When I was first married, my wife and I rented a small room in an apartment building in Yo-i-do. In the main room, our landlady kept a large cabinet with glass doors. In the cabinet she displayed all her treasures. There were family pictures in frames, golf trophies, Korean dolls, a fancy set of teacups and on the top shelf I noticed a toaster.

One morning when I was alone in the apartment, I decided to fix myself an American style breakfast of eggs and toast. Not thinking much about it, I opened the glass cabinet and removed the toaster. I put two pieces of bread in the toaster and enjoyed a big breakfast. When I was finished, I cleaned up the dishes, wiped down the toaster and put it back in the cabinet.
Later in the evening I was reading in our room. Suddenly I heard a loud Korean conversation in the main room between my wife and the landlady. Next my wife came rushing into the room. She said in English ¡°this crazy woman says that her toaster is ruined and that you ruined it¡±. I said with some guilt in a timid voice ¡°well, I did make some toast this morning¡± and I added quickly ¡°but I thought that what the toaster was for. You know to toast bread.¡± My wife stared at me like I was crazy, then she talked some more with the landlady. I think I heard her apologizing and something about ¡°Americans not being sensitive to Korean culture.¡± So that evening, I helped my wife take the toaster apart and shine every portion of it until every crumb was cleaned away.
I said while I was rubbing, ¡°This is ridiculous. It's just a toaster¡±. She said, ¡°But whatever is behind glass is valuable for show, like the dolls and the golf trophy¡±. So I said, ¡°you mean the toaster was a trophy too?¡±. She nodded ¡°yes¡± like I was from some other planet for not understanding. ¡°OK¡±, I said to myself ¡°a trophy toaster¡± and another small bit of Korean thinking worked itself into my brain.