Bowing: An Energetic Transaction

On my first morning in South Korea in August of 2008, I entered a local “deli” to buy something quick to eat before my first day at work.  I arrived from the USA to my room around 1:00a.m. I did not get to sleep till nearly 3:30, with a wake-up time of 8:30a.m. The  “deli” is not what I would typically call a deli, as someone who grew-up outside of New York City, but do not know the correct name for it.  The woman prepares several kinds of kimchi, pickled vegetables and stews, hot and ready to go.  I did not know what I was thinking when I walked in the door of her small business. She bowed and said a formal greeting I know now as “Annyeong-haseyo” = "Hello".  Her bow is what stopped me in my tracks....