#this and SATC really shoulda queued me into my affinity

[tielt]

-Dae Jang Geum-

I wanted to mention it around the time Squid Games was popular, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly to write about it. There is a feminist icon who is part of Korean history that has a tv show near 20 years old. It’s a hokey period drama, I think it’s G-rated the whole thing that I remember is family themed and it really is a thing made to be respectful to though maybe not entirely accurate of a historical figure.

It’s the feminine version of Red Beard which is another old school heroic physician show I really love. If I had to place my feminist views on a collage that Jang Geum series feels on brand for what I ascribe value. When I watched it I realized that I had entirely misplaced a lot of positive instincts about what it means to be a loyal citizen in a situation where the system is based on Confucian standards of ethics and that I would want to work within a hierarchical system if it had proper standards of compassion.

I’ll mention the first thing Jang Geum learns as a child studying to cook in the royal kitchen and I love the way it’s introduced. When even doing the most simple task such as delivering water to someone you should have direct and thorough communication about the person, their health history and state of mind in order to deliver a holistic experience.

I been waiting for near a decade for a chance to tag this show in accordance to some issue or casually attached to some concept and it just never happened. This is the probably a better way to recommend it to anyone who wants a holistic not-Disney but very Disney period drama about cooking and medicine. It’s long and the beginning is pretty bad. 🤷‍♀️

This is me running some lit sage around my creaky bones for purification. I care though I would rather not these days.