Quite a few of those “classic” items were originally brought in from the US (items dating back to the late…
I think I wasn't clear.
I'm not talking about literal "opening up", I was talking about culturally.
You can open up your country but culturally you are still "closed", and many countries were like especially here in Asia.
While Korea, and later South Korea, opened up, they were still very guarded and not accepting of major changes in their culture, which includes food. If you compare their current status to 20 years ago, you'll see that there were slow but many changes over time.
I mean, even the chef judges repeatedly said the same thing. They're slow in adopting and adapting foreign styles into their own cooking and baking.
You mentioned "English". Mainland China, Japan, and Korea, are well-known to be not native English speakers, and ESL (English as Second Language) only recently started to grow. But compare that to the Philippines and Singapore where children grow as first-language multilingual, and their second language is often whichever they chose in college or studied as a hobby.
That is them (CJK) being "open" territorially and economically but not culturally. They didn't find learning English important, and instead valued the preservation of their mother tongue.
To this day, if you go to mainland China and you're an overseas Chinese, or half/part overseas Chinese, you'll experience discrimination and doors closed. My cousins always experiences that whenever they visit mainland China.
Diaspora South Koreans, regardless if they're pure or not, also shared the discrimination they experience from native South Koreans.
These are examples of keeping your culture "closed" from outside influence and changes.
I'm not saying it's bad but for the context of the discussion, their food industry is only recently accepting adopting and adapting foreign influences, and it's gaining speed, to the point that some are being cautious that their own Korean products, flavours, styles, methods, might disappear. (It won't of course.)
Take for example Dujjonku. It is only "Dubai" in name but it is 100% Korean. A Korean pastry chef was inspired by the original and created an entirely new 100% Korean recipe and product.
Another is what the judges mentioned in previous episodes about how the pastry industry in Korea is starting to embrace fine dining pastry restaurants, where pastries are expensive, sometimes more expensive than the hotels (which makes sense since hotels usually outsources their supply).
But as the judges also mentioned, the current trend of very affordable pastries is very strong, most contestants priced their products too low because of it. Only one was brave to price it at hotel/fine dining level.
That's culture.
One can be "open" but it doesn't mean their culture is "open". They're guarding their culture very closely, they only accept foreign influence and changes if they can mold it as their own.
But as the Dujjonku trend shows, once something goes viral, there's no stopping it. Luckily for them, a Korean pastry chef was bold enough to create a 100% Korean recipe and version which became Dujjonku. So, technically, it still is Korean. 😁
Please don't say this, Notting hill is better than this confused show
Well, I agree Notting Hill is better.
But that's the point of it, this is Korea's best production as far as Notting Hill plot/genre is concerned. They still have a some ways to go to be at par. 😁
As far as I know, Dubai Kunafa Chocolate IS from Dubai. The Kunafa one is trending worldwide. The chef you are…
Yes, it is from Dubai but only as a product name and location where it was first sold.
The first Dubai Kunafa Chocolate came from a store that was owned by a British-Egyptian entrepreneur. She was pregnant and was looking for a specific taste she had before. She partnered with a Filipino pastry chef, she gave him the idea and he invented the recipe, until she found the taste she was looking for.
They launched their business in Dubai in 2021 until the Filipino chef left, I think a year before it suddenly became popular in December 2023.
Technically, it's only Dubai by name and location it was first sold.
Meanwhile, the Korean version is a reinterpretation of the original product. It's actually completely a new product entirely, even the recipe is original.
It's only "Dubai" by name but it's 100% Korean.
***
Pastry names are weird.
For example, here in the Philippines we have what we call "Spanish Bread" or "Pan de Kastila" during the Spanish colonial era. It is 100% Filipino. It wasn't inspired by another Spanish pastry.
No one knows how it came to be called that but the most common and plausible is to achieve a higher status and fame, which to this day is a very common practice in cooking and pastry. 😁
Like the Korean version, "Dubai" was retained in the name for prestige: Dujjonku which is Dubai Chewy Cookie literally but 100% Korean.
Which is what I find ironic because the judges are not mentioning that it's an original Korean recipe they can truly call their own. Most Koreans are likely not aware of that trivia. I mean, it's a missed opportunity for them especially when the theme of the show is about promoting Korean pastry products.
Thank you for calling me "very young", I appreciate. Yeah, maybe I don't know anything about writers, after all I just came from a clan of authors, scriptwriters, and producers, what do I know.
Thirdly, anyone who do know writers, like how you're somewhat claiming to be—at least with the way you replied, you should know what I'm talking about in the first place. Pretending not knowing what I'm talking about just so you can come out correct is, well, 🤦🏽. Because, you know, it's also taught in writing courses, especially in creative fiction. But again, what do I know, right? As you've said, I'm young and know nothing about writers.
I forgot to mention: I hope this is the last time we will see that ghost silhouette method. It's for ghosts, not…
Don't get me wrong, I'm watching this. But this is the hardest story I've encountered that used the Kishōtenketsu method. So far, it.does look like they're using Kishōtenketsu.
In any case, the question of the synopsis is something you'll learn to answer once you're #Forever28, and that…
Mad Concrete has too many "dumb" moments for my taste. Hahaha.
Climax is too slow and melodrama. I'll end up skipping only which I don't like to do. Hehehe.
At least that's what I remember. I think I also had too high of an expectation, they marketed it in a way that aligns with my tastes but it failed to deliver that. While probably in the middle they will, but it's hard to watch if the show didn't catch you early on.
As of E04.1. The director's style of storytelling is unconventional and very confusing.a. The time jumps are too…
I forgot to mention: I hope this is the last time we will see that ghost silhouette method. It's for ghosts, not brains transferred to a different body. There are methods meant exclusively for certain things because that's the effect and message it brings.
It's already an advance storytelling, then they reinvented the wheel. 😂
1. The director's style of storytelling is unconventional and very confusing.
a. The time jumps are too large within the same time period (present to present and past to past). b. The flow between different time jumps lacks telltale signs of when it ms happening, 6 months before or after? 3 months before 6 months? 2 months after 3 months?
2. It's like reading a half chapter and then another half chapter and thenyet another half chapter. And each of those half chapters are from the vantage point of different characters.
I can't even decide who is the 1FL, 2FL, the 1ML, and the 2ML. They are all given equal weight and importance. In creative writing, this is highly discouraged because it confuses the reader. It also signals that the author is an amateur. So, I don't know why the scriptwriter decided to use this complicated method. Clearly, if someone likes me who can quickly grasped complex stories is having a hard time, it means the writer failed or they targeted a very niche audience who far better than me. 😂
Then again, she also wrote Durian's Affair which I put on hold and I have no idea when I'll continue it.
3. The older brother actor.
I like actors who are flexible. I usualny see him acting macho, rarely as a soft "girly" guy. LOL. That's what my first gf's colleague saw in me hence he didn't believe I'm her bf then until we had a pationate kiss in front of him. 🤣🤪 I was too soft and "girly" like the actor's character here. ROFL.
4. Why are they chatty? Am I watching a novel? What happened to "show don't tell" golden rule in creative writing? 😅😆
It feels like I'm watching old P-dramas. Always sitting, standing, eating, and chat chat chat.
Let's get on with the plot, the mother's insanity! Hahaha. Show us how insane she is already! 😜🤪
It is crazy how it seems like people are expected to work 12 to 14 hours a day, and many even work on weekends.…
Oh, and the 12–14 hours you mentioned, including weekends, that was already an improvement. There are more bills filed that will further reduce it and align it with other Asian countries like the Philippines. Even in the Kpop industry, new laws were recently passed to align with Filipino and Japanese Kpop idol because both the Philippines and Japan have very strict laws when it comes to child labour (underage) especially if they work abroad.
For example, UNIS have 2 Filipino citizens and 2 Japanese nationals. F&F Entertainment is obligated to follow the requirements for those foreign Kpop idols. Like Elisia, F&F is mandated to give her time for her studies, and if she so much have one failing subject, she'll have less time for work-related activities and F&F can't do anything about it.
A recent South Korean law was passed to ensure foreign talents employed in South Korean Kpop industry meets their respective laws instead of purely Korean laws only. In fact, even the Korean talunts benefited from it. They now have a strict weekly number of work hours.
So, it is changing. But Kdrama and news rarely, if ever, talk about it. They always want the old "bad" systems to be at the front of Kdrama and news.
It is crazy how it seems like people are expected to work 12 to 14 hours a day, and many even work on weekends.…
Actually, the mandatory dinner after work you mentioned is exaggerated. 😁 I've worked with Koreans from South Korea for more than 20 years, the culture you explained is a 20th Century stereotype that Kdrama writers can't grow up from. The situation is way far better than they're depicting.
Of course, it is not perfect and there are still major issues, but comparing the current situation with Kdrama depictions, it's stereotypical already because things improved for the last ten years.
One could say there are still companies with obsolete cultures (especially old companies), which is true in many countries, not just in South Korea.
There are still many improvements needed but mandatory dinner is no longer mandatory.
Oh, work-life balance is actually a huge thing in South Korea for the last 10 years, and it is through it that many changes happened and are happening.
That is not unrealistic. Writers wouldn't write something they haven't experienced for themselves, or witnessed for themselves. You just haven't met someone or haven't experienced it yourself, which makes you "lucky" but it doesn't mean you should invalidate it as "ridiculous tropes".
See my explanation here: https://kisskh.at/777992-shining#comment-25446912
The bottomline is that they're too young to identify the real problems they're facing and thus in finding the right solutions. Their conclusion was "we started drifting apart because our situation is leading us to opposite directions".
But once you're an adult, with more experiences, you learn that the real problems were each of you are not flexible, had a fantasy view of what a relationship should be, and each of you putting yourself in the center (aka, me me and me).
This is coming from first-hand experience. Their story having a relationship while at school and breaking up as young adults were very similar to my first gf (I was also her first bf). But it took us 11 years after break up to finally fully close our story. For our on-screen couple, they still have a chance to SHINE after 10 years.
They get a happy ending while my first gf and I had a sad ending. 😁
1 
I'm not talking about literal "opening up", I was talking about culturally.
You can open up your country but culturally you are still "closed", and many countries were like especially here in Asia.
While Korea, and later South Korea, opened up, they were still very guarded and not accepting of major changes in their culture, which includes food. If you compare their current status to 20 years ago, you'll see that there were slow but many changes over time.
I mean, even the chef judges repeatedly said the same thing. They're slow in adopting and adapting foreign styles into their own cooking and baking.
You mentioned "English". Mainland China, Japan, and Korea, are well-known to be not native English speakers, and ESL (English as Second Language) only recently started to grow. But compare that to the Philippines and Singapore where children grow as first-language multilingual, and their second language is often whichever they chose in college or studied as a hobby.
That is them (CJK) being "open" territorially and economically but not culturally. They didn't find learning English important, and instead valued the preservation of their mother tongue.
To this day, if you go to mainland China and you're an overseas Chinese, or half/part overseas Chinese, you'll experience discrimination and doors closed. My cousins always experiences that whenever they visit mainland China.
Diaspora South Koreans, regardless if they're pure or not, also shared the discrimination they experience from native South Koreans.
These are examples of keeping your culture "closed" from outside influence and changes.
I'm not saying it's bad but for the context of the discussion, their food industry is only recently accepting adopting and adapting foreign influences, and it's gaining speed, to the point that some are being cautious that their own Korean products, flavours, styles, methods, might disappear. (It won't of course.)
Take for example Dujjonku. It is only "Dubai" in name but it is 100% Korean. A Korean pastry chef was inspired by the original and created an entirely new 100% Korean recipe and product.
Another is what the judges mentioned in previous episodes about how the pastry industry in Korea is starting to embrace fine dining pastry restaurants, where pastries are expensive, sometimes more expensive than the hotels (which makes sense since hotels usually outsources their supply).
But as the judges also mentioned, the current trend of very affordable pastries is very strong, most contestants priced their products too low because of it. Only one was brave to price it at hotel/fine dining level.
That's culture.
One can be "open" but it doesn't mean their culture is "open". They're guarding their culture very closely, they only accept foreign influence and changes if they can mold it as their own.
But as the Dujjonku trend shows, once something goes viral, there's no stopping it. Luckily for them, a Korean pastry chef was bold enough to create a 100% Korean recipe and version which became Dujjonku. So, technically, it still is Korean. 😁
But that's the point of it, this is Korea's best production as far as Notting Hill plot/genre is concerned. They still have a some ways to go to be at par. 😁
The first Dubai Kunafa Chocolate came from a store that was owned by a British-Egyptian entrepreneur. She was pregnant and was looking for a specific taste she had before. She partnered with a Filipino pastry chef, she gave him the idea and he invented the recipe, until she found the taste she was looking for.
They launched their business in Dubai in 2021 until the Filipino chef left, I think a year before it suddenly became popular in December 2023.
Technically, it's only Dubai by name and location it was first sold.
Meanwhile, the Korean version is a reinterpretation of the original product. It's actually completely a new product entirely, even the recipe is original.
It's only "Dubai" by name but it's 100% Korean.
***
Pastry names are weird.
For example, here in the Philippines we have what we call "Spanish Bread" or "Pan de Kastila" during the Spanish colonial era. It is 100% Filipino. It wasn't inspired by another Spanish pastry.
No one knows how it came to be called that but the most common and plausible is to achieve a higher status and fame, which to this day is a very common practice in cooking and pastry. 😁
Like the Korean version, "Dubai" was retained in the name for prestige: Dujjonku which is Dubai Chewy Cookie literally but 100% Korean.
Which is what I find ironic because the judges are not mentioning that it's an original Korean recipe they can truly call their own. Most Koreans are likely not aware of that trivia. I mean, it's a missed opportunity for them especially when the theme of the show is about promoting Korean pastry products.
Thirdly, anyone who do know writers, like how you're somewhat claiming to be—at least with the way you replied, you should know what I'm talking about in the first place. Pretending not knowing what I'm talking about just so you can come out correct is, well, 🤦🏽. Because, you know, it's also taught in writing courses, especially in creative fiction. But again, what do I know, right? As you've said, I'm young and know nothing about writers.
🤪
This is funny. I'll enjoy watching this.
Also, they're "training" and exposing new talents. About time. I've already seen Gyuri twice before. I'm glad to see her again.
Climax is too slow and melodrama. I'll end up skipping only which I don't like to do. Hehehe.
At least that's what I remember. I think I also had too high of an expectation, they marketed it in a way that aligns with my tastes but it failed to deliver that. While probably in the middle they will, but it's hard to watch if the show didn't catch you early on.
It's already an advance storytelling, then they reinvented the wheel. 😂
1. The director's style of storytelling is unconventional and very confusing.
a. The time jumps are too large within the same time period (present to present and past to past).
b. The flow between different time jumps lacks telltale signs of when it ms happening, 6 months before or after? 3 months before 6 months? 2 months after 3 months?
2. It's like reading a half chapter and then another half chapter and thenyet another half chapter. And each of those half chapters are from the vantage point of different characters.
I can't even decide who is the 1FL, 2FL, the 1ML, and the 2ML. They are all given equal weight and importance. In creative writing, this is highly discouraged because it confuses the reader. It also signals that the author is an amateur. So, I don't know why the scriptwriter decided to use this complicated method. Clearly, if someone likes me who can quickly grasped complex stories is having a hard time, it means the writer failed or they targeted a very niche audience who far better than me. 😂
Then again, she also wrote Durian's Affair which I put on hold and I have no idea when I'll continue it.
3. The older brother actor.
I like actors who are flexible. I usualny see him acting macho, rarely as a soft "girly" guy. LOL. That's what my first gf's colleague saw in me hence he didn't believe I'm her bf then until we had a pationate kiss in front of him. 🤣🤪 I was too soft and "girly" like the actor's character here. ROFL.
4. Why are they chatty? Am I watching a novel? What happened to "show don't tell" golden rule in creative writing? 😅😆
It feels like I'm watching old P-dramas. Always sitting, standing, eating, and chat chat chat.
Let's get on with the plot, the mother's insanity! Hahaha. Show us how insane she is already! 😜🤪
For example, UNIS have 2 Filipino citizens and 2 Japanese nationals. F&F Entertainment is obligated to follow the requirements for those foreign Kpop idols. Like Elisia, F&F is mandated to give her time for her studies, and if she so much have one failing subject, she'll have less time for work-related activities and F&F can't do anything about it.
A recent South Korean law was passed to ensure foreign talents employed in South Korean Kpop industry meets their respective laws instead of purely Korean laws only. In fact, even the Korean talunts benefited from it. They now have a strict weekly number of work hours.
So, it is changing. But Kdrama and news rarely, if ever, talk about it. They always want the old "bad" systems to be at the front of Kdrama and news.
Of course, it is not perfect and there are still major issues, but comparing the current situation with Kdrama depictions, it's stereotypical already because things improved for the last ten years.
One could say there are still companies with obsolete cultures (especially old companies), which is true in many countries, not just in South Korea.
There are still many improvements needed but mandatory dinner is no longer mandatory.
Oh, work-life balance is actually a huge thing in South Korea for the last 10 years, and it is through it that many changes happened and are happening.
A very mature and objective analysis.
But once you're an adult, with more experiences, you learn that the real problems were each of you are not flexible, had a fantasy view of what a relationship should be, and each of you putting yourself in the center (aka, me me and me).
This is coming from first-hand experience. Their story having a relationship while at school and breaking up as young adults were very similar to my first gf (I was also her first bf). But it took us 11 years after break up to finally fully close our story. For our on-screen couple, they still have a chance to SHINE after 10 years.
They get a happy ending while my first gf and I had a sad ending. 😁