The Problematic of the Unproblematic

Today's post is going to be about the food found in KDramas when a scene is staged in a restaurant or pojangmacha.  Warning: drool can be hazardous to your keyboard. Restaurants in Korean Dramas are as ubiquitous as the evil Mother-in-law. From humble to elegant, they can set the stage for either cute moments or disastrous scenes.  Here they are, in no particular order. JOKBAL -  Braised Pig's Feet (or Pig Trotters) A link to the Visit Korea Tourism site calls jokbal "Chewy Memories of The Past".   Well, I'm not sure how far in the past you should go, but they were Ji-an's favorite pregnancy food in I Do I Do (2012) , and So-young's love of the meat in Baby-faced Beauty (2005) made Jin-wook happy.  And anything that makes Daniel Choi happy, makes me happy too! Jokbal is made by boiling pig's feet or the shank portion of the front legs over several hours in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, garlic, cinnamon sticks, green onions, g...

In a KDrama, the setting is sometimes more important than the story.  Where an event takes place can show a lot about a character.  Whether you are are alone crying in your beer, or partying with a bunch of your best-and-brightest, the correct watering hole will set the perfect tone. “People who drink to drown their sorrows should be told that sorrow knows how to swim.” – Ann Landers TYPES OF KDRAMA DRINK LOCATIONS - POJANGMACHAS Pojangmachas are one of the most prevalent locations in KDramas to drink.  CNN included p’machas as part of their Travel site:  CNN's Guide to Pojangmachas!    In 2012, there were approximately 3,100 of them in Seoul alone.  There’s a reason for this: they offer cheap eats and lots of alcohol. ( Just a quick side note: I only included the CNN P'macha link, but in that article there are also links to various makgeolli or mixed drink bars in Seoul, in case, yunno, you want to do further research. ) They co...