10 Essential K-Dramas To Watch If You're A Foodie
After ‘It’s Okay To Not Be Okay’ and ‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol,’ here are other K-Dramas to watch for
So it’s happened. You watched the final episode of Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol or It's Okay To Not Be Okay (or your current K-drama obsession), and it's over now. The ending was so beautiful and deeply satisfying that tears flowed down your face, and it felt like your heart was breaking. Yes, we understand very well the profound experience of farewelling a beloved show. But now you must move on to something new. The question is… what?
K-dramas are masterful in their layered storytelling. It's like peeling an onion: the more you watch, the more nuances you discover, and so you fall even more in love with the story. As a foodie, I love adding still another layer to the K-drama experience by watching shows with a strong food-centric theme. So much can be conveyed in a drinking spree, a bowl of spicy kimchi soup, or sitting together over samgyupsal. Are you read for K-drama that's designed to make you hungry? Here are nine favorites you can binge on.
K-drama makes us hungry
K-drama makes us hungry
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol
This recently concluded K-Drama starring Go Ara, Lee Jae-wook and Kim Joo-hun might have focused on the healing power of music, but the silent hero here is food as a means of creating connections, deepening friendships, and cultivating love. From scenes where the piano teacher Ra Ra (Go Ara) plays the piano while her friends are cooking to create a mood, we also have many scenes where the community congregates around preparing food from kimchi pancakes to gimbap as a group actvitiy, or when they tried to cheer up the little piano protegé by making fun memories while baking. Plus, it’s so cute that our couple, Ra Ra and Sunwoo Joon (Lee Jae-wook) really bond over what she loves to eat—and he shows his affection by lovingly preparing this for her.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Mystic Pop Up Bar
A glamorous but ill-tempered woman runs a mysterious pojangmacha (outdoor drinking tent) that pops up in downtown Seoul. The lady is Wi-joo, a 500-year-old ghost, and she's on a mission to help troubled mortals resolve their problems and settle their grudges. With a quota to meet and a looming deadline, she goes to extreme lengths to find the aggrieved souls who need her help. The result is this witty show where the romantic main plot and the smaller stories unfold to the accompaniment of ssamjang (grilled pork), grilled mackerel, stir-fried octopus, and other mouthwatering meals. Available on Netflix
Photo Credit: Netflix
Itaewon Class
A David-and-Goliath story, this show has just about everything, including class warfare, blood feuds, love triangles, revenge and shots of beautiful food. Our hero is an impressively dignified young man who opens a pocha (a sit-down bar with food) called DanBam and positions it to take down his family's foe, Jangga, the biggest food company in Korea. The fight (and the romances) are epic, with lots of soju and spicy hot soft tofu soup. Available on Netflix.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Dinner Mate
It begins with the most adorable meet cute: Two strangers sit next to each other on a flight. She’s a digital content producer who’s fiancé has just broken up with her, and he’s a psychiatrist who's gone through a string of romantic disappointments. They agree to become “dinner mates,” and so begins this charming romcom. Available on Viu or iQIYI
Photo Credit: IMDB
Wok of Love
A dinky Chinese restaurant called Hungry Wok stands across the street from a six-star hotel. Owned by an ex-gangster. Hungry Wok provides work for the former gang members. One day, the hotel’s star chef, Seo Poong, whose girlfriend cheated on him with the hotel’s CEO, crosses the street to offer his services. A lighthearted romance with lots of unbearably beautiful people makes this the perfect indulgent escape of a show. Available on Netflix.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Weightlifting Fairy
To get the most out of K-barbecue, says the Awesome Squad, you've got to do the BFN routine — that is, barbecue, fried rice, then naengyyeon. This food-centric series is about the coming of age of college athletes struggling to achieve their dreams, find love, and grow up. Described in Medium.com as "a “wholesome slice of college life with a garnish of sports.” Available on Netflix
Photo Credit: Netflix
Let's Eat
This oldie (well, it was made in 2014) is definitely a goldie. Four single people who all live alone are irked by the awkwardness of dining out alone. They decide to eat out together, and thus begin to get involved in each other’s lives. You’ll enjoy watching their stories unfold with lots of delicious dishes on the side. Available on Netflix.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Strongest Deliveryman
A rider for a delivery app, who dreams of becoming CEO of his own delivery company, is hired by Lively Handmade Noodles, a small restaurant in the outskirts of Seoul. When giant company Jung Family Foods opens in their part of town and proceeds to prey on the smaller mom-and-pop restaurants, he decides to help the small restaurants fight back. Available on Netflix.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Chocolate
In a small seaside town, two kids grew up. Lee Kang dreamed of becoming a chef, but is eventually pressured to become a neurosurgeon. A young girl he helps becomes a cook because of him. When their paths cross again, it starts a sweet, slow-burning romance challenged by circumstance and the rich-poor divide. Available on Netflix.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Hotel de Luna
Man Wol is the boss lady of Hotel de Luna, a resting place for ghosts who need to resolve their grudges before moving on to the next life. She’s also a foodie with a restaurant bucket list that includes dumplings at Changhwadang, pizza at Pizza Alvolo, and red bean porridge at Hey Ming Daeng. Love the foodie scenes and the captivating story line. Available on Netflix.
Photo Credit: Netflix
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