Crash landing on food: Primal and perennial connect to food in K-Dramas is gateway to indulgence like none other

The abundance of food has fed one’s own appetite in more ways than one. It’s a promise that I haven’t fulfilled, all thanks to COVID-19, but the satiation that the food made me experience that day is something that I have been looking high and low for, in K-Dramas in particular, right from the very first one I saw [again thanks to COVID-19 and confinement>, Crash Landing on You. The abundance of food [rivalled only by innumerable coy and/or sloppy kisses, the other hallmark of K-Dramas> has fed one’s own appetite in more ways than one. The parents of the hero Choi Ung [Choi Woo-shik> in Our Beloved Summer run a diner for drivers, their chats are about steamed fish, chicken feet, and marinated pork, and the mother often says: “Eat something before you go.” A bit like our own Hansa [Supriya Pathak> in Khichdi telling one and all: “Hello, how are, khana kha ke jaana haan.” Reply 1988 has scene upon scene of the Sung family huddled together, sitting down on the floor around food. So the curiosity for alien flavours has led many of us to experiment beyond the long-popular kimchi — from Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun Noodle Soup to Masterchow Kinky Korean Hot Basil Stir Fry on Amazon, from buldak [highly spiced barbequed chicken>, bulgogi [grilled and marinated pork> or jeyuk [seasoned pork> dosirak [thali> to dakgalbi [spicy pan-fried chicken> kimbap from Kori’s at Safdarjung Enclave.