Though considered impertinent in many cultures, asking someone's age in South Korea is a social contract that establishes the pecking order between speakers. The first time British expat Joel Bennett understood he had committed a major linguistic faux pas was when he thanked a restaurant owner for a good meal during his first trip to South Korea. The owner was a female in her 60s and Bennett, then 23, said "gomawo", which translates to a breezy "thanks" in English. He thought he was being polite.