Norae = song, bang = room. Song room. Singing room. Karaoke room. Room where one can feel like a star for the night.
Koreans love their norae bangs. I'm convinced, in fact, that without norae bangs Korea and Korean culture just wouldn't be the same. It's not uncommon for a night out in Korea to end in a norae bang (for Koreans and foreigners alike). It's also not uncommon to end up in a norae bang with coworkers--principals and vice principals included--after a school dinner. The first time I sang in a norae bang was actually in front of my vice principal (who has an amazing voice) and about seven other teachers. A coworker picked out "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. Let's just say that Dancing Queen is WAY out of my range and I was humiliated. Luckily, they didn't fire me after my terrible performance.
One becomes accustomed to the norae bang session with ease after the first one or two times. Now, when my friends and I make the late-night decision to end the evening with a norae bang session, it goes a little something like this:
Walk half a block to the nearest norae bang (they're everywhere here). Enter, pay the fee (usually around $20 for one hour), order a few beers. Enter into our 'assigned' room, grab the song book, the mics, the tambourines, kick off our shoes and start singing. The norae bang employee will soon bring in a plate of snacks, usually consisting of something like peanuts, dried squid and other little crunchy snacks. People have their usual songs, like "Hotel California," "Piano Man," "La Bamba," The Beatles, Oasis, you name it. The options are endless (well, almost; we've only been able to find Journey once in a norae bang).
If there are enough people (I'd say more than six), the music never stops. There are songs in the queue so as soon as one finishes, the mic is passed on to the next star. The room is usually set up such that there is a big-screen tv in one corner or end of the room and then a line of seating (often time velvet lined and padded with cushion and pillows) around three walls and a table in the middle, thus leaving plenty of performing (i.e., singing AND dancing) space. We dance on the cushioned seating and it's more likely the dried squid will be tossed around like a ninja star rather than eaten.
Norae bangs are like a black whole, or a vortex of fun where time seems to stand still. My latest norae bang session? We walked out after almost three hours to daylight. Yes, it was almost 7am the next day. Thankfully, we were handed complimentary cans of coffee on the way out.
Norae bangs are the perfect ending to a night out on the town.
See for yourself and tell me you aren't just a LITTLE jealous that YOU can't also be a superstar singer for the night (even my parents joined in on the norae bang fun during their visit!):
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