For those of you hoping to discover a recipe for delicious kalibi sauce or marketing kim chee for the masses for large profits, I apologize in my first sentence.
Today is the start of the Hawaii International Film Festival’s K-Fest! If you’re either living in one of the states, countries or territories not listed on KOREANWIZ.ORG the K is for ‘Korean’, as in Korean Dramas. In my second paragraph I must apologize again to those of you hoping for a film review or a recount of a chance sighting of Bae Yong-joon or even a lock of hair from Oh Ji Ho, this isn’t your bowl of bulgogi. Rather, all of this talk of the K-Fest and calling my attendee mother between films to finalize our plans for tomorrow made me think of one thing, “YABO!” Now, for those of you familiar with local pidgin dialect you’re shaking your head sounding out y-o-b-o, and for those readers who grew up in the same home that I did you too are shaking your head, but for different reasons.
You see, my pure blooded Korean paternal grandfather, my Papa, pronounced it YAhBO! We were all yabos. My mother, her siblings, the grandchildren, the waitress at Hata’s Restaurant on South King Street, all of our pets, and possibly even the guys were called YABO at one time or another. And, to be called yabo was a term of endearment, more precious than the literal meaning which by the way casually translates to ‘sweetheart’.
(According to URBAN DICTIONARY there are six definitions of ‘yobo’, including my reference above, however I must add that this website allows for its users to add their own ‘urban’ words and definitions, with the option for someone viewing the page to vote a thumbs up or down .)
If you’ve ever met my Papa, all of his Koreanness was in his yabo. Otherwise, he was a typical local beach boy who kanikapila’d, married a Hawaiian girl, drank Primo and Oly beer, shuttled the grandchildren everywhere and anywhere we desired, drove a Chevy Nova, played the P-sheets during the football season, hosted friendly paiute card games during delayed televised Super Bowls, and was a stevedore at McCabe, Hamilton and Renny down at Honolulu harbor, although I don’t remember the Renny portion being in the name during his tenure.
If he did have the stereotypical Korean temper, I was never a witness, suspect or a victim to it, you’d have to ask the generations before the grandchildren.
I have many fond memories of my Papa which ironically centered mostly around food. Our typical Saturday would involve cutting the grass at my great-grandmother’s house in Palolo, driving to Chinatown to pick-up some dry aku for lunch, and then dropping me off in Pauoa at my grandmother’s hula studio.
My Papa passed away when I was 14 years old. I never did have another bite of dry aku purchased from Chinatown. But, I should have paid more attention in the kitchen when he cooked his kalbi because not only would I be able to verify the Korean in me, but I would have satisfied the interest of the readers who stumbled upon this hoping to find a recipe for delicious kalbi, if they’re still reading!
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September 6th, 2007 at 11:54 am
yes you should’ve paid attention so we all could’ve learned the recipe….LOL I’m in desperate need of ONO homemade trustworthy kalbi!!!!
October 1st, 2007 at 12:09 am
[…] “NEENZ” FALEAFINE presents THAT’S THE KOREAN IN ME! posted at INFINITY. Saying, “My submission does not necessarily fit any of the categories to […]
October 1st, 2007 at 8:12 am
I love how the way you wrote from your heart. I could see your grampa in Chinatown buying the dried aku foa you!
Write on!
Auntie Pupule
October 1st, 2007 at 11:53 am
If you ever work out that recipe I hope you’ll be kind enough to share! I made up my own recipe a while back. It’s delicious, but not quite “right” if you know what I mean (and I’m sure you do!)
Visiting for the Carnival of Aloha and really enjoying discovering so many local bloggers!
October 1st, 2007 at 3:06 pm
[…] HawaiiStories neighbor, L.P. “Neenz” Faleafine, blogs about growing up local in “That’s the Korean in Me!” and we get a preview of Kumu Kahua Theatre’s 37th season in “Skeet’s […]
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Now I have three Korean words in my Korean vocabulary: Kamsamida, Chamanayo, and now, Yobo! Okay, I had to ask the Korean lady in the little store what it meant. I told her yabo and she looked at me funny, then she laughed and said it’s a local pronunciation. “Oh!” she laughed, “Sweetheart!” Casual address of honey or sweetheart. Okay, I like that! But, I’ll take yabo too because I like the source! I’m satisfied with your Koreaness!
Now I call the little lady who owns the little store yobo! She feeds me after all! Then she calls me the same thing back with a giggle… because I pay for that food! LOL!