I had one of my best gay overall experiences in Korea last Saturday night. I wasn't planning anything special, but texted a friend asking if he wanted to hang out in Jongno. He invited me for some lightning alcohol. Huh?
술번개 (sul-beon-gae)
If you have been in Korea, you've probably drunk enough to know 술 means alcohol. 번개 is lightning (which can also be found in 번개콜). 술번개 is a gay night of speed dating and alcohol. And it is fucking ridiculous.
Upon arrival, everything was very awkward. Nobody was really talking, and everyone seemed to be quite shy. Apparently, it was all an act to look like a modest nice guy; as soon as people started pairing off, the 끼 started coming out.
I would imagine the structure of these speed datings are different, but I'll give you an idea of how mine went down. There were around 40 people (which was larger than normal, but hey it was a Saturday night). After we were given soju, beer, and anju, we were numbered off odds and evens. The odds switched spots, the MC gave us a couple of topics, and we began to chat. Our first goal was to come up with a nickname for our partner; since my Korean pop culture is not up to par, I wasn't sure who my partner looked like. I, of course, didn't look like a Korean celebrity either. My partner ended up choosing Christian Bale as my celeb lookalike, but the MC decided to just change it to Batuhman. Not sexy.
I was definitely the only waygookin at the event, but the participants humored me as we struggled through my bad Korean (and I'll have to say some equally bad English). Interspersed with these micro-conversations, the MC would have us play a game. The first game was Bingo. Everyone threw a thousand won into the pot, bingo sheets were made up, and then the winner took all the winnings. Later, we stacked cups, played rock-paper-scissors, and ranked the men in terms of sexiness. To make the night more awkward, the MC would pass around plastic balls with numbers; the person with the lowest number would get to choose who they want to talk to next until there were a couple of leftovers not chosen. Luckily, I was picked, but I was called 'waygookin' rather than 'Batuhman'. Not a good first impression.
My team was the best at stacking cups, so we were given a chance to choose the next guy we wanted to talk to. Naturally, I chose a handsome guy, but regretted it soon after since he was obviously not into potatoes (white men). Sticky sticky sticky rice.
As the night went on (and I had more and more soju), people were becoming a lot more talkative. Even though it didn't look like I was going to meet Mr. Right, I was having a great time for a mere 10,000 won. The last thing we did was write on a piece of paper the two guys we found the most interesting/attractive. If people matched up, they would get each others' phone number. Since there were 40 people, I imagine the odds of matching up would be small unless you were really giving the eyes to someone. Neither my friends nor I were paired up, so we went to karaoke for the remainder of the night. Leaving alone was hardly a let down; the variety-showesque games were definitely worth the cheap entry price. I would recommend going to a 술번개 to any gay guys in Korea if your Korean is passable and a Korean friend can bring you. TKQ can maybe help you out as well.
In case you were wondering who won the most attractive vote, it wasn't me or any of the more interesting guys. Nah, the top three were the most boring, most 'straight-acting' guys at the table. Why gay guys are into straight-acting bois is a topic most definitely for another post. Have a good night.
술번개 (sul-beon-gae)
If you have been in Korea, you've probably drunk enough to know 술 means alcohol. 번개 is lightning (which can also be found in 번개콜). 술번개 is a gay night of speed dating and alcohol. And it is fucking ridiculous.
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| An ad for a nightly 술번개 in Sinchon. |
I would imagine the structure of these speed datings are different, but I'll give you an idea of how mine went down. There were around 40 people (which was larger than normal, but hey it was a Saturday night). After we were given soju, beer, and anju, we were numbered off odds and evens. The odds switched spots, the MC gave us a couple of topics, and we began to chat. Our first goal was to come up with a nickname for our partner; since my Korean pop culture is not up to par, I wasn't sure who my partner looked like. I, of course, didn't look like a Korean celebrity either. My partner ended up choosing Christian Bale as my celeb lookalike, but the MC decided to just change it to Batuhman. Not sexy.
I was definitely the only waygookin at the event, but the participants humored me as we struggled through my bad Korean (and I'll have to say some equally bad English). Interspersed with these micro-conversations, the MC would have us play a game. The first game was Bingo. Everyone threw a thousand won into the pot, bingo sheets were made up, and then the winner took all the winnings. Later, we stacked cups, played rock-paper-scissors, and ranked the men in terms of sexiness. To make the night more awkward, the MC would pass around plastic balls with numbers; the person with the lowest number would get to choose who they want to talk to next until there were a couple of leftovers not chosen. Luckily, I was picked, but I was called 'waygookin' rather than 'Batuhman'. Not a good first impression.
My team was the best at stacking cups, so we were given a chance to choose the next guy we wanted to talk to. Naturally, I chose a handsome guy, but regretted it soon after since he was obviously not into potatoes (white men). Sticky sticky sticky rice.
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| But who doesn't like some Asian on Asian action? |
In case you were wondering who won the most attractive vote, it wasn't me or any of the more interesting guys. Nah, the top three were the most boring, most 'straight-acting' guys at the table. Why gay guys are into straight-acting bois is a topic most definitely for another post. Have a good night.
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