Warm blanket, bidet and mini fans: what everyday appliances are used in South Korea
In recent years, South Korea has firmly established itself in the list of popular destinations for tourists. The culture and traditions of the Asian country are increasingly arousing interest, and the level of high technologies used even in everyday life can only be envied.
One of the users of "Pikabu", a Korean woman named Hyeon, told what kind of equipment they use at home every day.
"I am Korean, I have been living in South Korea all my life. I lived in Russia for a while — two and a half years. Today I would like to tell you about the household appliances that we use every day. There is almost no such equipment in Russia. In Korea, the technology is developed and installed everywhere."
Kimchi is our traditional food (spicy seasoned sauerkraut, primarily Peking cabbage), it is always on the table. Usually there are at least two refrigerators in a Korean house. One is for regular food and the other is just for kimchi. Previously, kimchi was stored in the ground to ferment at an ideal temperature.
Most Koreans live in apartments. And it was almost impossible to preserve kimchi. Until one company created a refrigerator for kimchi. I can say that there is not a single house in Korea where there is no refrigerator for kimchi.
Koreans cannot live without rice. When they move to another country, the biggest question is, "How are we going to eat rice?" That's why people carry a rice cooker with them. When I went to Russia to study and work, I also brought a small rice cooker.
Moreover, this is not just a rice cooker for us. It maintains ideal conditions for cooking rice. The rice cooker that our family uses keeps the rice warm for more than 72 hours after cooking. It does not spoil the rice and keeps it fresh, as if it had just been cooked. New and improved rice cookers are constantly appearing. Koreans are ready to pay more than $ 200 (about 12.5 thousand rubles) for a good rice cooker. And famous actors are usually filmed in rice cooker ads.
Because of environmental pollution, we buy water, but it's hard to carry it from stores. Therefore, Koreans use a water filter at home. Depending on the device, you can drink cold water (sometimes with ice) and hot.
Water filters in Korea are installed not only in apartments, but also in public places — for example, in the library, at school. Wherever they don't sell water. Therefore, when I want to drink, I just go somewhere, for example to the post office, or ask in a cafe (we have free water in canteens and cafes).
In most Korean houses, digital locks with passwords of four or six digits are installed on the doors. If the combination is entered incorrectly five times, the siren turns on.
Most Koreans don't use regular locks with keys because it's inconvenient. Plus, Koreans often lose things, so it's better to remember the password.
The Korean winter is cold enough, but it is shorter than the Russian one. In Korean houses, the walls are thin, so it's cold in the winter months. The traditional way of heating the house is underfloor heating. And it often turns out that the floor is hot, and the air itself is cold. Moreover, heating the house is not cheap.
That's why people use electric blankets in winter. We put a blanket either on the bed or on the floor and sleep like this. I gave a Russian friend an electric blanket, and he couldn't even fall asleep because he was afraid to fry.
Koreans come up with a lot of small gadgets to cope with small problems and inconveniences. For example, in the summer in Korea it is stuffy, hot and humid. We don't fan ourselves in the heat, this is the last century. But we use mini-fans on the street and indoors.
I know that Russia also has humidifiers. In Korea, this is widespread, humidifiers are everywhere, especially in offices. In Korea, the winter is very dry, and the girls take care of the skin so that it does not stay dry. Since dryness is the enemy of our beauty.
At work, I fill the humidifier with water twice a day.
And in the summer in Korea, on the contrary, it is very hot and humid, so we use an air dryer. We also have a rainy season, and the dehumidifier does not allow mold to appear. At the top is a picture from a funny advertisement for a dehumidifier.
In Europe, a bidet is used, but in Korea the bidet is slightly different. We have an electric bidet and it is installed directly on the toilet seat. You can use warm water. And you can control the water pressure. There are two buttons for flushing.
In fact, a bidet is not a particularly Korean thing, but after 2000 it became popular, it was constantly advertised on TV, and people liked it. Bidets are used not only at home, but also in offices and in public places — for example, in libraries, in schools.
Keywords: Household appliances | South Korea