[Discussion] Fermentation Family

Snowkat wrote: Spoiler alert:



Yeona, there was a very quick scene when Ki Ho Tae was taken to the orphanage and the director picked a new name for him. She looked at the books on her desk and there was a copy of the story Don Quixote. They started telling him his name was Ki Ho Tae from that point on. That's the connection between them. That and maybe there is supposed to be a connection in that he is fighting this impossible fight against the giant corporation for the love of Kang Sang, like Quixote jousting giants in the name of Dulcinea. But I think it is just the title of the book becoming his name.

Oh Thank you for telling me. I think I missed that scene or maybe I didn't pay attention to it. :D

There is a slightly corny element to Kimchi Family that I actually really love. Every episode there is different recipe highlighted. Most of the time it is some form of Kimchi. They show a montage of how it is put together and cooked and additionally show the two sisters sitting down to make the recipe. Usually this is accompanied by a flashback of the two girls watching their mother make the same Kimchi recipe as she imparts a lesson. The lesson can be love, acceptance, destiny, family and so on.... Usually the episode revolves around a character or characters who's lives or situations intersect this lesson. It really is a unique take on how food is such a rich part of Korea's history and traditions. There is a book and movie (both are favorites of mine) called "Like Water For Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel where food is an important part of the family life and traditions. Particularly with the main character of Tita ~ where she is so connected to the dishes she makes, her emotions directly effect the food she cooks. Kimchi Family sort of has a bit of that feeling/sense to me. The stories are different but I love the use of food and life and tradition they both have. This really is a unique drama in that way.

Thanks to Sapphire (MDL User) and KonaBeans from Soompi here is the short version of that traditional rap ending-song. It can be downloaded here: http://www.soompi.com/forums/topic/369841-drama-2011-2011-12-07-fermentation-family-%EB%B0%9C%ED%9A%A8%EA%B0%80%EC%A1%B1/page__st__580
The comment number 584.

Yeona wrote: Thanks to Sapphire (MDL User) and KonaBeans from Soompi here is the short version of that traditional rap ending-song. It can be downloaded here: http://www.soompi.com/forums/topic/369841-drama-2011-2011-12-07-fermentation-family-%EB%B0%9C%ED%9A%A8%EA%B0%80%EC%A1%B1/page__st__580
The comment number 584.

Gah! Yeona! Thank you! .../me goes to check it out! ♥ you're awesome.

Nah...I'm stalking you... lol ;)

I'm done with 18. Waiting for the weekend to watch 19 and 20.

It's really great to find more and more fans of this drama and Song Il Gook. Thanks to Sapphire (MDL user) I found a new site that highly recommends this drama: http://thundiesprattle.com/2012/02/10/fermentation-family/
I will quote some sentences and a few pictures.. the rest you can read there. ***Warning! That might contain spoilers!***

wrote: Can a thug be a decent human being? Can kimchi save a life? Can a cable drama which left me baffled and underwhelmed at first become both crack and comfort food eighteen episodes later?
You bet.
How strange the past few nights. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it started, this feeling of trepidation. As I begin a new episode of Fermentation Family (aka Kimchi Family), I brace myself for a stupid plot twist, or filler fluff, or a yawns-inducing lull. It’s become all too familiar, hasn’t it, when a promising drama enters its second half and decides Crap Town should be its final destination.
But my fears do not materialize. On the contrary, when I think I can’t possibly love this drama more, it serves up yet another episode that makes my heart leap. Had I watched it last year, it might even have been my pick for best drama.

wrote: When did my heart start to stir for this drama? When a little girl, once hungry and alone, shrieks with delight as our ex-thug tosses her into the air and then spins her around, the two of them happier than they have been in a long while. He understands her more than anyone else at Chun Ji In. What it means to be lost and afraid. To wait and wait and wait, for a parent who never shows up.

wrote: Last night I finished Episode 18. Six more episodes to go. (Thank you for not extending yourself. And thank you for being just the right length because that makes it easier for me to recommend you to people who dislike long dramas.)
On the surface and from its title I thought this would be just another food-themed drama. But gradually it dawns on me, and with immense relief, that this is not a Dae Jang Geum or Gourmet (to name two examples) where food sparks competition and such unpleasantness (stealing carving knives and poultry; sabotaging days of preparation; staging all-out wars). So what the food porn if it’s the result of intense rivalry and underhanded means? Wherefore the envy if food is used to score points and gain favors at the expense of others?

wrote: At Chun Ji In food is a form of caring. It is nourishment not just for the body but for the soul. Cooking and serving. Eating together. Food is an expression of love.
But lest I give you the impression that Fermentation Family is all about food, it isn’t. The main setting is Chun Ji In, yes, but the central story is really Ho-tae and his past. How did he become orphaned? Why is there an old photo of him with Kang-san’s dad? Why does a certain man look and sound familiar, and why is he denying all knowledge of Ho-tae? What is this man hiding?
The first few episodes give no indication that there are dark twists ahead and that what will keep me glued to my seat is a 22-year-old mystery.

wrote: There is so much warmth here. So much love. And humor, too.
See how the thug boss behaves when Cupid’s arrows strike him. (To think he seemed so hateful at first but now is just another lovelorn guy making a fool of himself!) See how the characters tease and banter. See how playful they become.
(This is hands down my favorite drama for Song Il-guk and Park Jin-hee. Superb acting, both of them.)

wrote: There is more lightheartedness here than in Rebirth and Devil, yet in its own way Fermentation Family is just as gripping. With six episodes left to watch (Episodes 19-20 aired this week), I have no idea how everything will end but feel confident the ending will not disappoint. As a fan of our writer-PD combo, I can hope, can’t I?
A food-themed family drama that’s also an expertly crafted mystery thriller? I’ll have extra helpings, thank you.