My Korean parents never drink. On occasion, during his birthday party perhaps, my dad will drink one beer and his face will immediately turn beet red. My mother can barely stand the smell—one whiff and she'll complain of an oncoming headache. So it's a mystery to them how I, their first-born daughter, came to be the best drinker of all time.
This is hubris, of course, but hubris is what drives the Korean drinking experience. It's common to be asked, "How many bottles of soju can you drink?" as a measure of sizing up someone's abilities. Drinking is not only a challenge in Korean society, but a way of life—you learn how to accept a drink from your elders, drink socially with your friends, commiserate over drinks with coworkers, meet for drinks with clients to land big deals, and pour a glass to honor your ancestors.
