Calling all FOODIES and lovers of K-drama! The idea for this article came to me when I suddenly noticed that a lot of my favorite K-dramas have a restaurant setting or are almost always related to food! The drama may not be directly about food but the background or setting usually involves the main characters surrounded by comforting food!
Here are some culinary K-dramas that warm the heart (and stomach) for you!
Oh My Ghost (2015)
Oh My Ghost is a fantasy/crime/romance K-drama that revolves around the life of (yes you guessed it) a ghost! The premise of the K-drama is the ghost of a young girl named Shin Soo Ae (Kim Seul Gi) who believes that she is roaming the earth without passing on after death because she was a virgin when she died. The main characters of this drama work in a restaurant setting and so did the Soo Ae when she was alive. This restaurant appears to be an Italian-style fusion restaurant and has a warm and cozy feeling to it with the addition of other comedic cast members as chefs. Soo Ae's previous restaurant was a family restaurant which she ran and worked alongside her dad and brother.
Starring Park Bo Young and Jo Jung Suk, this drama does not fail to entertain!
When the Camelia Blooms (2018)
Our next foodie drama choice is one of the warmest dramas I've ever watched. Set in the fictional town of Ongsan, the main characters are a single mother and restaurant owner named Dong Baek (Gong Hyo Jin) and a police officer, Hwang Yong Shik (Kang Ha Neul). This drama is also one that offers comfort with a culinary background.
The main character runs a bar/restaurant called the "Camelia" and kindness and good memories often accompany the food shown in this drama. The police officer's mother Deok Soon (Go Doo Shim) also runs a crab restaurant and she feeds Dongbaek's child on many occasions as a form of love and kindness. Feeding those around you and those in need is indeed a form of love and therapy!
Mystic Pop-Up Bar (2020)
This drama sets its tone in a fantasy setting in Seoul, with the main character, Weol Ju having lived 500 years of life due to a curse as a consequence of what she had done in her previous life. To overcome this punishment she must save a total of 100,000 souls and this is often done at her pojangmacha (food tent).
She serves customers delicious meals, accompanied by soju and a special drink she makes them consume to fall asleep so she can go into their dreams and resolve any problems they have. It's also set in a big supermarket here in Korea so lots and lots of food!
K-dramas often depict people eating or have an emphasis on food, I think it's because of the significance food has here in Korea. Food is care, it's love, it's sharing special moments with loved ones. Food can also be healing. You can see this also in the way food is shown in documentaries, drinking broth can be a restorative and life-changing experience in that moment. There's definitely a historical significance that is deep within Korean culture as well. It's almost holy, a sacred time of the day for some and we love that!
Do you also love food like we do? How cool is it that we see it often in K-Drama? What do you think about its special symbolism in dramas? Comment below with your thoughts!