7 K-Drama Scenes That Prove We Want Our Men To Cook For Us
Hyun Bin in 'Crash Landing On You,' and Captain Yoon Si Jin in 'Descendants of the Sun,' are ideals of the kind of men we want. Strong, patient, funny and amazing in the kitchen!
As kids, the shows we loved had pretty predictable heroes: they were strong, handsome men of action. Did any of them cook? Probably not. The kitchen was traditionally the woman’s domain, and manly men rarely ventured there, if at all. For years, this was the norm.
Then we noticed that our favorite Kdramas have been consistently giving us heroes who cook. It was fun watching the hunky male lead get down and dirty in the kitchen, often serving the woman he loved with his own hands. Inevitably he would present as patient, competent, sweet and impressive. We were green with envy.
There is something so sexy and irresistible about a man who cooks for you. He's revealing himself as an adult who’s mastered an essential life skill. He's showing you he can do cozy and domestic, and be patient and nurturing. And, he gets to show off his knife skills and his masterful palate as well.
So guys, if you want to sweep us off our feet, may we suggest mastering a few dishes? And if you want to know which culinarily-talented K-drama hunks got us into this state, click through the gallery below.
They Cooked Their Way Into Our Hearts
They Cooked Their Way Into Our Hearts
Moon Gang-tae and Ko Moon-young, It's Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)
In this landmark K-drama that courageously tackles mental health, food serves as code for intense emotion. In this scene, Gang-tae is preparing a meal for Moong-young. Beautiful and volatile, she grew up starved for love and affection, so she clearly revels in the feeling of being cared for. The series establishes Gang-tae preparing daily meals for their small family (which includes his brother, Sang-tae), creating a homey, stable routine that is comforting and healing to both Moon-young and Sang-tae. Food truly has the power to heal.
Photo Credit: tvN
It's Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)
"It's Okay To Not Be Okay" is a love story, but it's a family love story. Moon-young doesn't separate Gang-tae from his brother, but she joins them to make a family unit of their own. It's a beautiful example of what a modern family can be.
Photo Credit: tvN
It's Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)
Mealtimes are never boring, and reflect their relationships with each other. But you'll have to watch the series to get what I mean!
Photo Credit: tvN
Sang-tae and Moon-young, It's Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)
Technically, Sang-tae didn’t cook for Moon-young, but I’m including this because if food is a way to convey love and nurturing, then that’s what he’s doing for her in this scene. Moon-young has just discovered a devastating secret, and she is sobbing in bed. Concerned, Sang-tae arrives with rice porridge and quail eggs — the kind of comforting food that a Korean grandmother would make to soothe your childhood ailments. It’s the most poignant scene in the entire series. Watching it, you begin to feel like Moon-young, who realizes that even if the world looks bleak and grim, all you really need to feel better is a good cry, a bowl of warm porridge, and a good friend to hold your hand and tell you it will soon be okay again.
Photo Credit: tvN
Lee Gon and Jung Tae-eul, The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
A king exists on such an elevated plane that you wonder if he even knows where the kitchens are in his immense palace. So it’s impressive that King Lee Gon (aka Lee Min-ho) actually knows his way around his massive, state-of-the-art kitchen, and can whip up a delicious meal of steak and rice without breaking into a sweat — while wearing a spotless white military uniform, too! Sexy. Lee Gon is probably the most well-rounded monarch we’ve ever met (onscreen, because we’ve never met any monarch IRL). Lee Gon’s cooking scenes are not only cute, they tell us that while he is a literal King, he also has a softer side to his persona — one that is sweet, caring, which is what makes him a good partner for Tae-eul.
Photo Credit: Netflix
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
Okay, okay, we freely admit, half the pleasure of watching this scene is in observing just how good Lee Gon looks in that uniform. And how does he manage to wash rice without getting any stray droplets on his clothes? That takes serious skills.
Photo Credit: Netflix
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
But what really touches us deeply is how focused he is on his partner. He may be King, and a really good cook, but what matters to him is that she is cared for. How we want to be cherished like this, too.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Captain Ri and Se-ri, Crash Landing On You (2020)
When we first meet Captain Ri (aka Hyun Bin), he’s an intimidating North Korean soldier who stumbles upon Yoon Se-ri hanging from her parachute. He thinks she’s a South Korean spy, and there is an intense moment when he’s pinned her against his gate and wonders whether he should kill her. But, the moment he decides to help her is when Captain Ri begins to get busy in the kitchen. He starts by making homemade ramyun from scratch, pourover coffee from freshly ground beans, boiled potatoes to be dipped in sugar, and lots of noodles.
Photo Credit: tvN
Captain Ri and Se-ri, Crash Landing On You (2020)
The first time Captain Ri offers Se-ri food, she wonders if he’s trying to poison her, so she tells him It’s a South Korean custom to offer the first bite to the host. Hee! Her spunky, irrepressible personality is a wonderful match for his patient strength. Throughout the show, Captain Ri uses food as his love language, even stocking up Se-ri’s pantry with noodles and leaving detailed instructions on how to cook them. How could she not feel cherished?
Photo Credit: tvN
Crash Landing On You (2020)
Captain Ri just ticks off all our boxes so easily: Handsome, brave, makes ramyeon from scratch. And he makes pourover coffee, too.
Photo Credit: tvN
Hee Sun and Ji-won, Flower Of Evil (2020)
What do you do when you suspect the husband you love is hiding something — maybe something deadly and sinister? You feel like your entire life is unraveling right before your eyes. This is what is happening to Ji-woon, who begins to unwillingly suspect her husband, Hee Sung. What is he hiding? What kind of man is he really? Could he be capable of murder? With these thoughts rambling in her head, she comes home to find Hee Sung and their daughter in the terrace. Fairy lights glint around them, and Hee Sung cooks dinner and serves it. Their little daughter is excited, but Ji-woon is silent, wondering what is true and what is a lie. The scene is chilling.
Photo Credit: tvN
Flower of Evil (2020)
Cooking dinner is meant to cement Hee Sung's reputation as the ideal modern husband. And yet, is he?
Photo Credit: tvN
Flower of Evil (2020)
We can't help but empathize with Ji-woon. We, too, want that perfect happy ending with the man of our dreams, and our worst nightmare is to achieve that bliss, only to have it taken from us by dark suspicions.
Photo Credit: tvN
Hae-kyung and Do-hee, Dinner Mate (2020)
Kim Hae-kyung (aka Song Seung Heon) is a food psychologist who uses food as a tool to help people heal. We see him order salmon pasta for an anxious patient going through a difficult breakup, telling her that salmon will help calm her heart. He later bumps into Do-hee, a content producer with a high pressure job, whose boyfriend cheats on her then jilts her. Both she and Hae-kyung have been hurt before. They bond through food — as dinner mates. And it’s interesting how Hae-kyung, who helps people heal through food, finally finds love again through food. It’s both ironic and funny and sweet, culminating in his cooking dinner for Do-hee.
Photo Credit: Hancinema
Dinner Mate (2020)
If you've just watched "Crash Landing On You," you'll be especially invested in this series because it's finally giving Seo Ji-hye (Do-hee, and also Seo Dahn in CLOY) the happy ending she deserved but never got.
Photo Credit: Hancinema
Dinner Mate
Besides, it's validating. When a food psychologist (albeit fictional) shows us the healing power of food, we're absolved from the guilt of that last bag of potato chips. Besides, it's fun to watch a handsome man make dinner.
Photo Credit: Hancinema
Captain Yoo Si Jin and Sgt. Seo Dae Young, Descendants of the Sun (2016)
An oldie but goldie, one of the funniest scenes in this series has the Captain and Sergeant cooking samgyetang for their ladies. You think: uniformed men in aprons! Hot! Well, yes, but it’s also so comical. First, Si Jin accidentally stuffs a bottle cap into the ginseng chicken, then Dae Young throws in the salt with a funny flourish. You can tell they’ve never really cooked before, so the fact that they’re trying is really kind of sweet.
Photo Credit: Hancinema
Descendants of the Sun (2016)
In one of the funniest scenes in this series, the girls start bickering over another man after they finished the samgyetang their men prepared for them. The guys are not pleased, just look at their faces!
Photo Credit: Hancinema
Descendants of the Sun (2016)
But can we just go back to Sgt. Seo Dae Young adding salt with a flourish please? Because this is the way you should always throw in the salt. You might season it all wrong, but at least ou can have a good laugh.
Photo Credit: Hancinema
Did this make you crave for the rice porridge and quail eggs, like in It's Okay To Not Be Okay? The recipes are here.
