Great post! Now that I think of it, I'm not really into eating either. I often get annoyed at mealtime that I have to eat something AGAIN and I just grab whatever foods are nearest and mix them together and stuff it down my face hole.

But, I do enjoy the food when I'm going to dinner at someone else's house or to a restaurant. So I guess if I don't have to make it, then I enjoy eating it. And drama food always makes me hungry. Maybe that's just the Doojoon effect? 😜

I love this post! I haven't seen Let's Eat 2, but this makes me want to. While eating lots of delicious foods, of course :D

Thank you for this very persuasive essay, @ally-le!
I like baking (immediate gratification, anyone?), but never really enjoyed making proper meals...
However, making food for your loved ones and for your friends is something I've learned to enjoy very much. Especially the part where you have to go to a restaurant to taste the real thing first!

Thanks for an entertaining essay, @ally-le.

I truly enjoyed LET'S EAT 2. It features gobs of seafood that I would have to steer clear of in real life. But seeing it onscreen doesn't trigger anaphylaxis, so I can watch in safety. And it's a hoot to see the eager eaters tie into the delicacies with gusto.

That scene at the Indian restaurant was great. I've loved Indian food for many years. Some parts of New Jersey have large Indo-Pakistani populations, so it's not difficult to find excellent eateries as well as grocery stores. Years ago, I took an Indian cooking class at the local adult school, and had a blast.

Your FreeTheKimchi food pron looks scrumptious! Are the rice wrappers used for fried spring rolls? I recall having thumb-size Thai spring rolls at Keo's original restaurant in Honolulu. Wrap them in lettuce leaves, dip in a thin, sweet sauce with chopped peanuts, and enjoy. -- Thanks for sharing your recipes and photos. ;-)

What a lovely post @ally-le! Having read some of your blog, I'd never have thought you were not a food person. :) And I digress a little, but I'm so happy you like (north) Indian cuisine. ^^

Amazing post @ally-le! I haven't watched Let's Eat 2 yet but the pictures sure do make it look appetising. I can relate to your "living to eat" stance because that was the exact same mindset I had when I was younger. I'd just eat to get the lunch or dinner over with so that we could go back to watching TV/ playing etc. However, as I grew older I learned to savour different food and appreciate new things and unique tastes. Now I take my time whilst eating because it builds better memories that way.

Also there are a lot of foreign restaurants/foreign cusines in Itaewon, Korea eg.Indian, Turkish, Arab etc.

Great post @ally-le ! I would NEVER have thought you were not a "food" person, as I have sneaked a peek at your blog and your recipes! I am one of those that think (read: dream and drool) about their next meal while eating the current one. I haven't seen the Let's Eat series but maybe I should, just to discover more drool worthy dishes!

Thank you for taking the time to write this wonderful post. To your point, I love how kdramas make lovers (and eaters) of us all!!

Wonderful article! I am the live to eat type and my husband is the eat to live type. He's absolutely said before that he usually only eats because he has to in order to live. He doesn't get excited about food most of the time. There are only a couple of things that get him close to experiencing my love of food. And in my mind, I just can't grasp the concept of not loving food - I've had many a "food-gasm". LOL!
And Dae Young is one of my favorite characters, along with the Let's Eat series. I feel like I really *get* Dae Young. He's my kind of people! :)

Ah, food. It's so many things .... it's nourishment, it's culture, it's memories, it's science, it's art, it's a connection with people .... but the list goes on and on, really, because food means different things to everybody .

Thanks for sharing what it has meant to you and how Let's Eat 2 has inspired you to try new foods while also strengthening bonds with your lovely kdrama foodie friends. 🍲

Wonderful writing @ally-le and so true, food is so often the crux of relationship building 😊😊
This makes me want to watch Let’s Eat 2 ~

Also I wish I could be a part of a food and kdrama group...

the first time i watched a food show i thought that it would be pretty boring and dumb but was i wrong! Korean show just know how to make cooking and food so scrumptious that i want to try it myself and i have. i get craving Korean food so i either have to go to my fave restaurant or make something at home. these shows are so addicting because not only do they give you a foray into Korean food and show you how even, but the "cooks,guests and hosts" become so fun and real! i love seo jin from his cooking shows as much as dramas and Eric and now seo joon. these are some of my fave shows. i like knowing who out there can cook also. it adds a dimension to them!

@ally-le
First of all, I didn't expect Gong Yoo oppa to greet me when I clicked on that link. I should've known better! (also, thank you)
I love, love, love that you found a nice group of women who share your interest in Korean food, meeting up to cook different things sounds awesome; I must say I'm a bit jealous!
Let's Eat is such a fantastic show to learn of so many different Korean dishes! I admire the way in which they always enjoy whatever it is they're eating, but my favorite part, for sure, is how important they make it to eat with dear ones.
As always, I really enjoyed reading you, Ally! Thanks for sharing!

I loved this! All the screencaps seriously have me drooling now, remembering back when I watched Let's Eat 2 way past dinnertime and having to sneak in leftovers so I don't die of hunger.
Also, you're definitely right that the Let's Eat series portrays Korean food very deliciously. Before the series, I wasn't sure if I really liked the flavor of Korean food (although it's readily available in SoCal), but after watching it I've come to appreciate many Korean dishes that I hadn't before, and that has brought me closer to my Korean friends as well. I often ask them or their mothers to cook for me ;)

Aww man... from one non-foodie to another, I hear you about the fact that food means relationships rather than just the tummy-filling.... now I want an invite to your 1D9D party - 1 Drama 9 Dishes!!!

Your Ahjumma kdrama club sounds like a lot of fun. I have some friends I was planning to do this with recently - cook Korean food and watch some kdrama. The plans fell through but I'm feeling inspired to try again.

I just got back from an internetless trip, and was greeted by all these nice comments and another published post of my ramblings! Thank you, as always, and I feel my writing may be getting a little more refined, as has my palate!

@ally It’s 2022 and I have just watched Let’s eat 3 so was directed to this post and what a great read. I will definitely go back to watch Season 2 it sounds great. It’s good to see each season stands alone so you can join anywhere in the series and still engage with the characters. I didn’t engage with the first series so gave up on it but thoroughly loved season 3.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the importance of relationships that grow around food. I love the idea of a ‘K drama with food’ club I just wish I knew people in real life who like K dramas so I could set one up.

The concept of this programme works because it has a really powerful pull in terms of the story as well as the love of food so it meant it was a great watch whether you joined for the food or the slice of life rom com elements. I am a gluten free vegan so 90% of the food they were eating was not something I would eat but the way it was filmed I can see the beauty and imagine the pleasure meat eaters would get from the food on display. Their descriptions of the benefits of the food was a great fit for me as well as the fascinating explanations for how to eat to enhance the taste experience. I was all in apart from the dish with the live octopus literally trying to escape the plate! Takes the idea of freshly caught to another level😳

I rated the actors ability to eat piping hot food as neatly as they did. I bet these scenes were their favourite part of the shoot and they minimised their acting as their natural enjoyment came out. I see the trend of overfilling the spoon or chopsticks so they had full mouths was around back too but thankfully they didn’t have to deliver lots of lines like the current actors do, which must be so stressful. I don’t think it shows a lack of interest in the food to eat manageable mouthfuls so they can properly chew and digest the food.

Great post Ally.