Gimbap and Onigiri Episode 4

Dealing with family while sorting out life

No wonder Tiaga doesn’t want to go home. He relates most to his mom’s cooking and this brings back fond memories. His older brother is the dutiful son and man of family since dad passed. He resents his brother leaving to ‘find himself’ while he has taken on the family responsibilities. This shows clearly when he can’t have a nice thing to say to his brother except add salt to the wounds for not living up to the running hype of an athlete and calling part time work in a restaurant progress. Even his mom’s attempt at comforting as he was leaving showed how little expectation she had of him excelling in anything. Rin’s experience is similar. She has a career she wants, but she does not excel in that field. Her mom means well, but she wants Rin to lose her ‘hobby’ and get a stable job even if her daughter hates it. She also wants to match her with a nice Korean boy. I enjoy how Tiaga and Rin share food, customs and support each other. Her warm flavored candy proved to be a comfort for him too. His boss is training him to run his own restaurant. He sees a capable person and he shares his experiences with Tiaga. A friend brings someone with him that is interested in Taiga’s cooking. A path of cooking for athletes may be opening up. This drama moved the romance too quickly, but it’s doing a nice job of showing how they learn about each other’s heritage through food and their growing appreciation of each other for just being who they are.

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