I am talking about K-dramas and food. Dont get the wrong Ideas. This post is two weeks late. Sometime earlier this month Priya added a series on the Netflix watchlist, “Behind Your Touch”. A show about some girl with a superpower to see the past by touching the bum of other people. It was a fun premise. I kinda liked the show but felt it was padded with unnecessary episodes. And with the craze that Korean pop culture is spreading in India. I too fell victim. I assumed that all the series are fun like this show, but I was treated with a diluted version of Indian TV serials with Korean actors. I am going to be honest, the show I watched wasn't as cringy as the Indian TV serials where people as slipping and falling from a balcony to the ground, and the fall continues for 3-4 episodes. But they were still too much for me. I mean, I am here for the story of the main character and how she is going to deal with the challenges. And not for the romance of her grandmother. “Bllleeeeggghhh…”
While I recovered from the Korean drama assault, Priya, my wife, completely surrendered to the K-dramas. And I think she's on the 6th series. Dont get me wrong. I am all in for the “Squid Game” and “All of us are dead”, but dont expect me to cheer for “My Last Love Song” or “Love Alarm”. So I instructed her, just let me know if any episode of the drama hints at a zombie apocalypse or world-ending catastrophe. And spare me the love crisis. So far, its all good. She watches the episode and tells me the summary. I am using a reverse uno on AI. People use paid AI, and I have a lifetime subscription of my Wife.
And right when everything was going smooth, I made a mistake the other day. When I asked Priya if she wanted to try new cuisines. And without missing a beat, she said, let's try Korean. I jokingly replied Why would there be any Korean restaurant in a Tier 2 city of central Tamil Nadu. Now, imagine my surprise when Google showed an authentic Korean restaurant with a 4-star rating within walking distance from our place. To give you context, I had to search for months to find a restaurant that serves Hyderabadi dum biryani that resembles what it claims to be. And the Name of the restaurant is “Seoul Street”.
It was a small place, just 3 tables. I guess not many here have been affected by the K craze. The was just a kid sitting at one of the tables and nobody else. I was expecting a waiter or some other staff, but no one. We sat there for 5 mins, and just when I was about to go and slam on the desk, the Kid informed us that we have to place the order using the QR code while the technology is amazing, Instructions it should have be written somewhere at least. I scanned the QR, and finally, when I got to the menu, it was all Korean items. The menu was just Korean name followed by price, and in between there's an Image of what the foods gonna look like. I browsed through all the items and selected a Fried rice with Chicken image, which was the safe bet for me. When I asked Priya, she replied in Korean I guess, because I couldn't get her order. All I understood was she wanted that item “with Kimtchi”. I gave her my phone. It's better to let her order rather than you placing it wrong. Moreover, theres no waiter to blame on either. When the food arrived, I was relieved that they had given spoon and a fork. The food was ok, it had fermented cabbage and other vegetables too. The food reminded me of the restaurant in Coimbatore where they served northeast cuisines. Priya was very comfortable with the food; she ordered something that was like a pancake with stuffed chicken and Kimtchi. various sauces.
And when we were done, the kid asked us to rate our experience and pointed to the wall, which I thought was graffiti, It was actually feedbacks from customers. Priya drew a small heart on the wall and wrote LOVED IT. I wanted to write ‘Not for me,’ but that's my personal opinion, not worth mentioning on the wall. And that's my overall experience with Korean culture. And just now I realised that I am judging an entire culture based on the shows and food. And there are always going to be good shows, bad shows, good food and bad food. I guess it's too early to judge and distance myself from the culture.
Hey Folks,
And I am just sharing my experience of Korean culture, And I am aware that the people who work on the TV shows and movies are the representing the entire Korean culture, and the Korean food I had is prepared by an Indian with the ingredients available in the Indian market. I am just sharing what I experienced, I am in no way criticising the people of Korea here. I dont know any to begin with.
But I am thankful to the awesome people I know like @mysteriousroad and @ryivhnn along with the gang at IndiaUnited and the BeAwesome.
