Who would have thought that even doing the dishes comes with cultural differences? But that is exactly what caused the first marital argument between Jihye and Philipp!
In Korea it goes without saying that dishes get a thorough rinse with clean water once they have been washed. Not a plate, not a glass may keep even the smallest trace of soap – because for many Koreans, the thought of swallowing leftover dish soap is simply unimaginable. Clean means one thing there: free of soap.
In Germany, on the other hand, the rule is often: if the dishes look clean after washing, that is good enough. Some even just let them dry with a thin film of soap on them – it evaporates, after all, doesn’t it? For Koreans, though, that is hard to make sense of.
Philipp still remembers clearly how surprised he was the first time Jihye watched him wash the dishes. She could hardly believe that he simply left them standing there without rinsing them again. And he could hardly believe this could be such a big deal. These days he rinses thoroughly with water, of course – at least when Jihye is watching.
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