The Pig: An Answer
Wow, less than 24 hours after posting about the pig on the 7-11 bag, I got an answer from one of my favorite Korean expat bloggers; 'Hails' of Coffee Helps. I found her blog when we first learned we were moving to Korea and I was looking for some insider information on life in South Korea as an expat, and have become hooked on her hilarious writing style as well as her very honest insights about living and teaching in a foreign country. Hails teaches English to Korean elementary-schoolers and has been here for 2 years, so I should have known she would have the answer for me! Here's the comment she left about my pig question:
I fear it will be less interesting when you know, but... in Korea the pig is believed to bring (amongst other things) money and good luck. In this case, it's a symbol for a lottery ticket, letting you know that you can play at your helpful 7-Eleven. Disclaimer: I haven't been told this for sure, but I knew the pig=money and luck belief, and I know the word under him in this picture means 'lottery ticket', so I took a guess. ; )
Well, she was right: it wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped - I mean, I knew they couldn't possibly sell pigs at the 7-11, so I don't know what exactly I was hoping for - but at least I know, and that means I'm not waking up in the middle of the night, wondering about that pig. Of course, he will probably be replaced by a thousand other questions within the next 24 hours, but for tonight, I'm looking forward to some uninterrupted sleep. Thanks, Hails....
I fear it will be less interesting when you know, but... in Korea the pig is believed to bring (amongst other things) money and good luck. In this case, it's a symbol for a lottery ticket, letting you know that you can play at your helpful 7-Eleven. Disclaimer: I haven't been told this for sure, but I knew the pig=money and luck belief, and I know the word under him in this picture means 'lottery ticket', so I took a guess. ; )
Well, she was right: it wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped - I mean, I knew they couldn't possibly sell pigs at the 7-11, so I don't know what exactly I was hoping for - but at least I know, and that means I'm not waking up in the middle of the night, wondering about that pig. Of course, he will probably be replaced by a thousand other questions within the next 24 hours, but for tonight, I'm looking forward to some uninterrupted sleep. Thanks, Hails....
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