The other Hallyu things I like

God bless the Koreans for giving kimchi to the world. I first got a taste of it when I went to an overnight Baduk camp; the teachers were a Korean couple and the meals were decidedly delicious. I also got to taste bibimbap that time, but it was kimchi that I developed an addiction for - the more fermented and/or spicier, the better. People at home don't really care for it, but they've mostly come around since. I really should start making these on my own, but impatience gets the better of me and I more often than not buy my supply from the local convenience store.

Korean cuisine is amazing - watching Maangchi's videos on Youtube like the one above really made me want to learn how to cook. Unfortunately, my tastes run toward hellfire and I can't get anyone here to sample my cooking on account of them wanting to die with their taste buds still intact...

I usually read Dramabeans for my fix of Korean shows. I much prefer reading about the plot than seeing it, truth be told; and such plots! I was surprised when I watched "49 Days," so long ago - the leads actually died! Every drama does stick to basic tropes, of course. There is always a love interest, a couple of third parties who complicate the burgeoning relationship,  comedic and suspenseful scenes, some action close to the climax; but the stories run the gamut - from vampire attorneys fighting crime to medieval wizards pursuing revenge to vigilantes with father issues to simple families torn by adversity to students dreaming of hitting the big time. And every episode had structure, had a point.

Even the other types of shows had quality. The premises were interesting and the situations the participants found themselves in were funny; it's reality shows done right, frankly speaking. Being so used to Western reality shows where everybody is so mean or shallow, Korean shows are a breath of fresh air.