[SUB/PDF] Real Korean Talk | At a Restaurant #2 - Asking for Things | Korean Podcast

Hello, everyone. This is Professor Jeong from Focus Korean. In this episode, we’ll learn expressions you can use when you need something during a meal at a restaurant.

Sometimes, while eating at a restaurant, you might find yourself needing something. For example, if you drop your spoon, you’ll need to ask the staff for another one. Or if there are no napkins left on the table, you’ll need to ask for more.

Let’s take a look at how to ask in these situations. Listen carefully to the dialogue. Customer: Excuse me.

Staff: Yes, do you need anything? Customer: Could you bring us two aprons and one small plate? Staff: Sure, I’ll bring them right away.

Customer: Oh, and could we get some wet wipes too? Staff: You’ll find wet wipes in the drawer under your table. The customer needed something, so they called the staff over.

As we talked about in the last episode, you can call staff in Korean restaurants by saying “저기요,” “여기요,” or even “사장님. ” Please refer to the previous episode for more on this This time, the customer said “사장님” to get the staff’s attention. The staff responded, “뭐 필요한 거 있으세요?

” Here, “있으세요” is the polite form of “있다. ” Do you remember? There are two honorific forms of "있다," right?

One is "계시다", and the other is "있으시다. " Do you know when to use "계시다" and when to use "있으시다"? We use "계시다" when honoring a person directly.

For example: "할아버지께서 밖에 계시다(Grandpa is outside). " "할머니께서 식사하고 계시다(Grandma is eating). " These are correct uses of "계시다.

" But "있으시다" is not for directly honoring a person. It’s used to honor something the person has. Like their belongings or abilities— you’re indirectly honoring the person by referring to what they possess.

For example, to talk about books that Grandpa has, you can say: "할아버지는 책이 많이 있으십니다(Grandpa has many books)" Or to talk about Grandma’s habits: "할머니는 일찍 일어나는 습관이 있으세요(Grandma has a habit of waking up early). " You can also use "있으시다" when referring to someone’s children— even though they’re not objects. Let’s say you’re an employee, and you're talking to the company’s president.

Of course, you should use honorifics. If you want to ask whether the president has children, you’d say: "사장님, 아이가 있으세요? (Do you have children?

)" If you say: "아이가 계세요? " you’re honoring the child directly, which isn’t correct. Since we’re not honoring the child but honoring the president, "있으시다" is the correct form to use here.

In Korean restaurants, you’ll often see customers wearing aprons. Have you ever seen this? In Korean restaurants, aprons are often provided to keep food from splashing on customers’ clothes.

They lend them to customers who need one. Especially at places that serve spicy dishes like kimchi stew or stir-fried octopus, you’ll always find aprons available. They also tend to have aprons at BBQ restaurants, like when you’re grilling pork belly and the oil might splatter.

They also tend to have aprons at BBQ restaurants, like when you’re grilling pork belly and the oil might splatter. Have you ever used an apron at a Korean restaurant? I often use one when I wear light-colored clothes to a restaurant.

I don’t usually wear one when I eat things like pizza, but if I’m eating a noodle dish like jjamppong, I always wear an apron because the broth might splash. "앞접시" is a small plate used to share food. Sometimes, when you order a stew or soup, it comes out in a really large pot.

In that case, you use a ladle to scoop out a little bit and put it into your small plate. Since it's a dish shared by many people, you can’t just dip your personal spoon in and out. That would be really unhygienic.

So we use small plates to share the food more cleanly. Also, when the table is big and the food is too far from someone, small plates come in handy. It’s hard to keep reaching out for food that’s far away, but it’s easier when you portion some into a small plate.

And when food is too hot, I use a small plate to let it cool before eating. Also, when the dish I ordered is really tasty, I use a small plate to share some with family or friends. Korean people often use small plates at restaurants, so if you need one—or a ladle—don’t hesitate to ask the staff.

In many places, they’re also available at the self-service station. And like we talked about in the last episode, Koreans often use “좀” when making a request. We use “-아/어 주세요” when we ask someone to do something.

For example, we say “가르쳐 주세요” or “도와주세요,” and in these cases, we usually add “좀. ” Here, “좀” doesn’t actually mean “조금(a little). ” It’s just a word we use out of habit when making a request, and adding “좀” makes the sentence sound softer.

So instead of saying “여러분, 조용히 해주세요(Everyone, please be quiet),” if you say “여러분, 좀 조용히 해주세요,” it sounds more gentle and polite. Have you ever seen the little drawer built into the side of the table at a Korean restaurant? When you open it, you’ll usually find spoons, chopsticks, napkins, and wet wipes.

Sometimes, this part of Korean culture really surprises foreigners. Inside the drawer, you’ll usually find spoons and chopsticks, and also things like napkins, wet wipes, and paper cups. I think it’s because the tables are small, and placing a utensil holder on top might feel cramped.

So when Koreans go to a restaurant and don’t see spoons or napkins on the table, they instinctively check under the table for a drawer. And then they take out what they need from there. Interesting, right?

Try looking for it next time you go to a Korean restaurant. In this episode, we looked at how to ask for things you need while eating at a Korean restaurant. If there are any expressions you’d like to know more about, please leave a comment below.