The nonsense brooms and my disdain
February 26, 2009
I hate these brooms; they make no sense to me. I’m smiling in this picture because I am trying to be nice about it, but there is nothing to smile about. This broom alone makes having a small apartment worth it. I have asked countless amounts of Koreans why they don’t have taller brooms and no one knows why.
The two questions I ask almost all Koreans I meet:
1) Why do you use the peace sign in every photo you take?
2) Why don’t you have taller brooms?
Inevitably the answers:
1) Oh, I dont know. No Koreans know.
2) Oh, yes, good. I don’t know. No one knows.
I need answers to these two mysteries. Until then, I will enjoy the cute peace signs and mourn the act of sweeping our apartment.
-Mandi
Morris.in.Korea Blog 
Koreans, as a people, are closer to the ground, so the broom you have is actually tall to them.
Plus, there’s the whole thing about them being on the other side of the earth, so things must be lighter so they don’t fall up.
Hmmmmm . . . I’ll have to think that one over, Mark.
I think we are the only people that have tall brooms. Your dad broght back a broom from Vietnam and it was shorter than the one you are holding. bad for the back.
I think the peace sign is something that has stuck from our 60’s and they are so far behind they still think it is cool..
What do you think?
Love,
mom
Mandi,
What do you have on your head?
I told your dad he would have to give me a raise today because I needed to start saving more for our trip to Korea!!!! I think he might really do it.:) 🙂 🙂
MOM
I hate these things too. I was once told (and I don’t believe a word of it, but it’s the only explination I’ve been able to get after 3 years of being here) that the broom has a short handle because it, “helps the person sweeping to see if they have got all the dirt and dust off the floor. If you are closer to the ground, you can see it better!”
Interesting logic, but some what floored (pardon the pun).
As for the first question, I was told it was V for “Victory”! Possibly taken from the American soldiers during the Korean war… I’m not sure if Americans commonly used that sign that early on though.
Thanks, Stuart, for the remarks. I like the explanations you gave – at least they’re better than anything I’ve gotten so far! Congratulations on being engaged!