Gift for Korean friend?

[Anonymous]

Suggestion based on hanging out with my Korean from Korea SIL for the last 14 years— give a case of wine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think something Korean would be lovely! She probably is so hurt right now that she would truly appreciate it. What about a Korean kimono outfit for the bride and groom? And maybe some Korean fans? You could also give them some Korean china and bring takeout from a Korean restaurant. How lovely!

I assume the above was sarcasm. I mean, clearly. But the above is an exaggerated example of why you should NOT try to gift something Korean. If you lack the knowledge and familiarity of a culture, why try to assume it for gift giving? OP, just give what you would normally give any married couple. Koreans are people, too. They like cash, dinners, household items, gifts off the registry. Let their close friends and family gift what is culturally appropriate. That is not your role here. Just give cash.

Uh, no. Not sarcasm. That's just rude! The bride didn't get to have an authentic Korean wedding with all the accompanying traditions and gifts. She would love to be honored this way. You are just bringing insensitive and boring gifts that they will never remember or cherish.

Troll fail

You are the troll that calls someone with a valid point a troll

It’s not valid to suggest giving the Korean friend a kimono and a bag of takeout from a Korean restaurant for a wedding gift. It’s either an incredibly stupid idea, or a troll comment. Your pick.

Why are you so unhinged about a kimono? It's a lovely gift and they would appreciate it

DP here. Kimono is Japanese. There is a lot of bad history between Korea and Japan. If you brought a kimono as a wedding gift thinking it was a hanbok, I could see that being very insulting.

If someone brought me a kimono from Japan as a gift, I would think it was cool. I probably would never wear it but I would appreciate the gesture.

I can’t speak for all Koreans but picking out a hanbok can be very personal. I wouldn’t want someone to pick out the wrong size or cut. I would want to pick out my own colors.

OP, buy them something from William Sonoma or crate & barrel and call it a day. Make sure you include a gift receipt.

It's the Korean kimono. Same sort of thing. And they probably would love it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think something Korean would be lovely! She probably is so hurt right now that she would truly appreciate it. What about a Korean kimono outfit for the bride and groom? And maybe some Korean fans? You could also give them some Korean china and bring takeout from a Korean restaurant. How lovely!

I assume the above was sarcasm. I mean, clearly. But the above is an exaggerated example of why you should NOT try to gift something Korean. If you lack the knowledge and familiarity of a culture, why try to assume it for gift giving? OP, just give what you would normally give any married couple. Koreans are people, too. They like cash, dinners, household items, gifts off the registry. Let their close friends and family gift what is culturally appropriate. That is not your role here. Just give cash.

Uh, no. Not sarcasm. That's just rude! The bride didn't get to have an authentic Korean wedding with all the accompanying traditions and gifts. She would love to be honored this way. You are just bringing insensitive and boring gifts that they will never remember or cherish.

Troll fail

You are the troll that calls someone with a valid point a troll

It’s not valid to suggest giving the Korean friend a kimono and a bag of takeout from a Korean restaurant for a wedding gift. It’s either an incredibly stupid idea, or a troll comment. Your pick.

Why are you so unhinged about a kimono? It's a lovely gift and they would appreciate it

DP here. Kimono is Japanese. There is a lot of bad history between Korea and Japan. If you brought a kimono as a wedding gift thinking it was a hanbok, I could see that being very insulting.

If someone brought me a kimono from Japan as a gift, I would think it was cool. I probably would never wear it but I would appreciate the gesture.

I can’t speak for all Koreans but picking out a hanbok can be very personal. I wouldn’t want someone to pick out the wrong size or cut. I would want to pick out my own colors.

OP, buy them something from William Sonoma or crate & barrel and call it a day. Make sure you include a gift receipt.

It's the Korean kimono. Same sort of thing. And they probably would love it

Sigh. No such thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think something Korean would be lovely! She probably is so hurt right now that she would truly appreciate it. What about a Korean kimono outfit for the bride and groom? And maybe some Korean fans? You could also give them some Korean china and bring takeout from a Korean restaurant. How lovely!

I assume the above was sarcasm. I mean, clearly. But the above is an exaggerated example of why you should NOT try to gift something Korean. If you lack the knowledge and familiarity of a culture, why try to assume it for gift giving? OP, just give what you would normally give any married couple. Koreans are people, too. They like cash, dinners, household items, gifts off the registry. Let their close friends and family gift what is culturally appropriate. That is not your role here. Just give cash.

Uh, no. Not sarcasm. That's just rude! The bride didn't get to have an authentic Korean wedding with all the accompanying traditions and gifts. She would love to be honored this way. You are just bringing insensitive and boring gifts that they will never remember or cherish.

Troll fail

You are the troll that calls someone with a valid point a troll

It’s not valid to suggest giving the Korean friend a kimono and a bag of takeout from a Korean restaurant for a wedding gift. It’s either an incredibly stupid idea, or a troll comment. Your pick.

Why are you so unhinged about a kimono? It's a lovely gift and they would appreciate it

DP here. Kimono is Japanese. There is a lot of bad history between Korea and Japan. If you brought a kimono as a wedding gift thinking it was a hanbok, I could see that being very insulting.

If someone brought me a kimono from Japan as a gift, I would think it was cool. I probably would never wear it but I would appreciate the gesture.

I can’t speak for all Koreans but picking out a hanbok can be very personal. I wouldn’t want someone to pick out the wrong size or cut. I would want to pick out my own colors.

OP, buy them something from William Sonoma or crate & barrel and call it a day. Make sure you include a gift receipt.

This is very true. It's not like going to Target and getting a bag of Hanes underwear. Lots of different colors/design variations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think something Korean would be lovely! She probably is so hurt right now that she would truly appreciate it. What about a Korean kimono outfit for the bride and groom? And maybe some Korean fans? You could also give them some Korean china and bring takeout from a Korean restaurant. How lovely!

I assume the above was sarcasm. I mean, clearly. But the above is an exaggerated example of why you should NOT try to gift something Korean. If you lack the knowledge and familiarity of a culture, why try to assume it for gift giving? OP, just give what you would normally give any married couple. Koreans are people, too. They like cash, dinners, household items, gifts off the registry. Let their close friends and family gift what is culturally appropriate. That is not your role here. Just give cash.

Uh, no. Not sarcasm. That's just rude! The bride didn't get to have an authentic Korean wedding with all the accompanying traditions and gifts. She would love to be honored this way. You are just bringing insensitive and boring gifts that they will never remember or cherish.

Troll fail

You are the troll that calls someone with a valid point a troll

It’s not valid to suggest giving the Korean friend a kimono and a bag of takeout from a Korean restaurant for a wedding gift. It’s either an incredibly stupid idea, or a troll comment. Your pick.

Why are you so unhinged about a kimono? It's a lovely gift and they would appreciate it

DP here. Kimono is Japanese. There is a lot of bad history between Korea and Japan. If you brought a kimono as a wedding gift thinking it was a hanbok, I could see that being very insulting.

If someone brought me a kimono from Japan as a gift, I would think it was cool. I probably would never wear it but I would appreciate the gesture.

I can’t speak for all Koreans but picking out a hanbok can be very personal. I wouldn’t want someone to pick out the wrong size or cut. I would want to pick out my own colors.

OP, buy them something from William Sonoma or crate & barrel and call it a day. Make sure you include a gift receipt.

It's the Korean kimono. Same sort of thing. And they probably would love it

Let it go, PP

[Anonymous]

OP here with an update: We got together today for lunch and I gave her a card. She's pregnant. I'm already working on finding out where they are registered and will get them a gift off the registry.

(Sadly, her parents said several really horrible things to her about the pregnancy. We had a really interesting talk about racism, but a more fun talk about baby supplies after that.)

[Anonymous]

Find out if she has a gift registry. The usual for Korean weddings they give an envelope of money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Find out if she has a gift registry. The usual for Korean weddings they give an envelope of money.

She did NOT do a traditional wedding, and doesn't have a registry for it. I talked to her today about wanting to give her a gift and that I looked into a bunch of different things and she said, "My people give cash," and I replied "So do mine!" and we laughed. It's all good.