I was invited to my professor's house party today. International students from different countries - Taiwan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Korea brought foods so I could try new dishes. One special event was 'henna painting' by the daughter of the Pakistan students, which was so beautifully hand painted on the hands.

One of the Americans, who is half-Japanese and half-Caucasian, was hilarious. She knew about Korea a lot, liked to watch Korean dramas- she knew "내 이름은 김삼순", "대장금", "겨울연가" and so on. Furthermore, she knew "the fantastic couple" will be playing soon. - and shared her experience her visit to Korea. One bizarre experience in Korea, she said, was that a taxi driver picked up another passenger on the way going to the hotel. A stranger was sitting next to her. She firstly thought that he was picking up his friend or somebody he knew. I laughed a lot. Haha. ;-D
I also hated whenever a taxi driver picked up another passenger on my way. She must have shocked. LOL

American parties and Korean parties are different in some ways. At first, we have a party at home only at special occasions, such as after you move in a new house, and after you get married. Secondly, we do not ask guests to bring foods. The host usually prepare all the dishes by herself and the guests usually buy some gifts. Since I do not enjoy cooking, when I am invited to a potluck party, I feel pressured.

When I learned a potluck party in this country, I thought that it is a good idea when we throw this type of party on the 제삿날 (on the traditional holidays.) because the first son's wife has all the responsibility to prepare foods for more than ten family members, sometimes twenty, including the extended, which really makes her so hard, exhausted, and sick.
We call it "the holiday disease" that women usually suffer from before, during, or after having the big party on the holidays. It is from the old tradition way back more than hundred years ago. I don't think it is fair that only women are working so hard, especially the first son's wife in a family, for providing foods to her husband's families. Culture is not static, but fluid. If it is unfair to the minority (which is women in this case), we should change.
I would offer this idea to my brother when he gets married, so his wife should prepare foods for us on the holidays. I do not want her to feel miserable whenever the happy holidays are coming.