Comments on: Sae-heh-bok Mah-nee Pah-doh-say-yo

By: jstele

jstele — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:59:00 +0000

It’s considered tacky to receive money after you become an adult. Once you become an adult, you don’t accept money, but give it. You can still do the bowing thing, but it’s better to refuse money when offered, unless the giver persists. The bowing thing is intergenerational, nephews to uncles, grandchildren to grandparents, etc. Since your friend and your husband are from similar generations, it is strange to expect money from her. Your husband can bow to your parents, but it’s still tacky to expect money. In fact, you guys should be giving them a gift of cash. As for bowing to Korean people that you don’t know, no.

By: kim

kim — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 18:47:00 +0000

I never knew of these traditions until I married - think of all the money I’d missed out on while growing up! My husband’s family is large and very giving, so we happily do the sae-beh thing… heck, we even kinda tip Em over so she can collect too! (Yeah, we’re evil like that - anything to postpone shelling out to the cousins ourselves!)

By: Carol

Carol — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:40:00 +0000

When we were kids we didn’t participate in family stuff as much, being so far away here in Chicago, but on the few occasions that elders were around or visiting, we were TOTAL sae-beh whores. And boy did we clean up but good. Never thought of taking the show on the road, though, now that’s creative!