Koreans and the "Staff of Life"
Just as we Westerners have misconceptions about rice, e.g. we see it only as a side dish, so do Koreans have a false understanding of bread. The Korean word "빵" (bbang), from the Portuguese "pão," usually refers to rolls, muffins, and other sweet desserts made from wheat dough. A Korean might say, "Let's have some bread for a snack." "식빵" (shikbbang), adding the Chinese character "食" for “food,” denotes what we in the West think of when hearing the word “bread.” Thus, the basic form of the word “bread” in Korean denotes a secondary meaning of the corresponding word in Western languages, and a compound noun is used to represent the Western basic form. This leads not only to a translation problem but a problem of meaning. Koreans tend to have a negative impression of bread; patients are even advised to avoid food made from wheat ("분식," another mistranslation). Korean do not necessarily need to develop a taste for bread nor should they substitute it for their traditional rice-based diet, but for them to learn to recognize the truly wholesome character of the "staff of life" would be a welcome development.
Just as we Westerners have misconceptions about rice, e.g. we see it only as a side dish, so do Koreans have a false understanding of bread. The Korean word "빵" (bbang), from the Portuguese "pão," usually refers to rolls, muffins, and other sweet desserts made from wheat dough. A Korean might say, "Let's have some bread for a snack." "식빵" (shikbbang), adding the Chinese character "食" for “food,” denotes what we in the West think of when hearing the word “bread.” Thus, the basic form of the word “bread” in Korean denotes a secondary meaning of the corresponding word in Western languages, and a compound noun is used to represent the Western basic form. This leads not only to a translation problem but a problem of meaning. Koreans tend to have a negative impression of bread; patients are even advised to avoid food made from wheat ("분식," another mistranslation). Korean do not necessarily need to develop a taste for bread nor should they substitute it for their traditional rice-based diet, but for them to learn to recognize the truly wholesome character of the "staff of life" would be a welcome development.
Redeemed by Our Savior, I work out my salvation with fear and trembling in Pohang, South Korea, where I live with my wife, daughter, and son and teach English at a science and technology university. Baptized a Methodist and raised a Missouri Synod Lutheran in Buffalo, NY, I spent six years as a guest of the Anglican Communion before being received by the Grace of God into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast of Saint Andrew, my patron, anno domini 2002.
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