Afternoona Asks

It's already been a half year of dramas for 2025 - Sarah is joined by Patreon guests Kalena and Shannon to chat through the second quarter of Korean dramas so far. Join us on our quick run through of our favourite dramas, performances as well as the ones who could have done better and ones we dropped entirely.

If you've not managed to watch some dramas yet you can also check out how we found these dramas before starting!

Dramas covered that include spoilers - with timestamps so you can avoid spoilers (other dramas are covered but without spoilers)

Squid Game 3 - 20.48

Our Unwritten Seoul - 25.02 - 34.30

Mercy for None - 1:45:42 - 1:48.05

Show Notes

Kalena Intro Podcast - Seo In Guk Fanmeet

1st Quarter Review with Erin and Cate

Art of Negotiation Deep Dive podcast

Sarah and Grace had a lovely time chatting through what makes K-dramas special in this short primer geared toward new and curious potential viewers. We discuss what a K-drama is, the genres that K-dramas do well, and give a brief overview of K-drama history. We also give recommendations for viewers who are just starting out, as well as those who have already dipped their toes in the water and are wondering where to head next.

Dramas mentioned:

Hospital Playlist (Netflix)

Residents Playbook (Netflix)

Pachinko (Apple TV)

Taxi Driver (Viki)

Signal (Viki)

Yumi's Cells (Viki)

Crash Landing on You (Netflix)

Reply 1988 (Netflix)

Prison Playbook (Netflix)

Hometown Chachacha (Netflix)

Mr. Queen (Netflix)

Moving (Disney+/Hulu)

Tomorrow (Netflix)

Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace (Viki)

My Mister (Netflix)

Misaeng (Netflix)

Our Blues (Netflix)

25 21 (Netflix)

Racket Boys (Netflix)

Goblin/Guardian: the Great and Lonely God (Viki)

My Dearest (Netflix & Viki)

Call It Love (Disney+)

One Spring Night (Viki)

Never Have I Ever (Netflix)

Love to Hate You (Netflix)

Business Proposal (Netflix)

Lovely Runner (Viki)

Coffee Prince (Viki)

Go Back Couple (Viki)

Touch Your Heart (Viki)

Squid Game (Netflix)

Death's Game (Amazon Prime)

Uncanny Counter (Netflix)

D.P. (Netflix)

A Shop for Killers (Disney+)

Bad and Crazy (Netflix)

I Am Not a Robot (Viki in US/Netflix in UK)

Twinkling Watermelon (Viki)

Alchemy of Souls (Netflix)

Doom at Your Service (Netflix)

Something in the Rain (Netflix)

Still 17 (Viki)

Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born (Hulu/Disney+)

When Life Gives You Tangerines (Netflix)

Strong Woman Bongsoon (Viki)

Happiness (Netflix)

Fated to Love You (Viki)

One More Happy Ending (Viki)

Good Partner (Viki)

Healer (Viki in US/Netflix in UK)

Other media mentioned:

The Power of Pop Culture in “Reply 1988” | The New Yorker 

Oshin: The gritty Japanese drama that gripped the world

Drama Over Flowers on Kdrama history

The Fangirl Verdict

Sarah is joined by fellow Patreon guests Katie & Charlotte for a deep dive of the 2025 drama, The Art of Negotiation. This drama stars Lee Jehoon and was a bit of of a niche drama for Western audiences - but we think it needs much greater love. It's available on Viki. All three of us love this director, Ahn Pan Seok - who also directed Something in the Rain, One Spring Night and Secret Love Affair. This corporate drama doesn't feature a romance but has much of what we love about this Director's dramas. Check out the spoiler-free intro to see if this drama is for you if you haven't watched, or if you have seen or don't mind being spoiled join us for the full podcast! We hope those of you who also enjoyed this drama feel like we did it justice!

Show Notes
To hear Katie's previous episode and her intro check out the podcast.
For the Afternoona Delight podcast on My Beautiful Man listen to the episode.
Sarah also covered the drama Something In the Rain on Afternoona Delight

We were delighted to chat about Culinary Class Wars with returning guest Lisa. We discussed what made the 2024 Netflix food competition so entertaining and unique, who our favorites were among the chefs battling it out to make their names known, what foods we most wanted to eat, and how we would like to refine the next season (hopefully it's not derailed by Chef Paik's ongoing business and legal troubles!). We also talked about various Korean and Chinese food words in our language section.

You can find Lisa on YouTube as Army Auntie and on Instagram as @chibifromouterspace

To get a bit more of an introduction to Lisa, listen to our JSA and Korean American Experiences of Hallyu episode.

Reality/variety/cooking shows mentioned in this episode:

Singles Inferno

Physical 100

Siren: Survive the Island

Iron Chef

Top Chef

Great British Bake Off

Running Man

You Quiz on the Block

Rented in Finland

Love After Divorce 

Master Chef

Peak Time

Foods mentioned in this episode:

Japchae - stir fried glass noodles

Naengmyeon - cold noodles

Kalguksu - knife cut noodle soup

Jeon - batter dipped and pan fried meat or vegetables 

Gyejang - raw marinated crab

Biji jigae - soy pulp left over from tofu-making process, made into a stew

Dongpo rou - braised pork belly from Hangzhou

Malatang - Sichuanese numbing spice hot pot

Babaocai/Palbochae - Chinese "eight treasures" dish that contains various vegetables, seafood and meat

Bibimbap - rice mixed with stir fried vegetables, meat, and a fried egg (several unique varieties were showcased, including seafood)

Dim sum - Cantonese dumplings

Gim - roasted laver (often marketed as seaweed snacks in Western countries)

We discuss the 2024 Korean Drama The Atypical Family with guest Lindsay. All three of us love this quirky fantasy drama and enjoyed deep diving what made it such a compelling watch for us. Listen to find out why we receommend this drama, discuss how we think it handled time travel and what stood out for us.

To listen to Lindsay's first episode with us check out our Learning Korean with Lindsay episode

Grace had a wonderful time chatting with friend and guest Robert about their respective trips to South Korea earlier this year. They discussed highlights and let downs, yummy and interesting food and drinks they tried, and the virtues and pitfalls of intensive planning versus flying by the seat of your pants. They reflected on the changes they have noticed over several visits to South Korea and talked about hopes and plans for future trips there. They also recommended helpful apps and websites, gave travel tips, and, in the language section, suggested useful Korean phrases to learn. 

Dramas Mentioned:

Can We Get Married (2012)

Coffee Prince (2007)

The Tale of Lady Ok (2024)

Itaewon Class (2020)

City Hunter (2011)

Healer (2014)

The K2 (2016)

Vagabond (2019)

Arthdal Chronicles (2019)

I Am Not a Robot (2017)

One Spring Night (2019)

Lovely Runner (2024)

Places and activities mentioned

- Hannamdong (한남동) (Seoul)

- Seoul Forest and Atelier Street just north of it (Seoul)

- Cafe streets, e.g. Cheongsudang (청수당) bakery and Soha Salt Pond in Ikseondong (익선동) (Seoul)

- Leeum Museum (리움 미술관) (Seoul)

- Gentle Monster eyewear shop and Nudake cafe in Dosan Park (Seoul)

- Hongdae and Ryse Hotel (Seoul)

- The National Museum of Korea (Seoul)

- Night walk along Cheonggyecheon, starting at DDP and ending in Myeongdong, with a stop for dessert at Gwangjang market (Seoul)

- Namsan hike, including Whitestone Gallery and Komfortabel cafe + cable car (Seoul)

- Night walk among Silla dynasty sites, including burial mounds and the oldest standing astronomical observatory in Asia, Cheomseongdae (첨성대) (Gyeongju)

- Bulguksa temple complex (Gyeongju)

- Gyeongju National Museum (Gyeongju)

- Hwangnidan-gil 황리단길 cafe street (Gyeongju)

- Seodaemun Prison History Hall (Seoul)

- Nagwon Musical Instrument Arcade (Seoul)

- Daejanggeum Park (Yongin)

- Korean Folk Village (Yongin)

- Suwon Hwaseong Fortress wall walk (Suwon)

- Yongyeon Garden Suwon Hwaseong Fortress (Suwon)

- Hwaseong Haenggung (Suwon)

- Suwon fried chicken street (Suwon)

- Inspire Entertainment Resort (Incheon)

- Apgujeong Rodeo Street (Seoul)

- Insadong culture street (Seoul)

- Hyundai Department Store Yeouido (Seoul)

- Lotte World Tower - Seoul Sky (Seoul)

- Seongsudong (Seoul)

- Starfield Library at the Coex Mall (Seoul)

- Danbam - restaurant/bar from Itaewon Class (Seoul)

Food, drinks, and restaurants mentioned:

- Gabojeong Hanwoo galbi restaurant (가보정) - also had excellent banchan (Suwon)

- Suwon Fried Chicken Street

- Hanjeongsik style meal - table covered in banchan

- Gyejang (계장) marinated crab

- Hotteok (호떡) - filled flatbread

- Ggwabegi - twisty donut

- Dakgalbi (닭갈비) - spicy chicken stir fried with veggies, tteok, and sometimes cheese. Bbandak Bbandak (빤닭빤닭) in Myeongdong 

- Chimaek (chicken + beer) at BB.Q Chicken 

- Myeongdong Kyoja (명동교자) - Bib Gourmand gyoza restaurant

- Mr. Ahn's Craft Makgeolli (안씨 막걸리) in Itaewon (이태원)

- Sool Gallery in Bukchon

- Alice and other cocktail bars in Cheongdamdong (청담동) 

Apps and websites mentioned:

- Catchtable - for restaurant reservations 

- VisitKorea website - to verify business details

- Naver Maps for navigation and directions + Google Maps to look up place names in Korean 

- Uber - for calling cabs (more familiar for westerners, and just as effective as Kakao T)

Introducing our first Chinese Drama Deep Dive on Afternoona Asks, wher we cover the 2025 romance drama The First Frost. Sarah is delighted to be joined by Afternoona Delight Patreon guests Tania and Kortney to discuss this popular drama. We give a spoiler-free intro to the drama so if you're interested in hearing what we liked and recommend about The First Frost check this section out. After a short Chinese langauge section we get into the nitty-gritty of what we liked and didn't like so much about this drama, how we found the romance and relationship and did we think it stuck the landing?

Show Notes:

Kortney's Dramas:

Hometown Cha Cha (Sarah's deep dive with the Afternoona Delight podcast)

Love Like the Galaxy (Sarah's deep dive with Corinne from SexLoveLit Podcast and Gavin on the Afternoona Delight podcast)

Guardians of the Dafeng

Fireworks of my Heart

Only for Love

Love Languages description
Love Languages in Zhu Yi dramas
Hidden Love - Love Language reel

Sex Love Literature podcast on Red and Green Flags as a trope, which Sarah guested on.

Crafting Social Media links:

Tania - @tania.ho on Instagram, Tania on Ravelry 

Kortney - @kortneyskrafts on Instagram

Sarah - @knitcrochetrepeat on Instagram, Sarah on Ravelry

Join Sarah and special Patreon guests Erin and Cate as they discuss the drama year so far in 2025. What Korean and Chinese dramas have they been watching and which dramas have they enjoyed, which have been dropped and who have had the standout performances so far?

We do touch on spoilers for some of the dramas that we discuss, so please see below for the timestamps of each drama so you can skip ahead if you don't wish to be spoiled:

34.44 The First Frost

36.40 When Life Gives you Tangerines

40.00 Love Scout

43.52 Undercover High School 

44.24 Study Group

49.45 Trauma Code: Heroes on Call

55.35 When The Stars Gossip

1:01:00 My Dearest Nemesis

1:08:42 Motel California

1:16:38 Check In Hanyang (no spoilers)

1:26.34 Melo Movie

 (The remainder of the dramas discussed have no spoilers)

To hear Erin's first episode with us check out our Afternoona Asks podcast
To hear the My Liberation Notes Deep Dive Sarah did with Lia, check it out on the Afternoona Delight podcast

We're back with part two of our Introduction to Korean Food! Sarah, Grace, and guest Susan continue to discuss favorite foods, including what we want to eat when we go to Korea, what we like to make at home, non-spicy options, and favorite ramyeons. We also discuss Korean food creators we enjoy and make recommendations about possible easy points of entry for listeners who want to try their own hands at making Korean food. In the language section, we discuss food-related Korean phrases. 

Korean food mentioned in this episode:

kalguksu

mul naengmyeon

kongguksu

mandu guk

tteokguk

sujebi (Susan's rec here) 

tteokbokki

kimchi (soondubu) chigae

doenjang chigae

baek kimchi

mul kimchi

yeolmu kimchi

nabak kimchi

galbi tang

seolleongtang

samgyetang

gukbab 

pajeon

jangjorim

myeolchi bokkeum

oemuk bokkeum (oemuk is sometimes called odeng, a remnant of Japanese language imperialism)

dongchimi kimchi/noodles

japchae
jjajangmyeon
galbijjim
gamjatang
gopchang
껍데기 구이 / kkeopdegi gui
kimbap
pajeon
Paldo Bibim Men
Shin Ramyeon
Samyang Ramyeon
Shin Red Fire Spicy Beef
Buldak Carbonara

Korean food creators we follow:

Maangchi
Korean Bapsang
POV husband
crazykoreancooking
MyKoreanKitchen
BeyondKimchee
The Korean Vegan
Chef Ed Lee
Pierre Sang
Cookim
Hooni kim
Hayden Kim

Other content mentioned in this episode:

Enhypen Heeseung's ramyeon egg hack at 17min in. Or at 30:50 in this video, which is a whole presentation about ramyeon that he puts on for Soobin of TXT
Sarah's favorite ramyeon egg hack
Folded kimbap recipe from Korean Bapsang
Jinga Gomtang from H Mart (Grace's go-to soup base)

And last but not least, find Susan on Instagram @josuhome

Sarah and Grace were thrilled to have fellow Afternoona Delight Patreon member Susan on as a guest to discuss a favorite topic: Korean food. We chat about how we were each introduced to Korean food, what it consists of and its signature characteristics, how we have seen its popularity and influence grow, for better or worse, and how accurately it is portrayed in Korean dramas. This ended up being an extended conversation--what with tangents about memorable foods eaten on trips to Korea, all time favorite Korean dishes, and ones we still have on our foodie bucket list--so we have split it into two parts. We hope you enjoy listening to us talk about Korean food as much as we enjoyed discussing it!

Korean shows mentioned in this episode:

Goblin aka Guardian: The Great and Lonely God

Mr. Queen

Hospital Playlist 

My Dearest

Death's Game

Reply 1988

Singles' Inferno

I Live Alone

Crash Course in Romance

A further introduction to our guest, Susan, can be found here:

Afternoona Delight: Across Borders and Beyond K-Dramas

The review of green onion Chex mentioned in this episode

Some banchan recipes recently posted on Instagram, here, here, and here

Korean food mentioned in this episode: 
Jokbal 족발 
Galbi 갈비 (type of KBBQ, usually beef rib meat - samgyeopsal 삼겹살 is the other most popular KBBQ, that is pork belly)
Japchae 잡채 
Kimchi 김치
Pajeon 파전
Yachae twigim 야채튀김 
Naengmyeon 냉면 
Kimbab 김밥
Hot dog 핫도그 (we call them corn dogs, but the Korean kind rarely have corn meal batter and they aren't called that in Korea)
Chicken 치킨 (calling it by the Konglish word indicates you want the fried kind)
Tongdak 통닭 (this is also fried chicken, but the old fashioned whole-fried variety)
Banchan 반찬 
Doenjang jjigae 된장찌개
Hoe (sounds more like hweh) naengmyun 회냉면 
Hongeo hoe  홍어회
Ganjang gyejang 간장게장
Yangnyeom gyejang 양념게잔
Gyeran mari 계란말이