Where it all started

Before Oppa: How Dae Jang Geum Fed Our Souls and Raised a Generation


There was a time before the K-drama world was filled with shirtless chaebols, piggyback rides, and slow-motion umbrella scenes.

Back then, our obsession wasn’t with oppas — it was with honor, food, and palace politics.


And at the heart of it all stood one woman:

Jang Geum — royal kitchen maid turned first female physician to the king.


 The Family TV Ritual

If you were there, you remember the scene.

Clock hits 6.30. You hear the legendary theme song. Dinner barely over, and everyone gathered around the TV. Moms still holding spoons. Dads mid-slippers. Kids pretending to be uninterested until the theme music hit.

 “You may mock us now mom, but you were the one watching Chang Gumee with the rice cooker on your shoulder.”

It wasn’t just a drama. It was family time, culture, history, suspense — and food so beautiful it made you hungry even when full.



School Was Our Palace

I went to an all-girls school, and let me tell you — we didn’t just watch palace life, we lived it.

Our school uniform had a pleat down the front — the perfect spot to tuck our hands like the kitchen maids did. Any pencil became chopsticks. A ruler? That's the royal physician’s examination tool. A notebook? Obviously a scroll with secret medicinal recipes.


We played palace everywhere:

In the classroom

On the playground

At the gate while waiting for parents

During interval

After school

Even in between lessons


We bowed to each other with exaggerated grace. We spoke in whispers and formal tones. We reenacted betrayals and punishments. Some of us even pretended to faint dramatically like one of the court ladies.

We weren’t girls. We were noble court maids, royal physicians, queens, and enemies — all in one lunch break.


What Made It So Special?

A strong female lead who didn’t need rescuing

History and healing over romance

Palace etiquette, food, and wisdom that felt bigger than any crush

A story about resilience, not just love


For many of us, this was our first taste of Korean storytelling. Before we learned the word “oppa,” we learned to say,

 “I am honored, Royal Court Lady.”


Where It All Began: The Cooking Fever

Looking back, maybe that’s where my cooking fever really started.

Not in a kitchen — but in a classroom, pretending to be a royal kitchen maid, whispering about sauces and seasonings with my friends.

Jang Geum didn’t just fight palace politics — she taught us the sacred art of food. How it heals. How it speaks. How it holds memories.

And now, every time I make something comforting —

whether it’s midnight noodles, dumplings, or fried rice just for me —

a small part of that little girl in uniform returns, still playing palace, still stirring up a storm.




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