[Korea Quiz] Speed of lightning

Find the answer at the bottom.

“Roasting beans on a lightning bolt” is an idiom widely used in daily conversation in South Korea. It means that someone is acting with such urgency that they could, figuratively, roast beans on a lightning bolt.

The phrase is often used with a rather negative nuance, such as to describe the hasty and impatient nature of a person when they are trying to complete something at an unrealistic pace. Variations with the same meaning include “lighting a cigarette with a lightning bolt” or “slicing fish for sashimi with a lightning bolt.”

In a similar context, Koreans use the phrase “in the blink of an eye” to convey the idea of something happening quickly. Unlike the expressions involving lightning, this phrase carries a neutral or positive connotation.

Although not an idiom, the phrase “ppalli, ppalli,” where “ppalli” translates to “quickly” or "hurry up" in Korean, has become emblematic of Koreans' aversion to delays and the fast pace of life. It's a running joke that one of the first Korean phrases foreign visitors pick up here is “ppalli, ppalli.”

Answer: (c)

By Korea Herald(khnews@heraldcorp.com)