Let's Eat (or the art of making you hungry) : Halfway Review + Update

I’ve started to watch Let’s Eat few days ago. Do I dare to say that I’m eating every word of that drama? You’re shaking your heads. I suppose that means no, the pen on words is too lousy. Got it.
But I’m allowed to say that I love the drama? Because I’m enjoying it! Like really! I’m in my tvN dramas’ period right now. I finished ‘I Need Romance 3’ right before Let’s Eat. It was my first drama of the I Need Romance' s franchise.  To make a story short the drama was good and I liked it. A little less than I thought I will though. But I was originally there for Kim So Yeon and Sung Joon so what if I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected? When you have beautiful leads as those two why complaining? 

Anyway let’s go back on track. Let’s Eat follows the ups and downs of three singles neighbours living in the same building on the same floor.

Lee Soo-Kyung (Lee Soo-Kyung) is in her early 30’s. She divorced in her 20’s and tries now to live her life simply (that includes not to get involved with her neighbours). The only way to calm down her frustrations is to eat!

Goo Dae Yong (Yoon Doo Joon) is an insurance planner. Smooth talker, charming, he’s a “fin gourmet” and knows how to describe the taste of food like no one.

Yoon Ji Yin (Yoon So Hee) is the newcomer in the building. When her family went bankrupt, her father ended up in prison and her mother left to America. Determined to wait for her father to be release, Ji Yin moved in alone for the first time. Idealistic, always happy and bubbling, she’s a bowl of fresh air. 

If you add to the story the successions of assault’s cases that occur in her neighborhood you have a well done mix of genres (comedy, romance, mystery and intrigue).

The food has a huge place here. When the title of your drama is Let’s Eat what more can you expect? Food is for our characters what reunites them. Regardless of what they are going through, food always plays the link between them, like a thread that won’t break. No matter what they say, they need it. Impossible to avoid long scenes where the cameras roll on only on the food, the different dishes and the satisfaction faces of our characters. It’s the first time I see so much attention giving to the food. That particular care given to the eating scenes can sometime be frustrating. I want some! Even that little, tiny piece of beef left in the corner of your plate is fine!

Long before I start this drama, I read that curious comment on a forum: “Never start Let’s Eat when you’re hungry. Never!” Pouuuuuhh, I swept the comment away with a hand’s movement and forgot about it. But I really should have been more caution. I’m ready to swallow my laptop ever time the camera is fixed on a dish! The food is so appealing that I want to try things everything even things I usually dislike. Just writing about it makes me drool completely! And like a Pavlov reaction, I drool just by pressing play because I know it won’t take long before I’m getting hungry. The brain and his functioning I swear…

As usual in Korean drama there’s that famous love triangle (in this case more an imbroglio for sure but so funny), but the drama is never heavy, melo or a tearjerker. That’s clearly not the path chosen by the drama. Light and enjoyable, Let’s Eat knows how to deal with his characters and situations and mixes greatly together all the elements like a good bibimbap! It’s tasty to watch. Another good point here:  no character is detestable which is relaxing! Trust me hating people asks a lot of energy and sometime you just want to cheer up for all the characters because they are great and enjoyable. 

I’ve reached the second part of the drama and I was scared to fall into the traditional “It’s going to be graver, be prepared” but nope. It’s not that at all. No burden scenes. The romantic feelings grow up delicately and that romance is developing simply. It’s crazy how a ‘simple’ story where the protagonists are not genius, experts in everything, doctors or chaebol (don’t get me wrong I have absolutely nothing against them. Plus they populate the dramaland, can I really afford myself the luxury of to dislike dislike them?), is what you desperately need the most. And I have to say that Let’s Eat does his job perfectly feeding that need. However the drama is not flawless. It took too long to the story to establish and develop the romantic feelings. Therefore I’m pretty sure we won’t have many romantic scenes which is too bad since the leads are sharing a good chemistry. But no much complains. I just want the drama to keep me happy (and hungry?) till the end. Don’t you dare choose another direction, drama. Let me enjoy the ride till the end.

Well I’m super hungry now. It’s probably time for another episode.

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UPDATE (05-08-2014) 

I was right! How good it feels to say it out loud without holding it back! Let’s Eat delivers his last episodes nicely and smoothly. Just like it should be, just like I wanted. Thanks for not having ruin neither my mood nor my expectations. I will be always grateful for that. Since I don’t want to spoiler, I won’t say much but let’s just say that my prediction on the romantic scenes was correct. Too bad really cause we had the chemistry, a nice set-up, a light atmosphere and plenty of possibilities to make Lee Soo-Kyung and Goo Dae Yong even cutter together. That being said I’m not going to complain to long because the drama managed to stay fresh and easy to watch till the end. . And that’s a decent job considering that there was a “Are we seriously adding another story to the drama just before the end?” door wide open.

My piece of advice? Take your fork, knife or chopsticks it's time to eat. The drama is meant to be savoured like a good meal. So eat to your heart’s content! It’s highly recommended. Bon appétit!!