00. Quick Thoughts
Korean mukbangs have always been fascinating but for some reason, I couldn’t get into the hype. No matter who I watch, it doesn’t have an effect on me like it does on others. This might be the reason why I stopped my initial watch of Let’s Eat when it aired. 7 years later and I decided to re-watch so here’s a quick review.
01. A Dive Into
Let’s Eat is a drama that masterfully combines food, friendship, and romance in a slice-of-life story that feels both relatable and deliciously heartwarming.
It centers around the life of single people and how they find comfort and connection through their love of food.
02. Meet the Characters
Yoon Doo Joon – Goo Dae Yeong
Our resident insurance saleman who loveeeees food. Love might even be an understatement. He’s a voracious foodie who is most of the time overtly enthusiastic about his meal – that’s what makes him charming though.
Lee Soo Kyung – Lee Soo Kyung
Socially awkward paralegal who lives a very mundane and uneventful life until he met Goo Dae Yeong. She’s very passionate with her food and has a knack for enjoying and savoring her every bite!
Yoon So Hee – Yoon Jin Yi
Jin Yi is the outgoing young woman who recently moved in the same apartment complex as our leads. She’s the complete opposite to the shelted life of Soo Kyung as Jin Yi loves to enjoy every instance of her life to the fullest.
Shim Hyung Tak – Kim Hak Moon
Hak Moon, who is Soo Kyung’s boss, is our resident bachelor. Oftenly grumpy, he slowly shows a different side of him through his love of food.
03. Plot Points & Popcorn Moments
Food is the main reason to watch this drama. TBH, other things didn’t matter other than the food. The show does an exceptional job introducing Korean dishes to its viewers. Its enticing, intriguing and definitely mouth watering. Each episode features a restaurant or new dish and we experience the job of appreciating the food through our characters. I don’t blame you getting hungry by the minute because I know I did. This is the main reason why mukbangs are booming because a lot of people enjoy watching others eat.
Don’t watch this at night though.
Oh man, that was the worse idea I had since watching Boys Over Flowers. Each episode shows a dish that will make you salivate and crave so bad you’ll end up eating Ramyeon at midnight.
In addition to mouthwatering dishes, Let’s Eat has a heartwarming story albeit lacking and undeveloped. You’ll breeze through 16 EPs without a hitch. Watch it while working. Have it playing while doing house chores. There’s nothing complicated in the story but the entertainment value is high.
Comedic timing is also spot on. I had a lot of laughs and the show did an awesome job in making it lighthearted and fun. It’s not slapsticky, gag-like, or over the top.
Dae Yeong has this bit every time they gather to eat. A short spiel before feasting our eyes on the main course.
It never gets old. He has a knack for describing the taste of the food that will make you drool and frustrated in a good way.
04. Setting the Mood
I’ll keep it short since it’s best to enjoy the characters on your own but for our leads – they were great!
Liked Dae Young the most. He’s the type of guy you’d want to be friends with. He enjoys what he likes and he’s very vocal about what he doesn’t. He was a bit annoying at the start but not as irritating as Soo Kyung’s initial impression.
As a mainstay, I think he’s a solid character for the series. They also cast the right guy to play the part.
Soo Kyung and I on the other hand had a bit of a rocky start. I didn’t hate her but her character wasn’t appealing either. She came off as bitter and irritating. Her character does develop down the road but you need to warm up to her.
Have to admit that this one is petty. Another reason why I liked Dae Young over Soo Kyung more is the way he eats. Both characters have their style in enjoying their food, Dae young just appealed more to me. Again, not a big deal, I simply preferred one over the other.
05. Is This My Cup of Ramyun/Does This Drama Spark Dorama Delight/Did This Drama Wok My Fancy?
Subplot … whatttt?
What the f*ck was that?
For whatever reason, they decided to add a revenge subplot that felt meh.
Why even?? Whyyyyyyyyyyy?
The Half-Baked Love Line
Let’s Eat didn’t really need the romance. the ample slice of life moments and food montage was enough to entertain us. The love line felt like an afterthought than a key ingredient so there’s no love for me there.
The romance was around EP 13 or something – and this is a 16 episode show. It felt forced and underdeveloped. If romance was a goal pace it better not an “oh, by the way” plot twist.
Contrary to what others believe, a show can thrive without a romance angle in the mix. Not every show needs a love line to succeed people! While the romance might be a favorite of some, to me this felt like filler and ultimately unnecessary.
06. Weekend Binge or Weeknight Dud?
Let’s Eat is basically a mukbang in kdrama format. It’s a show that showcases mouthwatering Korean dishes for everyone’s viewing pleasure. For people who crave Korean food (or are curious) and just dipped their toes, this is a good gateway drama. It is light and heartwarming where the main focus is on food and its influence on people.
This show is ideal for introverts like me who craves a quick pick-me or foodies who just loves to torture themselves at midnight! Haha! It’s perfect for anybody who loves a feel-good story with mouthwatering visuals as this show is equal parts comfort, humor and apetite-inducing scenes.
I have to mention that this is a product of its time. If you are watching this in 2021 as I did, give it a bit leeway and enjoy it for what it is. Great for first-time viewers, still enjoyable for old-timers, and a tad so-so for re-watchers.
Do you enjoy mukbangs? Or food-oriented shows?
What do you think about Let’s Eat? Share it in the comments, and let’s talk about what makes this show special. Lights out, drama lovers!
Let’s Eat
식샤를 합시다
2013 | 50+ minutes | tvN
7.9/10
MDL RATING
SUMMARY
Let’s Eat” depicts the daily life and romance of a single woman when a murder case occurs in her neighborhood. Lee Soo Kyung is a 33-year-old single woman. She divorced when she was in her 20s and now lives alone. She always wants to carry herself with dignity, but she loses self-control when she is near gourmet foods. Koo Dae Young is a gourmet, especially talented at describing the taste of foods. He often lies when he opens his mouth, but he is usually considerate of others.
COMEDY | SLICE-OF-LIFE
DIRECTOR
Park Joon Hwa
CAST
Yoon Doo Joon, Lee Soo Kyung, Yoon So Hee, Shim Hyung Tak…
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