Welcome, customer!

I must say I am tempted to give these waffles a try.  They're amongst the new eating fads in Seoul.  And perhaps I should indulge a few right away because they may vanish as quickly as the whipped cream that garnishes them.  There is a constant stream of novel foods available in Korea, nearly matching the pace of Korean technological innovations.

For instance, while sampling these Belgian waffles, you can now sip a top-grade espresso.  A few years ago still, the only coffee you could buy was one you'd get from a vending machine for the equivalent of 10 cents, or one made out of instant coffee powder, or the American-type concoction.  Enter the commercial espresso machine.  It's become conspicuous in any serious coffee shops today.  And I can buy freshly roasted beans from a shop two blocks away from where I live!

I noticed another, more subtle change, however.  Only five years ago, the restaurant waiter, the shopkeeper, or the bank teller would have addressed you as sonnim or "guest," as in a guest visiting your friend's parents for instance.  Moreover, young sales assistants would sometimes use the deferential "older brother" or "older sister" to raise closeness and profit figures.  Today, the old intimacy has given way to a business relationship.  When you walk into a store, you're greeted with kogaengnim! or "hello, customer!"  I suppose that's an unambiguous way of reminding you why you're there.

But now... pondering upon the changes that have been occurring in the University, I wonder how long it will take for students entering campus to hear "welcome, kogaengnim!"