A couple of weeks ago I went out with a few of my colleagues to a birthday dinner at the Ramada Hotel buffet. The birthday girl wanted to go someplace a bit fancier than usual since it was a special day, and chose a place with a nice view of the city skyline and a wide terrace where we could enjoy the evening outdoor weather - which we ended up regretting a bit because the weather was hot and humid, and much pleasant indoors with the air conditioner blasting.
Anyway, that's not really the point. I have a whole lot to write about this place, as well as photos, which I'll try to dedicate to a separate post. Today I wanted to focus a bit on the people who were at the hotel buffet, Koreans in particular. Man, I mean, I know I'm Korean too, but these people seriously need to learn how to relax and enjoy themselves. I can go on and on about a ton of other situations to which this applies, but I felt this strongly at this hotel dinner, specifically during live music time. So I had sat through three different singers during our dinner; the first two were mediocre at best, and the piano acoustics and sound system were so horrible that I felt like I was listening to noise rather than music; eventually I had to call a waiter and politely complain that the volume was disturbing my meal. The third singer was far more skilled; he used instrumentals instead of live music, which was actually much better to listen to than live piano accompaniment. His voice was rich and soulful, and the songs he selected went well with the general atmosphere of the restaurant.
OK, so the first thing I noticed was that nobody was clapping for these singers, at all. Well, the first two were so bad that I felt they weren't exactly worthy of applause, but normally when a song ends, it's polite to at least clap a few times, isn't it? Nothing. I know they sucked, but you still gotta appreciate that they took their time to perform in front of an audience in an attempt to make our dinner somewhat more entertaining, right? It actually felt awkward not to hear anything after a song ended. Or maybe it's the norm here, and you're not supposed to clap when you're eating dinner...? I don't have enough experience at these sort of places to know what you're supposed to do.
The thing that bothered me most was when finally the singer started to sing Treasure by Bruno Mars - something upbeat and fun for a change. When I hear songs like that I automatically start getting all pumped and feel an almost uncontrollable urge to get up and dance, even though my dancing skills are seriously cringe-worthy. But it's just a happy feeling, you know? I remember I went to a live music venue once, at some Canadian bar in Itaewon, and a bunch of people would just get up from their seats and start moving to the beat, even if there wasn't an actual dance floor. And I could just get up too, and pull out my awful moves, and not give a care what anyone else was thinking because that's what everyone was doing. At this place, on the other hand, you've got a wide empty space in front of the stage meant to be filled, and no one bothered to even acknowledge that there any was music going on. Was it because it's a hotel and not a bar?
We were leaving during "Treasure," and I danced a bit on my way out - not even dancing, really, just stepping a bit livelier in tempo to the tune. To which my colleagues giggled at me, half-mortified, and other people stared at me as if I had grown a tail or something. Why couldn't these people enjoy this awesome music? OMG, and the song after that was "Uptown Funk," which is my favorite song ever to dance to. I couldn't resist and had to go crazy in the restroom where no one but my colleagues were watching. I mean, come on! These songs were made to make you move. I just couldn't understand why I was the only one who could appreciate the music - the power that makes you forget your sorrows, that allows you to simply enjoy the moment and let yourself go free.
I could actually come up with a lot more stories to back up my point, but whatever. Bottom line, I just wish people here would let loose a bit more, and stop worrying too much about how you might appear to other people. Just enjoy yourself, dude!! Life is too short to care.
Anyway, that's not really the point. I have a whole lot to write about this place, as well as photos, which I'll try to dedicate to a separate post. Today I wanted to focus a bit on the people who were at the hotel buffet, Koreans in particular. Man, I mean, I know I'm Korean too, but these people seriously need to learn how to relax and enjoy themselves. I can go on and on about a ton of other situations to which this applies, but I felt this strongly at this hotel dinner, specifically during live music time. So I had sat through three different singers during our dinner; the first two were mediocre at best, and the piano acoustics and sound system were so horrible that I felt like I was listening to noise rather than music; eventually I had to call a waiter and politely complain that the volume was disturbing my meal. The third singer was far more skilled; he used instrumentals instead of live music, which was actually much better to listen to than live piano accompaniment. His voice was rich and soulful, and the songs he selected went well with the general atmosphere of the restaurant.
OK, so the first thing I noticed was that nobody was clapping for these singers, at all. Well, the first two were so bad that I felt they weren't exactly worthy of applause, but normally when a song ends, it's polite to at least clap a few times, isn't it? Nothing. I know they sucked, but you still gotta appreciate that they took their time to perform in front of an audience in an attempt to make our dinner somewhat more entertaining, right? It actually felt awkward not to hear anything after a song ended. Or maybe it's the norm here, and you're not supposed to clap when you're eating dinner...? I don't have enough experience at these sort of places to know what you're supposed to do.
The thing that bothered me most was when finally the singer started to sing Treasure by Bruno Mars - something upbeat and fun for a change. When I hear songs like that I automatically start getting all pumped and feel an almost uncontrollable urge to get up and dance, even though my dancing skills are seriously cringe-worthy. But it's just a happy feeling, you know? I remember I went to a live music venue once, at some Canadian bar in Itaewon, and a bunch of people would just get up from their seats and start moving to the beat, even if there wasn't an actual dance floor. And I could just get up too, and pull out my awful moves, and not give a care what anyone else was thinking because that's what everyone was doing. At this place, on the other hand, you've got a wide empty space in front of the stage meant to be filled, and no one bothered to even acknowledge that there any was music going on. Was it because it's a hotel and not a bar?
We were leaving during "Treasure," and I danced a bit on my way out - not even dancing, really, just stepping a bit livelier in tempo to the tune. To which my colleagues giggled at me, half-mortified, and other people stared at me as if I had grown a tail or something. Why couldn't these people enjoy this awesome music? OMG, and the song after that was "Uptown Funk," which is my favorite song ever to dance to. I couldn't resist and had to go crazy in the restroom where no one but my colleagues were watching. I mean, come on! These songs were made to make you move. I just couldn't understand why I was the only one who could appreciate the music - the power that makes you forget your sorrows, that allows you to simply enjoy the moment and let yourself go free.
I could actually come up with a lot more stories to back up my point, but whatever. Bottom line, I just wish people here would let loose a bit more, and stop worrying too much about how you might appear to other people. Just enjoy yourself, dude!! Life is too short to care.
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