it is not considered rude, it is almost expected.
  
• The modesty of one's personal attire is of great concern to many in the Middle East, although the parameters of this modesty vary.
  
• I am using a combination of Iranian and Middle Eastern etiquette, using Islamic traditions to fill in any blanks I can’t find the answers to.]

[North Korea]

A few moments later, the door was answered and Sang Kyu was greeted by Amira’s smiling face and a kiss on each cheek. He blinked, a little surprised by the gesture. It wasn’t something commonly done in his country, at least not between strangers. But of course, he knew things were much different in Iran, as well as that Amira was a much more affectionate person than most would believe. At least, this is what he’d picked up from the time he’d spent with her in the past.

He bowed politely in response. “It is a pleasure to see you as well,” he said, offering a small smile. It was not like him to be light-hearted, but he was willing to make an effort today. She’d been very gracious to invite him here. Considering he didn’t get invited anywhere often, he was determined to be a good guest.

She beckoned him inside. ”Please, come in. I have snacks awaiting us.”

He stepped inside after her, peering around curiously at the interior of the house as she shut the door behind him. Iran had quite a lovely place, after all. His friend gestured in the direction of the couch next. It looked like most of their time would be spent there. ”Would you like to sit down? I will be with you momentarily.”

The North Korean nodded, beginning to take off his shoes. “Of course. I will wait for you,” he said. It was a bit of a miracle really. He would have taken off his shoes even if he hadn’t realized Iran wasn’t wearing them. It was an area where North Korean and Iranian culture happened to overlap. As for him wearing long-sleeves and being covered up, that had been pure coincidence. So far, he’d been fairly successful in not violating any Iranian etiquette. So far.

He left his shoes near the door, the laces tucked neatly inside of them. Once he was satisfied that they were in a location where they would not be taking up too much space, he stood up and made his way over the couch, sitting down carefully so that he did not accidentally disturb any of the food that had been set out.

”You may help yourself to the food, if you wish,” she told him. It really was very kind of her to go to all the trouble to make all of this. He made a mental note that he would have to repay her somehow, as went Korean tradition. Gestures of kindness must be repaid with something else of equal value. Oh yes, this would have to be repaid, definitely.

“Thank you,” he responded simply, wishing he could say more, but not really knowing what to say. “Thank you very much…”

The food had all been neatly arranged on a plate, he noticed. Figs and hummus, and what looked like bread. It was all so very neat! He quite liked it, actually. Even at home, when the most careful of preparations were taken, Korean meals were naturally messy, most of the food involving sauce, being liquidy, or otherwise requiring the use of chopsticks or some other utensil.

The Korean carefully took a piece of pita and broke a smaller piece off of it, setting to nibbling on it quietly while he waited for Iran to return.


((Notes:
-He doesn't make any moves to kiss her back or shake hands or anything because in Korean culture, they definitely believe in having your own little bubble. It's considered very disrespectful to touch elders, even when they're related, and since Iran is NK's elder, he refrains from doing such. Also, Korean women usually don't shake hands with males, so he doesn't offer a handshake either...
-In Asian culture, you take off your shoes as soon as you enter the house. This also extends to places like Hawaii, which have been influenced by Asian culture.
-Koreans believe that if someone gives you a gift or does something good for you, you must repay them with something of equal value. This is why, if you ever go to Korea, you shouldn't take an expensive gift for someone, because then they'll feel obligated to repay you with something of the same value.
-Korean foods really are messy. They have a lot of soups and stews and things with sauces and stuff. Hardly anything 'dry.'))