A controversy erupted among netizens after a parent was labeled a 'mangchung' (a derogatory term for a problematic mother) for asking a restaurant if they could provide extra broth for their child instead of the standard side dishes.
On the 4th, a post titled "Am I a mangchung and a difficult customer?" was uploaded to an online community. The author, Ms. A, began by saying, "There is a raw beef and yukhoe sashimi restaurant I often visit. I always order yukhoe and yukhoe sashimi together." Ms. A visited the restaurant with her husband and their 5-year-old child and stated, "Ordering two plates of yukhoe and yukhoe sashimi costs nearly 100,000 won. It's not a small order."
Ms. A explained that the restaurant "provides mini-sized beef soup, tteokbokki, and sample boiled pork as basic side dishes," and added, "My child likes to eat rice mixed with the beef soup, so the broth is not enough." She said she asked the owner, "Could you give me one more bowl of broth instead of the mini boiled pork and tteokbokki? Or is a refill possible?" She also mentioned, "The single beef soup menu costs about 10,000 won and comes in a very large portion like gukbap, so ordering one alone feels a bit burdensome."
The owner flatly refused, saying "No." Ms. A said, "If it was not possible, I was prepared to accept that," and "Although it was a bit embarrassing, I did not ask further and said okay." However, Ms. A later saw on social media that the restaurant owner had written about her story, and she lamented, "They made me out to be some kind of 'mangchung.'"
Ms. A said the owner wrote a post criticizing her actions one by one, saying things like "This is not a place for meals but for drinking, yet she brought a child and did not order alcohol," "She arbitrarily asked to remove some side dishes and add others," "She asked for more of items that are for sale," "Why is she feeding her child in a bar? The child ruins the atmosphere," and "She requested a small plate for the child."
In response, Ms. A explained, "There was no rule that alcohol must be ordered, and although we did not order alcohol, we did order drinks," "The child only made loud noises two or three times and ate by themselves while watching YouTube," and "The mini-sized beef soup and the single beef soup differ in quantity, so I simply asked."
She added, "In the comments, everyone treated me like a mangchung," and asked, "Is it really such a bad thing to ask for one more bowl of broth instead of the expensive boiled pork side dish? Is it wrong enough to be called a difficult customer or mangchung for bringing a child, asking for a small plate, and eating rice mixed with broth? I wonder if everyone really thinks that way."
Netizens' opinions were divided upon hearing this story. Some sympathized with Ms. A, saying, "Is this really being difficult? She asked about a broth refill, and when it was refused, she just ate it. Why is she a difficult customer?" "You can make a request, and they can refuse. But writing about a single request on social media for many to see is a bit much," "She didn't even pester them," and "She is not difficult. Parents with children are treated like criminals."
On the other hand, some understood the owner's perspective, saying, "Asking for a refill of a menu item that is sold separately is being difficult," "It's not up to the customer to remove or add basic menu items," "Bringing a child to a bar is wrong in itself," and "Wasn't the child made to watch YouTube loudly? Loud noises are annoying."
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