Did you know that the first recorded kiss was over three thousand years ago in India; Alexander the Great witnessed two people put their lips together and thought the gesture was so warm that he brought it back to Greece and it spread across the world - don’t go quoting me on this, I did see it on a random Tik Tok and it’s probably not true, but who cares, it’s a sweet story.
Now, kissing in Korea….well…that’s another story. Koreans generally aren’t into extreme PDA (public displays of affection) you won’t really see a lot of kissing, snogging, making out or anything of that kind. You will see a lot of hand holding, a lot of couple rings, wearing matching couple clothes and even the food is called a “couple set,” food for two, in the restaurants. I was once shooed from a restaurant because the owner said to me, I was too small to eat an entire box of fried chicken, it was a couple set and he wouldn’t sell it to me. Little did he know that stuffing my face was my specialty, I had to make do with a large chips instead.
So, back to kissing. Koreans don’t really do that openly and in public - at least that’s been my observations having lived here for a number of years now and deciding to permanently settle down after I found my soulmate.
A few weeks ago, he explained the cutest thing to me. 뽀뽀 (ppoppo) or “kiss.” But this doesn’t mean the same thing as it does in English. In English you can kiss you parents, siblings, friends, husbands, wives…a kiss is a kiss. In Korean, 뽀뽀 is a ”cute light kiss,” it’s not deep and sensual or sexual but light and warm - in my head I imagine it to be like the soft glittery wings of a fairy lightly grazing your skin as it flys by. Just a gentle touch.
I just had to share that with you. 뽀뽀 just cute and tender. I hope you share 뽀뽀 with someone special today. #kiss #뽀뽀
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