Gourmet (2008)

I totally loved this! Gourmet took precedence for me over all the currently airing or newer dramas I have been watching this week. I just couldn't stop watching and lost a lot of sleep in the process. It's a really heartfelt drama centered around family drama and food that I think many would enjoy. I thought I'd put in a good review, because I think it deserves higher ratings than it has.

THE STORY: I was hooked on it from the first episode. It's about a father and 2 sons who run a renowned historic restaurant serving traditional Korean food. What I really enjoyed is the way the father-son and brother-brother relationships are played out. There are good guys and bad guys, but the bad guys are relatively well-rounded and realistic. You can kind of see their point of view and feel for them. The actors all do a great job bringing these characters to life. Kim Rae Won is really likable as the the sincere and naturally talented chef, Sung Chan. Kwon Oh Jung is good as Bong Joo, Sung Chan's overly-ambitious brother. And Choi Bool Am is endearing as their father.

The story touches on themes like balancing modernization with protecting tradition and heritage, living up to your parents expectations and finding your own way in life. It's relatively realistic for a drama. Just like in everyday life there's a little bit of everything - some fun moments, some sadness, rivalries, competition, jealousies, heartwarming and supportive friendships. There is some romance. It was cute, but not the main focus of this drama.

THE FOOD COMPETITIONS: The plot involves not just one food competition but several cooking competitions. And it all looks so good to me. I want to taste it all. There is a lot of focus on the food preparation and the drama of coming up with interesting creative recipes that will outdo the competition. I love watching cooking competition shows so I really get into this aspect of the story and find it exciting. And I don't know much about Korean food so it is really interesting for me to watch them making it and see how they eat and appreciate it.

THE PACING: I read some comments about it being slow. I didn't find it slow, but I can understand why some people might feel this way if watching people making food or talking food doesn't interest you or you prefer dramas with more focus on romance or thrills. But I thought the pacing of the story was just right. Every scene had its purpose and moved things along at a comfortable pace.

Maybe it's not everyone's taste, but this drama left me feeling happy and satisfied just like a good meal. It's definitely one of my favorites!

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